The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 108

Chapter 108

 

[Charm Stat Upgrade Ticket]

‘This gacha really does give you exactly what you need.’

That confirmed it.

The gacha was basically a cheat code.

‘I’ll use the ticket right away.’

Ding!

[S-Rank Ticket is being used.]

In an instant, the surroundings were engulfed in a dazzling light.

Only after suffering an eye-searing flash for about three seconds did the ordinary restroom come back into view.

‘Did it work?’

[Yes. Cha Siwoo, would you like to check your status window?]

‘Sure.’

Ding.

 

—

[Status Window]

Cha Siwoo (20)

Appearance: A-

Singing: B+

Dance: B-

Charm: A (▲UP)

Stamina: B+

Ability: ???

Status: Paparazzi who regressed 5 years into the past.

Fatigue: 10

—

 

‘Wow, it raised my charm stat by two whole ranks?’

The charm stat that had been stuck at B rank had shot all the way up to A in one go.

I had started to think it might be impossible to raise my stats any further, so seeing the number go up again after so long felt strangely moving.

[That is the power of an S-rank ticket. Cha Siwoo, your gacha luck is exceptionally good today.]

‘You didn’t choose this and give it to me?’

[No. Gacha rewards are determined solely by the participant’s luck.]

‘Hmm, really?’

Well, whatever. The result was good, so it didn’t matter.

Checking the little break time he had left, Siwoo quickly headed back toward the filming set with renewed confidence.

Now it was time to completely devour the competition, child actor background or not.

 

☆☆☆

 

“We’ll resume the <Act It Out> game!”

“Yes!”

“Three… two… one… action!”

As the camera lights turned on, MC Kang Jungho smoothly picked up exactly where filming had been interrupted.

A true veteran.

“Cha Siwoo, you volunteered as your team’s representative. Any special reason?”

“Well… I’m pretty confident when it comes to expressing things.”

He flashed the camera the most relaxed smile he could manage.

“Wow! I love this confidence. Even after seeing a senior who’s a former child actor, you’re not intimidated at all?”

“Thank you!”

“Then let’s officially begin Lucy Star Boys’ <Act It Out> game!”

‘Let’s do our best.’

Stepping confidently into the center, Siwoo heard the starting bell ring as tense background music echoed throughout the waterpark plaza.

Then he saw the first keyword.

A laugh escaped him before he could stop it.

[Keyword: Paparazzi]

‘Is fate messing with me?’

Seeing the timer tick down, he moved without hesitation.

First, he darted behind a decorative tree like lightning and hid.

Everything that followed flowed naturally.

He sharply mimicked focusing a camera lens, pressing the shutter, then quickly diving toward a new hiding spot.

Gasps of admiration erupted around the set.

‘Is this because my charm stat increased? My body really moves exactly how I imagine it now.’

The feeling of perfectly materializing an image from his mind was almost exhilarating.

“Paparazzi!”

Rua shouted confidently.

It hadn’t even taken ten seconds.

Kang Jungho widened his eyes.

“Wow…! That’s the best expressiveness we’ve had on the show so far!”

But it was too early to celebrate.

The next keyword was even worse.

[Keyword: Denying Your Fandom Awakening]

‘…How am I supposed to express something like that?’

His grumbling lasted only a moment.

His A-rank charm stat took over instinctively.

Siwoo started pounding his chest dramatically with a pained expression.

Then he pointed angrily at an invisible target while shaking his head.

‘No! I don’t like that guy!’

He poured rejection into every fiber of his being.

“Chest pain?”

“Denial?”

“Dislike?”

The members threw out wrong answers, but hearing words that were getting closer gave him hope.

He kept shaking his head, yet his feet pointed forward.

He expressed rejection with his entire body while simultaneously showing himself being pulled toward something anyway.

Then…

“Denial phase before becoming a fan!”

Kim Sunyoo shouted firmly.

“Correct! Wow, Siwoo! That’s incredible. You explained that using only your body?”

Kang Jungho couldn’t hide his excitement as he flipped to the next card.

‘Maybe I’ll finally get a normal one now?’

His hopes were mercilessly crushed.

The keywords kept getting stranger.

[Keyword: Used-Market Scam]

It was nothing like the simple, straightforward words given to the previous teams.

Their team kept getting absurdly difficult prompts.

Still, with time running down, Siwoo thought quickly.

He carefully mimed handing something to someone.

Then suddenly grabbed his cheek and screamed in despair.

“…Money?”

“A slap?”

“Cheap goods?”

“Getting slapped in Jongno and glaring at the Han River?”

He desperately shook his head at the members’ guesses.

‘I need to make this stronger.’

Thud.

He dropped to the ground and pretended to open an invisible box.

Then he acted out pulling a brick from inside it.

“Ah, a brick!”

“Used-market scam!”

“Correct!”

The energy on set shot through the roof.

‘Please give me a decent keyword now.’

Instead, something even worse appeared.

[Keyword: Additional Work Right Before Clocking Out]

‘Are you kidding me?’

Just looking at it was infuriating.

Siwoo slung an imaginary bag over his shoulder and acted like he was leaving work.

Then he stiffly turned around as though someone had called him from behind.

After that, he sat back down with a soulless expression and began typing furiously.

He even added the detail of silently screaming.

“Overtime?”

“No way… additional work right before clocking out?”

“Wow, correct!”

This time Kang Chan got the answer.

“Wow, Kang Chan! Have you worked before? The expression you made while answering was way too realistic.”

“I had a lot of part-time jobs that suddenly gave me extra work.”

