The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 110

Chapter 110

 

It was Umblaze, all dressed in matching black tops.

“Eh? Aren’t those the LSB guys over there?”

“Hey, I heard they’ve already found two treasures.”

“Really? Then if we rip off their name tags, we can steal all those points at once.”

The three Umblaze members spotted us with predatory eyes and picked up their pace.

‘As expected.’

Seeing the charging Umblaze members, Seo Hayul flinched and quickly moved behind me.

‘Hey. What am I, a shield?’

I was about to say something to him, but seeing his hands trembling in fear, I swallowed my words.

“S-Siwoo hyung! It’s the Umblaze seniors! There are three of them! What do we do?”

They had three people. We had two.

We were outnumbered, but physically, the Umblaze guys looked at least a weight class below us.

‘Thanks for coming to me on your own.’

Thinking about all the points walking right toward us, the corners of my mouth naturally curled upward.

“Hayul, run first!”

“Huh? Where?”

“Toward that pillar! And when I tell you, hide behind it, got it?”

“Yes!”

Splash. Splash.

I deliberately made even more noise as I ran deeper into the pool.

The Umblaze guys chased after us, laughing mockingly.

“LSB! Don’t you know you’ll move slower once you get into the water?”

“Haha. You’re rats trapped in a cage!”

The Umblaze leader confidently shouted as he closed the distance.

‘He really does look like a villain.’

Just as they were about to surround us, I stopped at the perfect moment.

“Hayul, now!”

The instant I confirmed Seo Hayul had hidden behind the pillar, I shoved a hand into my pocket.

Then I crouched down and boldly pressed the control panel button.

KWAAAAAAAAH—!

A massive jet of water suddenly erupted and slammed directly into the Umblaze members’ faces.

‘Ha~ direct hit.’

“Ugh! What the hell?!”

“Aaagh! My eyes!”

The sudden water pressure made them lose their footing and stagger.

‘Good thing I picked up that control panel.’

As always, having the right item mattered everywhere.

While the Umblaze leader was busy rubbing his eyes, I slipped behind him like lightning.

‘Now!’

Thanks to my heightened concentration, my fingertips moved sharply.

RIIIIP—!

The satisfying sound of tearing fabric echoed through the pool.

[Umblaze Leader: OUT! LSB’s Cha Siwoo earns 50 points!]

“…Huh?”

The leader stared blankly between his torn-off name tag and me.

RIIIIP—!

“Hyung! I got one too!”

I turned to see Seo Hayul somehow already out from behind the pillar, jumping around while holding another Umblaze member’s name tag.

“Good job!”

In an instant, Umblaze was reduced to a single surviving member and pushed to the brink of annihilation.

Kang Jungho’s shocked commentary burst from the speakers.

[What is happening here?! LSB’s Cha Siwoo has instantly hunted down the senior team Umblaze with a perfect trap using the terrain! This is practically special-forces-level strategy!]

The remaining Umblaze member backed away in terror.

‘Not so fast.’

I pressed the control panel once more.

“Aaaaaaah!”

As the startled member struggled against another sudden blast of water, I quickly reached out.

RIIIIP—!

I spun the two name tags around my fingers and winked at the camera.

“Seniors, you can’t let your guard down just because you have the numbers advantage.”

‘Screen time? Points? I’ll take everything.’

At that moment, I noticed Gu Jihyeok from Fault watching from afar, his face turning pale.

‘What are you looking at?’

The moment our eyes met, he quickly turned and left.

“Come on, Hayul. Warm-up’s over. Let’s keep looking for treasure.”

“Yes, hyung!”

“My instincts tell me the area under that lifeguard tower is very suspicious.”

With confidence in victory, I strode forward.

 

☆☆☆ 

 

On the way to the lifeguard tower, Seo Hayul looked at me with eyes full of admiration.

“Hyung, you’re seriously amazing. That water-cannon thing earlier looked like something straight out of a movie!”

“It’ll look even cooler once it airs.”

‘Judging by the camera angles, they definitely got that scene.’

