The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 65

Chapter 65

 

“Ah, seriously, I finally got a proper break for once.”

Right after the performance stage ended, we were given a week-long vacation.

I spent some time thinking about what to do during the break, but the moment I checked my status window, making a decision became easy.

My fatigue had reached 30.

I decided to spend the vacation focusing on getting rid of it.

‘If I overdo it again, something bad could happen.’

The memory of being forced to take out a loan made my chest feel heavy.

‘That thing was basically a vicious loan shark.’

Honestly, I never expected that taking out a loan just once would make me pay interest three separate times.

On top of that, I still hadn’t figured out what the last interest payment even was, so it remained unpaid.

‘This is making me uneasy. I should never take out another loan for the rest of my life.’

Still, there was one fortunate thing.

My fatigue was decreasing steadily.

As long as I ate properly and got eight hours of sleep every day, it went down on its own.

As a result, by the sixth day of vacation, I had achieved the great feat of lowering my fatigue to 10.

“Good. The final stage is coming up soon, so let’s maintain this condition.”

Bzzz. Bzzz.

Along with a familiar vibration, a yellow notification window flashed on my phone screen.

The yellow group chat was going wild.

[Rua: You didn’t forget we’re gathering at My Home today to watch the broadcast, right?]

[HayulNyang: Of course!]

“Ah, right. That was today.”

That’s right.

Since the debut wasn’t far away, a mutual-support gathering had been formed.

[Hoseung: Maybe… should we meet a little earlier and have dinner together?]

[Rua: Nice idea! How about chicken for dinner?]

[Hoseung: Sounds good!]

[Rua: Then everyone come to My Home by 7 PM!]

[HayulNyang: Okay~]

[Kang Chan: Yes.]

The reason Hoseung and Kang Chan were suddenly in this group chat was because of me.

It happened three days ago, when I was being forced to rest in order to reduce my fatigue.

After sleeping soundly and waking up, I found messages from multiple people all asking if I wanted to watch Episode 10 together.

Honestly, it would’ve been awkward to choose one person and reject the others.

After a brief moment of thought, I decided to gather everyone together and immediately put the plan into action.

‘They’ve all known of each other for a long time anyway, right?’

I first brought it up in the group chat with HayulNyang and Rua.

Those two agreed instantly.

Hoseung and Kang Chan also coolly accepted, and a new group chat was created.

Later, I found out that all of them had been on the same team with each other at least once.

‘Well, they’re all close to debut anyway. It’d be good if they got along beforehand.’

It was only possible because none of them had difficult personalities.

[Me: Okay. I’ll be there by 7.]

The moment I replied, countless stickers flooded the chat.

“Why does everyone reply so fast?”

[Hoseung: Siwoo hyung, could you bring melon-flavored ice cream when you come?]

[HayulNyang: I want Heartping bread!]

“These brats.”

‘Just because I bought things for them a few times, they’re starting to think it’s normal.’

But what could I do?

They’re teenagers in the middle of growing.

This was exactly the age when they needed to eat whatever food they wanted.

[ㅇㅇ (Okay)]

“Since I need to stop by the hospital, I should wash up and get ready now.”

 

☆☆☆

 

After visiting the intensive care unit and finishing my visit, I headed to Rua’s house.

Fortunately, my younger sibling was doing fine without any major problems.

‘Come to think of it, even the medical staff recognized me.’

Because of the immense popularity of Star Picking 5, I had covered my face with a cap and mask, yet every time I visited the ICU, I could feel countless eyes on me.

‘I wish nobody recognized me at the hospital.’

What family would willingly hand their sibling over as prey to the public?

I could only hope nobody noticed.

Suppressing the uneasy feeling, I finally stopped in front of Rua’s house.

“Wow. No matter how many times I come here, I can’t get used to this place.”

As soon as I pressed the doorbell, a familiar voice came through.

[Hey. Siwoo dongsaeng?]

“Yeah. Please open the door.”

[Okay.]

Click.

A small sound signaled the lock disengaging, and the door opened smoothly.

After passing through the well-maintained garden, I finally reached the front door.

Before my hand could even touch the doorknob, the door swung open dramatically.

“Siwoo dongsaeng! Welcome!”

‘You startled me!’

“Rua hyung, thanks for inviting me.”

“Sure. Come in quickly! Everyone’s already here.”

“Okay.”

Wondering if I’d arrived late, I pulled out my phone.

The screen displayed exactly 6:55 PM.

‘Everyone’s diligent.’

Following behind Rua, I entered the house, and all the guys gathered in the living room turned their heads at once.

“Siwoo hyung, you’re here?”

“You came?”

“Yeah.”

The dining table was filled with the rich smell of fried oil.

The aroma of freshly fried chicken tickled my nose, and my stomach immediately growled.

“Siwoo hyung, are you hungry?”

“Hmm… a little?”

“Since everyone’s here, should we eat right away?”

“Sure.”

“Yes.”

Contrary to their appearances, they all had gentle personalities.

As a result, the chicken party unfolded in a surprisingly warm and friendly atmosphere.

“Wait! Let’s take a group selfie!”

“Right! How about uploading it before Episode 10 starts?”

