The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 47
Chapter 47
As I climbed the stairs one step at a time under the staff’s guidance, the cheers ringing in my ears grew louder and louder.
At last, the moment I stepped onto the stage, the spotlight sliced through my vision and flooded it with brilliant light.
“Uwoooooah!”
“Sunyoo!!!”
“Cha Siwoo!!”
From the packed audience seats, cheers and screams mixed together and crashed over us like a giant wave.
‘There are more people than last time.’
The fact that nearly a thousand people had gathered solely to watch our performance made my chest tingle.
Just like before, I could spot slogans with my name written on them scattered throughout the audience.
The heat and excitement were stronger than ever, and the corners of my lips kept lifting.
“The final concept of the night is… Mystery! Please give a warm welcome to both teams!”
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
The cheers were so intense they felt hot enough to burn.
“First up is the team that includes the very first trainee to place first in the rankings announcement! Please introduce Mystery Team 1.”
Kim Sunyoo, standing on the right side, looked toward the audience with a gentle smile.
“One, two, three. Hello. We are the Pioneer Team, performing a mystery-themed rearrangement of ”The Last Days”!”
The Pioneer Team’s styling featured pure white outfits accented with silver accessories, detailed enough to create the illusion that they were actual clergy members.
Their long robes stretched all the way to the floor, and intricate silver patterns were embroidered across the luxurious fabric.
Decorative shawls hung over their shoulders, flowing softly whenever they moved and giving them an oddly elegant aura.
“So the Pioneer Team will be performing my song?”
“Yes!”
“I’m really looking forward to it!”
Yoo Haein looked at Kim Sunyoo with a pleased smile.
“We’ll do our best not to disgrace your masterpiece, sunbaenim!”
“Great! I’m truly curious to see what kind of performance you’ll show us. Next, please introduce Mystery Team 2, the team that includes the trainee who was the center of the theme song.”
The moment Yoo Haein finished speaking, everyone’s gaze turned toward me at once.
‘This is the first time in my life I’ve had this many eyes on me at once.’
The fact that strangers were focusing their attention on me made me surprisingly nervous.
The emotions swirling inside me couldn’t be described with a single word.
It was a strange mix of fear and excitement that filled my chest.
‘Alright. Since it’s come to this, I might as well enjoy it too.’
For some reason, the heart that had been pounding moments ago began to calm down.
“Three, two, one. Hello.”
The moment I bowed my head, a translucent blue window appeared.
”Ding.”
—
[Choose one of the following three responses.]
- We are the Vampire Team, running toward our goal until the very end.
- I wanna~ bite you >_<, We are the Vampire Team!
- We are the Vampire Team that has waited endlessly for all of you in the darkness.
—
‘Again?’
[Please get used to it. If you do not choose within three seconds, a response will be selected automatically.]
“I wanna~ bite you >_<“
“…!”
“We are the Vampire Team!”
This time, Yoo Haein completely failed to maintain his composure. His eyes widened, and his brows furrowed.
[What??? Why did you choose B? We actually gave you normal options this time.]
The translucent blue window kept blinking, apparently shocked by my unexpected choice.
‘We’ve built up a character so far. People should stay consistent.’
[…Cha Siwoo, you’re really serious about being an idol.]
‘Of course I am.’
I would be lying if I said I hadn’t briefly wondered whether I’d gone too far.
But what could I do when ordinary answers seemed boring now?
[So you’ve really decided to enjoy yourself?]
‘That’s the only way to win.’
Watching Rua’s performance had taught me something.
The strongest person is the one who enjoys the stage.
“Haha. Trainee Cha Siwoo is certainly consistent.”
At some point, Yoo Haein had returned to his harmless smile.
“Thank you!”
“Can you tell us why your team is called the Vampire Team?”
“We rearranged Wild Boys sunbaenims’ song ”The Story We Couldn’t Finish” into an undead concept.”
“No wonder. The dark and pale atmosphere really does remind me of vampires. Your outfits and makeup suit the concept perfectly.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“Looking at both teams now, everything from the costumes to the atmosphere is opposite.”
One side was the clergy.
The other was vampires.
They couldn’t have been more incompatible.
“The final 1:1 battle is already exciting from the start. Let’s begin the performances right away! Mystery Team 1, please start your stage first!”
“Yes!”
The stage lights went out, and pitch-black darkness descended.
While the trainees of Mystery Team 1 arranged themselves into formation, we followed the staff’s instructions and stepped off the stage.
‘I wonder what it’ll be like.’
I paused briefly on the narrow metal staircase and looked up at the stage.
The lights poured down as the grand instrumental introduction of ”The Last Days” echoed throughout the venue.
Between the flashing neon lights of various colors, silhouettes could be seen moving.
“Mystery Team 2, please wait backstage!”
“Yes!”
I continued walking and arrived at the temporary waiting area beneath the stage.
The cramped, dark space made it impossible to properly see what was happening above, which was both frustrating and strangely intriguing.
“Sunyoouuu!”
“You killed it!!”
All I could hear were the audience’s screams.
“Kyaaaaaah~”
“That’s insane!!!”
As the crowd’s cheers continued to rise, ”The Last Days” finally came to an end.
“That was an absolutely explosive performance. Please give another round of applause to the Pioneer Team for their outstanding stage.”
The thunderous applause and cheers made several of my teammates flinch.
“Now, Vampire Team, please come up onto the stage!”
“Yes!”
We began walking toward the stage once more under the staff’s guidance.
Just before climbing the metal stairs, I suddenly stopped and turned around.
“…?”
My teammates’ faces were visibly more nervous than before.
‘As expected, they’re really tense.’
“Before we go on stage, how about a fighting cheer?”