Surrounded by Hayul’s dopamine-fueled excitement and a cheerful atmosphere, we arrived beneath the lifeguard tower.

The moment we got there, I had a strong feeling.

The treasure the production team had carefully hidden was here.

As I searched around the sandy area, I spotted something gleaming between artificial rocks.

“Yes! Found it.”

Just as I reached out for it, a chilly voice sounded from behind me.

“You’d be better off leaving that alone.”

Turning around, I saw Fault’s leader, Gu Jihyeok, approaching with three teammates.

‘A four-versus-two fight, huh.’

The pressure was on an entirely different level compared to Umblaze.

Especially because the false politeness from earlier had completely vanished from Gu Jihyeok’s eyes, replaced by pure hostility.

“Siwoo, you seem new to variety shows, so maybe you don’t know. The protagonist always appears at the end.”

“Sounds less like a protagonist and more like an uninvited pest.”

I casually picked up the treasure box and answered.

The Fault members spread out in a fan formation, surrounding us.

“How about you hand over the treasure box and let us remove your name tags peacefully? That way at least the editing will look nice.”

I snorted at Gu Jihyeok’s words.

Then I pulled out the golden treasure box and held it high.

“You followed us all the way here just because you wanted this?”

“What? Followed you?”

“I heard you were a former child actor. Looks like you can’t hold a conversation without a script.”

Instantly, Gu Jihyeok’s face flushed red and blue.

“Hah…! Guys, get them!”

All four Fault members charged at once.

Just as Seo Hayul began shrinking back in fear, I shoved his shoulder and spoke quietly.

“Hayul, take the treasure box and run. I’ll handle the rest.”

“But Siwoo hyung!”

“Go!”

The true power of an A-rank Talent stat wasn’t limited to acting ability.

It also gave me overwhelming charisma… the ability to draw people’s attention and dominate a space.

Facing the charging Fault members head-on, I stepped forward.

Whoosh–Thud!

I dodged the first guy rushing toward me, and unable to stop his momentum, he planted himself face-first into the sand.

‘He falls pretty well on his own.’

At the same time, I grabbed the wrist of another guy reaching for my name tag and spun him around.

“Whoa?!”

The two lost their balance and tangled together as they crashed down.

I never expected the survival-style self-defense skills I learned while fleeing furious celebrity managers during my paparazzi days to come in handy like this.

“What is this?! Can’t you idiots do anything right?!”

Gu Jihyeok screamed and personally rushed at me.

I stepped back and lightly dodged his grab.

Then I leaned in and whispered into his ear.

“What happened to the skills you used when talking trash about us in the music-show waiting room?”

“…!”

“Your mouth’s pretty active, but your body really isn’t.”

Gu Jihyeok’s eyes widened in shock.

Unlike his usual composed image, he was clearly rattled.

I didn’t miss that brief opening.

RIIIIP—!

With a loud tearing sound, the name tag on Gu Jihyeok’s back ended up in my hand.

[Fault Leader Gu Jihyeok: OUT! LSB’s Cha Siwoo earns 50 points!]

“AAAAARGH!”

Gu Jihyeok screamed and collapsed to the ground.

As soon as their leader fell, the remaining Fault members charged recklessly.

Like a hunter, I collected each of their name tags one after another in the blink of an eye.

RIP! RIIIIP!

“No way… Is this even possible?”

The Fault member muttered in disbelief.

I gave him a gentle smile.

“It is, senior.”

RIIIIP—!

The cheerful tearing sounds rang out one after another.

Panting, I stared into the camera while waving the name tags.

Sweat dripped from my chin.

Kang Jungho’s near-sobbing scream erupted from the speakers.

[Unbelievable! LSB’s Cha Siwoo! Cha Siwoo has single-handedly wiped out all four members of Fault! This isn’t just an upset! It’s a massacre unlike anything seen in Run Star’s ten-year history!]

A moment later, Seo Hayul returned after opening the yellow treasure box.

“Hyung! This one’s worth 100 points!!”

The Fault members lay sprawled across the sand in a daze.

