The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 68

Chapter 68

 

“Next, I’ll explain the most important part of the final stage: choosing your teammates.”

‘Please let me end up on a team with people who are actually good.’

Since the rewards for this quest would vary depending on ranking, there was no way I wouldn’t be greedy.

‘I need to get the highest ranking possible and secure the best reward. That’ll make my future idol career a lot smoother.’

Of course, I knew that sounded greedy.

Just the fact that I was about to debut as an idol was already an absurd situation.

“The teams will be decided by…”

‘Even so, since this is the final round, surely the production staff will make sure there won’t be any complaints about how the teams are formed.’

“…the first food each of you ate!”

‘They’re deciding something this important that casually?’

“There’s no compatibility more important than food compatibility in this world! You’ll be grouped with teammates who match you very well.”

‘What kind of nonsense is that?’

“Everyone remembers the first food they chose and ate, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then please move to the food you ate first.”

I stopped in front of the pizza station, and several familiar faces approached.

“It’s amazing. The teams were divided perfectly into four groups of five. We look forward to seeing the final stages prepared by teammates who share the same food preferences!”

With the closing music playing, Yoo Haein left with a bright smile.

‘They really decided the teams like this?’

When I looked around in disbelief, the others looked just as bewildered.

“Trainees! Please move to your meeting rooms with your new teammates. We’ll continue filming there!”

The staff member’s urgent voice snapped me back to reality.

 

☆☆☆

 

Filming began in a conference room surrounded by cameras mounted densely along every wall.

“First, should we decide on our team leader?”

At the familiar voice, I looked up and saw Kim Sunyoo wearing his usual gentle smile.

“Sounds good!”

‘This is a new team combination.’

I had ended up on a team with both Rua and Kim Sunyoo… the same Rua and Kim Sunyoo who hadn’t picked me during the last competition.

The remaining two members were Park Sugyeok and Hong Ryuhan.

“Alright, who wants to be team leader?”

“Me!”

“Me!”

“I do too.”

‘Everyone’s enthusiastic.’

Well, considering it was the final stage, getting even a little more screen time would be advantageous.

Not just our team… every team was likely going to be fiercely competitive.

“But Siwoo, why aren’t you volunteering?”

Kim Sunyoo smiled warmly as he spoke, causing everyone’s attention to shift toward me at once.

While everyone else had raised their hands, I was the only one sitting quietly.

‘I absolutely hate being a leader.’

Just remembering all the humiliation I’d suffered while leading teams made my mouth taste bitter.

‘Still, I need to stay proactive until the very end.’

If a passive attitude were broadcast, it would only reinforce the negative image surrounding me.

‘A trainee who doesn’t look desperate enough is basically disqualified from becoming an idol.’

“I’d like to apply for a leader too!”

“Then everyone’s applying.”

“In that case, we don’t have much choice.”

Since everyone wanted the position, we searched for the fairest method and eventually settled on rock-paper-scissors.

There was a reason we chose something so simple.

We couldn’t afford to waste too much time deciding on a leader.

“The final Pizza Team leader is…”

‘No way.’

“…Cha Siwoo!”

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

“Woooo!”

‘Who knew I’d be talented at rock-paper-scissors?’

Since it had been a hard-fought battle, nobody objected when I became leader.

‘Honestly, someone could’ve protested.’

I’d secretly hoped Kim Sunyoo would take the role, but when our eyes met, he simply smiled peacefully.

‘Nothing I can do about it.’

“Thank you. As Pizza Team’s leader, I’ll do my best!”

“Yeah!”

“Nice~”

I stood up and walked to the whiteboard in the center of the room.

“Let’s officially begin the Pizza Team meeting.”

Since the final stage theme was complete freedom, there were a lot of things we’d have to decide for ourselves from start to finish.

‘At least we’ve got a cheat code on our team.’

With so much freedom, having Rua, a guy with overwhelming arranging talent, was incredibly reassuring.

“First, let’s decide on the most important thing: our concept.”

Many factors mattered in an idol audition competition.

Among them, the most important were the song and the concept.

‘Once those are locked in, everything else becomes easier.’

Since we had countless song options, I figured it made more sense to decide the concept first.

“If anyone has good ideas, please feel free to share them.”

This was a critical moment… the foundation of the team itself.

“It has a strong impact!”

“Rua hyung, what kind of impact?”

“Hmm… just… strong impact!!!”

‘That’s so Rua.’

“Understood.”

I wrote Rua’s opinion on the whiteboard first.

“Um…”

Park Sugyeok cautiously raised his hand.

“…?”

The moment our eyes met, he hurriedly looked away.

‘Anyone watching would think I’d been bullying him.’

“…Since it’s the final round, how about something flashy?”

“Flashy sounds good.”

“Phew…”

Watching him sigh in relief, I wrote ‘Flashiness’ on the whiteboard.

As opinions continued to fly around, Kim Sunyoo, who had been thinking seriously, slowly raised his hand.

