The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol – Chapter 12

Author: Cireng

Chapter 12

I swallowed my words as I glanced at the cameras with their red recording lights glowing.

If a trainee openly questioned the judges’ rankings, it could easily spark controversy.

“Once filming is over, come to the practice room where we train every day. Got it?”

‘That’s not something we can talk about while the cameras are rolling.’

Seo Hayul reluctantly nodded, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“Okay.”

“Good. See you in a bit.”

At the staff’s urging, I separated from Hayul and moved toward the A-rank section.

To be honest, what I’d just done was impulsive.

‘Since when did I care this much about someone else’s problems?’

In my old life, I would have simply ignored it and moved on.

But for some reason, when it came to Hayul… the guy who had helped me with dancing, I wanted to at least do the decent thing.

As I arrived at the A-rank seats with the other trainees who had moved up in rank, a flood of meaningful stares landed on me all at once.

‘At this rate, I’m going to burn alive from all these looks.’

The moment I sat down in a nearby empty seat…

“Hey.”

A bright voice came from beside me.

“Yes?”

“Cha Siwoo, nice to meet you.”

Turning my head, I saw flawless white skin peeking through a curtain of golden hair.

‘His name was Rua, right?’

His blue eyes sparkled so vividly that they looked almost like colored contacts.

‘Now I get why everyone keeps calling him a natural-born celebrity.’

Keeping one eye on the red camera light nearby, I put on my best professional smile.

“Nice to meet you too.”

“Let’s be friends.”

Rua flashed a dazzling smile and extended his hand.

‘Why are all these idol trainees so obsessed with networking? Is he trying to form a lineup too?’

With cameras rolling, I couldn’t exactly say whatever I wanted.

“Hahaha.”

Instead of answering, I laughed and shook his hand.

‘If I refuse a handshake, that’ll probably turn into a personality scandal.’

“I’m twenty-three in Korean age, and my name is Rua.”

“I’m twenty, and my name is Cha Siwoo.”

“Then I’m your hyung?”

‘Kid, I’m actually older than you.’

“…By age, I guess so.”

“I like you, Cha Siwoo.”

‘What exactly is that supposed to mean?’

“Haha. Thank you.”

“I mean it.”

‘…Mean what?’

“I think Rua is impressive and cool too.”

“Oh! Then let’s be brothers from now on. Drop the formalities and just call me by my name!”

For some reason, chills ran down my spine.

My instincts were screaming at me.

‘If I get involved with this guy, he’s definitely going to be a headache.’

“I’m pretty shy around strangers. Speaking casually right away feels a bit burdensome.”

‘Translation: No thanks.’

“Then let’s take our time getting to know each other!”

‘What is this, a blind date?’

“Hahaha.”

Just then, the C-rank trainees’ performance of the ‘Star Picking 5’ theme song began on stage.

“That trainee is pretty good.”

I naturally turned my attention toward the stage, and Rua’s persistent gaze followed.

Once the rather unremarkable C-rank performances ended, the D-rank evaluations began.

Standing on stage was Yoo Hoseung, whom I had met on the bus.

“Yoo Hoseung is way more handsome in person than in photos!”

“I know, right? The camera doesn’t do him justice.”

For a brief moment, Hoseung’s brow twitched.

“I’ve actually been a fan of Yoo Hoseung for a long time.”

“…Thank you.”

As expected of the son of two top actors famous for their visuals, Yoo Hoseung was showing off his exceptional genetics today as well.

‘People call him an influencer, but his recognition is basically celebrity level, isn’t it?’

Having grown up in the spotlight as the child of top actors, Yoo Hoseung had ten million followers.

The number was so overwhelming that it was in a league of its own.

‘Unless something major happens, this guy is definitely debuting on fan power alone.’

“We’ll begin Yoo Hoseung’s theme song evaluation now.”

“Yes.”

As the overly familiar instrumental played yet again, Yoo Hoseung’s body began moving to the rhythm.

‘Something feels lacking.’

He was trying hard, but his singing and dancing clearly fell behind.

However, his confidence in front of the camera and his expressiveness were overwhelming.

When the song ended, Hoseung wiped the sweat from his forehead and let out a rough breath.

“His singing and dancing still need a lot of work.”

“Still, he learned the lyrics and choreography, and he’s improved since the beginning. His growth potential is promising.”

“His eye contact with the camera and facial expressions were outstanding. As expected, someone with visuals like his has exceptional expressiveness.”

‘Looks really are everything.’

“Yoo Hoseung’s rank is C.”

“Thank you.”

Considering that his singing stat was E and his dance stat was D-, receiving a final grade of C was honestly impressive.

‘Watching Yoo Hoseung’s stage made it crystal clear.’

Even if your singing and dancing were lacking, having the charm to capture people’s attention was incredibly important for an idol.

‘Is that why the system gave such importance to the charm stat?’

Ding.

As if answering my thoughts, the familiar translucent blue window appeared.

[This system is deeply moved that Cha Siwoo is having such admirable thoughts.]

‘thx.’

[Please put a little more sincerity into it.]

‘Thanks.’

[ㅠㅠ]

‘If you’re not giving me stats, then get lost.’

While I toyed around with the tearful system window, the E-rank performances were underway.

The E-rank theme song evaluations were, in a word, disastrous.

