The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 50

Chapter 50

 

“Sounds good!”

As if he had been waiting for me to say that, Kim Sunyoo’s expression brightened instantly.

“Let’s head to the nearest billboard from here.”

After checking the map, I saw that Hapjeong Station was within walking distance.

When we finally arrived at Hapjeong Station, we couldn’t even get close to the billboard before stopping in our tracks.

“…Is this even possible?”

Kim Sunyoo’s voice trembled noticeably as his eyes widened.

‘Seriously, is this real?’

“We’re not seeing things, right?”

“Probably not?”

“…Haha.”

Apparently, word had spread across social media during that brief time, because a line of professional telephoto cameras was already stationed in front of the Hapjeong Station billboard.

‘People can gather this quickly?’

“Kyaaaah! They’re here!”

“Kim Sunyoo!!!”

“Siwoo! Look over here!”

Snapping out of it at the sound of the excited fans, the two of us exchanged glances.

“This might actually be a good thing.”

“…What?”

“Why don’t we just enjoy it?”

For a moment, the corners of Kim Sunyoo’s lips curved upward, and a clear smile spread across his face.

“Yeah. At the very least, it’ll be great publicity.”

The moment we stopped side by side in front of the billboard, camera shutters began clicking everywhere.

I immediately bowed ninety degrees toward the cheering fans.

“Hello! Thank you so much for welcoming us like this!”

“Kyaaaaaah!”

“How did all of you find out and gather here this early in the morning?”

With a warm smile, Kim Sunyoo smoothly took over the conversation like the veteran he was.

“I got a social media notification that you showed up and ran out of the house immediately!”

“If Sunyoo’s here, of course I had to come!”

“Siwoo! You have to debut!”

Encouragement poured in from all directions.

‘So many people are cheering for us… I’m grateful.’

I had entered this audition program only because I wanted to save my younger sibling, but every time I received the fans’ sincere affection and support, something inside me couldn’t help but be moved.

“Thank you!”

“We’ll do our best and make sure we debut!”

“Yeah!”

“Woooooo!”

We spent a brief photo session striking whatever poses the fans requested.

Since it would become a nuisance once rush hour started, we quickly took our proof shots.

Thanks to Kim Sunyoo skillfully taking charge, our sudden meeting with the fans ended successfully.

 

☆☆☆

 

‘Is this really how you make a Byulstagram account?’

If I wanted to survive this quest, I absolutely had to place within the Top 7.

So for the first time in my life, I created a social media account to actively promote myself.

‘I’ve only ever used Byulstagram for research. This is my first time actually signing up.’

The registration process went smoothly.

The problem came when I stared at the completely blank profile with zero followers and had no idea what to do next.

‘Hmm… should I at least upload a picture?’

After lurking on Yoo Hoseung’s Instagram and getting a rough sense of how things worked, I quickly started writing a post.

 

—

[Photo] x6

Today I went on a billboard tour with Sunyoo Hyung and visited the ads prepared by our fans!

Thank you so much to all the National Directors who always support us.

@Sunyoo_123

#ProofShot #StarPicking5 #ChaSiwoo #DebutMe

—

 

‘Would this be enough?’

When I didn’t know something, the best way was to learn by doing.

I briefly considered writing more because it felt too short, but after checking Yoo Hoseung’s posts, I saw that all of his captions were short too.

‘This must be right. Let’s just post it.’

The moment I hit the upload button…

Countless hearts poured in, and my follower count, which had been sitting at zero, began skyrocketing.

‘…Is this normal?’

Judging by how fast the number was increasing, it seemed I had done it correctly.

‘I’ll ask Yoo Hoseung about it later.’

“Guardians, ICU visitation will begin now.”

“Yes!”

Right on cue, I silenced my constantly buzzing phone.

Before entering the intensive care unit, I washed my hands, disinfected them, and put on disposable sanitary equipment.

Only then was I allowed inside.

As I walked deeper into the ICU, cold, heavy air brushed against my face.

The sharp scent of disinfectant stung my nose, while machine noises continuously filled the space.

When I pulled back the curtain with the familiar number on it, there lay Cha Sihyeon, motionless as ever, doing nothing but breathing.

“Sihyeon. Long time no see. Have you been doing well?”

Beep. Beep. Beep

Instead of an answer, the steady rhythm of the heart monitor greeted me.

It sounded like the small beat that was keeping him alive.

“Your brother’s doing well. I’ve adapted to the survival show better than expected, and my rankings are stable too.”

“…”

“I’ll definitely clear the quests and make sure you get better.”

“…”

“I can’t visit as often as before, but I’ll come whenever I have time, so try to understand.”

“…”

“Want me to tell you about what’s been happening lately? There are some kids where I’m staying who remind me of you.”

‘So I end up thinking about you often.’

“If you weren’t sick, you’d probably be chasing your dreams like other kids your age.”

“…”

“Our Sihyeon will definitely recover. Your brother will make sure of it, so don’t worry and stay strong.”

As I talked about one thing after another that had happened on set, the thirty-minute visitation period disappeared before I knew it.

“Guardians, visitation is now over. Please leave the ICU.”

I was in the middle of saying goodbye when…

Click.

“…?”

I turned toward the familiar shutter sound, but there was nobody there.

‘What was that? Did I hear wrong?’

