The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 35

Chapter 35

 

I had no choice but to click on that title immediately.

 

> An ambulance came to the venue.

> Looks like someone collapsed after the performance.

> I was standing in line to leave after all the competition stages ended, and suddenly an ambulance rushed behind the stage.

> It seemed like someone collapsed after the show endedㅠㅠ I don’t know who it was.

> It wasn’t a trainee, right? I’m worriedㅠㅠ

> The broadcasting station hasn’t mentioned anything.

– Then wasn’t it a staff member or someone from the production team?

ㄴ Yeah. If it were a trainee, they would’ve told us.

– Ah, I saw it too. Couldn’t see the person’s face, but they were wearing a white T-shirt and a sky-blue shirt.

ㄴ Isn’t that outfit only worn by one team? The final stage….

ㄴ No way…. It can’t be. Stop baiting people.

 

Fortunately, my identity hadn’t been revealed, though there were mentions that pointed toward me.

 

–An idol’s stamina is important too. If people find out I collapsed after just one performance, nothing good will come of it.’

 

“Hmm….”

There was nothing I could do about it now.

“Hey, System.”

[…]

“I’m not angry anymore, so come out already.”

[…]

Ever since that day, no matter how many times I called it, the System remained completely silent.

“Ha… Where the hell did this bastard go?”

As I ran a hand through my hair, the clock struck 9 PM, and Episode 4 of ‘Star Picking 5’ began.

The opening started with provocative words from Yoo Haein.

[Hello, viewers. The first National Director vote closes at midnight tonight. Please continue voting until the very end so the trainee you want to debut can survive! Now, let’s begin Episode 4!]

After a brief thirty-second recap of Episode 3, the theme-song stage evaluation began.

[‘Cheer Me On’ Theme Song Stage Center Selection]

With Yoo Haein’s cheerful voice, Episode 4 officially started.

The camera zoomed in on shocked trainees, cutting between their faces.

[Starting with ‘Star Picking 5’, the method of selecting the theme song center has changed. It will now be determined through a Random Roulette Center!]

[Whaaaat?!]

The screen displayed a rainbow-colored roulette wheel divided into eleven sections.

[Wondering what this is? These are the special talents that the A-rank trainees wrote down when they applied for the audition.]

[Excuse me?]

The camera swept across the labels on the wheel:

Dance, Eating, Drawing, Instrument Playing, Photography, Singing, Gaming, Cooking, Sports, Reading, and Fishing.

Then the footage rewound rapidly.

A brief clip aired from the first audition, showing trainees submitting their application forms.

[We’ll spin the roulette, and whatever talent is selected, every A-rank trainee must compete using that talent. To prevent any manipulation controversy, I’ll personally press the roulette button.]

Beneath Yoo Haein’s bright smile, red subtitles appeared.

[I swear on TX Broadcasting. We absolutely did not manipulate this broadcast.]

“That subtitle is just going to create more controversy.”

I muttered as the roulette began spinning at high speed alongside a tense background track.

Click.

The needle landed clearly on a small red section.

[Wow… I didn’t expect that.]

[Nobody saw this coming.]

The trainees’ surprise interview clips appeared again.

[The center-selection talent mission is… Photography!]

Firework CGI exploded across the screen while upbeat music played.

As the effects disappeared, the camera zoomed in on me, wearing my practiced professional smile.

‘So that’s what I look like when I’m in work mode.’

Watching myself on screen felt strangely unfamiliar.

[Congratulations, Trainee Cha Siwoo. How does it feel having your own listed talent selected?]

[Thank you. I never expected it. I’m happy I beat eleven-to-one odds.]

[You’re quite lucky. What kind of photographs do you usually enjoy taking?]

“Obviously, the ones that pay the most.”

In my line of work, priority had always been determined by price.

[…Portrait photography.]

[Portrait photography! That’s an ideal skill for an idol!]

Who would’ve thought my paparazzi career would help me as an idol?

[We have two photography missions for the A-rank trainees.]

The camera swept over the trainees’ curious expressions.

[First, take a selfie in your own style. Second, take a photograph of me. You only get one chance.]

After Yoo Haein took a selfie using the phone handed to him by the staff, the screen changed.

The trainees’ excited reactions to the high-resolution selfie were edited in a hilariously over-the-top manner.

[Woooow…!]

[He’s handsome!!!]

[A god among men!]

[Maybe it’s because it’s the latest smartphone, but the grip and image quality are excellent. Let’s begin the A-rank trainees’ photography challenge.]

As expected, the screen transitioned into an advertisement.

It was the very smartphone Yoo Haein had just used for the selfie.

Given Yoo Haein’s popularity and the show’s rapidly rising ratings, it seemed a premium smartphone company had secured product placement.

After the commercial ended, the broadcast resumed.

A dramatic soundtrack played as Yoo Haein handed the phone to Kim Sunyoo.

[First, Trainee Kim Sunyoo will begin the selfie challenge.]

[Yes!]

A high-resolution photo of Kim Sunyoo winking appeared on screen.

“Looking at it this way, being experienced really does help. The photo turned out pretty well.”

It definitely wasn’t because my opinion of him had improved after the hospital incident.

[Wow!]

[Kyaaaaaaa!]

After a string of enthusiastic trainee reactions, the camera finally focused on me.

[Lastly, we’ll have Trainee Cha Siwoo, whose specialty is photography. Personally, I’m looking forward to this the most.]

[Thank you. I’ll do my best.]

Click.

[WOOOOOOOAH!!!]

[That’s insane.]

Seeing my photograph displayed across the entire screen made me feel a little embarrassed.

“Still, it turned out well.”

When Yoo Haein’s bust shot appeared next, the trainees’ genuinely impressed reactions filled the screen.

