The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 42

Chapter 42

 

“First up, Cutie Team 1, please come up to the stage.”

Four trainees followed behind the dependable Kang Chan as they stepped onto the stage.

As befitting an interim evaluation, the trainees were dressed in sports-brand tracksuits with three-striped designs.

Cute girl-group music began to play, and the performance the trainees had prepared over the past week unfolded.

‘Kang Chan can fly around even with a song like that.’

Once again, centered around Kang Chan, who occupied the center position, the stage still looked like Kang Chan and the Kids.

On the evaluation sheet we had been given, we had to write our overall impressions of the team and select the best and worst performers.

‘First place is definitely Kang Chan.’

Just as I was having a harder time choosing last place, the performance came to an end.

The judges’ sharp criticism and praise followed, and the next team took the stage.

Only after watching and evaluating several performances in a row did my turn finally arrive.

“Next, Mystery Team 1, please come up to the stage!”

Encouraged by Park Chaeyoung’s voice, I stood from my seat.

“Let’s go.”

Leading the three trainees alongside Seo Hayul, I stepped onto the stage, and all eyes outside the stage immediately focused on us.

“Mystery Team 1! Please give us a brief introduction.”

“Hello. We are Mystery Team 1, and we’ll be performing The Unfinished Story by Wild Boys sunbaenims.”

“That’s a pop-rock song I really like. How did you approach the arrangement?”

“Our team has a lot of rappers, so we rearranged the song with a more hip-hop style overall.”

“Hmm… hip-hop for this song? That sounds quite interesting. Could you explain in more detail?”

Contrary to her words, Park Chaeyoung’s expression looked uncertain.

“We mixed undead and vampire concepts, creating a story about an unfinished tale that not even death could stop.”

“Wow! That’s a great idea!”

The trainees behind the genuinely surprised judge burst into admiration.

“That’s a very innovative concept. Whose idea was it?”

“It was a team idea.”

In a team mission, achievements like this should be credited to the team.

“The concept sounds great, so my expectations are high. Mystery Team 1, please begin your performance!”

“Yes!”

As we took our positions, a heavy drumbeat like a heartbeat echoed through the venue, accompanied by dreamy sounds.

The intro began with center member Seo Hayul whispering his rap.

 

— 

A cold breath

Knocks against my heart once again

I thought I had forgotten

Yet I hear your voice again

— 

 

“Wow!”

“Waaah~”

The moment Seo Hayul’s rap ended, admiration spread among the trainees.

Following Hayul, Yoon Minsu picked up the next rap section.

The song gradually built in intensity, and when the bridge approached, I finally raised my microphone.

 

— 

Since the day the light disappeared

I couldn’t stop.

— 

 

“…!”

It was a fairly high section, but thanks to my B-ranked singing stat, I was able to reach the notes without much difficulty.

The bridge ended, and at last the chorus arrived.

 

— 

I’m undead (I’m still alive)

Your curse that never ended

My heart may have stopped (I’m still alive)

But my feelings for you still burn

— 

 

As the hip-hop-style arrangement finally approached its end, the expressions on the judges’ faces were quite something to behold.

At last, we struck our ending pose centered around Seo Hayul.

“Which judge would like to give feedback first?”

Instead of applause, a low voice echoed through the venue.

“I’ll go first.”

The composer judge, wearing a solemn expression, picked up the microphone.

“Hmm. Who came up with this arrangement idea?”

‘Just as expected.’

“It was my idea!”

Yoon Minsu boldly grabbed the microphone before I could.

“Why did you make the arrangement so hip-hop-oriented?”

“…Pardon?”

Seeing the judge’s hardened expression, Yoon Minsu looked visibly flustered.

“The song became a completely different song. Its original charm is gone.”

“Our team has four rappers, so this was the best option available.”

“What is this? Show Me the Gold?”

“No, it’s not…”

“Then why would you turn a pop-rock idol song into hip-hop? If that’s what you wanted, you should’ve gone on Show Me the Gold instead of an idol survival show.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“Did everyone on the team agree with this decision?”

“…”

Instead of answering, Yoon Minsu swallowed his words.

The composer judge’s expression darkened further as he shifted his gaze like a predator targeting prey.

“Cha Siwoo.”

“Yes!”

“As the team representative, what exactly were you doing?”

‘This damned leadership qualification.’

I’m never being a leader again.

“I’m sorry!”

I immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle.

When someone catches you on something like this, bowing first is far more effective than making excuses.

“If your teammates are heading down the wrong path, it’s your responsibility as a leader to stop them. I had high expectations for this team, but I’m completely disappointed.”

“…I was wrong!”

“The chorus is the main attraction of this song, yet you changed the genre and completely erased its appeal.”

“You shouldn’t force an arrangement so heavily to suit your own tastes that it damages the song itself.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you want to survive, rearrange the song again. Redo the chorus too.”

‘Nice.’

The answer I had been hoping for finally came, and I forcibly suppressed the smile creeping onto my lips.

“Yes!”

As the composer judge lowered his microphone, Park Chaeyoung picked hers up.

“The arrangement itself was good, but overall it leaned too heavily into hip-hop. Who handled the arrangement?”

“…I did.”

Seo Hayul cautiously raised his hand.

“I think you have talent for arranging, so try reducing the hip-hop elements and reworking it. Don’t make it so rapper-centered. Focus on bringing out both the song’s charm and your team’s strengths.”

“Yes!”

“And as the other judge said, this is an idol audition. Don’t forget that.”

