The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol – Chapter 111

Author: Cireng

Chapter 111

This was a danger signal.

The precursor symptoms of getting bias-wrecked.

“No. My taste is consistent, okay? I don’t like those crazy cold-beauty types. I like pure and well-mannered guys!”

But Miss Choi’s denial didn’t last long.

At the end of the broadcast, when LSB was given a chance to perform their new song on their own, the atmosphere completely changed.

The sly, playful side they had shown on the variety show was nowhere to be seen.

The razor-sharp synchronized choreography paired with a refreshing concept was pure catharsis.

“Wow… this group’s visual chemistry is insane…”

Next to one handsome guy stood a prince.

And next to the prince stood a cold-faced beauty.

It was a moment that felt as if her eyes were being cleansed.

And above all else, the song was good too.

“Wait… that song I keep hearing everywhere these days is theirs?”

She had become completely immersed in the song and performance before she even realized it.

The song finally approached its end, and the camera began zooming in on the LSB members one by one as they struck their ending poses.

The final close-up was Cha Siwoo, today’s MVP of the variety show.

Sweat dripped from the tip of his chin, and the moment his gaze met the camera as if he intended to devour it…

“…Wow.”

As if possessed, Miss Choi grabbed her smartphone.

Opening one of the communities she frequently visited, her fingers immediately began flying across the screen.

> [Anyone watch ‘Run Star’ just now? Isn’t LSB’s Cha Siwoo absolutely insane?]

> [I originally tuned in to watch Fault, but now I’m searching for Cha Siwoo fancams lol.

> What even is this guy?

> Was he a hunter in a past life?

> I think I got bias-wrecked after seeing his eyes while tearing off name tags lol.

> Then I watched the stage at the end and realized LSB’s visual attack is no joke.

> I’m in the denial phase of stanning. Someone tell me how to cure it.]

The moment she posted it, the comments exploded.

– Same lol. I’m going through the denial phase too kekekek

ㄴ Same. After seeing Cha Siwoo act out a secondhand-market scam, I decided to hand over my entire bank account.

– Did you guys see him smile earlier? That’s not the smile of a rookie. That’s the smile of a working adult who’s been crushed by society, but somehow it’s attractive.

ㄴ You’re all already too late. The official fan café is practically crashing right now kekekek

Checking the comments, Miss Choi let out a hollow laugh.

“Yeah, I’ll admit it. He’s seriously charming.”

She hit the back button to browse another post.

The community was being flooded in real time with posts related to ‘Run Star’ and LSB.

“So I’m not the only one finding them attractive?”

As stories about her newfound interest filled every corner of the forum, one particular title caught her eye.

She clicked it.

> [My takeaway after watching Cha Siwoo on ‘Run Star’ today: He’s literally a hunting dog incarnate lol]

> [Wow… Is Cha Siwoo filming a movie by himself or something?

> At first I laughed so hard during the ‘Charades’ game that my stomach hurt.

> Then in the ‘Name Tag Race’, he was the definition of masculinity.

> When he took out three Umbraze members with the water-cannon trap, I thought he was insanely smart.

> But seeing him protect Seo Hayul like a younger brother all the way through while personally taking on Fault in a 4-vs-1 fight…

> Honestly, I kind of fell for him.

> What even is this guy?

> Then I saw the performance stage at the end and realized he can sing really well too.]

– Since Siwoo is the main vocalist, his singing skills are definitely solid.

ㄴ A handsome main vocalist? That’s seriously rare.

– Our Siwoo really is amazing.

ㄴ Agreed. Another fan has been born.

– I only saw LSB for the first time today because they were nobodies, but they really did just debut.

ㄴ That’s why they’re so fresh and fun to support.

– He’s handsome, but his star quality is insane too.

ㄴ You need to be at least this good to place first in a survival show.

“What? Cha Siwoo came from a survival show?”

Miss Choi immediately opened GyuTube and searched for [Cha Siwoo].

Among countless fancams and videos were compilation clips from the survival show ‘Star Picking 5’.

For the sake of newly recruited fans, the agency had uploaded a special video titled ‘Star Picking 5 – Cha Siwoo Edition’.

At first, Miss Choi laughed so hard she held her stomach.

By the end, she was crying.

“His backstory is perfect too…?”

One video led to another.

Hours later, she had finished watching every single one.

“Wow… they even composed their own songs?”

With practiced familiarity, she opened a music streaming site and searched for ‘First Greeting Hello’, which was already on the popularity charts.

“It’s already near the top of the rankings? Well, the song is really good.”

The corners of her lips lifted.

She pressed the repeat button.

“It never gets old no matter how many times I listen to it. It’s seriously addictive.”

Looking at the sticker of her former favorite idol attached to her refrigerator, Miss Choi instinctively knew that before long, Cha Siwoo merchandise would be occupying the space right next to it.

☆☆☆

“To think a whole month has already passed.”

The music show waiting room, where they were preparing for the final stage of their debut promotions, felt completely different from a month ago.

A pleasant sense of ease filled the room.

Even the members who had nervously licked their dry lips and fidgeted nonstop during their first appearance were now smiling as they prepared for their final music-show performance.

