The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 69

Chapter 69

 

“…I’ll withdraw.”

As Park Sugyeok backed out after reading the room, Rua, apparently finding the situation amusing, smiled and added,

“Me too.”

Once again, everyone’s gaze turned toward me.

“What about you, Siwoo?”

“I want to be the center. To be honest, I’m confident.”

“Ha, ha!”

“Then our team has three center candidates.”

Normally, I would have recommended Kim Sunyoo as center.

‘If you look at it rationally, Kim Sunyoo, whose stats are practically a perfect hexagon, would be the ideal center for the overall team.’

But if you stood in the center during the final stage, you would inevitably receive more votes.

Since this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, I intended to claim the center position no matter what… for both my debut and the quest.

“So how should we decide the center?”

“How about we each perform the center part and vote afterward?”

In other words, let skill decide.

The team quickly nodded at the most reasonable suggestion.

“Sounds good.”

“Then let’s do it one by one in twenty minutes.”

“Yes.”

We were given a short amount of time to memorize the highlight choreography and lyrics.

Twenty minutes wasn’t much, but fortunately, I already knew the highlight section of this song.

‘Who would’ve thought my paparazzi days would help again?’

A long time ago, I’d received an assignment involving one of Hera’s members.

‘Because of that, I ended up watching this performance countless times.’

I had followed the group Hera around for almost an entire month to gather evidence photos.

Coincidentally, it had been shortly after ‘Red Shadow’ was released, so I had been forced to watch numerous performances of it.

“Wow. Twenty minutes already passed.”

“Then, shall we officially decide the center?”

“Yes.”

While everyone hesitated over who should go first, Kim Sunyoo was the one who moved first.

“Can I go first?”

He stood up confidently.

“Of course.”

“Good! Sunyoo looks cool!”

“Haha. I’ll start right away.”

In the tense atmosphere, the instrumental intro of ‘Red Shadow’ began playing from a phone speaker.

The highlight section was especially addictive, combining powerful vocals with intense choreography.

 

— 

Red shadow, the fire burning inside me

Touch me closer, an unstoppable fate

— 

 

‘As expected, the experienced one is good.’

Since it was originally a girl-group song, he had lowered the key, but his voice sounded so natural that it felt like the song had belonged to him from the start.

 

— 

In your wavering gaze, I place a kiss

I’ll seep into your heart

— 

 

His dancing was smooth from beginning to end, and he emphasized all the powerful moments well enough to completely capture attention.

“Amazing!”

“You’re really good.”

After sincere cheers from the team, Hong Ryuhan stepped forward for his center appeal.

‘Hmm… It’s decent, but not amazing.’

Maybe because I’d just watched Kim Sunyoo perform, Ryuhan’s version felt a little underwhelming.

“Lastly, Siwoo, your turn.”

“Yes!”

The familiar melody echoed in my ears.

 

— 

Red shadow, the fire burning inside me

Touch me closer, an unstoppable fate

— 

 

Unlike Kim Sunyoo, I sang it in the original key.

“…!”

Seeing my teammates’ eyes widen, I twisted my waist and brought my fingertips to my lips.

 

— 

In your wavering gaze, I place a kiss

I’ll seep into your heart

— 

 

I finished the highlight section while lifting only one corner of my mouth.

‘Was that okay?’

I’d watched it many times, but the only actual practice I’d gotten was during today’s short preparation period.

I’d been desperately fighting to beat Kim Sunyoo.

“Wow…!”

“Siwoo, what was that facial acting?”

“This is actually a pretty difficult choice.”

Judging by my teammates’ genuine shock, it seemed to have gone better than expected.

“We’ll proceed with the center vote immediately.”

Everyone nodded and quickly tore pieces of paper to write names on.

‘Nobody said we couldn’t vote for ourselves, so obviously I’m voting for me.’

To win, you needed a certain amount of shamelessness.

Eventually, everyone placed their folded ballots in the center of the table.

“Since all votes have been submitted, I’ll begin counting.”

“Yes!”

I picked up the crudely folded paper.

The first ballot read:

[Kim Sunyoo]

“Sunyoo hyung, one vote.”

I marked a tally beside Kim Sunyoo’s name on the whiteboard.

The second ballot was also:

[Kim Sunyoo]

‘Damn it. Is the center position gone already?’

Two out of five people had voted for Kim Sunyoo.

My chances had dropped dramatically.

I picked up the third ballot with trembling fingers.

‘…!’

“One vote for me.”

For the first time, a tally mark appeared beside Cha Siwoo.

A smile naturally formed on my lips.

Thankfully, the fourth ballot was mine too.

‘Whew…’

“It’s currently tied. Sunyoo Hyung and I both have two votes.”

Suppressing my nerves, I unfolded the final ballot.

Three rough, handwritten characters appeared on the white paper.

“The center of the Pizza Team is…”

I held up the ballot for everyone to see.

“Me!”

‘I did it!’

A surge of overwhelming exhilaration exploded inside me.

I immediately bowed ninety degrees to my teammates.

