The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 70

Chapter 70

 

The article read:

 

[Recently, an idol survival audition program on a cable channel has been gaining enormous popularity.

Among the contestants, the tragic story of participant Cha Siwoo (18) has particularly drawn attention.

Cha Siwoo lost his parents in the DD Apartment fire incident.

His younger sibling, who failed to escape that day, survived but has remained unconscious in a vegetative state to this day.

From that day onward, Cha Siwoo’s entire life changed.

Though he was still very young, he became the head of the household, taking responsibility for his bedridden sibling and the life left behind.

After school, he would head straight to part-time jobs. The days of working until dawn and then going back and forth between the hospital and school repeated endlessly.

The sole survivor of the DD Apartment fire tragedy and a contestant on the TX Net idol audition program.

Many are looking forward to seeing how his challenge will end and whether he will be able to achieve his dream of becoming an idol.]

 

Seeing the article laid out in far greater detail than I had expected left me genuinely flustered.

‘How does this reporter know all of this?’

I had never gone around telling people the details of my circumstances.

What was more, even the reporter’s name was one I had never seen before.

‘Wait… could this article have been created because of the penalty?’

A headache surged through me as thoughts crashed together.

I ran a hand roughly through my bangs, but the suffocating feeling wouldn’t go away.

If the purpose was to shake my mental state, then honestly, it had worked perfectly.

‘This feels absolutely fucking awful.’

My mind crackled as though the circuits inside it had overheated.

Fragments of the past that I had buried deep within myself burst forth all at once and began tearing through my thoughts.

 

“So in the end, you’re the only one who survived?”

“If only @#ㅁ$# hadn’t happened… maybe everyone could have lived.”

“It’s your fault! Your family ended up like that because of you!”

“Siwoo, your uncle’s having a hard time financially. Do you happen to still have the insurance payout from your parents’ deaths?”

“Tsk. He’s just a kid. What’s this nonsense about taking responsibility for his younger sibling?”

“I heard the son from that family is an orphan now.”

 

They were memories I never wanted to remember.

‘Ha… fuck.’

Cold sweat began running down my body, and an even stronger headache made my mind grow hazy.

It felt as though I couldn’t breathe.

My palms were soaked with sweat.

“Cha Siwoo trainee!!! Cha Siwoo trainee, are you okay?”

The worried voice of a staff member snapped me back to reality.

‘Get a grip. This isn’t the time for this.’

Even spending time like this was a luxury.

“…Yes. I’m sorry, but I need to go to the hospital right now.”

“Right. We figured that might happen, so we already had a car waiting. We’ll take you to the hospital.”

Given the situation, even the staff moved quickly this time.

“Thank you.”

I could see the worried expressions of my teammates as I followed the staff out, but now wasn’t the time to pay attention to that.

 

☆☆☆ 

 

There was a reason the production staff had prepared a car so quickly.

When I arrived at the hospital, reporters had already crowded the main entrance.

‘Ha… they even came to the hospital.’

Pulling my cap lower and wearing a mask, I immediately changed routes.

Only by entering through the quiet rear entrance was I able to slip inside unnoticed.

The moment I stepped into the hospital lobby, the atmosphere changed.

A faint smell of disinfectant mixed with the cold, sterile air brushes against my skin.

Under the high, open ceiling, the white marble floor reflected the lights with a smooth shine.

People passed through the lobby with all kinds of expressions.

Among them were several who looked like reporters, though they were keeping a low profile under the watchful eyes of the security staff.

‘The reporters have already infiltrated the hospital.’

I lowered the brim of my cap even further.

Avoiding people’s gazes as much as possible, I headed for the emergency stairwell.

The fifth floor, where the intensive care unit was located, required a guardian pass to enter, so thankfully, there were no reporters in sight.

‘At least that’s a relief.’

Forcing my racing heart to calm down, I finally stopped in front of the ICU I knew so well.

Since it wasn’t visiting hours, I pressed the call button beside the ICU doors.

After several rings, a voice came through the intercom.

[Yes, this is the ICU. How may I help you?]

“Hello. I’m the guardian of patient Cha Sihyeon. We spoke earlier.”

[Please wait a moment.]

By the time I had washed my hands and put on the disposable sanitary equipment required for infection prevention, the ICU doors opened.

Standing there was the nurse who usually looked after Sihyeon.

After glancing around, she lowered her voice.

“Guardian, would you come inside first?”

“Yes.”

As I followed her in, the familiar cold air of the ICU and the smell of alcohol filled my nose.

 

Passing through the space crowded with constant machine sounds, I opened the curtain marked with the number I knew so well.

Sihyeon was there.

Seeing my younger sibling lying there as always, completely motionless, with a peaceful expression on her face, made my heart ache.

“First of all, there’s no major problem with your sibling.”

‘Thank God.’

“Whew… thank you.”

“But…”

The nurse trailed off.

Her lips trembled slightly, and her gaze shifted uneasily.

Every time she seemed about to speak, she would shut her mouth the moment our eyes met.

“It’s okay. Please tell me.”

“…I’m sorry to say this, but you’ll need to transfer hospitals immediately.”

“…What?”

‘Do you know how hard it was to get her admitted here?’

