This Life’s Hit Song Is Revenge

Chapter 2

“Excuse me!”

A sharp voice tore through the distant space.

“What are you doing?! You have to leave now!”

The unfamiliar hand shaking her shoulder jolted her senses awake.

Jaei slowly lifted her heavy eyelids.

Warm chandelier light slipped through the narrow gap of her eyes, breaking her vision into fragments.

As she opened them wider, she saw dresses reflecting the lights and people filling the entire venue.

Jaei looked around blankly.

‘…A wedding hall?’

Just moments ago, she had definitely been standing in front of a jazz bar.

Blinding headlights.

Screeching horns.

Screams.

Screeech—

Crash!

‘Right… I definitely…’

The shock of the accident washed over her mind like a wave, forcing her eyes shut.

‘Wasn’t I dead?’

Her mind went blank.

As she desperately tried to grab onto the severed ends of her memories, the emcee’s voice pierced through and dragged her back to reality.

“Next, we’ll continue with a congratulatory performance for the bride and groom.”

Swept along by the moving crowd, she found herself standing on stage.

The scent of decorative flowers mixed with the cold air from the AC.

Everything felt too vivid.

Too real.

Could dreams really feel this realistic?

Then suddenly, a familiar melody struck her heart.

‘Huh…? I used to sing this when I worked part-time.’

The sensation triggered memories.

Back then, survival had been a day-to-day struggle.

She used to fear tomorrow arriving.

Sometimes she sank to the very bottom of depression.

But even that had to be pushed aside quickly.

Part-time jobs paid hourly.

Time was money.

There was some government support money, but after paying for her grandmother’s medicine and rent, there was barely anything left for living expenses.

University had been a luxury.

Scholarships and special admissions existed, but she never had the time or room to prepare for them.

‘I couldn’t leave Grandma alone, either.’

Restaurants.

Convenience stores.

Cafés.

There wasn’t a single part-time job she hadn’t tried.

Then one day, she suddenly filled in for a friend doing wedding congratulatory performances.

People say coincidence is destiny sending signals.

The first time she held a microphone by chance—

It felt like electricity ran through her bones.

When the lyrics left her lips, living expenses and hospital bills disappeared.

For that brief moment, her life felt like someone else’s.

She could never forget it.

She thought she simply liked music.

But that day, she understood clearly.

‘I want to become a singer.’

Jaei repeated the promise she had made back then.

But that was definitely the past.

‘Then what… exactly is happening right now?’

While she stood frozen, the people beside her began layering harmonies.

Reflexively, Jaei placed a hand over her chest.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Even the heartbeat beneath her palm felt clear.

‘At this point, this can’t be a dream.’

Her eyes moved upward toward the light shining above.

Not car headlights.

Stage lights.

The same color as the light she saw before dying—

But now, it felt less like an ending and more like a beginning.

Tap.

The woman beside her poked her elbow.

The sting sharpened her vision.

As Jaei turned her head, she saw herself reflected in the woman’s pupils.

A brief dizziness swept over her.

Then she heard a faint song from far away.

When I see you again.

‘When I meet you again…’

Her breathing nearly stopped.

But strangely, her thoughts became crystal clear.

‘Did I… really come back?’

Slowly, she realized the impossible had become reality.

Just as the first verse was about to begin—

Jaei reached for the microphone stand and closed her eyes.

The hardness of the metal under her palm.

The faint scent of iron rising from the microphone head.

As past and present touched—

A thrill spread through her body like wildfire.

‘Yeah. This feeling.’

When she opened her eyes again, they sparkled.

The audience staring at her came into focus.

This excitement was real.

Had God actually answered her prayers?

Even every breath brushing her lungs filled her with anticipation.

Then her resolve became clear.

‘This time, I’ll never give up on myself again.’

* * *

The date she checked was:

June 26th, 20XX.

Exactly ten years ago.

Summer.

She was twenty-two.

After leaving the wedding hall, Jaei walked through the streets.

Cicadas screamed in her ears.

The sunlight scorched her back.

The humid air made breathing feel heavy.

Normally, she wouldn’t have welcomed weather like this.

But now—

It was perfect.

‘Summer is nice.’

People say summer is the season when life flourishes.

Now every sensation whispered the same thing:

You’re alive.

She sat on a nearby bench and thought about what to do next.

Suddenly, she remembered the hottest show of that time.

“I’m Your Singer Season 3.”

A survival audition program.

This year’s third season had explosive popularity.

That program turned Baek Songha into the nation’s little sister.

‘Nation’s little sister, my ass.’

Everything about it had once been Jaei’s dream too.

“I hate people talking about my wife. If you want to sing that badly, do it at home.”

Yoo Youngjae’s disgusted voice echoed in her mind.

Jaei let out a small laugh.

‘No. In this life, there’s no place for you.’

The problem:

Only agency trainees could participate.

The lineup was probably already decided.

Broadcasting would begin in about a month.

Yoo Youngjae had also secured his place at YU Entertainment through this show.

Thanks entirely to Baek Songha’s success.

‘How could I watch that happen again?’

Motivation wasn’t lacking.

‘The problem is how.’

Even if she auditioned right now, results would take time.

Back then, she had sent an audition video to Star Entertainment through recommendations from the wedding singer team.

She knew she would pass.

But she couldn’t make the same choice again.

No company would immediately give a newly recruited trainee a chance to appear.

She needed a reason.

A way to appear on the program immediately.

The thoughts heated her insides.

She stopped by a convenience store and bought a drink to cool off.

Crack—

‘Let’s drink some cola first.’

Tiny bubbles brushed her throat as the soda went down.

“Phew…”

The cold refreshment loosened the tightness in her chest.

She rubbed the condensation on the can with her thumb.

Then suddenly—

A woman appeared in her memory.

A Korean-American contestant from I’m Your Singer Season 3.

The contestant who drank cola like water throughout the show.

She had supposedly been scouted at a music festival in America.

A contestant who had voluntarily applied on-site.

Early in the broadcast, she had gained attention through exclusive interviews.

└ Why are they pushing this girl?

└ K-pop gets popular and now they want overseas sales lol.

└ This better be insane talent with that backstoryㅋㅋ. Must be because of cola sponsorship.

Jaei remembered those comments clearly.

The contestant eventually dropped out midway.

But Jaei remembered her vividly.

“Maybe…”

That festival probably wasn’t just a simple celebration.

Her thoughts sparkled like sunlight reflecting off the cola can.

“The festival held during Independence Day was especially meaningful. But you have to be careful. Because this is Gotham City—the city where the Joker lurks in the dark night.”

She even remembered the interview word for word.

‘Dark night. Joker…’

There had been many versions of movies filmed.

Many places used as settings.

But there was only one city famous for dark nights.

‘Chicago.’

Jaei pulled out her phone.

She typed several keywords into the search bar.

One result immediately caught her eye.

[Chicago Independence Day Music Festival — July 4th to July 7th]

‘Found it.’

This festival could become her path forward.

She gulped down the remaining cola.

Even though the sharp carbonation stung her throat—

She smiled.

Maybe hope sometimes arrives like this.

“I’ll need money.”

Her answer came quickly.

No marriage to Yoo Youngjae.

No buying jewelry for a mother-in-law.

She smiled.

“This time, I’ll buy my own stage.”