“Thank you all so much for choosing me as the center! I’ll work incredibly hard!”

“Congratulations!”

“Congrats, Siwoo!”

Rua and Kim Sunyoo looked genuinely happy for me.

‘Those two must’ve voted for me.’

Seeing Park Sugyeok and Hong Ryuhan avoiding eye contact, I became even more convinced.

‘…Why?’

“Sunyoo hyung, did you vote for me?”

“Yeah.”

Kim Sunyoo answered with his usual gentle expression.

“Why? You wanted to be the center too.”

“Because I felt like you fit the center of this performance the best.”

Kim Sunyoo really was built differently.

‘I’m telling you, he’s the real leader type.’

I’d probably gotten the best team possible this time.

“Agree. This song definitely matches Siwoo’s vibe the best.”

“Really? Thank you.”

‘Well, Kim Sunyoo naturally has a wholesome and kind image.’

His appearance was almost too innocent for a sexy dark-pop concept.

Looking at the overall atmosphere, I probably suited the center role better.

“Siwoo, since I voted for you this time, you’re forgetting that thing where you got upset because I didn’t choose you as a teammate before, right?”

Kim Sunyoo smiled gently as he tried to negotiate.

“I was never upset.”

“No. You were! I voted for you too, Siwoo. You have to erase that memory!”

“Hyungs, seriously, I was never upset!”

The two of them were talking nonsense, but somehow I didn’t mind.

 

☆☆☆

 

Fortunately, our team didn’t have any major troublemakers, so practice went surprisingly smoothly.

Park Sugyeok followed instructions without complaint.

Hong Ryuhan lacked skill compared to the others, but he worked hard.

Rua and Kim Sunyoo, being the same age, surprisingly had great chemistry.

The two of them practiced with incredible enthusiasm, practically flying around the room.

‘Good. If things continue like this, the final stage will definitely succeed.’

I was completely focused on practice, enjoying both the smooth progress and favorable environment.

But contrary to my hopes, that peaceful routine didn’t last long.

BANG!

The practice room door flew open violently, and cold air rushed inside.

The sound of staff members’ hurried footsteps poured through the doorway.

“What?”

‘Are we filming another live broadcast or something?’

But the atmosphere seemed far too serious for that.

A staff member with sweat on his forehead ran up and stopped right in front of me.

“Cha Siwoo, trainee!”

“Yes?”

Ding.

A translucent red window suddenly appeared before my eyes and began flashing rapidly.

[Warning: The third penalty for your loan interest is now being applied.]

‘…What?’

My breathing caught in my throat.

An inexplicable sense of dread wrapped around my entire body.

“Check your phone right now!”

The staff member handed me my phone.

On the screen was a familiar name.

Minhan General Hospital.

There were ten missed calls.

‘The hospital has never called me ten times before.’

My heart immediately started pounding.

‘She was fine when I visited the ICU during my vacation… wasn’t she?’

I tried to breathe in, but the air scraped painfully through my lungs.

‘Urgh…!’

My hands shook visibly as I held the phone.

Bzzzt. Bzzzt.

The phone rang again.

Minhan General Hospital filled the screen.

‘Get a grip.’

I pressed the call button.

A cold voice came through the speaker.

“Hello. Is this the phone of Cha Sihyeon’s guardian?”

“Yes. It is.”

“Why haven’t you been answering your phone?!”

“I’m sorry. We have to surrender our phones during filming, so I only just saw it.”

A deep sigh came from the other end.

“You need to come to the hospital immediately.”

“Did… something happen to Sihyeon?”

My voice trembled without my realizing it.

“Ha… We’ve done everything we can to contain the situation, but I honestly don’t know how to explain this over the phone. Please come to the hospital first, and we’ll explain everything.”

“Yes. Understood. I’ll leave right away.”

“Alright. Come directly to the ICU when you arrive.”

The call ended.

Then the staff member held out a tablet.

‘I’m in a hurry. Why?’

“I need to get to the hospital immediately.”

“I know. But look at this before you go.”

“…?”

“We tried to stop it, but it’s already spread all over the internet. We couldn’t contain it.”

‘What?’

With trembling hands, I took the tablet.

There was an article on the screen.

The main photo showed Cha Sihyeon lying in an ICU bed.

And beside her was I, holding her hand.

“…!”

If you zoomed in even slightly, the hospital’s identity was obvious from the text visible on the patient’s gown and blanket.

‘…Fuck.’

The worst possible scenario… the one I’d desperately hoped would never happen… had become reality.

‘Is this karma finally catching up with me?’

I’d thought I had at least maintained certain lines during my paparazzi days.

But getting struck by the very weapon I’d once used to make money felt, quite frankly, like complete shit.

[(Exclusive!) The only survivor of a horrific family tragedy was the older brother…! An older brother who became the head of the family while caring for his comatose younger sister participates in TX Net’s idol audition program.]

‘They really crafted that title specifically for maximum clickbait.’

The reporter’s intention to inflate views with sensational material made me feel sick.

And inside the article… my story was laid out in detail.