The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol – Chapter 38

Author: Cireng

Chapter 38

After confirming that the trainee who had hesitated until the very last second at the white line had finally moved to the O side, Yoo Haein picked up the microphone.

“The correct answer is X!”

“Ah…?”

“Waaah!”

Groans erupted everywhere from the trainees who had gotten it wrong.

“When defamation is committed through false statements, the punishment is even harsher. It carries up to five years in prison or a fine of up to 10 million won.”

‘Yeah. That’s why, back when I was a paparazzo, I was extremely meticulous about verifying whether information was true or false.’

Since paparazzi work was closely tied to defamation laws, it was a profession that required a thorough understanding of the relevant legal statutes.

You had to operate while staying as close to the legal line as possible without crossing it.

He had been sued for defamation several times, but because his reports were based on facts and stayed within legal boundaries, he had always managed to slither away like a mudfish.

“So twelve trainees survived the first question! Those who were eliminated, please move to the side.”

“Yes…”

“This is way too hard!”

After confirming that the grumbling trainees had moved over toward the wall, Yoo Haein picked up his cue card.

“Now for the second question!”

[The taxes deducted from your paycheck are called the four major insurances. Among them, the National Pension is 4.5%, Health Insurance is 3.5%, and Employment Insurance is 0.9%. The remaining Workers’ Compensation Insurance is paid entirely by the company.]

“…”

“Please move to O or X right now!”

‘There are a lot of minors here… why are the questions like this?’

Watching the trainees become confused by what looked more like a question from an educational television program, Siwoo calmly walked toward O.

‘Well, either way, I should make the most of it.’

For a former office worker, this game was practically free points.

☆☆☆

The budget-friendly five-event sports festival, cup stacking, arm wrestling, sit-ups, push-ups, and the OX quiz, had finally come to an end.

Apparently satisfied with the amount of footage they had secured, the production staff all looked quite pleased.

As Siwoo wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, Yoo Haein picked up his cue card and microphone.

“All mini-games of the Star Picking Sports Festival have now concluded. The five trainees with the highest total scores, please come up to the stage!”

Having performed well in the OX quiz, arm wrestling, and push-ups, Siwoo headed toward the stage.

When he finally stepped onto the platform, he spotted a familiar face standing nearby.

“The overall winner of the Star Picking Sports Festival is trainee Kang Chan, who placed first in arm wrestling, push-ups, and sit-ups!”

“Woooo!”

Watching the trainees applaud, Siwoo dutifully joined the applause as well.

“Second place goes to trainee Cha Siwoo, who ranked first in the OX quiz and second in both arm wrestling and push-ups!”

“So cool!”

“Wow!”

That result was thanks to the free points from the OX quiz and his high placements behind Kang Chan in the physical events.

‘People always used to say I was amazing for carrying multiple cameras around. Maybe it was because I naturally had strong arms.’

He suspected it was simply the result of the practical muscle he had built from years of physically demanding part-time jobs.

After introducing all five top-ranked trainees, Yoo Haein turned toward the camera with his harmless smile.

“Now we’ll reveal the benefit awarded to the top-ranking trainees of the sports festival!”

Cheerful music played, and the screen displayed giant words:

[Choose Your Desired Teammates]

“Ah!”

“So lucky!”

It was a very appealing reward.

“The reason this benefit involves team selection is that you’ll become team leaders and personally choose the teammates you want!”

Seeing the trainees’ genuinely envious reactions made Siwoo glad he had participated seriously.

‘Being able to choose your teammates obviously improves your odds of winning.’

“However, for fairness, teammates may only be selected one at a time in sequence.”

“Oh!”

“Kang Chan trainee, in the first place, will choose one trainee. Then the second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-place trainees will each choose one trainee in order.”

“Yes!”

“Kang Chan trainee, please select someone right now!”

Dramatic music played as Kang Chan picked up the microphone with a solemn expression.

“I choose…”

His gaze swept across the trainees before settling on one person.

“I choose trainee rua.”

“…!”

“No way!”

The entire venue stirred at the unexpected choice.

‘Usually the first pick is one of the highest-ranked trainees.’

Even Rua, who had ranked eleventh, looked utterly shocked, staring with wide eyes and an open mouth.

When Siwoo looked at Kang Chan, the latter wore a faint smile of satisfaction.

‘…What was that about?’

“rua trainee, please stand directly behind Kang Chan trainee. Next, Cha Siwoo trainee, please choose your teammate.”

Taking the microphone from the staff member, Siwoo looked over the trainees below the stage.

‘The main vocalist’s gone, so I can’t help that.’

Still, it was within expectations.

“I choose trainee Kim Sunyoo.”

‘I have to secure the main dancer.’

Kim Sunyoo looked genuinely surprised when their eyes met.

After Kim Sunyoo climbed onto the stage with a smile, the remaining selections continued one by one.

Truthfully, Siwoo had seriously considered choosing Seo Hayul first.

However, strategically, securing the higher-ranked Kim Sunyoo made more sense.

When his turn came around again after one full rotation, he called Seo Hayul’s name.

Seo Hayul climbed onto the stage wearing a slightly pouty expression and stood behind Kim Sunyoo.

‘Why?’

When Siwoo mouthed the question, Seo Hayul merely turned his head away.

‘Don’t tell me he’s sulking because I picked him second.’

Maybe he’d buy him a Heartping bread later, after filming ended.

