This Life’s Hit Song Is Revenge

Chapter 7

As soon as she stepped outside, the wind slipped through Jaei’s hair.

The heat lingering on her forehead quickly cooled.

Strangely enough, today felt like something good was going to happen.

Maybe it wasn’t just a random feeling.

“Wow… it’s really beautiful.”

Without thinking, she looked up at the sky.

An endless stretch of deep, clear blue.

Not a single cloud in sight.

The scenery painted itself across her vision like a picture.

She was on her way to buy a phone SIM card.

The sunlight was strong enough to make her squint slightly, but whenever she stepped into the shade, cool breezes brushed against her arms pleasantly.

Jaei deliberately chose to walk beneath the trees.

Tok, tok, tak.

As she walked slowly, a rough metallic sound brushed past her ears.

Turning a corner—

The sound became clearer.

Several people had gathered together.

‘What is this?’

At the center stood someone who looked like he had just crawled out of bushes.

A faded, worn-out T-shirt.

Hair so tangled it almost looked like one solid piece.

And beside him—

A sign that read:

[Please Help Me]

The man was making rhythm by beating an old can while singing.

‘His pitch is pretty bad…’

His confidence was impressive.

His notes were not.

She wished his rhythm was at least better—

Then suddenly remembered the ukulele in her bag.

‘Maybe I can at least help with the rhythm?’

As she searched through her bag while debating—

Her eyes met the man’s.

“[I know that instrument!]”

He pointed at the half-open backpack and shouted.

Everyone’s attention immediately shifted toward her.

The man waved enthusiastically, inviting her into the middle of the alley.

Jaei blinked.

‘Suddenly?’

Her fingers slipped away from the ukulele in confusion.

The crowd.

The small alley space.

The man’s gestures.

Everything felt surreal.

Yet somewhere deep inside—

A quiet voice whispered.

Try it.

Then—

The couple standing beside her moved slightly aside.

A small gap opened before her feet.

And courage slipped through.

‘Should I really do this?’

Taking a deep breath—

She stepped forward.

“[I’m Mark. You?]”

“[I’m Jaei.]”

“[Jaei! This is a magic can.]”

That can was exactly the problem.

Excited about the collaboration, Mark immediately started clapping rhythms rapidly.

Jaei fiddled nervously with her ukulele.

Looking around—

She noticed everyone watching expectantly.

Her heartbeat gradually quickened.

Her fingertips grew slightly damp.

Nervousness mixed with excitement.

‘Yeah. So what? There’s nothing to be embarrassed about.’

One of her biggest regrets before dying—

Was never properly singing in front of people.

In a way—

This was another chance.

Then there was no reason to hesitate.

Carefully—

She began strumming.

At first she followed Mark’s rhythm.

Then slowly shifted the tempo and naturally took control.

For the first few measures, they repeated simple patterns to settle into harmony.

Once people started nodding along—

Jaei opened her mouth.

“[Hello, it’s a beautiful morning.]”

She painted the notes gently.

Like greeting people naturally.

Her bright, clean tone rang clearly.

With a smile—

She continued.

“[The sunlight may be the same, but today is a new beginning.]”

Jaei instinctively understood what captured people’s ears.

A melody that wasn’t cliché—

Yet didn’t feel unfamiliar.

Pleasant rhythms spread beneath her feet.

And she layered notes on top one by one.

As emotion entered her voice—

The atmosphere changed.

Nobody forced them—

But somehow people’s feet had started moving to the beat.

She continued smoothly.

No excessive technique.

No dragging notes.

No vocal tricks.

Yet that simplicity sank deeper.

Everyone was completely focused on her.

Standing at the center—

Jaei slowly gained confidence.

‘I’m doing it.’

This wasn’t simply singing.

It felt like her voice had gone beyond ears—

And connected directly to hearts.

That quiet realization electrified her senses.

“[The way my heart flutters tells me today will be perfect.]”

She finished with a refreshing smile.

Life filled her bright tone.

Confidence she never could have imagined before.

Twenty-two years old.

Wasn’t this the age where people supported you no matter what?

‘What’s wrong with being a little shameless?’

Her appearance looked young.

Fresh.

But inside—

Countless old seasons had piled up within her.

That was why she could finish like this.

Cheers broke out among the crowd.

One person stepped forward and tossed bills into the can.

Mark became so excited he stood up and drummed harder.

Matching his rhythm—

Jaei immediately grabbed the strings again.

Now several people had their phones out.

Camera lenses pointed toward her.

Jaei met them with sparkling eyes.

The once-empty can slowly filled with bills.

Smiles spread through the crowd.

Joy filled Mark’s face.

When the performance ended—

Mark lifted the can full of cash.

“[I’ll give all of this to you. But could you perform with me at Big Spot? Just thirty minutes.]”

She still needed to buy a SIM card.

But for some reason—

The offer attracted her.

The cheers earlier.

People’s expressions.

That thrill.

‘Thirty minutes should be okay, right?’

When Jaei nodded—

He smiled brightly and led the way.

* * *

Meanwhile—

Gibaek took a sip of coffee during a short break.

He had been searching videos online.

Search terms:

“new female singer”

“new talent discovered”

He had already gone through multiple pages.

Nothing interested him.

Setting down his coffee—

He closed the video site.

Naturally—

The algorithm showed him local news articles matching his searches.

<Blush – Thirty Minutes Captivated by a Young Asian Girl>

‘Young Asian girl?’

That short phrase stopped him.

Normally he would ignore it.

Not today.

His finger had already clicked.

A short article.

And a video attached.

He pressed play.

The screen came alive.

A bearded man standing on concrete.

Beside him—

A delicate-looking girl holding an instrument.

The quality was terrible.

But Gibaek recognized her instantly.

‘Lee Jaei.’

Her high notes soared powerfully.

Whistles erupted from everywhere.

She had enough talent to turn the middle of the city into a stage.

The video lasted barely two minutes.

The article itself was only one line.

But comments were already piling up.

She looks like an actual singer. Her projection is way different from amateurs.

Which company is she under? Pretty fresh marketing strategy.

Isn’t the person filming this secretly her CEO?

He quietly exhaled.

Even through the monitor—

He could feel her energy.

His chest pounded.

Excitement?

Anticipation?

Some indescribable thrill mixed together.

One comment included another short clip.

Without hesitation—

He clicked.

“The way my heart flutters tells me today will be perfect.”

Gibaek made eye contact with the smiling Jaei on screen.

Without realizing—

He covered his mouth.

“Hah.”

He laughed softly.

Completely different from the girl drooling on the airplane.

Her smile sparkled brilliantly.

If the word refreshing could take human form—

Would it look like this?

‘Lee Jaei has to stand on the festival stage.’

Conviction came before words.

Immediately—

He opened his mailbox.

‘I’m not waiting.’

Gibaek started typing a message requesting a meeting.

Just as he finished polishing the sentences and reached for send—

His phone rang.

An unfamiliar number.

“This is Kang Gibaek.”

—Hello.

It was Jaei’s voice.

The same voice that had just been singing through his screen.

—I’m Lee Jaei. Do you remember me?

Time seemed to stop.

Silence filled several seconds.

Gibaek quickly steadied his breathing.

And arranged to meet her.

“Then… I’ll see you there tomorrow.”

After hanging up—

He looked back at his screen.

A clean rectangular notification box stared back.

[Mail Sent Successfully.]

“…Ah.”

A smile spread across Gibaek’s lips—

Completely mismatched with his sigh.