Ignoring the amazed reactions around him, Siwoo moved on to the next keyword.

The finale was the last problem.

[Keyword: Stock Delisting]

‘Is this really a game meant for idols?’

Usually the prompts were related to idol life or everyday situations.

Seeing the timer ticking away, he shoved his confusion aside and pretended to look at a phone.

A bright smile filled with joy spread across his face.

Then his pupils began trembling.

His focus slowly vanished.

‘My… money.’

Thinking about actual money, he let the imaginary phone in his hand slip from his fingers.

Thunk.

It hit the floor.

Then he sprawled across the waterpark floor.

Not just any collapse.

He portrayed someone who had lost all their wealth, whose mentality had completely shattered, whose motivation for life itself had vanished.

“…Huh? Stocks? A crash?”

Rua shouted.

Siwoo nodded violently and crawled across the ground.

He desperately clawed at invisible scraps of paper before opening his mouth into a hollow, empty laugh.

It was the exact expression he’d seen countless people wear in his previous life after losing everything in the stock market.

“Ah! Stock delisting!”

“Correct!!!”

Rua got it right.

Ding ding ding!

The timer stopped, and the buzzer sounded.

Kang Jungho jumped to his feet and applauded.

“Wow! Lucy Star Boys got 9 questions correct, taking first place overall!”

“Waaaaah!”

The members jumped around excitedly.

They had defeated their rivals from the very beginning.

“Seriously, Siwoo. Have you ever been scammed in a used-market transaction or had a stock delisted? How are you so good at acting those out?”

A laugh slipped out at the flood of questions.

“No, I’ve never experienced either.”

“Then how were you so realistic?”

‘Because… I increased my charm stat through the gacha, obviously.’

The moment he saw each keyword, the actions had naturally come to him.

It seemed the A-rank Charm stat had carried him hard.

Siwoo flashed the camera a bright, idol-like smile.

“As a rookie, I simply did my best!”

The star of the first game had already been decided.

 

☆☆☆

 

Thanks to their victory in the first game, they secured an impressive 100-point lead.

“The second game is the <Random Dance Challenge>!”

“Waaaaaaah!”

The heat of the waterpark rose even higher.

“The rules are simple! Listen to whatever song plays randomly, and if you know the choreography, come to the center and dance! The team that successfully performs the most songs wins!”

The flower of idol variety shows.

The section that generated the most so-called “fan-conversion clips.”

That was the Random Dance Challenge.

‘Hmm… honestly, I’m still not that confident in my dancing.’

His dance stat had improved significantly from the original E rank, but the choreography database stored in his body was still lacking.

This game was the perfect time to let his teammates carry him.

As he thought about the members with higher dance stats, the MC’s voice rang out.

“Who will be today’s greatest dancer? Music, please!”

At that moment, Kang Chan, standing beside him, visibly flinched.

His feet were already moving to the beat.

‘Good. Go, Kangchan-mon!’

Siwoo gently placed a hand on Kang Chan’s shoulder.

Kang Chan looked back with a puzzled expression.

Siwoo gave him a classic capitalist smile.

“Chan, go show them everything.”

“…Yeah. I’ll be back.”

Nodding solemnly, Kang Chan launched himself toward the center like a spring.

The speakers blasted everything from the latest girl-group songs to retro dance hits from the 1990s.

Nearly six male idols were already tangled together in the middle, turning the place into a dance battlefield.

Among the talented dancers were some clearly awkward ones creating complete chaos.

‘That’s right. Variety shows are all about momentum.’

Without hesitation, Siwoo followed behind Kang Chan.

“Waaaaah!”

His movements might have been a little rough, but he trusted his A-rank Charm stat.

Thanks to that, his expressions looked like those of a world champion as he mirrored Kang Chan’s choreography.

Kim Sunyoo, Yoo Hoseung, and the other members quickly joined in after him.

They placed Kang Chan in the center and supported him from one step behind with perfectly synchronized choreography.

“Lucy Star Boys! Your teamwork is incredible! It’s great seeing everyone come out and dance together!”

Praise poured from MC Kang Jungho.

Kang Chan’s dancing was overwhelmingly good.

Even among idols, he stood out.

And the rest of them supporting him looked like a perfectly unified team.

“The winner of this song is Lucy Star Boys!”

Kang Chan carried while the others played defense.

The strategy worked perfectly.

‘Good. Let’s keep this momentum going.’

Then a seductive bass line blasted from the speakers.

A sexy-concept song from a fifth-year girl group.

The choreography required advanced hip control.

‘Wow, this one’s tough.’

But Kang Chan didn’t hesitate.

He copied the choreography with flawless precision, snapping his hips exactly to the rhythm.

‘Man~ I don’t know whose teammate he is, but he dances insanely well.’

The firm muscles visible beneath Kang Chan’s shirt moved with the rhythm, radiating sexiness.

Umblaze, whose concept was sexy, tried desperately to stand out.

But Kang Chan completely overwhelmed them.

He was truly the undisputed king of dance.

“This round… Kang Chan completely dominated it! Lucy Star Boys win again!”

The faces of the Fault and Umblaze members darkened.

‘What a reliable guy!’

Having an overwhelmingly skilled dancer on your team was a blessing beyond measure.

By the time beads of sweat had gathered on everyone’s foreheads, the game had reached its final stage.

“Current score: 5 to 5 to 7! Lucy Star Boys are in the lead! But every great game needs the thrill of a comeback! The final question will be worth 3 points!”

‘We’re already at 7 points. Why are they suddenly making the last question worth 3 points?’