Eventually, it was time for his third selection.

‘Now who should I pick?’

Most of the talented upper-ranked trainees had already been taken.

“Cha Siwoo trainee, please make your selection now!”

He was ignoring Yoo Haein’s urging voice when a hand cautiously approached from behind.

The fingertips lingered uncertainly for a moment before tapping his shoulder.

“…?”

Turning around, he found Kim Sunyoo leaning close enough to whisper.

“Do you already have a plan?”

“For now, I was thinking of picking evenly across positions.”

“That’s a good strategy.”

“Though there are some trainees whose positions I don’t even know.”

“Don’t worry. I know them, so I’ll help.”

“Alright.”

He mainly selected trainees who ranked relatively high and whom he had never photographed before.

Eventually, all fifty trainees were divided into five teams of ten.

Looking at the trainees lined up behind him, Siwoo felt conflicted.

‘Still, isn’t ten people on one team a bit much?’

That would leave each member with very little part distribution.

It looked like a lineup destined for fierce battles over screen time and song parts.

“Everyone, do you like your teams?”

“Yes!”

Thankfully, nobody was tactless enough to answer otherwise.

“I’m glad to hear that. Now let’s move on to choosing something just as important as your teams.”

‘A song?’

“Your concept!”

“Woooo!”

‘The concept matters too.’

“Would you please look at the screen?”

When everyone turned their heads, five large words appeared on the screen.

“The keywords before you represent the concepts you’ll perform in the second mission.”

Sexy, Cute, Cyberpunk, Eastern, Mystery.

The five completely different concepts immediately caused a stir among the trainees.

“I’ll now give you exactly ten minutes. Each team should discuss and choose one concept from these five options.”

“Yes…!”

Watching the excited trainees, Yoo Haein raised the microphone again.

“Then please begin your discussions now!”

The screen displayed:

[10:00]

As the timer rapidly ticked down in real time, everyone naturally grew more anxious.

“We only have ten minutes, so let’s skip introductions for now and discuss the concept first.”

Nine pairs of eyes immediately turned toward Siwoo.

“Sounds good.”

“Okay!”

“How should we decide our concept?”

“First, does anyone have a concept they absolutely want to do?”

Several trainees immediately raised their hands.

“I want Sexy.”

“Me too!”

“As expected!”

‘Damn.’

Sexy was a rather dangerous choice.

The reason was simple: Kang Chan’s team had already delivered an incredibly impactful sexy performance during the first survival stage.

To survive with the same concept, they would need a performance strong enough to completely erase Kang Chan’s stage from people’s minds.

‘If we touch the sexy concept carelessly, we’ll just get compared to Kang Chan’s team and judged inferior.’

Looking at his teammates’ stats, there wasn’t a single trainee capable of surpassing Kang Chan’s dance abilities.

“I think Cute would be better than Sexy.”

The final trainee to speak among those who raised their hands was Kim Sunyoo.

‘Why that one…?’

Honestly, any concept besides Sexy or Cute would’ve been fine.

“…Cute?”

When Seo Hayul asked skeptically, Kim Sunyoo nodded seriously.

“Yes. Our team leader is pretty good at acting cute, isn’t he?”

“…Pffft!”

Siwoo nearly choked.

‘This bastard’s teasing me.’

“Hahaha. Wouldn’t a safe concept that suits everyone be best?”

Maintaining a professional smile, he looked around the group.

“I think Mystery would be good!”

“No way! Cyberpunk would be much better for showing off performance skills!”

As the discussion heated up, time continued slipping away.

‘At this rate, we’ll run out of time without deciding anything.’

When the timer reached five minutes, Siwoo clapped his hands.

All nine trainees immediately turned toward him again.

“We don’t have time, so let’s settle this with a vote.”

“Good idea!”

“First, who wants the Eastern concept?”

“…”

No one raised a hand.

“Next, who wants Cyberpunk?”

Including the trainee who had proposed it, two people raised their hands.

“How about Cute?”

Only Kim Sunyoo raised his hand.

“Who wants Sexy?”

The three trainees who had advocated for it from the beginning proudly raised their arms.

‘Wait a second.’

That meant only six votes had been cast so far.

“…Lastly, who wants Mystery?”

Seo Hayul and two others raised their hands.

Silence filled the room.

“So Sexy has three votes, and Mystery also has three votes. It’s a tie.”

“No, it isn’t. One person still hasn’t voted.”

Kim Sunyoo turned toward Siwoo with a gentle smile.

“Where would the team leader like to vote?”

“I…”

‘Honestly, as long as it’s not Cute or Sexy, I don’t care.’

Thanks to the forced aegyo he had performed during the Heartping stage, and because of the system, his character image had already become rather unusual.

He wanted to avoid Cute if possible.

‘Too much of it would just become cringe.’

It was about time to rework his image anyway.

A sexy stage powerful enough to surpass Kang Chan’s?

Or a mystery stage that could show a completely new side of him?

‘Looks like I don’t really have a choice here either.’

“I’d like to vote for Mystery.”

At this point, choosing the concept with the higher chance of success and the potential to showcase a new image was the right decision.

“Then our team’s first-choice concept is officially Mystery!”

“Wooo!”

“Just in case, our second choice will be Sexy since it received the second-highest number of votes.”

With less than thirty seconds remaining on the timer, the team reluctantly nodded.