“I kind of want us to do something that shocks people.”

“What do you mean?”

“I want us to put on a performance nobody expects and leave a lasting impression.”

“That would definitely be impactful.”

As the discussion continued, the direction everyone wanted became clearer.

‘Time to organize the concept.’

Enough time had passed that I needed to make a decision.

“How about combining dark pop and sexy?”

“…!”

Sexy and charismatic.

In short, I was suggesting we use two of the most popular winning concepts at once.

“Both…?”

“Yes. Since it’s the final stage, I want to show the National Directors what they’d enjoy the most.”

To get what I wanted, I had to understand what the customers wanted.

If I wanted to debut, all I had to do was give the fans what they wanted to see.

A concept with strong marketability that satisfied the desires of the majority would naturally have the highest chance of success.

“It’s basically a cheat-code concept. If we perform it in the finals, I think we’ll definitely earn a lot of votes.”

“Wow!”

“I like it.”

“Does everyone agree?”

The members nodded quickly.

“If everyone agrees, our team concept will be dark pop and sexy!”

Fortunately, the concept was finalized without any objections.

“Now that we have the concept, let’s choose the song.”

“How about Raiden sunbaenim’s ‘Sexy Mode’?”

‘That song is a little too much.’

Even for the final round, an overly sexy performance could end up feeling awkward.

“It’s not bad, but the song emphasizes sexiness from beginning to end. I’m not sure it suits us.”

‘How well can trainees who haven’t even debuted pull off that kind of performance?’

The song required a mature, concentrated sensuality. Fresh-faced trainees trying to perform it felt like a stretch.

Various other songs were suggested, but none of them truly clicked.

‘Isn’t there a better song?’

My thoughts became tangled.

‘A song that can shock people while delivering both sexy and dark pop…’

I kept spinning my pen, unconsciously writing and erasing the same phrase over and over.

Then…

A tiny spark flashed deep inside my mind.

“Right…! That song!”

All the chaos in my head converged into a single point, every thread of thought connecting.

“Leader, got an idea?”

Everyone’s eyes turned toward me.

“Yes. What about ‘Red Shadow’?”

“…Hera sunbaenim’s song?”

The members looked stunned.

‘Their reaction makes sense.’

‘Red Shadow’ was a hit song by a top-tier girl group.

Its sexy yet powerful choreography and difficult high notes had earned it immense popularity, and it remained beloved even now.

“The biggest advantage is the element of surprise.”

‘Because almost nobody performs a girl-group song in the finals of a male idol audition program.’

Usually, finalists chose songs by top male idols they admired.

‘A well-known song lets them showcase their strengths as male idols.’

But when everyone does the same thing, it can start to feel stale.

That’s why I wanted to flip expectations on their head.

If we opened the stage with a girl-group song and smacked the audience in the back of the head with that surprise, the shock value alone would be enormous.

“That’s… true.”

“And it lets us capture powerful dark-pop energy and sexiness at the same time. In terms of impact, nobody else would be able to compete with us.”

‘More importantly, no male idol has ever covered this song, so we won’t be compared against experienced professionals. It’s safe.’

As I continued explaining in detail, my teammates’ expressions grew increasingly conflicted.

“You’re making sense, but…”

“Can we even pull off a girl-group song?”

“Don’t worry about that. We have the best producer on our team.”

The moment my eyes met Rua’s interested gaze, he burst out laughing.

“Haha! Yes! I’m confident I can rearrange any song!”

“Well, if Rua hyung is here, then even a girl-group song won’t be a problem.”

“Honestly, I think it sounds good.”

After some contemplation, the others finally agreed.

“Then our Pizza Team song is officially Hera sunbaenim’s ‘Red Shadow’.”

“Yep!”

“Sounds good!”

Once the concept and song were decided, the rest of the meeting progressed smoothly.

As for choreography, Kim Sunyoo and Park Sugyeok agreed to create it together.

We decided to distribute parts after the arrangement was completed.

At that point, only one important issue remained.

“Lastly, let’s decide the center!”

The center position for the final stage.

The atmosphere instantly sharpened at the thought that only one person would stand in the very center of the stage.

Thump. Thump.

My heart reacted immediately.

The position in front of me felt strangely magnetic, as if it were an important key.

“…I really want to be centered this time.”

At Hong Ryuhan’s quiet but firm voice, everyone’s attention shifted to him.

“I’ve always survived at the very bottom of the rankings. I want to take the impactful center position and finally debut.”

His emotional, honest plea made several teammates visibly flinch.

‘Is there anyone here who isn’t desperate?’

Just as I was wondering how to respond…

“Me too.”

Kim Sunyoo spoke up immediately.

The calm demeanor he usually wore was gone.

For the first time, his eyes were burning.

“It’s the finals. For this stage… I want it too.”

The air in the room instantly heated up.

Nobody needed to say it.

Everyone wanted the center position.

‘This is getting interesting.’