The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 87

Chapter 87

 

Ding.

Beside the translucent blue system window, a square gacha machine appeared in midair.

‘I’ve only seen it once before, but it already feels familiar.’

Inside the machine, colorful capsules floated leisurely, completely ignoring gravity.

‘Please let it be something that helps with fatigue this time.’

As I approached the gacha machine, a line of text sparkled before my eyes.

[1 coin is required per use.]

‘I’ll use the 1 Silver Coin I own.’

The system window placed a silver coin onto my palm.

I clenched the Silver Coin tightly with genuine desperation.

‘Please.’

After inserting the coin into the machine, I slowly turned the dial.

Click. Click.

‘…!’

The inside of the machine began shaking violently, and all the capsules started spinning at once.

Thunk!

The dispenser at the bottom automatically opened, and a single capsule rolled out.

‘This time… red?’

[Congratulations. You have obtained an A-Rank Capsule.]

‘Jackpot! An A-Rank…!’

A high-ranking capsule surely meant a valuable reward.

The moment I opened the capsule with eager hands, a dazzling light poured out from within.

Within that light, a strangely familiar shape slowly emerged.

“…Huh?”

It was a familiar plastic tube.

A bright red brand logo stood out clearly against the yellow background, and there was even a smiling mascot printed on it.

Anyone would recognize it as a common product sold in supermarkets.

[Mayonnaise]

Something completely random had appeared.

“Are you kidding me? This is A-Rank?”

No matter how I looked at it, this had to be a mistake.

[It is indeed A-Rank. Please check the description.]

The moment I grabbed the floating mayonnaise, a description window unfolded.

[A versatile A-Rank mayonnaise that reduces fatigue when consumed.]

“…Done. Perfect!”

As if it had been waiting for this exact moment, the gacha had produced precisely what I needed.

‘This gacha… does it somehow give me exactly what I need most right now?’

As expected of a Main Quest reward, its usefulness was undeniable.

“You little rascal. You actually gave me something good as a reward.”

[Of course. Mr. Cha Siwoo, you should place your complete trust in me.]

“Sure.”

The corners of my mouth naturally rose when I remembered I still had four coins left.

It seemed best to save them and use the gacha only for emergencies.

 

☆☆☆

 

“Good morning, everyone! We’re heading to dance practice after breakfast!”

“Siwoo hyung made sandwiches for us this morning!”

Despite the early hour, the members were already comfortably talking to the camera.

There was actually a reason I had made the sandwiches.

When I tried squeezing the mayonnaise straight into my mouth, it turned out to be far richer and greasier than I expected.

So I gathered whatever ingredients were in the refrigerator and made some simple sandwiches.

‘The sandwiches were actually pretty decent.’

In a dorm filled with cameras, being the only one eating would have made me look selfish to anyone watching.

‘Everyone’s exhausted from practicing for the debut song. If I ate alone, it might come off as stingy.’

Since I was making food anyway, I decided to make plenty for everyone.

‘At least nobody can say I’m petty when it comes to food.’

Incidentally, the mayonnaise definitely reduced fatigue depending on how much was consumed.

Thanks to that, my fatigue level had already dropped to 30.

Out of curiosity, I checked whether it affected others as well.

The members who ate the sandwiches had their fatigue levels lowered too.

‘As expected of an A-Rank item.’

What a wonderful gacha system.

“You need to eat well if you want the energy to practice.”

As expected, Koreans run on food.

Whether it was sandwiches or something else didn’t matter as long as it filled you up.

“Siwoo, those sandwiches were really delicious. Thanks.”

“Haha. I should be the one thanking you for enjoying them.”

I was busy creating wholesome self-content footage with Kim Sunyoo when…

“But Siwoo dongsaeng, there’s something strange.”

Rua suddenly cut into the conversation.

“What is it?”

“When I eat the sandwiches Siwoo made, why does it feel like my fatigue disappears?”

‘…This guy Rua is surprisingly sharp.’

“Hmm… maybe it’s just your imagination?”

While I was staying wary of Rua’s suspicious gaze, Seo Hayul suddenly jumped in.

“Everyone, the truth is, Siwoo hyung is actually pretty caring despite how he looks.”

“What’s wrong with how I look?”

“Well… hahaha!”

Watching Hayul run away, I briefly considered chasing him before turning back toward the camera.

‘Need to get more footage.’

“Daily practice might seem repetitive and boring, but it’s because we want to show you the best possible performance. Please keep supporting us!”

After delivering a comment the fans would probably love, I took off after Seo Hayul.

‘Hayul’s gotten a lot more mischievous lately.’

Maybe I needed to turn his hair into a hedgehog hairstyle again so he could properly appreciate the greatness of his hyung.

 

☆☆☆

 

Today as well, Miss Park logged into social media to check updates about her favorite idol.

“Rusta really uploads something to Byulstagram every single day, huh?”

The fact that they always thought about their fans first made them incredibly admirable idols.

“For a group formed through a survival show, the members seem surprisingly close too.”

Usually, idols who debuted through survival programs started generating rumors and friction almost immediately.

After all, they came from different environments and were suddenly thrown together into one team.

