The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 49

Chapter 49

 

The lid of the gift box opened, and what appeared amidst the sparkling screen was a golden ticket.

“It’s a revival ticket for eliminated contestants!”

“…!”

“Kyaaaaaah!”

“No way!!”

‘Just as I thought.’

There was no way I believed the production staff would simply let go of Kim Sunyoo, who had ranked first at the ranking announcement ceremony.

‘With all the narrative and recognition they’ve given him so far, they’ll find a way to keep him around.’

Especially when he was a trainee who had received heavy PD favoritism.

‘Character appeal and public opinion are important on a survival show.’

If someone they had been pushing as a key character disappeared from the program, it would probably be a major blow.

And if they eliminated entire teams all at once through collective responsibility, they’d obviously get torn apart by viewers.

‘Anyone could see that Kim Sunyoo did well.’

At this point, with Episode 6 already aired, the TX Network production team was getting absolutely roasted online.

The reason was simple: they had eliminated fifty contestants during the first ranking announcement, and the internet was in chaos because of it.

The official website had already crashed, and they were drowning in mockery and hate comments.

‘There was even one over-invested fan who got so angry they threatened to attack the TX Network station.’

As the show’s popularity grew, the producers could no longer ignore the fandom or public opinion. It seemed likely that they had prepared some kind of compromise for their own survival.

The audience, who had been disappointed and furious, immediately transformed that frustration into excitement at the sudden glimmer of hope.

“However, there is a condition.”

“…?”

After a brief pause, Yoo Haein raised her cue card high.

“Not everyone can survive! From each eliminated team, only one trainee will be saved.”

It was the beginning of a cruel hope.

Since five teams had been eliminated, that meant only five trainees could receive the revival tickets.

“You’re curious how that one survivor from each eliminated team will be chosen, right?”

“Yes!”

“Yeah!!!”

“The authority to decide who gets revived belongs to… all of you, our National Directors.”

“…!”

“Starting today, voting for trainees will reopen on our website for one full week ahead of the second ranking announcement.”

The moment the re-voting was announced, the entire venue erupted into excitement.

“The trainee who receives the highest number of votes in the second ranking announcement will be the sole survivor from their eliminated team!”

In other words, only the popular ones would be saved.

‘This is going to be a war.’

Fans would wage massive battles to save their favorite trainee from elimination.

Ding.

A translucent blue window suddenly appeared before my eyes.

 

— 

[Sub Quest (8): Rank within the Top 7 during the second ranking announcement.]

[Rewards will be given upon success.]

[Failure results in death.]

— 

 

‘Top 7 this time?’

[Yes. You ranked 7th last time, didn’t you? Surely you can do it again.]

‘Like getting 7th place is some neighborhood dog’s name. That’s asking a lot.’

[Would you like to accept the quest?]

I didn’t have a choice anyway.

‘Fine. Let’s do it.’

“Then, over the next week, please vote for the trainee you want to debut.”

Through the speakers, the show’s theme song,”Cheer Me On,” began playing as the closing music.

“This concludes the 1 vs. 1 Team Battle Mission.”

For both the surviving trainees and those who had been eliminated, it was the declaration of a brand-new war.

 

☆☆☆

 

“Kimchi!”

Click.

“Sunyoo hyung, try making a heart this time.”

[5:55 AM.]

I was standing in front of a digital billboard at Sinchon Station, phone camera in hand as I repaid a favor.

“Like this?”

“Yep.”

‘As expected of a veteran. Even his poses look natural.’

Click. Click.

The popularity of ‘Star Picking 5’ was soaring higher than ever.

Now that it had recorded the highest ratings in cable TV history, attention toward the show was exploding.

‘It’s even more popular than I expected.’

Billboards throughout public transportation facilities displayed photos of ‘Star Picking 5’ trainees as if they were competing with each other.

Even in subway stations, dozens of my advertisements were already up.

Fans were going all out to support revival candidates and fight for high rankings.

“The photos turned out great. Let’s head to Hongdae Entrance Station before too many people gather.”

“Okay. Thanks, Siwoo.”

“No problem. You’re taking pictures of me too.”

“Still… I’m nowhere near as good as you.”

‘Well, obviously.’

There were very few people who could beat me at photography.

“What matters is the thought. More importantly, let’s move before the main rush hour starts.”

“Right!”

I had already known through online communities that my face was displayed on countless billboards.

But seeing them in person felt completely different.

A wave of excitement washed through me.

‘I’m grateful.’

I’d wanted to repay that support somehow and take proof shots for a long time, but I simply hadn’t had the time.

‘First, I was busy working part-time jobs, then I collapsed right afterward.’

This free day was my chance.

I had originally planned out a route to visit them alone, but with the revival vote approaching, I decided to repay that support more directly.

‘And honestly, it’s easier if we take pictures for each other.’

Mutual assistance and all that.

“But what if fans recognize us?”

“We’re covered up pretty well, aren’t we?”

We were wearing hats and masks to the point where only our eyes were visible.

‘Surely nobody will recognize us.’

Part of the reason we had come out at dawn was to avoid attention.

Office workers commuting this early probably wouldn’t care about us.

For exhausted workers, sleep was the most precious thing in the world.

‘They’re probably trying to squeeze in a few more minutes of sleep during their train ride.’

Once we boarded the subway, my prediction proved correct.

No one paid us any attention.

Most passengers were asleep, while the rest were looking at their phones.

Thankfully, nobody approached the two of us standing quietly in the corner.

“But Siwoo, why are you helping me this much?”

“You helped me first, hyung.”

