The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 63

Chapter 63

 

With determination, I threw open the door and started running down the hallway.

My heart pounded like crazy.

My palms were slick with sweat, and every step felt as heavy as a stone.

‘The vending machines were just around this corner.’

As I got closer to the corner, I began to hear faint voices.

“You’re really something.”

“Me?”

It was Yoo Hoseung’s voice.

“Yeah. Honestly, with your level of recognition, couldn’t you debut without even appearing here? Do you really have to take someone’s spot?”

‘I don’t know who it is, but their intention in asking that right before the competition is obvious.’

“And what’s it like living with that face?”

“…”

“You got first place thanks to your looks. Aren’t you ashamed of that? Must be nice. The whole world probably looks beautiful to you, huh?”

Just as I quickened my pace at the trainee’s mocking voice…

“Hahaha!”

Hoseung suddenly laughed brightly, as if he were genuinely amused.

The unexpected sound startled me so much that I stopped in my tracks.

‘…?’

“Why are you laughing?”

“Hyung, you’re really good at making jokes.”

“I’m not joking.”

“Why? Are you seriously jealous because I’m handsome?”

“…What?”

“You asked if the world looks beautiful, right?”

At that moment, Hoseung’s voice noticeably lowered.

“Yes. It’s very beautiful.”

“You…!”

“Maybe it’s because so many people ask me that. But honestly, that question is getting a little old.”

“What did you say?!”

As the voices grew louder, I deliberately made my footsteps louder.

Tap. Tap. Tap!

“…!”

Finally, as I turned the corner, I saw two silhouettes standing in front of the vending machines.

Yoo Hoseung and another trainee team leader turned toward me at the same time.

“Siwoo hyung?”

“…!”

‘So it was you?’

The one who decided to mess with Hoseung right before the competition.

“Hoseung-ah, you were taking so long that I came looking for you myself.”

“Really?”

Contrary to my worries, Hoseung looked quite calm as he stood there holding drinks in both hands.

“Yeah. Carrying all those drinks by yourself must be heavy. Want me to take some?”

“Thank you.”

As I accepted the drinks he handed me, I openly glared at the trainee standing beside him.

‘Was his name Bae Woohyun?’

He was one of the model trainees who always ranked safely during the ranking announcements, consistently placing in the TOP 7.

And for some reason, he felt strangely familiar.

‘I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before. Where was it?’

“Hello, Cha Siwoo. Your outfit looks really amazing today.”

The trainee awkwardly smiled and offered a compliment.

“Thanks.”

“Haha, then I’ll be going. I still need to prepare for the stage.”

“Wait a second.”

“Yes?”

“You should answer the question before you leave.”

“…What question?”

“Are you really that jealous because our Hoseung is so handsome?”

“…!”

Woohyun froze, and his face gradually turned red.

“Honestly, even I think Hoseung is incredibly handsome. Personally, he’s handsome enough that I could stare at him forever.”

“…Cha Siwoo, were you eavesdropping on our conversation?”

Even at a glance, I could see his expression stiffening.

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop. Your voice was just so loud that I heard everything on the way here.”

“…I’ll be going now.”

His lips trembled slightly. Every word I said seemed to irritate him even more.

“So what’s your answer?”

“…Ha.”

Watching Bae Woohyun hurry away as if fleeing, I finally turned back.

“He didn’t answer in the end. Hoseung-ah, are you okay?”

When I looked at him, a smile was spreading across his face.

‘He’s… smiling right now?’

“Of course.”

‘Looking at his expression, he actually seems strangely satisfied.’

“Um… Siwoo hyung.”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. What did I even do?”

“Because of you, I don’t get hurt by situations like this anymore.”

He looked genuinely relieved.

‘Looks like he handled it exactly the way I taught him.’

I raised my free hand and ruffled his hair.

As my fingers brushed through his hair, I felt its soft texture and warmth.

“Good. You did well.”

“…Hyung!”

“You don’t need to get hurt by people who are just insecure about you. Keep handling things the way you did today.”

“Yes!”

As we talked, we soon arrived back at the waiting room.

I pushed the door open, and Kang Chan, who had been pacing near the entrance, flinched and looked at us.

“Nothing happened?”

‘Was he worried too?’

“No.”

“Good.”

As Kang Chan turned away, Hoseung’s eyes widened.

“Uh…? Since when did you two start speaking casually?”

“Last night.”

“What? How did you become close with Kang Chan Hyung?”

“I wouldn’t say we got close exactly. It’s more like…”

‘How should I explain this?’

“Like coworkers? Or maybe people who share the same goal.”

“What does that even mean?”

“It’s something adults understand. Anyway, Hoseung-ah, if you’re not drinking that chocolate drink, I’m taking it.”

“Ah… Siwoo hyung! That’s mine! Yours is the Heartping strawberry flavor!”

“Nope.”

As I barely avoided the pursuing Hoseung while drinking the chocolate beverage, the waiting room door suddenly swung open again.

“Royal Team, your stage will begin shortly. Please get ready to head to the stage.”

“Yes!”

It was finally time for the real thing.

‘System.’

Ding.

A familiar notification sounded, and a translucent blue window appeared before my eyes.

[Yes?]

‘Put all my remaining stat points into Dance.’

[Understood. Applying them now.]

 

— 

[Status Window]

Cha Siwoo (20)

 Appearance: A-

 Singing: B

 Dance: B- (UP)

 Charisma: B+

 Stamina: B+

 Ability: ???

