The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 72

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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This life’s hit song is revenge.
72
She couldn’t shake the thought: ‘It was stolen from me.’
The champion’s title had always been hers.
Standing on that stage should have been her.
Receiving the spotlight—all of it was supposed to be hers.
‘It was all me.’
Yet there, in that exact spot, stood Lee Jae-i.
A seismic tremor ran through the quiet heart that had kept its distance from the media.
Why hadn’t the posts defending her spread further?
This wasn’t something that should pass unnoticed.
Without Yoo Young-jae’s active cooperation, there should have been at least a groundswell from the fans.
“Why is everyone just sitting there!”
Did she deserve this treatment?
All she could think was that everyone was standing across a river, watching fire burn as if it had nothing to do with them.
And then Lee Jae-i’s first move.
‘Kim Se-jin is exactly the same b—’
When she’d rejected his extended hand, now here she was trotting off to broadcast with Lee Jae-i like a trained puppy.
What she found unbearable was the fervent public response.
└While Lee Jae-i was singing, how did she not take a single breath? It’s so crazy I keep replaying it.
└Her voice sounds like she just stepped out of the shower. So clean.
└But was Kim Se-jin ever that good? Why does this feel fresh?
└Their voices blend so well. Absolutely incredible.
└ㅠㅠㅠㅠ Got me tearing up. Watching them do eye contact while singing the mission song. Grandma’s crying.
The comments scrolled past in a blur, yet they remained etched in her mind, refusing to fade.
This was the same girl who’d hesitated and given up on the Self-Composed Song Mission.
So why was she now receiving the public’s attention and praise?
What maddened her most was that she herself had been hunting down Lee Jae-i’s videos one by one.
‘I wish she’d just died.’
Consumed by that sentence, sound receded into distance.
How long had she remained frozen like that?
The speaker’s resonance from the TV transformed into grand music.
– Rising Star Award. Lee! Jae-i! Congratulations!
– Though it was the latter half of the year, she stood at the center of this year’s most incandescent momentum—.
Click.
Baek Song-ha roughly jabbed the power button, cutting off the host’s words.
“Ha.”
Her temples twisted with soreness.
It wasn’t exaggeration—a genuine headache was closing in.
For dozens of minutes she pressed her forehead, nursing her anger.
With breathing finally returning, she checked the time.
The clock’s hands aligned precisely, pointing to the new year.
‘Starting the year in a foul mood.’
Now she even wondered if she’d chosen the wrong agency.
What if she’d gone to Star Entertainment instead? Would she be holding that award right now?
Then the doorbell rang.
Baek Song-ha glared at her cell phone, her eyes still narrowed.
[Yoo Young-jae]
She irritably swiped the answer button.
– Happy New Year. You finished all the recording today, right?
Even that trite greeting grated on her ears.
“Yes.”
– Then we just need the Music Video and album production. The pace is picking up nicely.
“There’s not much to do.”
The words carried barbs.
Not a single concept or music video appealed to her.
The album was sparse, hollow.
Even as a Mini Album, the quality was painfully low.
Once she felt that way, even the B-sides lost all appeal.
Sensing the discontent in her voice, Yoo Young-jae spoke gently, almost coaxing.
– Why are you like that again? You said yourself that being able to comeback anytime was what matters most right now.
“That’s what you said.”
Her response fell into the same groove.
More than anything, she wanted to comeback brilliantly, spectacularly.
Even with Lee Jae-i standing there, she’d cast no shadow at all.
Yet Yoo Young-jae was oddly rushing the production.
Like someone hurrying through overdue homework.
Lately, if he was in a good mood, even his sarcastic tone got under her skin.
She was living in hellfire day after day—what was he so thrilled about?
From the receiver came that grating tone again.
– Tomorrow. Ten in the morning, Lee Jae-i’s doing a video Fan Meeting. You knew that, right?
Crunch.
Her clenched molars twisted audibly.
“Why should I know something like that?”
She snapped coldly, but his reply was even more casual.
– Your tone’s becoming a habit. It might slip out during interviews, so be careful.
“Ha.”
A breathless laugh erupted.
This was neither reproof nor advice.
It was practically contempt.
Yet Yoo Young-jae continued without hesitation.
