The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge - Chapter 8

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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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The Hit Song of This Life Is Revenge
Episode 8
“Don’t go anywhere dangerous! Call your aunt right away if anything happens!”
Her aunt’s frantic three-job schedule meant she barely had time to drop by the house.
Today was no exception.
“Yes! Have a good day, Auntie.”
After seeing her off at the door, Lee Jae-i returned inside with an excited look on her face.
She immediately pulled out her wallet.
The bills she had received from Mark yesterday were neatly stacked together.
At first, she had refused.
She hadn’t intended to make money in the first place.
But Mark had been persistent, so she eventually accepted just enough to cover a sandwich.
‘Money earned from singing…’
It felt completely different from the money she used to make doing wedding gigs.
It wasn’t just income; it felt like proof that she had been recognized for something.
One bill. Two bills.
Just as the thin, flat bills stacked up to create volume, her confidence also seemed to swell.
Jae-i’s gaze flashed toward the clock.
“Cleaning first!”
The time to meet CEO Kang Ki-baek was fast approaching.
A moment later, Jae-i checked the time again.
The place he had mentioned was a thirty-minute commute from her house.
Thanks to her quick movements, she still had about twenty minutes to spare.
The sunlight filtering through the lace curtains tickled her toes.
To cool down the heat from cleaning, Jae-i opened a bottle of cold apple juice.
The sweet flavor spread through her mouth, but her inside twisted bitterly.
A name suddenly sprang to mind. Baek Song-ha.
They used to hang out like friends, but since she was a year older, she must be twenty-three now.
Baek Song-ha would build up her recognition through ‘I’m Your Singer’ and hit the jackpot that very year as the leader of a group called ‘A-Two’.
A-Two was also the first group that Yoo Young-jae ever produced.
Jae-i’s brow furrowed naturally.
‘Maybe that guy was already leaking information back then.’
Baek Song-ha wasn’t exactly young for a girl group member.
However, they actively used that exact point in their marketing strategy instead.
An unyielding spirit that refused to give up. A passion for music.
Her history of several failed debuts was beautifully packaged as ‘perseverance’ and ‘inspiration’.
‘The only word I didn’t know was surrender. Now that you’re showering me with such love, it reminds me of those days, sob, sob…’
The interview scene where she shed tears while acting fragile flashed through her mind.
Back then, she had thrown herself into a bodyguard’s arms, and later, right in front of Jae-i’s eyes, she had thrown herself into her husband’s arms.
Truly, how detestable.
‘If you had been like this when you first debuted, it would’ve been much better. You were prettier back then.’
Baek Song-ha possessed no such thing as humility.
Her tearful acting was far more memorable than her singing.
‘She would’ve suited being an actress much better.’
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Jae-i shook her head violently.
‘No, she shouldn’t become anything at all.’
Yoo Young-jae would shed his nepotism label thanks to A-Two’s massive success and even rise to the position of CEO.
The reminiscence tracing back the success of those two went beyond bitterness and made Jae-i’s stomach boil.
“You won’t get away so easily with a smile on your face this time.”
Even before meeting CEO Kang, her fighting spirit was blazing hot.
‘Today, I will make absolutely sure he hands me a contract.’
Vowing to herself, Jae-i downed the remaining apple juice in a single gulp.
* * *
She arrived at the meeting place about ten minutes early.
“They don’t call it the Windy City for nothing.”
It was a nickname that perfectly suited Chicago.
The air, carrying a pleasant chill, softly brushed against her hair.
Jae-i turned her head to look in the direction the wind was blowing.
People were strolling peacefully across a park covered in deep green grass.
Within the landscape that looked like an oil painting, everyone wore a gentle smile.
Friends chatting as they walked together, a married couple passing by with a child perched on the husband’s shoulders.
Every single sight was full of leisure.
Watching the scene, Jae-i’s gaze slowly drifted along the walking path.
From their happy faces, the word ‘peace’ floated into her mind.
Right then, a voice suddenly popped up from behind and made her turn around.
“Excuse me, you’re the person who was busking… right? You looked Korean, do you know how to speak Korean?”
As she turned her head to check the owner of the voice,
“Gasp—!!”
Jae-i’s breath hitched in her lungs.
Under the scorching sun, she froze completely like ice.
Thump, thump, thump.
Only her heart refused to stop, accelerating its beat.
The man who called out to her scratched his head shyly and opened his mouth.
When she swallowed hard, the man spoke up again.
“Ah! I’m sorry. Should I have greeted you in English?”
