The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 71

Chapter 71

 

I shook my head from side to side as a headache washed over me.

“No. I need to find a solution now.”

“Can you tell me exactly what’s happening to you right now? Explain everything in detail?”

‘Would explaining it even solve anything?’

I wasn’t particularly eager to tell someone else about my situation.

“Um…”

Come to think of it, my family circumstances had already been exposed to the world because of that article. There wasn’t really anything left to hide.

And Kim Sunyoo was my teammate. More importantly, he was a genuinely decent person, so I figured it was okay to tell him.

“First of all, everything in the article is true. I don’t know where the information leaked from, but it’s all true.”

“…”

“My parents died in a fire, and I’m taking care of my younger sibling. But I never thought becoming an idol would end up causing trouble for my sibling.”

“What do you mean?”

Seeing the serious expression on Sunyoo’s face, I continued speaking.

“Reporters and fans have apparently been showing up at the hospital.”

“…!”

“When I went to the ICU today, they told me complaints kept coming in, and they wanted us transferred to another hospital.”

“…What?”

“I understand the hospital’s position. I understand the patients’ side too. We shouldn’t be causing trouble for other people, and it could be dangerous. …Moving is probably the right thing to do.”

“…”

“The problem is that there isn’t anywhere to move. I spent the entire day looking around, and there isn’t a single hospital that can take my sibling right now.”

As I spoke honestly, I felt both miserable and irritated.

‘I didn’t do anything wrong. I didn’t commit a crime!’

The reality that someone could be denied a place to stay simply because they were sick was cruel.

Kim Sunyoo furrowed his brows deeply before stepping closer and placing a hand on my shoulder.

“…?”

A warm touch settled gently on my shoulder.

Comfort before words.

“Siwoo, you’ve worked hard all this time.”

“No. They’re family. I was only doing what I should.”

“No, that’s not something ordinary. It’s amazing. There aren’t actually that many families in the world that would do that.”

Sunyoo’s face looked even more conflicted than before.

“But, Siwoo.”

“Yes?”

“Why is there no hospital that will take them?”

‘Is he… making fun of me right now?’

Heat surged up from deep inside my chest.

“I told you there aren’t any! I went to multiple hospitals before coming here, and every single one rejected us!”

My emotions burst out before I realized it, and my voice rose.

‘Damn.’

It wasn’t Kim Sunyoo’s fault at all, but I’d gotten too emotional.

“…Sorry. I wasn’t angry at you.”

“I know. And honestly, I should’ve stepped in sooner. That’s my fault.”

“…Huh?”

While patting my shoulder, Sunyoo gave me that familiar, gentle smile.

“Siwoo. We have a hospital, don’t we?”

“…!”

“You know, the hospital you were admitted to before.”

‘That’s right! Why didn’t I think of Kim Sunyoo?’

Everything had happened so suddenly that I hadn’t even considered it.

‘They really weren’t kidding when they said it’s darkest under the lamp. My mental state was completely falling apart.’

“But… is that really okay?”

It was a tempting offer, but after getting rejected so many times, I couldn’t help feeling cautious.

“Of course. If you’re okay with it, would you like to admit your sibling to our hospital?”

“Why…?”

My voice trembled without me meaning to.

“Hm?”

“Why are you… being so nice to me?”

There was no such thing as kindness without a reason.

Anyone who had spent time in society knew that.

‘Nothing in this world is free.’

“Siwoo, do you remember something I told you before?”

“What?”

“When I said we should debut together. I meant it. I really want to debut with you.”

“…!”

“If we debut together, we’ll be on the same team. We’ll become family. And if that happens, wouldn’t your sibling basically be my sibling too?”

My heart trembled painfully.

“I’ll solve this problem for you. So… don’t be so anxious.”

The warmth radiating from him was gentle and comforting.

Even though Kim Sunyoo was actually younger than me, for some reason, he felt like someone I could rely on.

“You’ve worked hard. Once your sibling’s situation is resolved, let’s focus entirely on the final stage starting tomorrow.”

A strange emotion I’d never felt before swelled inside me, and my throat tightened so much that I couldn’t speak.

Sunyoo stepped closer and carefully hugged me.

“…!”

An indescribable mixture of comfort and warmth seeped into me.

‘It’s been so long since I’ve felt warmth like this.’

Up until now, handling everything alone had simply been normal.

The steady hand patting my back seemed to melt away all the tension and anxiety that had built up inside me.

“Sunyoo… thank you. I’ll never forget this.”

My voice shook without my permission.

“Um… Siwoo? Sorry to ruin the moment, but no matter what, you should still call me hyung.”

‘Oh, right.’

“Sunyoo hyung… thank you. Seriously.”

Kim Sunyoo simply smiled gently and continued patting my back.

 

☆☆☆

 

The next morning, my sibling’s issue was resolved almost immediately.

Thanks to Kim Sunyoo’s help, my sibling was transferred to a major hospital.

As expected, a large hospital was completely different.

The ICU was immaculate and filled with state-of-the-art equipment.

‘Wow… this is my first time seeing a VIP ICU room.’

Under bright white lights, cutting-edge machines blinked softly while monitoring my sibling’s condition.

The walls were a clean ivory color, the floors gleamed with polish, and sunlight filtered gently through a large window.

‘Even the air feels different here.’

“Just in case you’re worried, don’t be. Our hospital has a lot of VIP patients, so we have far more security personnel than most hospitals.”

“Yes!”

Just as Sunyoo said, reaching Cha Sihyeon’s ICU required swiping access cards three separate times.

Ordinary people couldn’t get in easily, and security guards were stationed on every floor.

“Especially for your sibling, I specifically asked them to pay extra attention. So you really don’t have to worry.”