“Alright, LSB. You’ll be going on stage in forty minutes. Please get ready!”

“Yes!”

At the staff member’s call, everyone rose from their seats.

Standing in front of the mirror, Kim Sunyoo lightly straightened his outfit and encouraged the members.

“This is the last one. Let’s go out there and enjoy it with no regrets.”

“Yes!”

“Of course.”

“Sounds good!”

The energy was intense.

Compared to a month ago, the size of their fandom had grown beyond comparison.

Their debut song, ‘First Greeting Hello’, had already swept first-place trophies across every music show, including the major terrestrial broadcasts, announcing the arrival of a legendary monster rookie.

‘At this rate, we might be able to aim for Rookie of the Year at the year-end awards.’

Once music-show promotions ended, they would have to begin moving in earnest to secure rookie awards by the end of the year.

Even though they had successfully debuted and conquered the music charts, it was still too early to relax.

Since they had debuted later than most rookie idol groups, they needed to move even faster and build recognition more aggressively.

“Siwoo, aren’t you nervous about the stage?”

Rua’s voice broke him out of his thoughts.

“Of course I am.”

“That’s exactly why I like you, Siwoo.”

Rua grinned cheerfully.

Living together as roommates had definitely brought them closer.

Rua occasionally annoyed him by constantly suggesting they try new things together, but he never crossed the line and was more perceptive than expected.

‘We’ll probably switch roommates soon.’

The original plan had been to rotate roommates every month, but their packed schedule had forced them to postpone it.

“Honestly, I’m more excited than nervous. We finally get to give our gift to the fans.”

That’s right.

Just last night, even after finishing a murderous schedule, they had gathered together in the dorm’s living room and stayed up all night.

Because they wanted to make return-gift sandwiches for the fans on the final day of music-show promotions.

The whole thing had started with Yoo Hoseung.

When the idea came up that they should prepare a gift for fans to commemorate the end of promotions, Hoseung immediately shouted:

“Sandwiches!”

The youngest member had already promised a fan at a fan-signing event without thinking it through.

At first they had refused because they weren’t confident in their cooking.

But after hearing that the fans really wanted them, they eventually settled on handmade sandwiches as the return gift.

‘There was no way we could use A-grade mayonnaise for such a huge batch.’

Their stock of A-grade mayonnaise was already running low.

So they had to create a new sauce.

Using a famous chef’s recipe from GyuTube as a reference, Siwoo mixed whole-grain mustard, honey, and regular mayonnaise in the perfect ratio to create a special sauce.

Thankfully, the sandwich-making process itself had gone fairly smoothly.

First, they carefully selected premium ingredients.

The members clumsily stuffed crisp vegetables and juicy premium ham into the sandwiches before carefully placing the bread on top.

They were easily the thickest sandwiches Siwoo had ever seen in his life.

The shapes were rough and crooked, but seeing the members put their hearts into them while thinking about the fans was genuinely heartwarming.

The entire sandwich-making process had also been filmed for their own content series, securing plenty of footage.

On top of that, they carefully attached handwritten notes filled with their sincere feelings to each box.

[Lumina! Thank you for making our first beginning a No.1 victory. Enjoy this, and let’s enjoy today’s stage together! — From LSB]

Since the notes were handwritten, everyone’s handwriting looked completely different.

Their bodies were exhausted, but the finished sandwiches looked fantastic.

‘I hope the fans like them.’

They also included drinks and exclusive photo cards made from unpublished photos Siwoo had personally taken of the members, completing a limited-edition return-gift set that couldn’t be obtained anywhere else.

The members smiled proudly as they looked at the first return-gift items they had ever created.

“I’m happy we can give something back to the fans, even if it’s just a little!”

“Seriously. Once we start getting paid, let’s give them even better gifts!”

“Yes! Let’s definitely do that.”

It had only been a month since their debut.

They still hadn’t received their first settlement payment.

As a result, there were financial limits to what they could do.

This was the absolute best a rookie group that hadn’t been paid yet could manage.

At that moment, one particularly noticeable note caught Siwoo’s attention.

“Is this crooked handwriting Seo Hayul’s?”

[Lumina, I love you! Thank you for everything! Thank you so much for staying with us until the very end!]

The message was touching.

The handwriting, however, was a complete disaster.

Seo Hayul’s face immediately turned bright red.

“Ah, Siwoo hyung! Stop teasing me! And honestly, your handwriting is the worst out of all of us!”

“That’s what sincerity looks like, kid. If it’s too neat, people will think we outsourced it. This kind of flavor proves we actually wrote it ourselves.”

Siwoo lightly pressed down on Hayul’s head.

“Wow… what even is this guy?”

The members burst into laughter at the sight of the two bickering playfully.

Just then, the waiting-room door opened.

“LSB, we’ll go hand out the return gifts now.”

The moment the manager and staff entered, everyone bowed ninety degrees.

“Please take care of it for us.”

“Of course. You’ve all worked hard.”

If it had been up to them, they would have handed everything out personally.

But the company had firmly rejected the idea.

Their popularity had grown too much, and the risk of accidents was simply too high.

‘I’ll give them out personally at the next fan signing event.’