The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 102

Chapter 102

 

“Finally, for the fans who love us, we’re ready to reveal our official fandom name!”

The chat was scrolling too fast for me to actually read anything, but judging by how much faster it suddenly became, the fans seemed pretty excited.

“Then let’s reveal it right away!”

At Sunyoo’s signal, I flipped the whiteboard I had been holding.

A single word was written clearly across it.

[LUMINA]

“Our fandom name for Lucy Star Boys is… Lumina!”

“Waaaaah!”

“Lumina, we love you!”

The moment the name was revealed, the chat exploded.

I couldn’t read any of it properly, but the screen was completely covered in heart emojis and messages of praise. It looked like the fans really liked it.

“We all put our heads together to come up with the fandom name, and in the end, it was chosen from Siwoo’s idea!”

“Hyung came up with such a great name.”

“Waaaaah!”

“We filmed the entire naming process for our self-produced content, so please check it out if you’re curious!”

“It was way more intense than you’d think.”

“It’s definitely going to be fun!”

The members didn’t forget to promote our content in the middle of everything.

Smiling warmly at their enthusiastic reactions, Sunyoo turned to me and handed over the microphone.

“Then, Siwoo, since you came up with the name yourself, would you explain the meaning of Lumina to the fans?”

“Of course!”

I adjusted the microphone and looked straight into the camera lens.

“First of all, I’m truly honored that the name I suggested was chosen. Let me explain what Lumina means.”

“Wooooah!”

“We chose Lumina because our group name, Lucy Star Boys, means shining stars, right?”

“That’s right!”

“But the truth is, stars can never shine alone.”

“Gasp!”

Watching the members dramatically cover their mouths with both hands, I held back a laugh and continued.

“Lucy Star Boys can only exist because there are fans who complete our light and sometimes embrace even our darkest shadows. You, our precious fans, are our Lumina.”

‘If I possess any light at all, it’s because of the warmth that Lumina shines upon me.’

As I spoke sincerely, the members stopped joking around and nodded with touched expressions.

“I hope you all like the fandom name!”

“Thank you for making us shine!”

While the emotional members continued speaking, our manager signaled that it was almost time for the next schedule.

“Unfortunately, it’s already time for us to leave! Lumina, we’ll come see you again soon!”

“Please continue supporting us!”

“Lumina, we love you! Bye!”

The livestream ended.

As long as I had Lumina with me, I felt certain that no darkness would ever completely cover my light.

If we were shining stars, then our fans were the light that completed those stars.

 

☆☆☆

 

As we traveled to our next schedule, I thought back to the chat messages that had flown by too quickly to read during the livestream and searched for fan reactions online.

‘Looks like they’ve already taken over social media.’

The moment the livestream ended, the word “Lumina” shot to the top of real-time trends across every platform.

 

—

[Real-Time Trends]

#Lumina

#LUMINA_LSB

#LuminaMeans_TheOneWhoShinesLight

—

 

Entertainment communities were overflowing with posts from fans moved by the meaning behind the fandom name.

 

> Today’s LSB livestream was the best!

– I seriously teared up when they explained what Lumina meansㅠㅠ

ㄴ Same.

ㄴ The way Siwoo explained it point by point was unexpectedly touching.

ㄴ “The one who embraces even our shadows.”

ㄴ I’m with LSB forever.

ㄴ Is this what happens when the center comes from a survival show? His speaking skills are unreal.

ㄴ Seriously. His diction is so good. Everything sticks in your ears.

 

> [BREAKING NEWS] LSB fandom name officially confirmed as LUMINA!!!!

– This is insaneㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– The meaning is so beautiful!

– Starting today, my name is Lumina. No objections accepted.

– “The one who shines light”… whoever came up with this deserves an award.

ㄴ Apparently it was Siwoo’s idea.

ㄴ The naming process will be shown in their self-produced content!

 

‘Thank goodness the response is positive.’

With us sweeping first-place trophies and now having an official fandom name, the fans were practically celebrating like it was a festival.

Glancing to the side, I saw the other members equally absorbed in their phones, seemingly intoxicated by the praise.

But only for a moment.

I instinctively frowned.

‘Getting too obsessed with reactions can become poisonous.’

Great popularity always comes with sharp thorns.

Mixed among all the praise were malicious posts aimed at tearing down specific members.

I had seen it countless times as a former paparazzo.

People who slowly rotted away because of those barbed comments.

‘Should we start restricting how much the members search themselves online?’

As the thought deepened, the car came to a smooth stop.

“LSB, we’ve arrived at the next scheduled location.”

The manager’s voice snapped me back to reality.

Right now, worrying about a future that hadn’t arrived yet wasn’t important.

We had a wave right in front of us to overcome first.

‘Let’s focus on the work.’

I powered off my phone and took a deep breath.

Pushing those concerns into the darkness for now, I quickly prepared to get out.

 

☆☆☆

 

“Everyone, don’t be too nervous. Just do what you’ve always done.”

“Yes!”

Despite the manager’s encouragement, tension was written all over the members’ faces.

‘Well, it’s our first fan signing event since debut. It’d be strange if they weren’t nervous.’

