The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol – Chapter 80

Author: Cireng

Chapter 80

[As a reward for the Main Quest, you will receive the Random Gacha Ability.]

“Gacha…?”

Whether it was survival programs or quests, this thing really seemed to love lotteries.

‘Then what exactly can come out of this random gacha?’

[I don’t know that either.]

‘What exactly do you know, then?’

[If you’re curious, try spinning the gacha yourself.]

The system no longer seemed affected at all by my remarks, as if it had become quite accustomed to me.

Tsk. It’s kind of disappointing that it doesn’t react anymore.

‘Honestly, this was a difficult Main Quest. Isn’t the explanation for the reward way too lacking?’

[Mr. Cha Siwoo, you’ll naturally get a feel for it as you use it.]

Somehow, it felt like this system bastard had gotten way too comfortable lately.

‘Then what about the reward for Sub Quest (10)?’

[The reward for Sub Quest (10) is a special coin that can be used to spin the gacha.]

‘What? You need special coins to use the gacha?’

Looking at it this way, the two rewards were basically a set.

[Since rewards are distributed according to ranking, Mr. Cha Siwoo, who finished in first place, will receive a total of six coins for the random gacha.]

‘Jackpot…! Not one, but six?’

Considering the mention of rank-based rewards, it was even better than expected.

After all, it meant I had six opportunities to spin the gacha.

‘How many does second place get?’

[Second place receives five. Third place receives four. Finally, sixth place receives one coin.]

I had no idea what would come out of the gacha, but since higher rankings granted more chances, it was certainly a satisfying reward structure.

‘Then let’s give this gacha thing a try.’

[…Right now?]

‘Yeah. You told me to spin it if I was curious.’

[As expected, Mr. Cha Siwoo is very decisive.]

I had no idea what might come out, but I needed firsthand experience to understand this new ability.

Just because I had secured a debut spot didn’t mean I could relax.

Until now, it had been a matter of surviving among one hundred idol trainees.

Now, we had become one team trying to survive among hundreds of already-proven idol groups.

To survive in the brutal and unforgiving idol industry, we needed at least a weapon or a shield.

A trump card would be even better.

Ding.

Beside the translucent blue system window, a square-shaped gacha machine materialized in midair.

“…?”

The machine was made entirely of transparent reinforced glass and stood about as tall as an adult.

Its internal structure was absurdly intricate.

Inside, dozens of capsules floated slowly, completely ignoring gravity.

‘It looks like they’re submerged underwater.’

The capsules were all different colors.

Murky purple.

Pale blue.

Vivid red.

And occasionally, a flash of gold passed by unnoticed.

A metallic dial sat at the bottom of the machine, just like a typical gacha machine.

Strange symbols were engraved on it instead of Korean letters, and when I touched it, I felt a faint vibration.

[One coin is required per use.]

‘I wonder what’ll come out of this.’

I swallowed unconsciously.

This wasn’t just some toy.

‘I’ll use one coin.’

Instead of answering, the system placed a silver-shining coin in my palm.

‘Is this real silver? It’s heavier than I expected.’

I inserted the silver coin into the machine and slowly turned the dial.

Click.

The familiar sound rang out, and the inside of the machine stirred violently.

‘…!’

The capsules all began spinning at once.

They started slowly but quickly accelerated, colliding with each other and producing clear, ringing noises.

Clink. Clink. Clink.

For some reason, the sound of plastic capsules striking each other felt as though it were pounding directly against my heart.

One capsule suddenly glowed and shot upward.

‘What’s that?’

The colorful capsules following behind it sank one after another, and then the machine came to an abrupt stop.

Thunk!

The lower compartment opened automatically, and a capsule rolled out.

It bounced once before finally stopping right in front of my feet.

The palm-sized translucent capsule contained a mist-like light swirling inside.

It took me several seconds to identify its color.

‘…Orange?’

As soon as I picked up the capsule, a faint warmth spread into my hand.

I twisted it open without hesitation.

The capsule split apart, and light burst forth.

[Congratulations. You have obtained a Grade B Capsule.]

From within the light, a single ticket floated up.

[I Am a Legal Expert!]

“…Huh? This is Grade B?”

The absurdity of the ticket made me speak aloud before I realized it.

‘Oops.’

Fortunately, everyone was sleeping deeply enough that nobody woke up.

Beside the ticket, a translucent blue window displayed a detailed explanation.

—

[‘I Am a Legal Expert!’ Ticket]

Upon use, the user will possess expert-level knowledge of all laws for 24 hours.

—

‘Hey.’

[Yes?]

‘Why would I need this? I’m not planning to become a lawyer. Give me something idol-related.’

[Since it is a random gacha, the outcome depends entirely on Mr. Cha Siwoo’s luck.]

It seemed the Main Quest reward was pretty terrible after all.

‘Damn it. I got my hopes up for nothing.’

I had expected something useful for idol activities.

Apparently, my expectations had been too high.

‘I should just go to sleep.’

Looking at the clock approaching 5 a.m., I slipped past the sleeping members and headed toward an empty bedroom.

☆☆☆

One of the companies representing South Korea was none other than TX ENM.

