The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 24

Chapter 24

 

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The trainees, conscious of the cameras filming them, quickly reacted.

“You worked hard.”

“You’re usually much better than that…!”

“You’ve got a unique style.”

Park Sugyeok forced the corners of his mouth upward from his stiff expression and spoke.

“…My condition isn’t very good today, so I wasn’t able to show my best.”

“Hahaha. That happens.”

“Thank you for showing us your chorus section, Park Sugyeok.”

Looking at the trainees desperately trying to suppress their laughter, Park Sugyeok reluctantly nodded.

“Now there’s only one person left.”

“Let’s see what our Vocal Team 2 leader can do!”

Trying to salvage the atmosphere, the members of Vocal Team 2 cheered with even more enthusiasm than usual.

“Yes. I’ll begin.”

The familiar instrumental of ‘The Moment I First Saw You’ began to play.

To be honest, this was a ballad my parents used to listen to when I was young.

As the familiar accompaniment flowed through the room, vague memories from those days resurfaced.

Following the intro, I started singing while looking at the lyrics.

 

— 

The moment I first saw you.’

— 

 

My pitch never wavered, and I didn’t suppress the emotions.

 

— 

I thought time had stopped

So desperately that it took my breath away

— 

 

The faces of my parents, blurry yet vivid in my heart, came to mind.

 

— 

I called out to you again and again

Could it be that you feel the same way

— 

 

Thanks to my Vocal B stat, even the extremely high notes came out smoothly.

 

— 

Because we began like destiny

— 

 

When I cleanly finished even the vibrato section, silence filled the room.

“That’s all.”

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The trainees, their eyes glistening with emotion, approached me.

“Leader, your vocal tone is insane.”

“Do you have some kind of story behind that? What was with all that emotion?”

“Wow… I almost cried, seriously.”

“You sing really well.”

I must have gotten emotional without realizing it because those old memories had resurfaced.

“…Thank you.”

Rua, whose eyes had widened dramatically, clapped loudly.

“Now that we’ve heard everyone, let’s vote for the chorus section right away!”

After a quick show-of-hands vote, the chorus was split between Rua and me, both of us having Vocal B stats.

The remaining parts were distributed according to the number of votes received.

Since the voting had been conducted fairly based on skill, most of the Vocal Team 2 members accepted the results.

However, in any society, there are always people who become dissatisfied when things don’t go their way.

Park Sugyeok was one such example.

Even with the cameras rolling, he was clearly unable to manage his expression.

‘Well, should I leave him alone for now?’

Someone at that level could still be managed as long as he didn’t cause a major incident.

‘If he really gets on my nerves, I can always send him crashing later.’

Normally, if there was someone uncooperative in a group project, I’d make sure they lost their place.

But this was a survival show being filmed.

For the sake of presenting a successful team project, I decided to keep Park Sugyeok on board for now.

The evaluation criteria included not only individual ability, but also teamwork, stage direction, and charisma.

‘The judges’ score accounts for 40% of the evaluation in this first competition, so I don’t really have a choice.’

“Now that we’ve assigned all the parts, shall we discuss the concept?”

For an idol performance, the concept was a critical factor that could determine victory or defeat.

‘It’s also what makes fans fall for you.’

Park Sugyeok, still failing to manage his expression, raised his hand roughly.

“How about a sexy concept?”

“That sounds good.”

“Sexy definitely gets reactions.”

‘Sexy is one of the concepts people always respond to, but it doesn’t really match our arrangement direction.’

I wrote “Sexy” on the whiteboard.

“Does anyone else have another suggestion?”

This time, Rua raised his hand.

“I want something like an amusement park theme with flashy performances!”

“Oh, that sounds fun.”

“A bright image would be nice.”

“Come on, honestly, nothing works as well as sexy. Let’s just do sexy.”

Opinions were evenly split between “Sexy” and “Amusement Park.”

When everyone except me voted by a show of hands, the result was a dead-even 3:3.