“Yes, understood.”

As the evaluations continued, I could see the team members’ expressions growing increasingly stiff.

After Park Chaeyoung lowered her microphone, the choreography judge picked it up.

“Is Seo Hayul your center?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The choreographer stared at Seo Hayul before nodding.

“Whenever I see Seo Hayul, I find him fascinating.”

“Huh?”

“The moment he steps onto a stage, he becomes a completely different person.”

“…”

“He raps well, and he dances well too. But honestly, your facial expressions are a little lacking.”

“…Yes.”

“I can clearly see that you have even more potential. Build your confidence. The center position is the face of the group, so perform with confidence.”

“Yes. I understand!”

Only after endless praise and criticism did the dance judge finally speak.

“The dancing isn’t bad, but honestly, it lacks impact. How should I put it? It feels a bit bland.”

“…Yes.”

“My expectations were high, so it’s disappointing.”

‘Looks like we need a bolder performance.’

“We’ll make adjustments!”

“Good. You know that at this stage, effort alone isn’t enough anymore, right?”

“Yes!”

I bowed deeply once again.

Just as the dance judge lowered his microphone…

“Ah!”

Park Chaeyoung suddenly snatched hers back up.

“Before you leave, could you sing it once in the original arrangement?”

“…!”

Amid the startled rappers, I calmly nodded.

“Yes! Understood.”

Guys, when your boss tells you to do something, you do it.

As the staff hurried into motion, the original instrumental of The Unfinished Story flowed from the speakers.

The heart-pounding sound echoed through the venue, and center member Seo Hayul moved first.

Instead of rap, a low, rich singing voice emerged from him.

 

— 

A cold breath

Knocks against my heart once again

I thought I had forgotten

Yet I hear your voice again

— 

 

“…!”

The moment his attractive tone blended with the melody, the entire song felt different.

‘Wait. Seo Hayul can actually sing?’

After Seo Hayul, Yoon Minsu took over.

 

— 

A cursed one with crimson lips… ah!

One who drinks blood beneath the moonliiight!

— 

 

His voice cracked repeatedly.

Well, rappers being poor singers was hardly unusual.

Finally, the bridge ended, and as my teammates hesitated to raise their microphones during the chorus, I brought mine close to my mouth.

 

— 

I’m undead (I’m still alive)

Your curse that never ended

— 

 

Seo Hayul quickly joined in with harmonies.

 

— 

My heart may have stopped (I’m still alive)

But my feelings for you still burn

— 

 

His low voice blended surprisingly well with the extremely high chorus.

‘This works.’

As the song finally ended, a broad smile spread across my face.

It felt as though something clogged up inside me had suddenly burst open.

Applause erupted from the judges’ table as though they had been waiting for this exact moment.

“Yes! That’s it!”

“You kept the original feeling, and the song sounds so much better!”

“Forcing this into hip-hop was way too much! Seriously!”

I carefully maintained my expression while watching the judges, visibly relieved.

‘Done.’

Now it was time to avoid a bad edit and legally proceed with the arrangement I actually wanted.

 

☆☆☆

 

After the interim evaluation ended, our team gathered back in the practice room.

The only difference from before was that each of us now held a thick stack of interim evaluation sheets.

“First, shall we take a look at how the trainees evaluated our team?”

“Yes.”

“…Okay.”

The team members carefully controlled their expressions in front of the cameras.

After being heavily criticized by the judges, they had already prepared themselves mentally.

“The member chosen as the best performer was me.”

The impact of the bridge and chorus must have been significant.

“Wooooow!!!”

“…Waaah~”

Only Seo Hayul reacted sincerely as I continued reading.

“And the trainee ranked last is…”

Looking at the tense expressions around me, I flipped the evaluation sheet face down.

“As expected, it’s me.”

“…?”

“Huh?”

Yoon Minsu’s face visibly stiffened.

“What did you just say?”

He had probably realized his own name was written there.

“As team representative, I’m the one who failed to lead the team properly. So I’m last place.”

“Are you joking right now?”

“No. Honestly, what’s the point of first place or last place on this team?”

“What do you mean?”

“This mission is a team battle mission. We survive together, or we die together.”

“…”

“So both first place and last place belong to me, the team representative.”

Yoon Minsu stared blankly for a moment before forcing a smile onto his face.

But it quickly faded away.

“S-Sor…”

His voice trailed off awkwardly, embarrassment and shame plainly visible on his face.

“I’m sorry. I insisted on making it hip-hop, and I got greedy over the chorus too.”

“No, thank you for apologizing first. And I agreed to it as well.”

“…Even so. I was too greedy.”

There was no need to cast aside someone who could admit their mistakes and apologize.

‘There are plenty of people in this world who can’t even do that.’

“Haha. It’s okay.”

With the atmosphere becoming noticeably warmer, I finally brought up the topic I had been waiting for.

“Since we’re talking about it, I’d like to rearrange the song again. What do you think?”

“I’m in favor!”

Seo Hayul immediately cast his vote.

‘That’s another Heartping bread for you, kid.’

“Considering the judges’ feedback, I think rearranging it is the right choice.”

“That’s true, but we only have a week left. Will it be okay?”

I gave the worried teammates a professional smile.

“Of course. The fastest way to fix a mistake is to correct it the moment you realize it. Let’s restore the chorus to feel more like the original song.”

“Sounds good.”

“And there are a few other things I want to change. First, Hayul.”

“Yes?”

“You’re going to start singing.”