The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 55

Chapter 55

 

“Waaah! It’s Heartping Oppa!”

The children wearing princess-style dresses all rushed toward the Heartping Bread booth at once.

“Isn’t he an uncle rather than an oppa?”

“No! My older sister said that if someone is handsome, they’re automatically an oppa.”

‘That sister really knows what she’s talking about.’

I was fairly old myself, but I still wasn’t used to being called an uncle.

The booth I had received at the flea market had been decorated with Heartping characters.

Apparently it had attracted attention successfully, because children were flocking over thanks to the character appeal, making it more popular than any other booth.

‘At least that’s a relief.’

“Nice to meet you, princesses.”

I put on a professional smile and waved both hands.

“Hello!”

“You’re all such polite kids! How many Heartping breads would you like?”

“One each!”

“That’s right! This is all our allowance money!”

From their tiny little hands came crumpled bills pulled from character wallets.

Two worn-out 1,000-won notes.

‘One Heartping Bread costs 1,500 won.’

Looking at the roughly handwritten “1,500 won” sign on the A4 paper made my heart ache.

When I looked at the children awkwardly, I met their bright eyes directly.

“Oppa… are we short on money?”

‘Ugh. My heart hurts.’

“No. I’ll give you two breads right away.”

Anyone who could look into those innocent eyes and refuse would be trash.

“Waaah!”

‘Yeah. As long as you’re happy.’

The moment I accepted the children’s allowance money, my sales profit displayed –1,000 won.

That’s right.

Despite being the most popular booth, I was unintentionally operating at a loss.

‘Those little kids are handing over their precious allowance because they want to eat it. There’s no way I can refuse.’

“Heartping Oppa, thank you!”

“Sure. Eat well and grow up healthy.”

“Yes!”

Looking at the sales figures made my heart ache, but seeing the children smile brightly somehow felt healing.

After the same situation repeated several times, all of my inventory was eventually sold out.

Heartping Bread became the first item to sell out completely.

Having finished selling before anyone else, I looked at the sales revenue statement the staff handed me and immediately fell into despair.

“Seriously… is this amount correct?”

The number written there was even lower than I had expected.

“Yes! Trainee Cha Siwoo’s total sales revenue for Heartping Bread is 300,000 won.”

‘I’m doomed.’

It was a figure that practically guaranteed last place by an overwhelming margin.

 

☆☆☆

 

“Trainees, did you sell a lot of snacks?”

After the flea market ended, we gathered back in the auditorium.

“Yes!”

Among the cheerful responses, there were also a few half-hearted ones like mine.

“That’s good to hear. Actually, the sales revenue each of you earned in this mini-game will be used as your budget for producing your stage in the next mission.”

“…!”

‘What? I only made 300,000 won!’

The unexpected announcement caused the trainees to start whispering among themselves.

Putting together a stage required far more expenses than people realized.

‘At minimum, there are costumes and props. At the high end, there are stage structures and effects.’

Special effects like fireworks, pyrotechnics, fog machines, lasers, and wire work were particularly expensive.

“Wouldn’t the trainee who earned the most revenue have more options for stage equipment and be able to create a more spectacular performance?”

“Waaah!”

“Ah…”

‘With only 300,000 won, should I just give up on special effects entirely?’

At this point, I would probably have to focus on cost-effective stage production.

“And now, I’ll reveal the benefit for the Snack Sales King that everyone has been curious about.”

The noisy trainees instantly fell silent.

All eyes focused on Park Chaeyoung as she spoke.

“The Snack Sales King benefit is… choosing teammates!”

‘Again?’

“Once you’re on the same team, the money each member earned will be combined and used to create your stage together. Skillful teammates are important, but teammates with a lot of money can also be advantageous for creating an outstanding stage.”

‘This damn capitalism.’

“Yes!”

“Please reveal the trainees’ final sales revenues right now!”

The screen displayed all thirty trainees’ photos and names at once.

Below them were the amounts they had earned during the mini-game.

“The rankings are arranged in order of highest sales revenue. The five trainees selected as Snack Sales Kings, please come up to the stage now!”

Most of the top-ranking trainees who had drawn expensive snacks became Sales Kings.

The problem was that I had gone fifth and ended up dead last with only 300,000 won in sales revenue.

‘This is bad.’

At this point, I had become such a burden that if someone picked me as a teammate, I would practically need to perform a grand bow in gratitude.

Five familiar faces, including Yoo Hoseung, Kim Sunyoo, and Rua, stepped onto the stage.

‘The others make sense, but why Yoo Hoseung, who picked chocolate…?’

Apparently, Park Chaeyoung had the same thought, because she handed him the microphone first.

“First, trainee Yoo Hoseung, who took first place by an overwhelming margin. Please tell us your secret.”

Yoo Hoseung had earned an astonishing 3 million won from snack sales!

‘That’s ten times more than me. How do you even make 3 million won selling chocolate?’

Ironically, pure intentions had triumphed over all the materialists and taken first place.

“I think I became the Snack Sales King thanks to the delicious chocolate. Since this money is valuable, I’ll use it wisely to create the best stage possible. Thank you!”

“Trainee Yoo Hoseung captured people’s hearts with sweet chocolate and achieved an excellent result!”

‘No, seriously, how did you do it?’