Apologizing for his rudeness, he attempted to strike up a conversation in English with a smooth accent.
“My name is Young-jae Yoo.”
Her racing heart plummeted straight down to her feet.
At the same time, something surged up from deep within her chest.
‘Why am I running into him here?’
Is the person standing before my eyes really Yoo Young-jae?
During that brief instant, a million question marks flashed through her mind.
If she had stayed in Korea,
If she had just looked for another part-time job to pay her monthly rent,
She probably would have run into Yoo Young-jae around this time.
But this was America.
‘Could it be…’
Does what’s bound to happen always find a way?
‘No, absolutely not.’
Jae-i blinked her eyes rapidly.
Too many things had already changed for that to be the case.
‘But why on earth!’
Faced with her silence, Yoo Young-jae smiled awkwardly and leaned in slightly.
The distance between them narrowed.
Yoo Young-jae’s face entered her field of vision with crystal clarity.
His amiable impression, his sharp jawline.
From his clean features to that slightly upturned corner of his lips.
He looked exactly the same as the Yoo Young-jae from back then.
“I understand since there must be so many people approaching you. I’m not a bad guy.”
‘Not a bad guy?’
Jae-i muttered Yoo Young-jae’s words to herself internally.
Then, a genuine scoff slipped out of her mouth.
“Ha! Ridiculous.”
“Pardon?”
Jae-i locked eyes straight with Yoo Young-jae.
She could vividly feel the bewilderment reflected in his eyes.
For that split second, her very first impulse was to slap that cheek of his.
However, she forced herself to swallow it down.
‘When you’re at the peak, stones thrown from below are merely annoying.’
But a stone took when you were at the very bottom would feel sorrowful and miserable.
Forcing the corners of her lips upward, she opened her mouth.
“Because it’s funny. The situation.”
“Is that so? I can make it even funnier for you, what’s your name?”
Yoo Young-jae responded brightly to Jae-i’s smile.
Those words reminded her of the very first time she met Yoo Young-jae.
‘Your name is pretty too. Lee Jae-i. Want to go do something fun with me?’
That damn word ‘fun’.
She was getting to the point where she loathed that word entirely.
“Ah! You must love singing. Then if I introduce myself like this, maybe you’ll find it a bit more charming? Let me make an active appeal.”
Yoo Young-jae rummaged through his front pocket and handed her a business card.
[YU Entertainment. PD Yoo Young-jae]
Jae-i just stared quietly at the business card.
Thinking that she was hesitating, Yoo Young-jae hurriedly added more words.
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s nothing heavy like street casting. You looked really beautiful when you were singing. How should I put it, just my style?”
A sarcastic sigh exploded inside her.
‘Style, my foot.’
Jae-i barely managed to steady her twitching lips.
“I’ve honestly never done this kind of thing before, but I got a strong feeling. You know it’s hasty to make a decision without even talking, right?”
Jae-i rolled her brain.
How could she wrap up this situation cleanly?
She could have cut him off harshly with sharp words, but showing hostility right this second wouldn’t do her any good.
Just then,
Over Yoo Young-jae’s shoulder, a tall man came into her view.
‘Perfect.’
Cheering inwardly, she looked up at Yoo Young-jae with an intentionally regretful expression.
“I’m sorry, but I have a prior engagement.”
At those words, Yoo Young-jae actually stepped a foot closer instead.
“I won’t take up your time right now. Since I gave you my contact information. Please call—.”
“Ki-baek! Over here!”
Raising her voice, Jae-i naturally cut off Yoo Young-jae’s words.
At her voice, Ki-baek fixed his gaze on her.
“Then have a nice trip.”
Tendering a stiff farewell to Yoo Young-jae, she immediately turned her body toward Ki-baek.
However, Ki-baek’s striding pace began to slow down.
‘Don’t tell me…’
Words like ‘Go ahead and finish your conversation,’ or ‘It’s fine,’ wouldn’t come popping out of his mouth, would they?
Jae-i’s pupils trembled anxiously.
Ki-baek’s gaze briefly brushed past Yoo Young-jae.
His expressionless face, his unreadable eyes.
Her heart pounded in suspense.
‘Please, CEO Kang! Just stay quiet.’
The moment urgent words rushed up to her throat, Ki-baek stopped walking.
“Sorry, traffic was bad.”
That alone would have been perfectly sufficient, but he opened his arms toward the approaching Jae-i.
‘…Why the arms.’
And then, an entirely unexpected, low, and sweet voice flowed out.
“Honey.”
‘Ho…ney?’

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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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