🔊 TTS Settings
This Life’s Hit Song Is Revenge
Chapter 4
‘I should’ve come earlier.’
She thought she had arrived with plenty of time before her flight, but she didn’t realize the airport was practically the size of a soccer stadium.
She got lost trying to find the currency exchange, then wasted even more time dealing with problems with the roaming service she had signed up for.
In the end, she never fixed the roaming issue and missed the chance to use the exclusive lounge.
Still, the moment she received her ticket, Jaei’s tension slowly melted away.
“This way, please.”
A dedicated staff member followed beside her and handled the procedures.
At the gate, she skipped the line entirely and boarded immediately.
‘Money really is nice.’
Relaxing, Jaei leaned back in her seat.
The seat was enormous—even the armrests felt far away.
Someone was already seated beside her in the aisle seat.
It didn’t seem like they’d bump into each other much, but it still didn’t feel as private as having the window seat.
Jaei glanced beside her absentmindedly—
Then froze.
‘Wow…’
Seeing the man next to her, admiration slipped out unconsciously.
He looked oddly familiar somehow.
Focused entirely on the laptop in front of him, he didn’t seem to notice her staring.
‘Is he a celebrity?’
That was her first impression.
But the perfectly tailored suit and the way he buried himself in work made him seem more like a CEO.
Her eyes naturally traced his features.
Deep-set eyes beneath strong brows.
A perfectly sculpted nose.
And even in the quiet atmosphere, his sharply defined jawline stood out.
He looked like an expensive sculpture brought to life.
‘If someone like this isn’t a celebrity, then who is?’
Then—
“Do you have something to say?”
The man slowly turned his head.
The voice suited his appearance so perfectly that Jaei flinched.
And then she realized—
They were making direct eye contact.
“O-Oh! Ah… no!”
Jaei waved her hands awkwardly.
She thought she’d been sneaky.
Apparently not.
‘Ugh…’
His gaze was polite, but firm enough to clearly draw a line.
Her embarrassment doubled.
Without another word, the man returned his attention to the laptop.
And now—
She had fourteen more hours on the same flight with him.
What a way to ruin a first impression.
Ding—
The plane reached cruising altitude and the seatbelt sign switched off.
Flight attendants prepared meals, and the menu they handed out was packed with unfamiliar alcohol names.
‘Alcohol… should I try some?’
She didn’t usually drink much.
But right now, she wanted to relax.
Jaei slowly sipped wine before eventually ordering whiskey too.
A few drinks felt fine.
‘Maybe I’m secretly a heavyweight drinker?’
That thought lasted exactly until then.
‘Why do I suddenly feel weird?’
Sway—
The seat seemed to wobble slightly.
Even her vision lagged behind reality by half a beat.
With blurry eyes, Jaei glanced sideways.
The man still hadn’t touched his food.
Instead, he pressed one earphone firmly into place.
As his finger tapped the space bar, her eyes drifted to the laptop screen.
[Vocal_Ver.11_Fest]
The music software toolbar and file name stood out.
‘Oops.’
Feeling guilty for peeking, she quickly looked away.
But the filename stayed in her mind.
‘Does he work in entertainment?’
Once that thought appeared—
Her eyes kept drifting toward him.
Then suddenly—
He tilted the laptop shut.
Panicking, she quickly grabbed her whiskey glass.
“If you have something to say, say it. Stop glancing over.”
The man turned slightly.
His gaze landed directly on her face.
Caught red-handed, Jaei froze.
Silence stretched tightly between them.
Looking away too quickly would make it obvious.
So she slowly lowered her eyes toward the floor.
“I’m sorry. It was in my line of sight… I wasn’t trying to look on purpose. If I made you uncomfortable, I apologize.”
“Hah.”
The man let out a short breath.
His eyes drifted away before returning to her.
“If you recognized me, I recommend using this flight for just that—flying. I don’t accept favors.”
The alcohol buzz evaporated instantly.
‘Favors?!’
This was clearly a misunderstanding.
“That’s not—!”
“It’s a long flight. You should get some rest.”
Click.
The partition between their seats closed completely.
One sliding door separated their spaces entirely.
‘Seriously?!’
Her fingers reached toward the handle—
Then stopped.
Her first impression had already been terrible.
Honestly, if someone kept staring at her too, she’d misunderstand.
The uncomfortable feeling lingered.
But talking more probably wouldn’t help.
Jaei downed the rest of the whiskey and reclined her seat.
* * *
Tap!
The sound of the man hitting Enter sharply echoed.
He was overwhelmed preparing for the festival in Chicago.
The performance was next week—
And one team had suddenly dropped out.
Passport issues, apparently.
Where had their professionalism gone?
He tried considering trainees from his own company instead.
None met his standards.
‘Not good enough.’
And on top of that—
Thanks to an employee’s mistake, he got stuck with an aisle seat.
No time to change it.
So he stayed.
Then there was the woman beside him.
She looked barely twenty.
But something about her wasn’t ordinary.
A young woman flying first class alone at that age?
Probably some spoiled princess.
When he heard soft breathing, he thought she’d finally gone quiet.
But then—
“Hmm-hmm-hmm…”
Even exaggerating, she hummed every minute.
He couldn’t focus.
‘How does someone have such terrible sleeping habits?’
The bigger problem—
It sounded annoyingly beautiful.
Occupational hazard.
Honestly—
He was curious about her voice.
It felt like crystal-clear tones from a mountain stream would come out.
“……”
Every time he tried listening carefully—
She’d suddenly go silent.
Almost like she knew.
“Hah…”
He pressed fingers against his eyelids.
Straightening his earphones again.
He couldn’t afford distractions.
He reached to press play again—
Then she hummed once more.
Longer this time.
‘…?!’
His eyes widened instantly.
The notes she hummed—
Dangerously matched the melody he had composed.
A song never released because he still hadn’t found the right voice.
His ears sharpened.
“Hmmmmm—mm-mm.”
Impossible.
Not a single note in this section was wrong.
This wasn’t a melody people could casually predict.
He had twisted the chord progressions into his own style.
No one should remember this after hearing it once.
More importantly—
He had never shown it to anyone.
‘…No way.’
Snap—
His body moved before his thoughts.
The woman slept deeply with her chin resting against the travel pillow.
His hand stopped halfway.
He had never seriously considered waking a sleeping stranger before.
Yet here he was.
Was this coincidence?
Or a leak?
If it was leaked—
He needed to track the source.
‘But if it’s really coincidence…’
Then maybe—
This woman was the vocalist capable of perfectly bringing his song to life.
The ideal voice he had imagined countless times.
Its silhouette was flowing from her lips.
The man clenched and unclenched his fist.
Then—
After a moment of hesitation—
He reached toward her.