“Sounds good! Let’s do it!”

Naturally, Rua handed me his phone.

“As expected, Siwoo should take the photo. Make us look good!”

“Okay.”

‘This is that phone, isn’t it?’

The phone that had made me the center and was constantly advertised on Star Picking 5 landed in my hands.

“I’ll take the selfie now. Since there are five of us, let’s use a 2:1:2 composition.”

“2:1:2?”

‘Ah. They’re still trainees, so maybe they don’t know.’

“Yeah. If I’m holding the camera in the center, two people stand on each side with slight front-and-back height differences so the faces don’t overlap.”

“Wow… how do you even know stuff like that?”

“Just… picked it up somehow. Let’s try moving into position first.”

“Okay.”

The moment I confirmed that all five faces fit evenly and neatly within the frame, I pressed the shutter.

Click. Click.

“Good. Now let’s try another pose!”

While fumbling around, Rua suddenly picked up a chicken drumstick and shoved it into my mouth.

The crispy, savory flavor instantly filled my mouth.

“What the—?!”

“Siwoo dongsaeng, the chicken’s getting cold! Hurry and take the picture!”

‘Cold chicken is unacceptable.’

“…Okay.”

Click. Click.

The photo of all five of us staring at the camera with drumsticks in our mouths turned out hilarious.

“Pwahahaha!”

“The drumstick picture is so funny!”

The guys seemed to like it too, laughing so hard they were clutching their stomachs.

“Pffft. I’ll upload it to the group chat.”

“Wait. Give me the phone again.”

“Hm?”

I took the phone back from the confused Rua.

“We should edit it before posting. It’ll only take a moment.”

It was unfortunate that I couldn’t use professional editing software on a computer, but there was nothing I could do.

After making a few simple adjustments on the phone, the photos looked noticeably better.

‘These guys already have great faces. There’s barely anything to edit.’

“Here.”

“Wow! Siwoo dongsaeng, you’re good at editing too?”

“I’m just doing the basics.”

‘If I had real software, I could do much better.’

“You’re pretty strict when it comes to photos. Guys, I’m posting them in the group chat, so check them out.”

“Okay!”

Bzzz. Bzzz.

The photos showed five guys smiling brightly together, and another where all of us were biting into chicken drumsticks.

The atmosphere looked warm and cheerful.

“We came out really well.”

“Yeah. I love these pictures.”

Fortunately, everyone seemed satisfied.

“Can I upload these to Byulstagram?”

“Of course.”

“Hoseung, while you’re posting, tag all of us too.”

“Yes!”

‘This is a good chance to learn how Byulstagram posts work.’

Since it was an opportunity to glimpse the secrets of someone with ten million followers, I moved closer to Hoseung and watched his phone intently.

[Had a chicken party with the hyungs before watching Episode 10 of Star Picking 5! #PleaseSupportUs #StarPicking5 #WatchLive]

‘It’s simpler than I expected.’

“Hoseung.”

“Yes?”

Hoseung looked up from his phone after posting.

“Byulstagram. How do you use it?”

“Ah. Siwoo Hyung, you only started recently, right?”

“Yeah. I’ve never used social media in my life, so I have no idea what I’m doing.”

“First, it’s important to upload photos that fans will like. Since you’re already good at taking photos, that’s not a problem.”

“That’s a relief.”

I often thought about it.

I never imagined that being a paparazzi would help so much in preparing to become an idol.

“Yeah. Also, don’t make your captions too long. Keep them short and simple, and include words fans will enjoy.”

“Hmmm.”

‘Looks like I’ll need to study this a bit.’

“And finally, consistency is important. Fans like it when you post often.”

“Does often mean every day?”

“Every day would be ideal, but that’s hard to maintain. Just post whenever you’re thinking about your fans.”

“Thanks.”

“It’s nothing. You’ve helped me so much already. If you ever have questions about social media, feel free to ask. I’ll tell you whatever I know!”

“Okay.”

‘Such a good kid.’

Feeling grateful, I took the melon-flavored ice cream from the freezer and personally stuffed it into Hoseung’s mouth.

“Episode 10 is starting!”

“Hurry up and come over!”

“Hurry up!”

The guys who had filled their stomachs were already sitting on the couch, waving me over.

“Coming!”

As I approached the sofa, the TV showed TX Channel just as the commercials ended.

‘Perfect timing.’

The familiar opening music played, and the screen switched to a drone shot of the Flea Market venue.

“How much screen time do you think we got?”

“Who knows? Hopefully a lot.”

Half worried and half excited, we watched as the scene changed.

“Oh? It’s Siwoo hyung.”

The first thing shown was a close-up of me standing at a booth decorated with Heartping characters.

[Princesses, how many breads would you like?]

[Two!]

Suddenly, a heavy bass and eerie beat were layered over the scene, creating a sinister atmosphere.

[Trainee Cha Siwoo accepts the hard-earned allowance money of innocent children!]

‘…What?’

“Wasn’t the atmosphere completely different?”

“Yeah. It was super wholesome.”

‘I was literally selling the bread at a loss because the kids were cute…’

Yet in the edited broadcast, I looked like a shameless scoundrel extorting money from innocent children.