The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 106

Chapter 106

 

The fan signing event ended without incident.

But the van ride back to the dorm was unusually quiet.

A place that was normally noisy and lively was wrapped in a strange silence.

Kang Chan stared blankly out the window, while the other members carefully watched his mood.

The silence was broken by Yoo Hoseung’s phone notification.

Bzzzzz—!

“…Whoa, Siwoo hyung! The communities are already going crazy.”

“Hm? Me?”

“Yeah! Everyone’s freaking out, saying you handled that perfectly.”

As all the members turned to look at Hoseung, he held out his phone toward us.

“Take a look at this.”

‘What is it?’

 

> [HOT] I went to the LSB fan sign today, and Cha Siwoo is actually insane (Video Attached)

> Some akgae was throwing insults at Kang Chan and picking at him at an actual psychopath level.

> Poor Kang Chan couldn’t say anything because she was technically a fan, so he just kept apologizing.

> Then Cha Siwoo suddenly stepped in out of nowhere lol.

> If you watch the video, there’s a part where he says,

> “I heard you were talking about our Chan’s upbringing, so I came over because I was touched.”

> Did you see his eyes when he said that?

> Gave me chills.

> He was definitely smiling, but his eyes were terrifying…

> I’ve never seen someone get that angry while smiling.

> Then he brought up the name Lumina and said,

> “Surely a Lumina wouldn’t do something like that, right?”

> The entire venue stopped breathing.

> At the end, he wrote something in her album, and I was curious what it was.

> Then the psycho posted the album photo online while making a post trash-talking Cha Siwoo because she was angry.

> Turns out it was basically a warning notice lol.

> Seriously hilarious.

> Starting today, I’m stanning Cha Siwoo for protecting my boy.

> At first I thought he only got first place because people felt sorry for him, but the more I see him, the more charming he gets.

> Honestly, it was incredibly satisfying.

 

‘News really travels fast.’

Even if people criticized me for being rude to a fan, I had been prepared to accept it.

I had decided that people who crossed the line needed a firm response early on, so I didn’t regret what I did.

But the comments were headed in a completely different direction than I expected.

 

ㄴ Saying someone “looks like they grew up without parents”? What kind of fan says that?

– Seriously. Is she insane?

– That’s not a fan. That’s just a psychopath.

ㄴ Cha Siwoo has painful family circumstances too, and he still responded like that. His mentality is insane.

– Why am I so proud of him?

– I need to learn that kind of mentality.

ㄴ Did you see Kang Chan’s palm with all those questions written on it? He worked that hard and still got treated like that…

– Thank goodness Siwoo protected him. TT

– I saw his palm too TT I thought it was adorable!

– It was completely covered in writing TT He might not be good with words, but he’s clearly trying so hard.

ㄴ “I’m especially overprotective when it comes to my members.”

That line sent me straight to heaven.

– So cool.

– He seriously felt like an adult.

– They haven’t even been together that long since the survival show ended, but he’s already taking care of the members like that.

 

“Siwoo…”

Kang Chan, who had been staring at the phone alongside us, slowly turned his head.

His expression was still as blank as ever, but the hopeless look I’d seen earlier at the fan sign was gone.

“Seriously… thanks for earlier. Honestly, my mind just went blank for a moment. Thanks to you, I got through it.”

“If you’re grateful, buy me something good to eat later.”

I deliberately answered casually, but inwardly I felt relieved.

‘Thank goodness.’

“Okay! Seriously, thank you.”

“Alright already. And wipe that ink off your palm. It’s smudged everywhere and looks terrifying.”

Laughter broke out among the members at my joke.

“Huh? When did it smudge?”

As Kang Chan’s expression relaxed, the tense atmosphere in the van finally began to loosen.

But it was still too early to relax.

This kind of attention was a double-edged sword.

Back when I was a paparazzo, I had seen countless celebrities destroyed after these kinds of satisfying hero stories eventually turned into accusations of arrogance.

‘I’ll have to be careful about my behavior from now on.’

Still, I didn’t regret it.

‘The company should be calling soon.’

As expected, my phone vibrated loudly in my pocket.

When I pulled it out, the screen showed the name of a company employee who had been contacting me frequently lately.

[TX PR Director]

‘Here it comes.’

“Hello.”

[Siwoo, have you seen the community posts?]

“Yes, I have.”

‘I should apologize first, right?’

Just as I was about to begin a sincere apology, the director’s voice came through surprisingly cheerful.

[The division head absolutely loves you right now! He says you’re a real gem!]

“…Excuse me?”

[Among the fans, you’ve completely established the image of a wolf protecting the team! Taking care of Chan, staying calm, and logically dismantling the situation… it was a masterstroke.]

‘…Me?’

“Really? Honestly, I thought I was going to get scolded for causing trouble.”

[Scold you? Not at all! Thanks to you, the all-fan culture within LSB has gotten incredibly strong. Right now everyone in the fan cafe is rallying together, saying, ‘We’ll protect our boys ourselves!’]

‘Phew… that’s a relief.’

Well, if the result was good, then that was what mattered.

[Good work!]

“Yes. Thank you.”

When I hung up, the members all looked at me with worried expressions.

“What did the company say?”

“Uh… apparently the response has been better than expected.”

“Really? That’s great!”

“I knew it! Siwoo hyung is the best!”

With the atmosphere finally warm and cheerful again, the ride back to the dorm became peaceful.

Perhaps because the tension had finally lifted, the members’ expressions brightened, and one by one they began drifting off to sleep.

I pulled the hood over Kang Chan’s head as he nodded off beside me.