 Status: Paparazzi who returned 5 years into the past.

 Fatigue: 30

— 

 

‘Looking at it now, my stats have gone up a lot.’

Compared to when my Dance stat had been E rank, this was unbelievable.

‘It’s practically a complete transformation.’

 

☆☆☆

 

‘I expected it, but why is it harder to get a ticket as a trainee than it is for an active idol?’

The popularity of Star Picking 5 continued to soar.

As a result, obtaining an audience ticket had become nearly impossible.

‘It really wasn’t easy this time either.’

Miss Park let out a sigh as she recalled the two weeks of effort it had taken to secure a ticket.

‘At this rate, I’ll need a lucky charm if I want to see the finals in person.’

Normally, she would have dismissed lucky charms as complete nonsense.

But desperation made people willing to cling to anything.

Having steeled herself, Miss Park tightly gripped the slogan banner in both hands and eagerly waited for the performance to begin.

“Audience members, recording during the performance is prohibited!”

“Please put away all cameras!”

“If you’re caught filming, you’ll be removed immediately without exception!”

The staff’s warnings continued, and the standoff between audience members and staff lasted quite a while.

As the atmosphere reached a fever pitch, the familiar opening music finally began to play.

“Welcome, National Directors, to the Third Mission of Star Picking 5!”

‘Huh? That voice is…?’

The audience quickly looked up in surprise at the unfamiliar female voice.

On stage stood the silhouette of Park Chaeyoung holding a microphone.

‘Looks like Yoo Haein isn’t appearing today?’

The crowd began murmuring noisily.

“Ah, what the heck?”

“Why isn’t it Haein oppa? Why is that lady here instead?”

That was right.

After seeing the overwhelming number of Yoo Haein fans who had attended the previous competition, the production staff had decided on a new strategy.

They changed the MC.

Seeing the disappointed reactions from Yoo Haein’s fans, Park Chaeyoung smiled and raised the microphone.

“I’m Park Chaeyoung, filling in as MC for Yoo Haein today. By any chance, do you know what kind of competition this is?”

“Concepts!”

“That’s right. This time, there are five concepts in total.”

“Waaah!”

‘What concept did our Siwoo get?’

“Fairy Tale, Refreshing, Royal, Boy Crush, and Wild. Each team will perform according to its assigned concept.”

“Waaah!”

“Out of those five concepts, what concept do you think your favorite trainee prepared?”

‘She really is experienced.’

In an instant, Park Chaeyoung completely captured the audience’s attention.

Episode 9 ended with the trainees preparing for the free market event.

As a result, nobody yet knew which trainee had received which concept.

‘Whatever it is, please let Siwoo’s concept be something cool.’

In Episode 9, Cha Siwoo accidentally winning the Heartping bread had been hilarious.

‘It was cute. Why are people making such a big deal out of it?’

Fans had laughed and enjoyed it, only to get irritated by other fandoms accusing him of overusing the Heartping image.

‘Seriously. He didn’t even choose it on purpose. Anyone could tell it was the machine’s fault. How are people twisting this?’

Thinking about all the sarcastic comments claiming he was deliberately acting cute made her upset.

‘This time, please let him do something insanely cool!’

A fan’s heart wanted their favorite to silence the critics completely.

“Before we begin the first performance, I’ll explain the live voting.”

The moment voting was mentioned, the noise in the venue gradually died down.

Every audience member focused on Park Chaeyoung.

“You all have the voting buttons you received upon entering, right?”

“Yes!”

“This live vote can only be used once.”

“…!”

“You may press it whenever you want, and cast your vote for the team you believe gave the best performance.”

“Yes!”

“But if you press it by mistake, that’s it. So please choose carefully.”

‘I’m absolutely not pressing mine until Siwoo performs!’

“Then let’s officially begin the Concept Mission performances. The first stage is… the Wild Concept Team!”

“Kyaaaaaaa!”

Starting with such a bold, raw concept immediately sent the audience into a frenzy.

“Wild Team, please come onto the stage now!”

Six men wearing daring outfits designed to reveal their arms and chest lines quickly stepped onto the stage.

“AAAAAHHHHH!”

“No way!!”

“Sunyoo!!!”

Their jackets exposed flashes of skin whenever they moved, perfectly capturing the wild aesthetic.

‘Wow. They really went all out.’

It was supposed to be “wild,” but it felt almost sexy.

The audience erupted into chaos.

Some fans completely lost their minds and started frantically pressing their voting buttons before the performance had even begun.

The number displayed in the upper-right corner of the screen climbed so quickly that it was difficult to follow.

Even though her favorite wasn’t on stage, Miss Park somehow felt her chest swell with excitement just from seeing the costumes.

 

☆☆☆

 

‘By the third competition, the stage quality has definitely improved a lot.’

Partly because only the skilled trainees remained.

Partly because the relentless competition had forced everyone’s abilities to improve.

“Royal Team, please stand by.”

“Yes!”

‘Is it finally our turn?’

Thinking about all the practice they had done, I couldn’t wait to show it.

‘After this performance, I should finally get some rest.’

From the waiting area behind the stage, the sounds of the previous team’s performance were clearly audible.

As their performance approached its conclusion, the cheers grew louder and louder.

Meanwhile, my teammates’ expressions became increasingly tense.

‘Looks like they’re really nervous.’

Especially Yoo Hoseung.

He looked as restless as a puppy desperately needing to use the bathroom.