“What do you think, Representative Cha Siwoo?”

All eyes in Vocal Team 2 turned toward me.

“Of course, I understand why a sexy concept gets a good response.”

“I knew it…!”

“But considering our ‘thump-thump-thump‘ arrangement direction and the lyrics, a sexy concept doesn’t really fit the song.”

“…”

“Then how about this?”

We had already shown some conflict while distributing parts.

Now it was time to show the team coming together.

‘If we get labeled as a controversy-filled team right from the start, viewers could get tired of it.’

“This is the meaningful occasion where we’ll meet the National Directors for the first time, so let’s go with a first-love concept! The moment we first meet, the National Directors will be the moment we fall in first love!”

“…!”

Lua’s eyes immediately widened.

“Good idea!”

“I honestly never would’ve thought of that. It’s genuinely good.”

Honestly, there probably wasn’t a better concept than this for the early stages.

‘Still, as team leader, I can’t hog everything for myself.’

“Let’s include the amusement park and sexy elements you all suggested within the first-love concept and capture the hearts of the National Directors!”

“I like it.”

“The phrase ‘first love’ matches both the lyrics and the arrangement really well.”

As most of Vocal Team 2 voted in favor, even Park Sugyeok reluctantly nodded.

“How about we capture that youthful, fluttery feeling unique to first love?”

“That sounds good.”

“Wait, Representative Cha Siwoo, are you an idea bank or something?”

“Hahaha. Thanks for the compliment. If anyone has more opinions, feel free to say them right away!”

“Me! For the lyric ‘‘Take one step closer,’’ I think we should show a surprise sexy side!”

“That sounds good.”

As suggestions poured in like a storm, I wrote them down on the whiteboard and organized them.

Before we knew it, the sharp tension that had existed during part selection had disappeared.

The cameras captured Vocal Team 2 exchanging opinions, accepting one another’s ideas, and working together.

 

☆☆☆

 

On the sixth day of dedicating every moment solely to practice, the trainees were once again gathered in the auditorium.

The reason was simple:

Episode 2 of ‘Star Picking 5’ was airing.

‘These production staff are way too serious about screentime.’

I understood watching Episode 1 together to film reactions since it was meaningful.

But I never expected them to gather everyone again for Episode 2.

Each team sat together, and cameras had been installed throughout the venue to capture reactions.

The producer in charge briefly stepped onto the stage and picked up a microphone.

“When we were editing, the reaction footage turned out pretty entertaining. So trainees, we’re looking forward to your reactions again today.”

‘This time he’s not even telling us to watch comfortably.’

‘Star Picking 5’ had become a massive hit.

Contrary to everyone’s predictions that it would flop, Episode 1 had achieved an impressive cable TV rating of over 3%.

I already knew from the future that the show would become a huge success, but thanks to how effectively they generated buzz, the attention it received was even greater than expected.

The producers and staff were clearly thrilled by the ratings.

Their faces were practically glowing.

‘Did they all go out for premium beef together or something?’

As the advertisements on the giant screen came to an end, the producer stepped off the stage.

All of the trainees fixed their eyes on the screen as Episode 2 of ‘Star Picking 5’ began.

After a brief recap of Episode 1, the scene changed.

[Hello. I am contestant number 2031, Cha Siwoo.]

The moment the scene from Episode 2 preview appeared, the trainees around me all turned their attention toward me.

‘Looks like I’m getting all the screentime I missed in Episode 1.’

[A trainee, like a refreshing rain shower, has appeared for judges exhausted after a long evaluation session!]

The footage of the judges’ dead-fish eyes suddenly coming to life had been edited comedically, complete with funny background music.

[The song I prepared is…]

The screen zoomed in on the judges’ shocked expressions before cutting away again.

‘…They’re really milking this, aren’t they?’

Apparently, I was the designated bait for Episode 2.

“Siwoo, what on earth did you do to make them drag it out this much?”

