The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol – Chapter 26

Author: Cireng

Chapter 26

“Nice to meet you, everyone. I’m Kim Taehan, the composer of The Moment I First Saw You.”

The surroundings instantly became noisy at the appearance of the master composer, famous for producing so many hit songs that there was practically no one in South Korea who hadn’t sung one of his tracks.

‘They actually invited the composer himself.’

As Star Picking 5 grew in popularity, the scale of the show was growing as well.

‘But he’s not the kind of person who appears on TV.’

Even Kim Taehan, who was already counted among the industry’s top composers, had once been the subject of an assignment back when I was a paparazzo.

‘He doesn’t like showing his face.’

He was one of the hardest people to photograph because he was famous for living like a recluse, barely stepping outside his house.

“I’m a fan, Composer Kim!”

“Please give me an autograph!”

“Hahaha. It feels good to receive such a warm welcome.”

“It’s an honor to meet you like this!”

Watching Vocal Team 2 swarm around him, Kim Taehan smiled faintly.

“The reason I came today is to conduct a midterm evaluation of the position stage.”

“Wow, are you personally going to give us feedback?”

“Yes. Since you’re rearranging my song, I was curious. I wanted to give feedback that might help you, so I decided to participate.”

“It’s an honor!”

In the friendly atmosphere, the composer looked at the members of Vocal Team 2 one by one.

“So first, how have you rearranged the song?”

“Ddong-ddang-ddong-ddang-ddang!”

At Rua’s bright answer, the composer couldn’t hide his awkward expression.

“Ddong-ddang-ddong-ddang-ddang... that’s the arrangement?”

“Ah… It’s just hard to explain in words.”

Rua scratched one cheek and glanced at me.

‘Is there anyone in the world who could understand “ddong-ddang-ddong-ddang-ddang” immediately?’

“Hello, Composer Kim Taehan. I’m Cha Siwoo, the representative of Vocal Team 2. If it isn’t too rude, may I explain?”

When a team member found themselves in trouble, that was exactly when the team leader had to step up.

‘That’s what this position is for.’

“Oh? Sure.”

“Yes. We rearranged the song while preserving as much of the original’s strengths as possible, but increased the tempo and rhythm. We added instruments so that, although it’s still a ballad, it has a brighter and more upbeat feeling.”

“Hm. Could you explain in more detail?”

‘Does he not like it?’

“Of course. The concept is a youthful first love, something that makes listeners think of an amusement park. For the highlight section, we added a sexy twist as a contrast and emphasized the dance performance.”

“…The first-love concept sounds good. But a fast tempo and sexy choreography for this song…?”

A wrinkle briefly formed between the composer’s brows before disappearing.

He turned toward the judges.

“I’m curious about the arrangement. If it’s all right, can we begin the midterm evaluation right now?”

“Of course.”

“I was interested in the arrangement after hearing Trainee Cha Siwoo’s explanation, so this works out well.”

“Vocal Team 2, please prepare your position stage!”

“Yes!”

While the music was being prepared, everyone naturally moved to their positions.

“The music is ready.”

“Alright! Vocal Team 2, please begin!”

Without saying a word, we exchanged signals through our eyes and gestures.

The rearranged version of The Moment I First Saw You flowed through the speakers.

A sweet piano melody emerged first, and then the tempo gradually sped up.

As the once slow and calm intro transformed into something brighter and more energetic, the composer’s frown deepened.

‘What’s this…?’

Just as Rua, standing in the center, opened his mouth to sing the introduction…

Bang!

“Stop!”

The composer shoved his chair back and abruptly stood up.

…?

Silence instantly descended over the filming set.

With his brows slightly twisted, the composer folded his arms and looked over us without saying a word.

‘We haven’t even properly started yet.’

“No need to hear any more. Go with the original song.”

“…!”

An answer nobody expected came out of the composer’s mouth.

‘We’ve practiced ourselves to death for a whole week, and he’s making a judgment without even listening?’

“Composer, with all due respect, we haven’t even started yet.”

“Yes. I think it’s too early to judge without even hearing the song.”

Rua couldn’t hide his bewilderment and immediately backed me up.

“I’m the composer. I can tell how you’ve rearranged it just from hearing the opening. You’ve completely ruined the song. There’s no need to hear more.”

Rua’s expression visibly hardened.

‘It’s my first time seeing Rua make that face.’

Unlike the other teams, Vocal Team 2 had received no professional help with the arrangement. Rua had handled it himself.

After suggesting her famous “ddong-ddang-ddong-ddang-ddang” idea, he had rapidly modified the sheet music with dazzling speed, and the arrangement had been completed almost instantly.

To be honest, even someone with terrible musical ears would find the final arrangement addictive and impressive.