‘He was so anxious earlier. Looks like he’s feeling a little better now.’

Looking at the sleeping members, it felt like tomorrow I’d be seeing versions of them that were just a little stronger than they had been today.

 

☆☆☆

 

The debut song was an absolute smash hit.

Everywhere you went, our debut track, “First Greeting Hello,” was playing.

We successfully performed on every music show and swept up first-place trophies.

We had settled comfortably within the Top 3 on most music charts, and our popularity continued climbing steadily.

As our recognition grew, schedules started flooding in at a level that made you want to scream.

These days, web variety content on GyuTube was the trend, but for rookies in the middle of promotions, terrestrial variety shows… which contributed heavily to broadcast scores, were still a mandatory course.

Which was why today we had arrived at the filming set of B Broadcasting Station’s national variety show, <Run, Star>.

Airing Sundays at 6 PM, the program had remained at the top for over ten years and was considered both the flagship program and source of pride for B Broadcasting.

The show’s format involved various mini-games before a final survival round where contestants ripped off opposing teams’ name tags.

It was also famous for recruiting the hottest celebrities of the moment and putting them through absolute hell.

‘This was the rookie special they contacted us about.’

The production team planned to gather the three rookie male idol groups considered the future of the industry and pit them against each other in a proper showdown.

‘As expected of one of Korea’s Big Three broadcasters. They really rounded up all the rookies at once.’

If you’re going to be a servant, you might as well work in a nobleman’s house… the scraps that fall from the table are bigger.

Since the program guaranteed ratings, the set where the three idol groups had gathered was already shaping up to be a fierce battle for screen time.

“Everyone, filming will begin shortly!”

“Yes!”

The atmosphere in the waiting room tightened immediately at the staff’s announcement.

Just thinking about meeting the people we’d eventually be fighting over Rookie of the Year awards with at year-end ceremonies made my heart race.

The members, fully aware that these were rivals, had determination burning in their eyes.

“Hyung, we absolutely have to win!”

Yoo Hoseung clenched both fists.

“Of course. If our maknae says we’re winning, then we’re taking first place no matter what.”

“Guys, just don’t get hurt. Injuries will affect promotions, so let’s stay within reason and do our best.”

For once, even Kim Sunyoo wasn’t holding anyone back and instead encouraged the members’ competitive spirit.

“Yes!”

“Let’s go!”

Following the staff’s guidance, we arrived at the filming location… a massive water park with powerful streams of water cascading everywhere.

Though it was already September, the weather remained hot.

The production team’s veteran instincts were obvious… they wanted refreshing visuals to cool viewers down and boost ratings.

The moment we arrived at the main plaza, a fierce tension filled the air.

Today’s cast alone consisted of three male idol groups, nearly twenty people in total.

‘This is definitely going to be a screen-time war.’

The set was a jungle filled with rookies from major entertainment companies with significant influence.

Incidentally, one of the three groups was Fault, the group we’d thoroughly crushed on a recent music show.

After exchanging formal greetings, everyone settled into a tense waiting period.

Then finally, the nation’s MC who had carried <Run, Star> for over ten years, Kang Jungho, appeared.

“Hello!”

“It’s an honor to meet you, sunbaenim!”

We bowed so deeply our waists practically hit ninety degrees.

“Wow, it’s great to see you all. We’ve really gathered all the hottest rookies today!”

True to his veteran status, Kang Jungho greeted us with perfect energy.

“It’s an honor to meet you, sunbaenim!”

“You look even more handsome in person!”

“I’ve been your fan since I was young!”

Warm compliments poured out, but underneath them was unmistakable rivalry.

Kang Jungho laughed heartily and raised the atmosphere.

“The battle for dominance already started before filming. I’m looking forward to today’s shoot!”

Following the staff’s directions, we gathered in the center where the cameras had been set up.

Perhaps because our momentum was so strong lately, our position was right in the center where the cameras had the best angle.

‘Nice.’

In this industry, popularity was combat power.

I’d glanced through the script beforehand, and aside from the opening introductions, it was nearly empty.

True to the program’s reputation for giving participants a high degree of freedom, the network was basically telling us to figure things out ourselves.

‘In other words, whoever creates memorable moments gets the screen time.’

Looks like I’d need to be prepared to go all out today.

“Let’s begin filming.”

“Yes!”

“Three… two… one… action!”

As the camera’s red recording light switched on, Kang Jungho’s energetic voice echoed throughout the water park.

“Alright! Today on <Run, Star>, we have some very special guests. The future of the music industry! Let’s welcome three rookie male idol groups representing this year!”

The moment the red light turned on, we immediately clapped enthusiastically along with Kang Jungho’s introduction.

“This is actually the first time in the program’s history that we’ve had this many guests appear at once! For viewers seeing you for the first time, please introduce your teams!”

Introductions were done in order of seniority.

The first group up was Umblaze, a seven-member group from a major agency that had debuted eight months earlier.

“Two, three! Hello! We are Umblaze, the spark awakened from the darkness!”

Seven men dressed in matching black outfits bowed together.

Judging from the heavy makeup and revealing clothing, their concept seemed to be sexy.

“Wow!”

“So cool!”

I enthusiastically entered broadcast-reaction mode and became a human applause machine.

“Umblaze was famous even before debut, right?”

“Haha, you’re too kind.”

“I heard expectations were huge because you were known for your skills even as trainees. And every song you’ve released has been a hit. Congratulations.”

Like the veteran he was, Kang Jungho naturally gave Umblaze some screen time by mentioning stories from their trainee days.

‘Umblaze… if I remember correctly, they eventually made it all the way to top-tier status too, didn’t they?’