Even though they should have been exhausted enough to pass out, they had spent the entire previous night pacing around the living room like elementary school kids excited for a field trip.

“Alright, let’s move!”

The moment we arrived at the entrance of the fan-sign venue, my own heart began beating faster.

Only then did it truly hit me.

Every single person visible through the glass doors was a fan.

‘That many people came to a fan signing event?’

Every one of them was holding the same album.

Our first album.

The one with our names printed on it.

“Wow…”

“This isn’t a dream, right?”

The members couldn’t help but gasp at the surreal sight.

“Hyung… these people really came to see us, right?”

Hoseung’s trembling voice sounded almost like a whisper.

‘…Honestly, even I didn’t expect this many.’

“Yeah. They’re all our fans.”

The moment I nodded, all the members’ shoulders stiffened simultaneously.

The atmosphere in this hallway felt more nerve-wracking than standing beneath stage lights.

“Kyaaaaaa!”

“Boys!”

As we entered the hall, the fans’ screams crashed into my ears.

The small hall set up inside the large gymnasium was already packed.

Even though the venue was tightly controlled, the heat and excitement filled every inch of the space.

This was our first in-person fan signing event as a group that had already won first place.

The sight of the long table on stage and the six chairs waiting for us sent my heartbeat soaring.

‘This is making me more nervous than I expected.’

I discreetly wiped my sweaty palms against my pants.

When I looked forward, dozens of camera lenses turned toward me all at once.

In my previous life, I had always been hiding behind those lenses.

A paparazzo who made money by stealing and selling other people’s private lives.

Back then, I held my breath to capture fleeting scandals.

Now I was the one being targeted by those lenses.

“LSB, please move to your seats.”

The members nodded at the staff’s signal.

Beside me, Hayul muttered quietly.

“Hyung… I’m really nervous.”

I almost reached out to pat his head but stopped myself.

‘The fans should see the hairstyle we spent all that time styling.’

Instead, I smiled.

“It’s okay. We’re just meeting them a little closer than we do on stage.”

It was a reassurance for myself as well.

“Everyone, thank you for waiting! We will now officially begin Lucy Star Boys’ fan signing event!”

The MC’s energetic voice echoed across the stage.

As we walked toward center stage under the staff’s guidance, screams erupted so loudly they seemed to shake the ceiling.

“WAAAAAAH!!!”

“BOYS!”

“LSB!!!”

The sound felt like it was peeling away another layer of reality itself.

After bowing ninety degrees to the cheering fans, I took my assigned seat.

Sunyoo, as leader, sat at the very front.

I took the far end, while the other members sat in between.

‘Fan signings are places where unexpected situations can happen at any time.’

Since this was our first one, it made sense for experienced Sunyoo to go first and ease the fans into things.

Meanwhile, I chose the final seat, where timing was more flexible and difficult situations would likely end up.

There were no dazzling lights.

No grand background music.

Just a long table separating us from the fans at a distance close enough to hear each other’s breathing.

The fan signing event officially began.

The first fan stopped in front of Sunyoo.

As expected, he greeted them with a warm smile and handled everything flawlessly.

‘He’s really good at this.’

The average idol fan signing event usually hosts between fifty and one hundred attendees.

Strict limits were standard because of safety and time constraints.

I had heard rumors that hundreds of thousands of people applied for this event, but in reality, only one hundred lucky survivors would make it here.

‘Considering we sold over 500,000 albums in the first week… how much money did these people spend to get in?’

Officially, it was a lottery.

In reality, fan signings were a battle of who bought the most albums.

One album meant one entry ticket.

The more albums you bought, the better your chances.

The people standing before me now were the survivors of a cruel system where desperation was directly proportional to the balance in your bank account.

‘I’d better treat them as well as I can.’

I tightened my focus once more and glanced sideways.

The other members had already begun interacting with fans.

Even the ones who had been stiff as robots from nervousness were showing surprising talent now that they were actually in the field.

Maybe the fan-interaction crash course I had given them at the dorm yesterday had worked.

Everyone was treating the fans with genuine sincerity.

‘They’re doing great. I don’t need to worry.’

The line of fans continued moving through the members.

Finally, the first fan stopped in front of me.

“Ah… hello! Siwoo, I… I really, really wanted to see you!”

Her hands trembled as she held out the album.

The only thing visible in her eyes was pure affection directed toward me.

‘…So this is what it feels like.’

Meeting a fan up close like this, instead of viewing them from afar, sent an overwhelming feeling surging from deep within my chest.

“I was so excited about coming to the fan signing that I… I couldn’t sleep at all last night.”

Holding my pen, I looked at her for a moment.

She seemed deeply moved.

There was something strange about writing my name while receiving someone’s sincere affection like this.

“Me too.”

“Huh?”

Her eyes widened like a startled rabbit at my unexpected answer.

I set down my pen and met her gaze.

“I couldn’t sleep either because I was thinking about meeting Lumina. This is a secret, but all of us spent last night wandering around the living room because we were too excited to sleep.”

In an instant, the nervous expression frozen on her face melted into a bright smile.