Gu Jihyeok, especially, stared blankly at the sky as if he still couldn’t believe his name tag had been removed.

As I walked past him, I lightly patted his shoulder.

“Good work, senior.”

At my sarcastic remark, Gu Jihyeok’s face turned pale.

“Alright, shall we go find the remaining treasures?”

Just as I was about to move, Kang Jungho’s voice rang out from the speakers once again.

[Kang Chan and Rua have each earned 50 points! Umblaze has been eliminated!]

The rest of our members were also securing plenty of screen time somewhere out of sight.

Thanks to that, ‘Run Star’ was able to wrap up quickly.

[We will now announce the final results! The ultimate winner of today’s Water Park Race is… Lucy Star Boys, who displayed overwhelming skill!!]

“WAAAAAAAH!”

Our team’s name echoed throughout the entire water park.

The members came running from afar and hoisted me into the air.

“Whoa…! Wait a second.”

“Siwoo hyung!”

“Siwoo! You did great!”

Seeing the members celebrating, the thrill of victory surged through my body.

Our first terrestrial-network variety show appearance together ended in perfect victory.

And our screen time was a success too.

“Cut!”

“Great work, everyone!”

“Thank you!”

As filming ended and the set grew busy with cleanup, a familiar figure approached.

National MC Kang Jungho walked over and lightly tapped my shoulder.

“Siwoo, you were incredible. The editing team’s going to cry tears of blood trying to cut down your screen time. Let’s meet again sometime!”

That one sentence was enough.

It meant my airtime was basically guaranteed.

‘If even the nation’s top MC is reacting like this… then the variety show must’ve been a huge hit, right?’

I looked at my members, all smiling brightly.

Only then did the tension resting on my shoulders finally melt away.

 

☆☆☆

 

Miss Choi was in an especially foul mood today.

There was still no news about her favorite group’s comeback, and the weather was unbearably hot.

On top of that, the terrestrial variety show ‘Run Star’, which she had turned on just to pass the time, was packed with rookie groups she had never even heard of.

“Ugh, another rookie special? Other than Fault, they’re all nobodies…”

She grumbled while fiddling with the remote.

At least Fault had Gu Jihyeok, the former child actor, so she decided to leave the channel on.

But only fifteen minutes after the broadcast started, her eyes narrowed.

“Huh? Who’s that black-haired, cold handsome guy? LSB’s Cha Siwoo?”

The moment Cha Siwoo of LSB started the ‘Charades’ game, the potato chips in her hand dropped to the floor.

“Holy crap, look at him acting out used-marketplace scams and stock delistings. Is he really an idol?”

Those eyes looked exactly like hers when she had been scammed and when she got trapped in bad stocks.

Without realizing it, Miss Choi leaned closer to the television.

That wasn’t simple acting.

It was a depth that could only come from experiencing life’s bitterness firsthand.

“Cha Siwoo… what’s this guy’s deal? Has he been scammed and suffered stock delistings too?”

While she was still puzzled by the rookie idol’s unusual boldness, the ‘Random Dance Challenge’ began.

When LSB’s main dancer Kang Chan absolutely tore up the stage, Miss Choi’s mouth fell open.

“Wow, his dancing is insane… He’s way better than most idols. And he’s a rookie?”

Maybe the standards for rookies were just much higher these days.

“But look at Cha Siwoo acting in the background. He’s not dancing… he’s spraying charisma everywhere.”

She watched the variety show with growing interest, but the true highlight was the final name-tag elimination race.

Watching Cha Siwoo turn the tables on three Umblaze members with a water-cannon trap and then slaughter four Fault members all by himself, he looked like nothing less than a lunatic with clear, innocent eyes.

“Holy crap… That can’t actually be scripted, right? How does he think of using the water cannon there? Is this guy insane?”

The screen filled with a close-up shot of Cha Siwoo tearing off Gu Jihyeok’s name tag and then politely bowing while saying, “Thank you for your hard work, senior.”

Miss Choi’s heart started beating faster.

“This guy is the real deal, isn’t he?”