‘Honestly, people wouldn’t think it strange if they said the arrangement was better than the original.’

“Calling it ruined without even listening to the entire song is unfair.”

Rua’s voice was lower than usual, and suppressed anger could be felt in every word.

‘So he can get angry like this too.’

The composer narrowed his eyes and stared at Rua before shaking his head.

“No. In a ballad, the song itself is more important than dancing and performance. The emotional impact and sincerity of the original aren’t being conveyed. That’s why the original form is best.”

The air instantly became tense.

The conversation stopped, and only the sound of breathing echoed strangely through the set.

Their gazes clashed in midair, neither willing to back down.

‘Getting into a conflict over the arrangement with the original composer this early isn’t good for our image.’

The original composer dislikes the arrangement?

Public opinion would inevitably split.

I could already imagine the reactions once the episode aired.

> Rearranging a masterpiece is one thing, but continuing after the original composer objected feels wrong.

> If it’s trainees versus a legendary composer, obviously, you should listen to the composer.

> Wow, these trainees already have star syndrome. They’re trying to build a “composer-idol” image from the start lol.

If it ended at that level, we’d actually be lucky.

Starting with a negative image would be a huge disadvantage in the long run.

But objectively speaking, if you judged purely by the song itself, Rua’s arrangement was better.

‘And no matter how famous he is, judging it without listening to the whole thing isn’t right.’

“Then how do you think the song should be arranged, Composer?”

Kim Taehan’s expression was firm.

“I think you should preserve the original emotions exactly as they are.”

In the end, he was saying not to touch his song and just perform it as-is.

‘This guy’s stubbornness is no joke either.’

Performing a famous ballad without any rearrangement would be the worst possible move.

It was obvious that countless comparison videos would be uploaded comparing us to all the singers who had previously covered The Moment I First Saw You.

The matchup would essentially be:

[Veteran powerhouse singers vs. trainee idol vocalists]

There was no need to see the result… it would be a massacre.

And fifteen teams were participating in this idol survival mission.

During a long series of performances, a quiet ballad would likely attract far less attention than flashy performances.

‘If this happens, we’ll fall behind not only in rankings but also in screen time.’

Most importantly, a full week had already passed since preparations began.

Learning an entirely new arrangement now wasn’t an easy choice.

‘If the other groups show two weeks’ worth of practice, we’ll only be able to show one week’s worth.’

For a performance prepared in a short period, a one-week gap was enormous.

“Then we’ll proceed with the original version.”

Just as Kim Taehan handed the sheet music to the production staff…

“Wait a moment!”

‘If we continue like this, forget first place in the position stage… We’ll be completely buried in the broadcast.’

The thought of the quest snapped me back to reality.

‘I have to persuade him somehow.’

“What is it?”

“Composer, I understand your perspective. I absolutely love The Moment I First Saw You too, and I completely understand that the song’s emotional and heartfelt atmosphere is its greatest charm.”

To persuade someone, you first have to empathize.

“Hm.”

“First of all, it’s a tremendous honor for us to perform such an outstanding masterpiece on stage. Thank you.”

When I bowed ninety degrees, the composer’s brows softened slightly.

“Mm, alright.”

“However, Composer, this position-stage mission has specific evaluation criteria. The judging isn’t based solely on individual skill; it also evaluates teamwork and stage production. Because of that, some degree of rearrangement is inevitable.”

“…”

“If we perform the original version exactly as it is, then even if we perform better than other teams, we’ll still be going against the judging criteria. In the end, there’s a high chance we won’t receive good scores.”

Since he had always been extremely attached to his songs, the mention of poor scores clearly struck a nerve.

As expected, the composer’s expression became conflicted.

“So?”

“So just this once, we’d be grateful if you could be generous and understanding. Our Vocal Team 2 truly loves The Moment I First Saw You. We loved it enough to fight for it and win it in the race.”

“…”

“We’ll do our absolute best to ensure neither the song nor you are harmed by this performance. We’ve spent the past week working incredibly hard on this song. Please just watch it through once, and then reconsider afterward.”

“…”

“And Rua personally arranged it himself. He’s a trainee with exceptional musical talent. Please trust him just this once!”

I bowed ninety degrees again.

As I watched the silent composer, I quickly jabbed Rua’s thigh with my finger.

“Please!”

“Just watch it once!”

Seeing that, the members of Vocal Team 2 hurriedly bowed as well.

“…”

After a brief silence, it was the judges who finally broke it.

“Come on, Composer. The kids are asking this sincerely. Let’s hear it once.”

“Exactly. They’ve really worked hard. Let’s listen to the whole thing.”

“With them going this far, I suppose I don’t have much choice.”