– Fan Meeting’s open to all, apparently. You should check it out. It’ll be motivating for you.
It was like pouring water into the overflowing vessel of her rage.
At this point, she couldn’t help but think he was deliberately baiting her.
Baek Song-ha could hold back no longer—she sharpened her blade.
“Are you insane?”
– Speaking like that comes across really cheap, you know. Baek Song-ha.
Her suppressed breath sank, and even the electronic hum seemed to cave into her ear.
Baek Song-ha clenched her teeth.
She was about to strike back while the iron was hot.
But then his voice spilled out first.
– …I’ll hold back for you? It’s a special New Year’s gift, so if you don’t watch, that’s your loss.
“That’s—”
Click.
The cell phone screen flashed white, signaling the end of the call.
Rudeness didn’t even begin to cover it.
How many times had a call ended this way?
Baek Song-ha ground out a curse through lips that still held heat.
“You bastard.”
Fire crawled up her spine and stretched all the way up.
She crossed the spacious living room and made straight for the balcony, shoving the sliding door open with force.
Though the wind was sharp, it did nothing to cool her down.
Like steam rising, only after the cold air had hit her skin for a long while could she breathe properly.
“Ah….”
News that had arrived unusually late now poured down all at once across the new year.
Even the landscape piled with snow on the branches looked hateful.
The whole world dressed in white, and only she was stained dark.
Cold air swept through her lungs entirely, and at last her breath loosened.
Then Yoo Young-jae’s words came back like a delayed echo.
‘If you don’t watch, that’s your loss.’
For a moment, reason that had been swept aside by emotion took a step forward.
Today Yoo Young-jae had been oddly composed.
That attitude—sarcastic yet hiding an unshakeable certainty.
A premonition sprouted that something was afoot.
She despised herself for pulling reason back out.
But if it involved Lee Jae-i, wasn’t that discomfort worth bearing?
‘He said tomorrow, right?’
Baek Song-ha watched the snowflakes scattering in the wind, her thoughts refusing to stop.
* * *
Lee Jae-i greeted the morning with brightness.
Snow that had fallen through the night hung here and there, turning the entire street into a mirror.
‘Beautiful.’
A brief thought of wonder slipped through her mind as she drank in the scene.
The vehicle in the Parking Lot came to a stop, and she was unbuckling her seatbelt.
“I have somewhere to stop by today, so I’m afraid I won’t be able to see you all the way in.”
“No problem. Have a good day.”
No need to hold her breath in the Elevator—that alone made today unmistakably bright.
Lee Jae-i stepped out of the vehicle lightly.
The path to the Meeting Room.
It was the same route as yesterday, yet walking it alone now, her footsteps felt decidedly lighter.
And the moment she turned the corner, Lee Jae-i burst into laughter.
“What is this?!”
Han Myeong-geun, who had Box Tape wound around his wrist, turned with a serious expression.
“You’re here, Lee Jae-i? I figured, even so, I should probably stick this on.”
A4 Paper covering the transparent glass.
Six sheets with large, blocky letters printed one per sheet were lined up neatly and taped across.
[F A N M E E T I N G F I L M I N G I N P R O G R E S S ( L E E J A E – I )]
Even her name in the parentheses was written in Han Myeong-geun’s own hand.
“Don’t you think it’s unnecessary?”
“If someone happens to walk in! I sent a notice around the office, but once people get busy, they say they didn’t see it. This is just preventative. Ha ha.”
She couldn’t help but smile.
In a set with this much care, things could only go well from the start.
Lee Jae-i ran her fingertips down the A4 paper as if wiping it, pressing gently, then pushed the door open.
“Shall we start the Fan Meeting?”
“Let’s go.”
When she turned, the familiar space had transformed.
Instead of the long oval table, a single temporary desk.
And beyond it, lights lined up on triangular stands.
Rather than the Meeting Room’s cold fluorescent glare, the temperature of light that gently brightened her face.
“You really didn’t have to prepare this much….”
“You’ve compromised enough. We’re doing this right!”
When Lee Jae-i laughed in understanding, Han Myeong-geun’s final briefing followed.
9:50 a.m.
With the final setup complete, Lee Jae-i took her seat.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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