The truth was that I had chosen Minhan General Hospital because it was the only place willing to accept Sihyeon after she entered a vegetative state.

There simply weren’t many hospitals willing to accept critically ill patients on ventilators.

Most hospitals were reluctant because patients like her were high-risk and had little chance of improvement.

After being rejected by countless hospitals and pleading endlessly, Minhan General Hospital had been the only one willing to take her.

“Today, reporters and your fans came to the hospital again.”

“…What did you just say?”

A sharp shock struck me like a blow to the head, followed immediately by another headache.

“Actually, this wasn’t the first time. At first, we managed to chase them away, but more and more people kept coming, and it became impossible to control.”

‘Then how many times have they come already?’

‘When did the information leak?’

‘I wanted to become an idol for my siblings’ sake, and now that’s what’s holding me back?’

Countless thoughts swirled through my mind at once.

Reporters were one thing.

But honestly, I had never expected fans to come all the way to the hospital.

“Ha…”

Another wave of pain crashed through my head, making me dizzy.

“When people keep showing up like this, it inevitably affects the other patients, too. We’ve been receiving an enormous number of complaints.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“So for the sake of the other patients, you’ll need to transfer hospitals immediately.”

I had nothing to say.

The fact that I had unintentionally caused trouble for others weighed heavily on me.

‘But if we leave here, is there even another hospital that will take him?’

I hated myself for thinking it, but reality was merciless.

‘What happens if there’s no hospital willing to accept Sihyeon anymore?’

“…”

The flood of worries made it feel as though my heart was being shattered into pieces.

For some reason, things involving my sibling were always like this.

I forced myself to take a deep breath and maintain my composure.

“…There’s no hospital I can move her to right now. This was the only place willing to take her in the first place. I’m sorry, but could you please give me a little time?”

“I didn’t want to bring this up either. I’m sorry. But the hospital keeps telling us to discharge Cha Sihyeon.”

I bowed as deeply and politely as I could.

“Please… just once.”

My voice cracked as it escaped my throat.

The helplessness washing over me made me feel unbearably small.

I was angry at the reality that all I could do in a situation like this was bow my head.

A sharp pain spread through my chest, but it didn’t matter.

The fear of failing to protect my family swallowed everything else.

“Please give me a little time… Sihyeon is my entire life.”

Even if it looked pathetic and shameless, I had no choice.

Right now, pride and dignity meant nothing.

‘There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my little brother.’

“Whew…”

After a long sigh, the nurse reluctantly nodded.

“Honestly, I don’t want to do this either. But these orders came from above, so I don’t have a choice. I’ll ask for more time, but you’ll need to find a solution as quickly as possible.”

“Yes. Thank you!”

‘At least that’s one burden eased.’

“I’m sorry, guardian. That’s all I can do.”

“No. Thank you for taking such good care of Sihyeon all this time.”

“…Alright. Since you’re here, spend a little more time with him before you go.”

After the nurse left, only the two of us remained inside the curtained space.

Seeing my sibling lying there expressionless, breathing shallowly, the tears I had been holding back finally slipped free.

‘Fuck. Was my dream too big all along?’

I wasn’t asking to become rich.

I wasn’t asking for the world.

I didn’t want fame.

I didn’t want great success or glory.

‘I just wanted to live together with my little sister.’

Simple moments that were ordinary for other siblings… sharing instant noodles on the weekend and talking together… were what I missed more than anything.

What was normal for others had become an unreachable dream for me.

“Sihyeon.”

“…”

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Only the harsh, repetitive sound of the machines answered me.

“I’ll find a way somehow. Don’t worry, okay?”

“…”

“Trust your brother, you brat. I’ll come back again, so stay healthy until then.”

Forcing a smile onto my face, I tore my feet away.

‘I don’t have much time left.’

 

☆☆☆ 

 

The only way to find a new hospital was to keep running around in person.

Even the transfer centers connected through the hospitals couldn’t find anywhere willing to admit him.

“I’m sorry, but our hospital can’t accept a patient that critical.”

“We don’t have the equipment needed to manage a ventilator patient. Sorry.”

“This isn’t a patient we can take. Could you try another hospital?”

Every hospital I visited turned me away.

‘Is this the last one?’

After a long wait, the indifferent doctor finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, guardian, but there are no ICU beds available.”

In reality, saying there were no beds was just another form of rejection.

“Then… could you at least put us on a waiting list?”

I felt desperate enough to grab at any straw.

“There are twenty people already waiting ahead of you. Reservations are full. I’m sorry.”

Apparently, even ICU beds now had waiting lists.

“…I see.”

When I stepped outside, the sky had already turned as black as my mood.

Whenever I felt this kind of overwhelming helplessness, memories of my parents would always surface.

‘Ha… now isn’t the time. Just keep moving.’

Even allowing myself time to process my emotions was a luxury.

Looking at my phone filled with missed calls, I had no choice but to return to the filming site.

 

***

 

“Siwoo, are you okay?”

The moment I stepped out of the production vehicle, a familiar figure hurried toward me.

“Yes. Sorry for leaving in the middle of practice.”

“It’s okay. Actually…”

Kim Sunyoo hesitated.

The worry on his face was obvious.

“I saw the article.”

‘Then everyone knows.’

“Were you able to solve the problem?”