“Even so…”

“And you said we should debut together.”

“…”

“Wasn’t I part of the future you imagined?”

“Hahaha!”

Kim Sunyoo burst into hearty laughter.

‘Good thing I met up with him today.’

Compared to the gloomy expression he’d worn after his elimination, he looked much brighter now.

That alone made me feel relieved.

As we chatted, we eventually arrived at Hongdae Entrance Station.

After tapping out through the gates, I felt that strange warmth in my chest once again.

One entire wall of digital displays was covered with me.

‘Wow… how much money did all this cost?’

The pure affection of strangers was still unfamiliar.

It was a mixture of gratitude, guilt, and a strange fluttering sensation.

There were all kinds of photos displayed.

‘That picture is here too.’

Apparently, my fans liked my selfies.

More than half the billboards featured the selfies I had taken while trying to become the center.

Most of the rest were photos of me genuinely smiling on stage rather than wearing my usual professional smile.

‘If I want to repay them, I should probably take more selfies and smile more often.’

“Wow~ Taking up an entire wall is amazing. Siwoo, you’re really loved.”

“Seems so. I’m really grateful. But you’re not exactly lacking either, hyung.”

The opposite wall was completely covered with Kim Sunyoo’s photos.

“That’s true. Let’s do our best.”

“Yeah.”

“Want to stand over here for a verification shot? Fans will probably like this angle because the billboard shows up clearly.”

‘He’s really good at this. Experience shows.’

“Okay! Is this good?”

“Yep. Try smiling naturally.”

Standing in front of countless billboards made my chest swell.

Click. Click.

“Looks great. I like seeing you smile like that. Want to try some other poses?”

“Hmm…”

‘What kind of poses would they like?’

After a moment of thought, I started using various poses I’d indirectly learned from ‘Star Picking 5’.

Since I didn’t know what fans would prefer, I tried everything: finger hearts, cheek pokes, even the cotton-candy pose.

After finishing with a selfie, I moved to the opposite side to photograph Kim Sunyoo.

That was when…

“Excuse me.”

Hearing a voice nearby, I turned my head.

Four women were cautiously approaching us.

“Yes?”

“Um… are you Cha Siwoo?”

‘We’re completely covered. How did they recognize me?’

“…Yes.”

The woman who had spoken first immediately brightened up and started clapping excitedly.

“Kyaaaaaah!”

“I told you it was him!”

“And the person beside you is Kim Sunyoo, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

As expected of a veteran, Kim Sunyoo handled the situation smoothly.

“But how did you recognize us?”

“We’re huge fans! If you’re a real fan, you can recognize them instantly.”

“Thank you.”

Fans truly were amazing beings.

“Sorry to bother you, but… if it’s okay, could we maybe take a picture together?”

Seeing how cautiously they approached, I immediately nodded.

“Of course! Are you okay with us looking like this?”

“Yes! You’re so popular that if you didn’t cover up this much, you probably couldn’t walk around freely.”

“Haha. Thanks for understanding.”

Click. Click. Click.

Watching the fans’ delighted expressions, I posed with them in various ways.

Perhaps because of the attention we were attracting, more and more people around us began sneaking glances in our direction.

‘Uh oh.’

“Will this be enough?”

“Ah… yes! We kept you too long, didn’t we?”

“Not at all. I’m happy to meet fans like this!”

“Hearing you say that is so touching. We’ll definitely vote for you! Please debut!”

“Thank you! We’ll be going now!”

After exchanging a glance with Kim Sunyoo, we quickly started walking toward the least crowded direction we could find.

One thing we had overlooked was that Hongdae Entrance Station always had an enormous amount of foot traffic, even early in the morning.

“Oh my!”

“Huh? Aren’t those ‘Star Picking 5’ contestants?”

Apparently, we’d attracted more attention than expected.

One by one, people began recognizing us.

“Sunyoo hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think about running?”

Looking at the gathering crowd, Kim Sunyoo smiled gently.

“…That’s probably our best option.”

“Agreed.”

We immediately sprinted toward the exit.

Only after escaping the subway station and reaching a relatively deserted alley did we finally stop running.

“Huff… ha…”

“Wow… Siwoo, you’re really… fast.”

Kim Sunyoo was breathing heavily as well, leaning against a wall.

“Haha, I’m pretty good at running. Though it’s surprising, people still recognize us even when we’re bundled up like this.”

“Seriously. At this point, you can barely see our faces. How do they know?”

“Exactly. So what do we do now?”

“Good question. Think we can still take photos at the remaining billboards?”

‘That might be difficult.’

“…Honestly, isn’t it a little risky?”

If people could recognize us this early in the morning despite all the disguises, things would probably get even worse during rush hour.

Still leaning against the wall, Kim Sunyoo scrolled through the photos on his phone with obvious reluctance.

“Still, we got way more pictures than I expected. And they all turned out great.”

“I took them. Of course they did.”

“As expected, photography equals Cha Siwoo! You’re honestly better than professional magazines.”

‘You really know your stuff.’

“Even though we’re using the same camera, the photos you take feel completely different from the ones I take.”

“Thanks for the compliment. Since things turned out this way, should we call it a day and save the remaining verification shots for another time?”

“Hmm… it still feels a bit disappointing…”

‘Well, he’s just as desperate as I am.’

With a revival ticket on the line, Kim Sunyoo’s expression was full of lingering regret.

‘And if I want to stay inside the Top 7, I need to actively communicate with fans and promote myself.’

“Then, before more time passes, why don’t we visit just one more place and decide after that?”

When people are desperate, they always try one more thing.