I definitely needed to ask him later.

After the higher-ranking trainees each gave brief remarks, it was finally time to choose teams.

“The Snack Sales Kings will now select teammates one at a time in order of ranking. First, trainee Yoo Hoseung, please choose your desired teammate.”

“I choose Kang Chan hyung!”

Without even a second of hesitation, Yoo Hoseung answered immediately.

“Waaah!”

Looking at the screen, Kang Chan had earned 2 million won, making him sixth overall in sales revenue.

‘Tch. Dirty capitalism.’

Someone like me, who had only earned 300,000 won, was clearly at a disadvantage.

“Next, trainee Kim Sunyoo, please make your selection!”

“I choose…”

At that moment, Kim Sunyoo met my eyes and smiled warmly.

‘…No way?’

A certainty spread through my body that my name would be called next.

‘Right. I took photos for him, and we even promised we’d debut together as teammates eventually.’

An uncontrollable smile spread across my face.

Just as I was getting ready to step forward…

“I choose trainee Lee Jihoon.”

“…!”

Lee Jihoon had earned 1.5 million won and ranked third in the previous ranking announcement.

‘Why…? We had a good thing going.’

Kim Sunyoo smiled awkwardly and gave me a thumbs-up.

‘Forget it, man.’

Well, logically, I understood the choice.

Honestly, if I were him, I probably would have chosen Lee Jihoon too.

After confirming that Lee Jihoon had joined Kim Sunyoo’s side, Park Chaeyoung continued.

“Third, trainee Rua, please make your selection!”

“I choose…”

‘It can’t be helped. We’ll probably be on the same team again.’

I was straightening my clothes and preparing to go forward when…

“I choose trainee Seo Hayul.”

‘…You too?’

I looked at Rua in disbelief, but he only smiled brightly.

Of course, if I were Rua, I would have picked Seo Hayul too.

‘I understand, but why does it still feel so disappointing?’

It was an unpleasant feeling I had never experienced before.

Keeping my expression under control, I could only watch as the selections continued.

Eventually, the microphone returned to Yoo Hoseung.

“Sales King Yoo Hoseung, please select your second teammate!”

‘I’ll probably be chosen near the very end anyway.’

I was already halfway resigned when…

“I choose trainee Cha Siwoo!”

“…Me?”

I pointed at my own face.

As if confirming it beyond doubt, Yoo Hoseung nodded.

‘Seriously? Why?’

“Congratulations! Trainee Cha Siwoo, please stand behind Sales King Yoo Hoseung!”

‘Yes!’

Having two high-ranking trainees on the same team was excellent news.

More importantly, those two had enough sales revenue to carry my miserable 300,000 won contribution.

‘I don’t know why, but thank you, Yoo Hoseung.’

For some reason, he looked especially handsome today.

As I walked over to stand behind Kang Chan, I made sure to shoot a glance at Rua and Kim Sunyoo.

‘You materialistic jerks. Let’s see how well you do.’

When I stopped behind Kang Chan, Yoo Hoseung turned around.

“Siwoo hyung, welcome.”

‘Was he always this radiant?’

For a moment, his bright smile almost seemed to glow.

“Hoseung-ah! Thank you so much for picking me!”

“Haha. I’m happy that you’re this pleased!”

‘Do you realize how much money you and Kang Chan have?’

“Of course I’m happy! But why did you pick me? Honestly, doesn’t my 300,000 won hurt the team?”

Yoo Hoseung shyly covered his slightly reddened cheeks with one hand.

“Well… I’ve actually wanted to be on the same team as you, hyung.”

“Really? Thanks! I’ll give it my absolute best. I love this team already!”

‘You materialists. Purity wins after all!’

While I was feeling completely satisfied, the remaining trainees continued being selected one by one.

“Oh, right, Hoseung-ah. There’s something I’m curious about.”

“What is it?”

“How did you make so much money with chocolate?”

Even Kang Chan seemed curious, because his ears subtly twitched.

“Ah. The chocolate I picked contains toys inside.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The unit price is higher than people think, and even when I raised the price, lots of people bought them hoping to pull rare toys.”

‘This kid is smarter than I thought.’

“Wow~ your strategy was really good.”

“Thank you. I genuinely like the chocolate, and I collect those rare toys myself, so I understand the psychology behind it.”

“That’s impressive.”

Around the time our conversation ended, Yoo Hoseung’s turn came around again.

‘He seems smart enough to choose well on his own.’

The sharp-minded guy continued selecting trainees while carefully considering both positions and sales revenue.

Eventually, all team selections were completed.

“With that, team selection for the mission has concluded!”

“Waaah!”

“We hope you combine your money and create successful stages together.”

“Yes!”

“Now, let me explain the mission you’ll be tackling.”

Tense music began flowing from the speakers.

“This survival mission is the Concept Evaluation Mission!”

“…!”

“You will choose a concept and prepare a performance that matches it. Since you must personally create your stage using a limited budget, creativity will be extremely important.”

There was a 2 million won gap in total sales revenue between the first-place team and the fifth-place team.

It was clearly shaping up to be a classic case of the rich getting richer.

‘This is exactly why, even as a servant, you should work for a noble household.’

Looking at Yoo Hoseung and Kang Chan, my shoulders naturally straightened with confidence.