“Maybe they’re all gentler than they look. They seem to get along pretty well.”

Miss Park slowly scrolled through the posts on Rusta’s official account.

Ever since the official account was created, her favorite idol’s personal account had been set to private, forcing her to spend all her time on the official page these days.

“Still, now that they’ve successfully debuted, I’ll get to see them more often.”

The catharsis she felt when her favorite, Cha Siwoo, took first place and debuted was still the greatest thrill she had ever experienced.

‘Our Siwoo worked so hard… From now on, he deserves nothing but happiness.’

Thinking about the painful circumstances that had suddenly been exposed through news articles made her chest ache.

“By the way, it’s nice that they keep updating us every day, but when exactly is their debut song coming out?”

Star Picking 5 had become an absolute phenomenon.

Even ordinary people who had no interest in idols knew that Cha Siwoo had debuted in first place.

‘Even my grandfather knew who Siwoo was.’

“With such a huge idol group, what exactly is the agency doing?”

There was a reason people said to strike while the iron was hot.

Their popularity was at its peak.

The agency should have already released and promoted the debut song, yet things remained strangely quiet.

The only updates came from the members’ daily Byulstagram posts.

“I’m surviving on these crumbs of content… but I need something new now.”

Just as she desperately refreshed Dalstagram for new updates…

[Everyone, our debut self-produced variety content is finally airing! Tune in every Friday at 10 PM on the TX Network channel!]

A fresh announcement appeared alongside a photo of all six members.

“Finally!”

Things had been so quiet that she had started thinking the agency had completely lost its senses.

Fortunately, they were still living up to the reputation of a major entertainment company.

“Our kids’ debut variety show… this is so precious!”

Although Cha Siwoo was her favorite, she had gradually started embracing all the members, knowing they would be promoting together for years.

“I wonder what’ll be in the debut variety show?”

She clicked into the community she visited every day for information.

The community, which had been surviving solely on leftover survival-show discussions, immediately burst back to life with the new announcement.

 

> A variety show! A debut variety show!

– I’m so excited.

– They’re definitely living together in a dorm, right?

ㄴ Yeah. Dorm life is basically mandatory for idols.

 

> I don’t even care if it’s boring. I just want lots of screen time.

ㄴ True. Their faces are entertaining enough!

 

> Is their first activity really a variety show?

– No, they filmed that Heartping Bread commercial already.

ㄴ Honestly thought that commercial was overkill lol.

ㄴ What if it was actually Cha Siwoo’s master plan?

ㄴ Chan looked like a robot. It was hilarious lol.

ㄴ He dances with so much flavor, so why is his acting like that?

ㄴ Nobody’s perfect.

ㄴ That’s what makes him even more charming.

 

> Isn’t a debut variety show too predictable?

– Every idol group films one when they debut.

ㄴ But they’re brand new, so there’s not much else they can do.

ㄴ I like it though.

ㄴ You just don’t get it. Debut variety content is preciousㅠㅠ

ㄴ Exactly. Getting to see them when they’re still fresh-faced is the best!

ㄴ Agreed. There’s demand for it, so of course they’re making it.

 

‘I wish Friday would come faster.’

Wondering whether there might be more news, Miss Park opened GyuTube next.

As if fate had heard her wish, a preview video had just been uploaded to the TX channel.

“No way! What timing is this?”

The moment she clicked the video uploaded only five minutes ago, an amusement park appeared on the screen.

“Huh…? That’s an amusement park.”

[One, two, three!]

[We are shining stars! Hello, we are Lucy Star Boys!]

Rusta bowed together following Kim Sunyoo’s chant.

‘Seeing Sunyoo lead the greeting, he must be the leader.’

Although nothing had been officially announced yet, fans had already accepted Kim Sunyoo as the group leader.

‘Not surprising. He fits the role perfectly.’

[Why do you think we came to the amusement park today?]

When the members lifted their heads, each of them was wearing a different cute headband.

‘Kyaa! Our Siwoo has wolf ears?’

The reason didn’t matter.

Cute was all that mattered.

Miss Park immediately paused the video and began taking screenshots of wolf-ear Siwoo every tenth of a second.

“Wolf-ear Siwoo…! These pictures are priceless.”

‘I should edit the best shots and post them in the fan café later.’

Only after capturing enough screenshots to satisfy herself did she press play again.

[That’s because…!]

[We came to the amusement park to film the music video for our debut song!]

[Waaah!]

“Wow! They’re even teasing the debut song in the preview video?”

[And there’s one more surprise announcement!]

[Rusta’s official debut song will be released on September 8th!]

[It’s our very first song, so we’re nervous. Please give it lots of love!]

After finishing the announcement, the members waved their headbands and ran into the amusement park.

‘Promoting their debut song at an amusement park… then the amusement park is definitely going to appear in the music video too, right?’

It was a solid clue.

‘What kind of song could it be?’

Excitement swelled inside her chest, making her heart race.

Thinking about the upcoming variety show and debut song, Miss Park cracked her knuckles with determination.

‘My babies, just trust your noona. I’ll promote you better than anyone.’

If her favorite idols were giving everything they had for their debut, then as a fan, she had to match that effort.