Unable to contain his curiosity, Rua leaned closer and whispered.

‘Seriously. This editing style hasn’t changed at all.’

“Haha. I didn’t expect them to make it this suspenseful. It should come up soon, right?”

Aware of the camera filming us, I kept my gaze fixed on the screen.

Several trainees’ first audition scenes passed by.

Only near the end did I finally reappear.

[The song I prepared is… the National Anthem.]

Instantly, the auditorium erupted into bewildered reactions.

[Excuse me?]

A judge’s dumbfounded face filled the screen.

[The National Anthem?]

[That’s correct. I chose the National Anthem out of love and affection for our country.]

[Ha. Ha. Ha. Patriotism is wonderful.]

[What a patriotic trainee.]

[Let’s hear you sing, then.]

[Yes. I’ll begin.]

The contrast between the judges’ awkward smiles and my solemn expression as I raised my right hand to my chest was strangely surreal.

“Pfft.”

“Mmph.”

Sounds of people covering their mouths to suppress laughter came from all over the auditorium.

‘Go ahead and hold it in. If you laugh during the National Anthem, who knows how the editors might portray you.’

Soon, the familiar accompaniment of the National Anthem played through the speakers.

Looking straight into the camera, I sang the first line.

‘Until the East Sea’s waters and Mount Baekdu…’

“…!”

The screen alternated between the judges’ wide-eyed faces.

‘Remain preserved forever.’

As I lowered the right hand I had solemnly raised while passionately singing the anthem, applause broke out.

[Wow, I’ve never seen a trainee sing the National Anthem this well before.]

[Cha Siwoo, your patriotism is remarkable. Your vocal tone is wonderful too.]

Watching the screen with a satisfied smile, I felt an intense gaze from beside me.

Rua was simply staring at me with a strange expression.

“What?”

“…Nothing.”

[Now that we’ve heard your singing, let’s see your dancing.]

[Yes. I’ll begin.]

The judge pressed a button, and a fast-beat song blasted through the speakers.

To the lively, energetic music, I moved stiffly and awkwardly.

[Khk…!]

[Ahahahahaha!]

“Ahahahahaha!”

“Puhahahahaha!”

As my awkward wriggling continued for about a minute, laughter echoed throughout the auditorium.

When the camera zoomed in on a bead of sweat running down my forehead as I wiped it away with the back of my hand, the laughter grew even louder.

“Hahahahaha!”

“Ah, my stomach hurts.”

“Hnghh… I’m crying.”

On the screen, judges were practically dying of laughter.

In front of me, several trainees were rolling on the floor, clutching their stomachs.

‘Go ahead. Laugh.’

[Hnghhk… hahaha.]

[Ahh! Sorry. Hahaha.]

A judge, still unable to suppress his laughter, cleared his throat and asked a few questions.

As my serious answers appeared on screen, Rua grabbed one of my shoulders.

“Puhahahaha!”

‘…What now?’

“Siwoo, you’re seriously a hilarious person. I genuinely like you.”

“Haha… Thank you for enjoying it.”

Although I hadn’t been dancing for very long, my first audition ended with the image of a trainee who worked hard and gave everything he had.

The edit was funnier than I expected, but I was still satisfied with the amount of screentime I received.

‘I should check the viewers’ reactions before bed later.’

After my first audition ended, the background music changed, and the scene shifted to the trainees being summoned to the TX Broadcasting Station.

In the auditorium, trainees stood in lines according to their agencies while a low, heavy bass beat pulsed rhythmically.

As each trainee entered one by one, scenes of curiosity and rivalry built the tension.

Naturally, the broadcast focused mostly on trainees from major agencies or those who already had high recognition.

‘They really are good at making bait edits.’

Even I, as the very last entrant, received a brief moment of screentime.

[The arrival of the final contestant, a solo trainee, causes a stir among the participants!]

Along with a camera shot slowly moving from my feet to my head, my face filled the screen in a close-up.