Today, we will be signing contracts with TX Entertainment, a music label and artist management company directly operated by TX ENM.

Its headquarters towered majestically in the heart of Gangnam, an area famous for having some of the highest real-estate values in Korea.

‘Wow… that building is ridiculously tall.’

Admiring the overwhelming aura of a major corporation from the very entrance, I followed an employee inside.

But the moment the conference room door opened, I couldn’t believe my eyes.

A huge banner hung proudly in the center of the room.

[Congratulations! Celebrating the Debut of Lucy Star Boys!]

The real masterpiece was the color scheme.

The text was written in dazzling rainbow colors.

‘Wouldn’t most companies at least coordinate the colors…?’

Something felt off.

It was definitely a major corporation, yet somehow it gave off the unmistakable scent of a small company.

The gap between the luxurious exterior and this interior was jarring.

Colorful balloons were plastered all over the walls, making the room feel anything but formal.

‘Whoever’s in charge has a pretty unique taste.’

Beneath the banner stood around ten people centered around two middle-aged executives.

“Everyone, this is our first time meeting, right? It’s great to finally meet you all!”

Turning toward the deep voice, I saw a middle-aged man waving one hand in greeting.

The sports-cut man wasn’t even bothering to button his suit jacket.

Partly because of his belly, but more because he seemed to prioritize comfort and had no intention of hiding it.

‘Who’s this guy?’

“Hello!”

“It’s an honor to meet you.”

After I quickly greeted him, the other members followed suit.

Judging by how the employees in the room were carefully watching the two middle-aged figures, they appeared to be high-ranking executives.

“Hahaha, congratulations to all of Lucy Star Boys on successfully debuting! We’re family now, so let’s get along well!”

I shook the hand extended toward me and bowed ninety degrees.

“Yes! Thank you very much. We look forward to working with you.”

Just moments ago, the members had been riding a dopamine high from debuting.

But now that they were facing executives, they could only offer awkward smiles.

“Ah, right. I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Park Jungho, Director of TX Entertainment.”

‘The director’s pretty laid-back.’

After Park Jungho sat down with a hearty laugh, a middle-aged woman in a neat suit stepped forward.

“To the members of Lucy Star Boys, who achieved the highest popularity on Star Picking 5, you’ve worked hard getting this far.”

The woman, whose sharp bob haircut ended precisely at her jawline, adjusted her black glasses.

‘This one’s the strict type?’

“Nice to meet you. I’m Seo Yunkyung, Executive Director of TX Entertainment.”

“Hello, Director Seo!”

“Thank you for welcoming us.”

Once again, we bowed ninety degrees.

“Good. Why don’t we all sit down and discuss the contract and the group’s future direction?”

“Yes!”

‘We’re finally signing the contract.’

A thick stack of papers was already neatly arranged on the table.

‘As expected of a big company. They’re well prepared.’

With a structured corporation like this, support should be guaranteed.

All we had to do was sing and dance diligently from here on out, and we’d be on the fast track to success.

‘Starting at a major company definitely has its advantages.’

“Everyone, we’ve prepared the contracts for you in advance. Please read them thoroughly and sign the last page.”

“Yes.”

‘Let’s take a look.’

The moment I turned the page, the atmosphere in the room changed.

The only sound left was the rustling of paper.

Exclusive contracts.

Revenue distribution.

Portrait rights.

Secondary works.

The contract contained countless clauses related to idol activities.

‘Hmm…’

I take that back.

A major corporation is still a corporation.

There were quite a few clauses that essentially boiled down to:

At the company’s discretion.

Those words stood out especially strongly.

‘This feels suspicious.’

“If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.”

Of course, I had questions.

‘No, way too many questions.’

Looking around, I saw the others flipping through their contracts with visibly troubled expressions.

‘Do you think a trainee signing their very first contract can really confront industry professionals directly about these clauses?’

It sounded easy in theory.

In practice, it wasn’t.

‘Overall, the contract seems okay, but there are several questionable clauses mixed in.’

There was such a thing as instinct.

A strong feeling that if I signed this contract, I’d become not an idol, but a puppet-like product.

The company employees merely smiled warmly while carefully observing us.

‘Don’t be fooled by those smiles.’

As time passed, the members’ expressions grew noticeably stiffer.

Looks like my instincts were right.

‘Is this why that ticket came out of the gacha?’

I thought it was a terrible reward because it seemed useless.

Apparently, it wasn’t completely worthless.

‘Now this is a Main Quest reward.’

“You really don’t need to worry too much about the contract. In fact, these conditions are better than what newcomers in the industry usually receive.”

An employee pushed a pen toward me as if urging me to sign.

“…”

Looking at my now-silent teammates, I called out.

‘System.’

[Yes?]

‘I’m using that ticket right now.’

[Using the ‘I Am a Legal Expert!’ ticket. The user will temporarily acquire expert-level knowledge of all laws for 24 hours.]

A brief headache washed over me.

Then an overwhelming flood of knowledge poured into my mind.

‘Interesting.’

Once I regained my focus and looked back at the contract, it felt as though every unfair clause was glowing vividly before my eyes.

“About Article 5.”