‘There’s nothing better than this for boosting morale in a short amount of time.’
A silent determination passed through the eyes of my teammates as they met mine.
“…Yes!”
“Sounds good!”
‘Their expressions look much better now.’
“One, two, three!”
What began as a small shout gradually gained strength before exploding into a unified voice.
“Fighting!”
Our voices overlapped, and the cheer burst forth all at once.
The tension transformed into energy.
For some reason, our steps felt much more confident than before.
Now, everything was ready to begin on that stage.
☆☆☆
‘The stage for the final concept is finally starting!’
Miss Park recalled the fierce battle she had gone through just to get an audience ticket.
Thankfully, her years of experience as an idol fan had allowed her to secure a seat without issue.
‘Do they even know how much stamina I trained for this day?’
She had arrived before dawn to secure a good spot and had been standing around waiting ever since.
Her legs were beginning to hurt, but she was sure they’d recover instantly once she saw her favorite.
‘I wonder what kind of concept Siwoo will show us?’
At first, she’d secretly hoped for a cute concept.
But after seeing Kang Chan’s performance, that wish had completely vanished.
‘Seriously… that was shocking.’
The sight of Kang Chan wearing a teddy bear ear headband despite looking like his shirt buttons were about to burst from his physique had been overwhelming.
The person sitting next to her was apparently a Kang Chan fan and had already lost all reason after seeing it.
‘Anyway, our Siwoo is performing last!’
Maybe the broadcasting station staff had finally figured things out.
After a long wait, all ten trainees participating in the Mystery Concept finally stepped onto the stage.
‘Holy crap.’
Miss Park instantly understood why the people around her were screaming like lunatics.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
“Aaaaagh!”
“The dark sexy vibe is insane!”
That’s right.
Her favorite was wearing a tight black top that showed off his incredible physique.
‘Holy crap! This outfit is the greatest welfare benefit of my entire life!’
Every time he moved his arms, the tendons running from his elbows to his wrists became more pronounced.
Those sharp lines only emphasized his muscles further.
‘How does Siwoo have broad shoulders AND sexy lean muscles? Is he even human?’
Several buttons on the upper part of his shirt were undone.
The fabric around his waist was semi-transparent, revealing glimpses of skin whenever he moved in a subtly seductive way.
His bottoms were slim leather pants with a glossy finish, decorated with ripped details throughout, creating the perfect decadent atmosphere.
Combined with pale makeup that matched the outfit, he looked dangerous and corrupted in an irresistibly attractive way.
‘I knew he was handsome, but now that he’s gotten proper makeup, this is absolutely insane.’
His dark eyes contrasted sharply against his pale skin, giving him a mesmerizing beauty that seemed to draw people in.
‘Our Siwoo looks amazing with a dark, sexy concept too!’
Miss Park pulled out the camera she had hidden in her bag and started snapping photos like crazy.
“Next, please introduce Mystery Team 2!”
“Hello.”
Siwoo hesitated for a moment before stretching both hands forward.
‘…Huh?’
“I wanna~ bite you >_<“
‘…!’
“Kyaaaah! Please bite me!”
Seeing Cha Siwoo smiling with both eyes squeezed shut, Miss Park accidentally shouted her inner thoughts out loud.
“We are the Vampire Team!”
‘He’s completely lost it. Vampires?!’
She had already thought the outfits looked unusual, but hearing the concept made her heart pound even faster.
After hearing the song explanation, she became even more convinced that this stage contained another brilliant idea from her smart Siwoo.
‘As expected of my perfect man!’
Still excited beyond belief, she watched as Mystery Team 1’s performance began.
There was only one unfortunate thing.
‘Of all people, their rival in the 1:1 Battle Mission had to be Kim Sunyoo.’
As the instrumental introduction of Raiden’s ”The Last Days”, a song that had topped the music charts for a long time, began to play, the audience erupted into cheers.
‘It’s even a top-tier idol song, so everyone knows it, and it’s highly popular.’
Since her favorite wasn’t on stage, Miss Park did her best to view the performance through heavily filtered eyes.
Like any song from a top-tier idol group, it was highly addictive and performance-driven, and honestly, Kim Sunyoo was carrying the stage hard.
‘As expected, experience makes a difference.’
Fortunately, Kim Sunyoo was the only one truly matching the level of a top-tier idol.
‘The others look like they’re putting on a kindergarten recital. Compared to Raiden’s original version, it’s way too obvious.’
No matter how talented a trainee was, matching the performance of a top-tier idol group was realistically difficult.
No matter how well they performed, they couldn’t surpass the original, which made the stage feel somewhat bland.
‘Kim Sunyoo is basically dragging the whole team by the collar. Come to think of it, they aren’t rapping at all?’
Apparently, the Pioneer Team didn’t have a rapper.
They had removed the rap verse entirely, causing the song to lose some of its unique flavor.
‘Something feels missing.’
Still, Kim Sunyoo compensated for that deficiency, making the overall quality of the stage far superior to the previous performances.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“Kim Sunyoo!!!”
“Sunyoo~”
At last, Mystery Team 1’s performance ended.
‘The number one trainee really is different.’
Even from the audience seats, it was obvious that Kim Sunyoo had overwhelmingly more fans waving his slogans.
“Next, please show us the Vampire Team’s performance!”
As Yoo Haein’s voice faded away, every light on the stage went dark at once.
The moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived.
Adjusting her camera, Miss Park prepared to start filming.
‘I have to capture this moment.’
Accompanied by a heavy kick drum beating like a heartbeat, footsteps echoed softly through the fog crawling along the floor.
The sound spread ominously, as though whispering something.
The instant the darkened stage lights turned on, silver-gray hair glimmered faintly beneath the central spotlight.
“…!”
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