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This Life’s Hit Song Is Revenge
Chapter 5
“…What did you say?”
Jaei blinked several times and asked again.
Finding out that the man who woke her up was the passenger sitting beside her was surprising enough, but what she had just heard made absolutely no sense.
“I asked where you heard that song.”
Her eyes darted away instinctively.
She still wasn’t fully awake.
Her mind felt foggy, making everything even more confusing.
The man quietly continued explaining.
She had apparently been humming in her sleep.
And that melody was an unreleased song.
Someone clearly remembering your sleep-talking—
That embarrassment smacked the back of her neck.
Jaei instinctively cleared her throat.
“Ahem… hm.”
The awkward sound scattered into the air.
Little by little, her head cleared.
‘An unreleased song?’
That part especially confused her.
It wasn’t like this man could know every song in the world.
Where was that confidence coming from?
After thinking briefly, Jaei decided it was better to apologize and move on quickly.
Maybe she had unconsciously hummed a song that became popular recently.
If so, naturally it wouldn’t have been released yet.
“Looks like I kept you awake. Sorry.”
After her apology, the man simply pressed his lips together without answering.
His expression looked like he still had more to say, so Jaei forced out an awkward smile.
“Ah, hahaha.”
She pulled up her blanket and turned away.
That was when—
The man suddenly extended his hand.
Resting on his palm was one side of an earbud.
In that brief moment, countless thoughts flashed through her mind.
‘A green light…? Probably not.’
If anything, warning lights were flashing instead.
“What does this mean?”
“This is the melody you hummed in your sleep. Please listen to it and tell me accurately.”
“Huh…?”
What kind of song was this?
She took the earbud and put it in her left ear.
The moment he pressed play—
A familiar melody pierced her ears.
‘What?!’
Her heart dropped instantly.
‘I hummed this song?’
Jaei widened her eyes and looked up.
Just one phrase dragged every sense back into the past.
Every note touched her heart.
This—
This was definitely the song she sang during that audition.
The song requested during her second audition after passing the first round at Star Entertainment.
Especially the bridge section—
It dropped into minor chords before rising back into major chords.
That rollercoaster feeling was unforgettable.
It wasn’t an easy song to sing.
Yet strangely addictive.
She always found herself humming it unconsciously.
She had wanted to at least learn the composer’s name after release.
But after that—
She never heard this song anywhere.
Gulp.
She swallowed hard.
She had even received the final acceptance notice.
But because Yoo Youngjae stopped her—
She never went.
No matter how many times she thought about it, it was an unbelievably foolish decision.
As the song entered its chorus, the melodies layered together.
And so did her memories.
Jaei cautiously glanced sideways at the man.
Back then, one of the judges had said:
“We’re looking for a singer who can pull off this song.”
This guy.
No doubt about it.
‘He’s from Star Entertainment.’
The more she thought about it, the more certain she became.
Even his earlier words—
“I refuse requests and favors.”
Now they fit into place like puzzle pieces.
“Have you heard anything similar before?”
“Nope. First time hearing it. Nice song though.”
Jaei answered a bit shamelessly.
Admitting she knew the song would only create more problems.
Leaked songs were sensitive issues.
She didn’t want to get dragged into anything unnecessary.
And what else could she even say?
I came from the future?
The man stared directly into her eyes.
She quickly handed back the earbud and shrugged.
Silence lingered.
Even from the brief glance at his expression, countless thoughts seemed to be running through his head.
Was he suspicious?
Even if he was—
There was no proof pointing toward her.
Then the man extended his hand again.
This time—
He held out a rectangular business card.
Jaei leaned closer.
[Star Entertainment CEO: Kang Gibaek]
‘CEO?! Not even a producer—the CEO?!’
He was much higher-ranking than she expected.
Feeling the distance naturally created between them, she slightly lowered herself.
“I apologize for earlier. There are many people who disguise requests as ‘coincidences,’ so I tend to be cautious.”
‘Street casting…? No—airplane casting? The thing top stars get?’
Her pounding heart painted her cheeks red.
The situation itself already felt dreamlike.
But Star Entertainment too?
This wasn’t just because it was the first company she auditioned for.
Personally, she trusted them highly.
Unlike Yoo Youngjae—who planted industry spies—
Star Entertainment valued skill.
No abuse scandals.
No lawsuits with artists.
People even publicized their donations because the company gave so much.
“Your name is…?”
“Lee Jaei!”
She answered before he even finished.
“Ms. Jaei, you don’t need to decide anything right now. But I’d like at least one connection between us. What’s your phone number?”
This was real casting.
Excitement and regret hit simultaneously.
But she still hadn’t solved her roaming issue.
She didn’t have a number he could contact immediately.
And giving her aunt’s number felt…
Perhaps noticing her hesitation, he spoke gently.
“How about email?”
“Yes. I have one!”
Jaei wrote down her email on the paper he offered.
As she wrote the final letter—
Her fingertips trembled slightly.
The man accepted the paper.
His expression barely changed.
But somehow—
She could feel solid certainty from him.
“I hope this becomes a good connection.”
Those words spread quietly through Jaei’s chest like ripples.
She instinctively nodded.
The destination of the long fourteen-hour flight was finally approaching.
* * *
Outside the airport, the weather was warm enough to make someone sweat.
Yet the air felt refreshing.
Jaei’s heart was still pounding.
It felt like the sensation of handing over her email address still lingered on her fingertips.
‘Airplane casting…’
Suppressing her nervous excitement, she climbed into a waiting taxi.
After greeting the driver briefly, she handed him a paper with the destination written on it.
The taxi sped smoothly along the highway before eventually turning onto quieter roads.
The houses passing by looked like something from Christmas movies.
‘Wow… it’s like a castle.’
Homes surrounded by green lawns and long tree shadows stimulated her imagination.
Everything was unfamiliar.
And that only made her heart beat faster.
It felt like she had been dropped into a new world.
When they arrived, the driver held up his fingers to show the fare.
Jaei counted the fingers and handed over the money.
But suddenly—
The driver’s eyebrows rose.
And the number of fingers changed.
Before: four.
Now: eight.
Jaei’s eyes widened at the ridiculous scam attempt.
“Now eight fingers? No no!! That’s too much!”
Because she panicked, Korean spilled out naturally.
She even crossed both arms into an X while protesting.
“Huh—what the.”
At the driver’s muttered complaint, Jaei’s eyes widened.
‘That was a bad word just now!’
Funny enough—
That kind of English registered perfectly.
“[I gave you the money! I didn’t do anything wrong!]”
The driver raised both hands as if surrendering.
The moment Jaei pulled her luggage from the trunk—
The taxi sped away.
Blocking the dust with the back of her hand, she frowned.
‘Seriously, what was that.’
Turning around—
She saw clusters of small villas.
Completely different from the huge houses they passed earlier.
Still—
She wasn’t too bothered.
She doubted her aunt lived somewhere luxurious.
Every phone call had been filled with complaints about hardship.
‘This should definitely be the place.’
The address matched.
The building numbers matched.
So far, so good.
The problem—
The wall was packed with doorbells.
‘There are way too many!’
Most of them didn’t even have names anymore.
Only faded marks remained.
Feeling frustrated, she kept peeking through the entrance.
Then—
Someone behind her spoke.
“[Who are you looking for?]”