As I looked around in confusion, a nurse approached from a distance.

“Guardian of Cha Sihyeon, is there a problem?”

“Ah… no.”

“Then please cooperate. Visitation time has ended, so could you leave now?”

“Sorry. I’ll go right away.”

As I hurried out, I saw a doctor rushing into the ICU.

It looked like an emergency patient had arrived.

‘Better get out of the way in situations like this. I’ll come back tomorrow anyway.’

Just before the ICU door closed, I turned around and took one last look at Sihyeon’s face.

‘Why does it never feel like enough, no matter how many times I see her?’

The fact that there was nothing I could do for her right now except clear my quests weighed heavily on my heart.

‘I wish I could’ve been the one who got sick instead.’

 

☆☆☆

 

Why do days off always seem to pass even faster?

On Friday evening, the day Episode 7 aired, I was fully disguised on my way to a café.

The reason was simple.

I had learned that a support café dedicated to the Roommates and Vocals groups was currently operating.

‘I expected it to some degree, but Hayul and Rua really got paired together properly.’

Since idol survival shows ultimately form groups, fans naturally hoped their favorite trainee would debut alongside people with whom they had good chemistry.

Because Seo Hayul had been associated with Heart Ping Bread and roommates from the beginning, and because Rua was always attached to him, fans seemed to enjoy the dynamic.

As a result, a support café for the three of us had opened in Seongsu-dong.

‘To be fair, the fandoms get along pretty well too.’

Well, aside from a few obsessive solo stans.

Since the next ranking announcement was approaching, I had created a group chat right after the team battle mission ended.

Friday happened to be the one day our schedules lined up, so we had agreed to meet in front of the support café that evening.

‘Take some verification photos, then watch Episode 7 of Star Picking 5 together afterward. Perfect.’

Bzzzz

At that moment, a familiar announcement sounded, accompanied by the growing noise of steel wheels scraping along rails.

[The train is now arriving. Please stand behind the safety line.]

A rush of compressed air swept forward and brushed against my hair.

I quickly grabbed my hat before it flew off.

This time, I was wearing a mask, glasses, and a large hat that completely concealed my face.

Thankfully, nobody recognized me.

Rumble—Screeeech

With a deep vibration resonating through the ground and the sharp sound of brakes, the train rolled into the platform.

After boarding, I headed for the least crowded corner I could find.

The train steadily made its way toward Seongsu Station.

‘Honestly, I just can’t bring myself to take taxis.’

I had tried taking one because my popularity was growing, but merely looking at a taxi triggered vivid memories of the accident.

Apparently, the memory of my death had left me with genuine PTSD.

In fact, earlier today, right before taking the subway, I had forced myself to grab a taxi door handle.

The instant I did, my heart felt as if someone had slammed on the accelerator.

A noose seemed to tighten around my neck.

I even heard a piercing roar ringing in my ears.

Needless to say, I immediately let go.

‘At least it’s only taxis that trigger me.’

Just looking at a taxi made me feel awful, but buses and other vehicles caused no problems at all.

‘I just need to be careful until my debut.’

Once I debuted, I’d have a manager and a company vehicle, so there would be almost no reason to take taxis.

‘And after I start getting paid, I can always buy a used car.’

Before I knew it, the train had arrived at Seongsu Station.

‘Got here faster than expected.’

Pushing through the crowds, I focused on the map on my phone.

Eventually, I arrived near the support café.

Bzzz. Bzzz.

The yellow group chat window on my screen was vibrating nonstop.

[Hayulnyang: I’m already here. Are the hyungs on their way?]

[Rua: Yes. Parking.]

[Me: I’m here too. Almost there.]

After sending my reply, I couldn’t bring myself to move any closer.

A seemingly endless line stretched from the front entrance of the café.

‘Why are there so many people?’

People stood one after another along the narrow sidewalk, and the line twisted like a snake all the way into the alley.

‘Don’t people usually go to cafés in the morning or afternoon?’

Dinner time had already passed, but the queue showed no signs of shrinking.

Everyone waited while checking their phones or chatting cheerfully.

‘Everyone looks excited.’

The thought that strangers were standing in line just to support me made something warm swell deep inside my chest.

‘More importantly, where are those two idiots?’

I opened the group chat again.

[I got here, but the line’s so long that I can’t even get inside.]

The noisy chat suddenly fell silent.

‘What’s going on? Should I just get in line?’

I had just reached the very back of the queue when…

“Kyaaaaaah!”

“Hayul!”

“Hayulnyang!!!”

‘…Oh no.’

The source of the noise was a tall head of gray hair surrounded by people.

Trapped with nowhere to go, Seo Hayul smiled awkwardly while his ears turned bright red.

“Rua!!!”

“Prince!!”

“Haha!”

On the opposite side, a head of flowing blond hair was enjoying the attention, grinning brightly as people crowded around him.

‘So that’s why neither of them replied.’

Seriously, couldn’t they at least have made an effort to cover their faces?

‘They’re practically advertising themselves.’

Watching those two show up in full makeup at a fan-organized support café made me sigh automatically.

‘Should I just run away?’

I was debating whether to rescue them or abandon them when…

“Hey! Little brother Siwoo!”

I lifted my head at the unusually cheerful voice.

‘…You idiot!’