“You seriously couldn’t even memorize all the choreography?”

“That many voice cracks? How are you planning to become an idol with those skills?”

“Get out! Just quit already!”

…?

The performances were barely above the level of a kindergarten talent show, drawing endless sighs and harsh criticism from the judges.

‘Those insults hit hard.’

I could practically see the producers grinning as they imagined how sensational the footage would look after editing.

Eventually, every trainee’s theme song evaluation came to an end.

‘Managing my facial expressions in front of the camera is exhausting too.’

After smiling nonstop through the lengthy filming session, the corners of my mouth were starting to twitch.

“We will now announce the final ranking statistics for the theme song evaluation.”

A deep bass note slowly spread through the speakers, vibrating across the floor.

Then Yoo Haein’s voice rang out.

“The final results are…”

The cameras swept across the trainees’ faces one by one.

“The final theme song rankings are: 11 trainees in A-rank, 23 in B-rank, 30 in C-rank, 20 in D-rank, and 16 in E-rank.”

Compared to the initial rankings, the number of trainees in the higher tiers had decreased overall.

The result sharply contrasted with the fact that everyone had received ten days of lessons, causing the studio to erupt into chatter.

‘So that’s why they evaluated the A-rank trainees first.’

The producers had deliberately changed the order to reduce the number of high-ranking trainees.

After watching A-rank performances, everyone’s standards had risen. Naturally, lower-ranked trainees would look even worse by comparison.

I could practically see the producers’ plan: cross-edit the trainees whose rankings had changed alongside the judges’ harsh critiques to create dramatic television.

‘Doesn’t matter to me. In the end, this benefits me.’

If anything, my rise in rank would stand out even more in this environment.

Holding her cue cards, Yoo Haein smiled innocently.

“That was a very exciting theme song evaluation with so many rank changes.”

‘Sure. From a spectator’s perspective, it’s entertaining.’

“We’re looking forward to seeing everyone’s performances on the TX Network’s music show in four days. Now then, everyone–”

‘Finally, filming is over?’

Contrary to my hopes, instead of the usual ending music, an intense orchestral track exploded from the speakers, filled with pounding drums and strings.

…?

“You thought it was over, but it’s not! We’ll now decide the most important position, the center for the ‘Cheer Me On’ stage!”

While Yoo Haein smiled brightly, the trainees’ faces became a sea of confusion.

‘They’re choosing the center right now?’

Another completely unexpected twist.

Up until now, every season of ‘Star Picking’ had announced the center the day after the ranking evaluation.

The center had traditionally been selected through discussions between the production team and judges.

Because of that, people often suspected agency influence, but ‘Star Picking’ had always ignored the controversy and continued the tradition.

But ‘Star Picking 5’ was different.

Whether because ‘Star Picking 4’ had failed or because of manipulation scandals, they had decided to take a bold approach this time.

“Of course, the center will be chosen from the eleven A-rank trainees who receive the benefit. Curious how the center will be decided? The center will be chosen by…!”

After a dramatic pause, Yoo Haein smiled toward the camera.

“Votes from the trainees themselves!”

“…!”

‘They actually used their brains this time.’

“What do you think are the qualities of an idol?”

Yoo Haein held the microphone out.

“Being good at singing!”

“You need to dance well!”

“Talent shows!”

“Being handsome!”

Trainees from the lower ranks instantly switched gears, trying to grab even a second of camera time.

Bringing the microphone back to her mouth, Yoo Haein continued.

“That’s right. An idol must be talented in many areas… singing, dancing, visuals, charm, and more. Since this is the representative theme song, we’ve prepared a special center selection that reflects those idol qualities. All A-rank trainees, please come up on stage.”

Following the staff’s instructions amid the commotion, I climbed back onto the stage.

Standing beneath the blazing lights with the other ten A-rank trainees, I watched as Yoo Haein pointed toward one side of the stage.

A giant roulette wheel was displayed on the massive screen.

“Starting with ‘Star Picking 5’, the method for selecting the theme song center has changed. We call it the Random Roulette Center!”

“What?!”

“Huh?”

The rainbow-colored wheel was divided into eleven equal sections.

Written inside them were various words.

‘Dancing, eating, drawing, playing instruments, photography, singing, gaming, cooking, sports, reading, fishing…?’

“Wondering what these are? These are the special talents each A-rank trainee listed when they applied for the audition.”

‘That explains it. None of them overlap.’

“From this point on, the roulette wheel will select a single specialty, and all A-rank trainees will compete in a talent battle using that specialty.”

‘Wouldn’t that heavily favor whoever listed that specialty?’

The producers, obsessed with ratings, had thrown random chance into the most important position in the show simply for entertainment and buzz.

“To prevent any accusations of manipulation, I’ll be pressing the roulette button myself.”

‘They’re openly talking about rigging controversies?’

Whiiiiiirrrr.

Accompanied by tense background music, the giant rainbow roulette wheel began spinning rapidly.

“Obviously, the trainee whose specialty gets selected will have an advantage. But luck is also an important quality for an idol!”

Smiling brightly, Yoo Haein pressed the button again.

Click. Click.

The roulette gradually slowed, and the pointer began ticking rhythmically from segment to segment.

A collective breath swept through the audience.

Ding.