Accompanied by the caption:

[A trainee with professional-level photography skills]

The voting for the ‘Cheer Me On’ center position ended with me taking first place through some very favorable editing.

‘Honestly, nobody could beat me when it came to photography.’

The screen changed again, briefly showing the filming of the TX music show stage.

Naturally, the assault controversy from the set had been completely cut, and instead, the footage focused on nervous trainees preparing for their first performance.

“Wow~ So this is how they’re broadcasting it.”

Meanwhile, Yoo Hoseung, who had repeatedly made mistakes during filming, was receiving a full villain edit.

The caption:

[The Trainee Who Keeps Making Mistakes]

appeared while exhausted trainees’ expressions were repeatedly shown in close-up.

[Despite the difficult filming process, the trainees delivered the best possible result!]

The TX music show performance was then aired in full.

The show rode the hype wave perfectly, flooding the screen with positive articles about the successful performance and chart rankings.

The screen shifted again as epic music swelled.

[Today, we’ll be conducting what can be considered the main mission of team survival!]

Behind Yoo Haein, a giant screen lit up.

In the center was the number 100.

[Starting with this survival mission, rankings will be determined through voting, and eliminations will begin.]

“That group project was pretty brutal.”

Tick… tick… tick…

A sharp electronic sound like a clock’s second hand pierced through the silence, creating an intense sense of anxiety.

The number 100 on the countdown slowly decreased.

[The number of trainees to be eliminated is….]

The camera zoomed in on a trainee nervously swallowing.

Then it slowly focused on the screen.

[Exactly… 50 people.]

[No way!]

[Seriously?!]

[That’s impossible. Half of us are getting eliminated right from the start….]

With the trainees’ cries of despair, Episode 4 came to an end.

“So that’s where they cut it.”

The production staff really knew how to bait viewers.

After watching the short preview for Episode 5, I checked the idol community forums.

The place was complete chaos.

 

> They’re really cutting the roster in half?

– Please vote for my kid so they can surviveㅠㅠ

– This is cruel. Eliminating half the contestants right away is too much.

 

> If voting ends at midnight, doesn’t that mean there’s almost no time left?

– How many votes did Kang Chan’s team get during the position stage?

ㄴ 5@@

ㄴ Holy shit, I’m grabbing my sibling’s phone and voting right now.

 

> Who picks a center through photography? Have they completely lost their minds?

– TX’s class~ choosing centers through a lottery.

– But he’s ridiculously good at photography, though?

ㄴ Agreed. Even Yoo Haein’s photos were legendary.

ㄴ Photography GOAT.

 

> Yoo Hoseung is such a nuisance. Why is he even trying to be an idol?

– Seeing the other trainees look exhausted breaks my heartㅠㅠ

– Hey, was Yoo Hoseung the only one making mistakes? Plenty of others messed up too.

– Are people already targeting our Hoseung because he’s popular?

 

> Anyone who proves they voted for Sunyoo gets entered into a drawing for free chicken. Ten winners.

– Nice.

– Where do we send proof?

ㄴ (Link)

 

The announcement that half the trainees would be eliminated had triggered a keyboard war among anxious fans desperate to save their favorites.

The fact that eliminations would be decided by the midnight vote had only made things worse.

“It’s like a battlefield drenched in gasoline.”

 

> Cha Siwoo only became the center because of his face.

– What’s the point of an idol being good at photography?

ㄴ What do you mean? What’s the point? Fan service.

– Being handsome is exhilarating.

ㄴ?

 

> I was wondering how someone weak at dancing became the center… Turns out it was because of a talent mission. What ridiculous luck.

– Seriously came out of nowhere.

– Honestly, he’s not center material.

– Swap him with Kang Chan.

ㄴ No, swap him with Kim Sunyoo.

 

Reading the comments filled with rivalry and criticism, I let out a relieved sigh.

“At least nobody’s criticizing my photography.”

As expected, my photography skills were unmatched anywhere.

 

☆☆☆

 

“Siwoo hyung, are you okay?”

“Siwoo dongsaeng, how are you feeling?”

The moment I arrived at the filming location for the ranking announcement ceremony, Seo Hayul and Rua came running toward me.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Your face looks thinner.”

“Think of it as dieting. Not so bad.”

Thwack.

Seo Hayul smacked my upper arm with a pitiful expression.

‘That was stronger than I expected.’

“Is this really the time for jokes? Are you actually okay?”

“Oh? Hitting your hyung now? Seo Hayul’s grown up a lot. And I’m not joking. I really am fine.”

“Judging by how you’re talking, Siwoo dongsaeng must be doing alright.”

“I am completely fine.”

After chatting with Rua and Seo Hayul for the first time in a week, filming preparations finally wrapped up.

“Then we’ll begin the ranking announcement ceremony. Trainees, please sit with your teams.”

“Yes!”

Seo Hayul headed off while Rua and I moved toward the Vocal Team 2 section.

The members were already gathered there, their nervousness written all over their faces.

“Cha Siwoo-nim, are you okay?”

“You suddenly collapsed back then. Do you know how shocked we were?”

“Thank you for worrying about me. I’m fine.”

“What did the hospital say?”

‘What was it again? Exhaustion or something?’

“They said it wasn’t anything serious.”

“That’s a relief. Still, take care of yourself.”

“Of course. By the way, this ranking announcement is making me nervous.”

‘Will I make it into the sub-quest ranking?’

“Exactly. Hearing that half the trainees are getting eliminated today feels strange.”

“I’m scared. Do you think we’ll survive?”

Amid the tense and oppressive atmosphere, the first ranking announcement ceremony of ‘Star Picking 5’, where half the contestants would be purged… finally began.