“Sunyoo hyung, thank you so much!”

I immediately bowed ninety degrees.

Only after Sunyoo awkwardly stopped me several times did I finally straighten up.

‘What a good guy.’

Kim Sunyoo was now officially the second most important person in my life.

“By the way, your sibling looks exactly like you. Siwoo, if it’s okay, can I say hello?”

“Of course.”

Sunyoo approached Cha Sihyeon, who continued breathing through the ventilator.

“Sihyeon, hello.”

“…”

That familiar, gentle, pure smile spread across Sunyoo’s face.

“I’m Sunyoo. I’m on the same team as your brother. We’ll probably debut together and stay teammates for a long time.”

His voice was completely sincere.

“If you’re Siwoo’s sibling, then you’re basically my sibling too. Hyung will come to visit often from now on.”

“…”

“Sihyeon, I know things are difficult, but we’ll always be cheering for you. So stay strong.”

Watching Sunyoo treat Sihyeon so warmly made me smile unconsciously.

I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d heard someone cheer for Sihyeon.

‘Kim Sunyoo seriously passes the personality test with flying colors.’

The warmth I felt for the first time in years seemed to wash away all the stress and headaches I’d been carrying.

‘No matter what happens, I can’t forget this kindness.’

At this point, I might as well carry Kim Sunyoo around on my back for the rest of my life.

 

☆☆☆

 

When I finally checked public opinion, the situation had completely flipped overnight.

‘…What?’

The article had apparently acted as a catalyst, because the internet was in complete chaos.

‘I knew pity could become content, but to this extent?’

‘Star Picking 5’ had become one of the hottest shows of the year.

Because of that, public interest in me had reached absurd levels.

‘Even so, this feels excessive.’

Viewers had completely latched onto the image of me as someone society needed to protect.

 

> Is the article about Cha Siwoo real?

– Yeah.

– Former classmates verified it, and there are witness accounts from people who worked part-time with him.

ㄴ Seems legit.

 

> What do we do? Poor Siwoo.

– He was the head of the household as a kid…? He must’ve suffered so much. ㅠㅠ

ㄴ I actually cried reading that article. ㅠㅠ

ㄴ Wow, after the article came out, all the rumors and hate comments disappeared.

ㄴ Were people really attacking a kid like this?

ㄴ The only thing we can do for Siwoo now is vote for him. ㅠㅠ

 

> It’s nice to see a young man working so hard.

ㄴ What an impressive young man!

ㄴ He’s young enough to be my son. Amazing. ^^

ㄴ I should vote for such a hardworking kid.

 

> How did the reporter even get that photo?

– Aren’t ICU visits restricted to guardians?

ㄴ Exactly. That’s kind of creepy.

– Apparently, reporters and obsessive fans have taken over that hospital.

ㄴ Yeah. I heard Cha Siwoo’s sibling got forced out.

ㄴ Holy crap. That’s awful.

ㄴ That’s seriously crossing the line.

ㄴ So where did the sibling go?

ㄴ No idea.

 

> Am I the only one suspicious about the timing of this article?

– Maybe he wanted to debut so badly that he was willing to use his family. ㅠㅠ

– Same.

ㄴ Fishing for sympathy votes.

ㄴ Debut standards are crazy these days. Do you need a tragic family history just to debut?

 

> The article is way too detailed. Didn’t he basically reveal everything himself?

– Yeah. The timing right before the debut group selection seems intentional.

ㄴ Aren’t these comments way too harsh?

ㄴ What’s wrong with you people?

ㄴ Now you’re attacking someone just for working hard?

 

Of course, there were hate comments too.

But so many more people were defending me that the negative comments got buried almost instantly.

‘But honestly, from an outsider’s perspective, couldn’t it really look like I was using my tragic backstory?’

The situation wasn’t intentional, so it felt awkward.

Still, seeing fans defend me was reassuring.

‘…I’m grateful.’

As I scrolled rapidly through countless posts, my finger stopped on one from someone claiming to be a former classmate.

‘Who is this?’

 

> I’m Cha Siwoo’s high school classmate, and his nickname was Hong Gildong.

After school, he’d be working at a convenience store.

At night, he’d be serving tables at a restaurant.

Then someone would say they saw him at a construction site.

That’s why everyone called him Hong Gildong.

Normally, after school, people either go to cram school or hang out.

But Cha Siwoo was always working.

I wondered why, but I had no idea things were this serious.

Anyway, I don’t think there’s a part-time job he hasn’t done.

We weren’t particularly close, but seeing him on TV was interesting, so I thought I’d post this.

And for the record, all those rumors about him being a delinquent or secretly rich are basically fake.

You can tell if you look at the verified classmate posts.

Seriously, don’t attack a guy who’s working this hard.

That’s all.

 

‘Which classmate was this?’

As far as I remembered, I hadn’t been close with anyone during school.

‘I don’t know who it is, but thanks for speaking up for me.’

Unlike before, most of the new posts were surprisingly supportive.

Anyone who tried to attack me immediately got torn apart in the comments.

‘In a way, did things actually work out for the better?’

I never wanted my family situation exposed.

But now that it had already happened, there was nothing I could do.

Whether people saw me as pitiful or accused me of selling my story didn’t matter.

If it earned me even one more vote, that was enough.

Pride didn’t put food on the table.

And there was only one thing that truly mattered to me.

 

☆☆☆

 

The moment Kim Sunyoo and I opened the practice room door, the eyes of three trainees immediately turned toward us.

“Hey… Siwoo!”

“Are you okay?”

“…Are you alright?”

Judging by the way they were cautiously watching me, it seemed everyone had already seen the article.