The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 89

Chapter 89

 

When I turned my head in disbelief, I saw Yoo Hoseung looking at me with sparkling eyes full of anticipation.

“But… we’re in the middle of filming a music video. We don’t know when we’ll be called back.”

As I emphasized that we were on standby, Rua and Yoo Hoseung’s shoulders drooped at the same time.

‘Honestly, we’re rookies. Shouldn’t we just sit quietly in the waiting room?’

“Rusta members.”

The manager, who had been quietly observing the situation from afar, approached us.

‘Are we getting scolded?’

Rookies preparing for their debut were thinking about playing around on a filming set.

If we got reprimanded for that, we really wouldn’t have any defense.

‘I just hope it’s not too harsh…’

Swallowing my nervousness, I looked at the manager.

“Actually, I expected this might happen, so I already got permission beforehand.”

‘…What?’

An unexpected statement came out of the manager’s mouth.

“You need enough footage for your debut variety content too. The higher-ups already approved it, you can go on the rides whenever there’s downtime during the music video shoot.”

While I stared blankly at the members, everyone was grinning brightly.

‘Am I the weird one here…?’

Apparently, I was the only overly rigid person here.

“However, only two people can go at a time. As soon as Chan and Hayul finish filming, the next people have to be ready immediately.”

Fortunately, the manager wasn’t someone who spoke without thinking.

“I think it’d be best to divide into two people who go have fun first, and the other to stay on standby.”

“Yes!”

“Understood!”

For a moment, a strange tension filled the waiting room.

“How should we decide between the two?”

‘Honestly, I don’t mind sitting this one out.’

I’d much rather sit on the sofa and rest than ride attractions.

Just as I was about to volunteer, I noticed the self-content camera’s red recording light and shut my mouth.

‘It’s still our debut period. I should show that I’m giving everything my best effort.’

I didn’t want to ruin the atmosphere by backing out.

“How about rock-paper-scissors?”

At times like this, the easiest method that left no complaints was always rock-paper-scissors.

“Sounds good!”

“Ready or not, you lose!”

“Rock, paper, scissors!”

‘…Damn it.’

 

☆☆☆

 

“Hyung, should we ride the roller coaster this time?”

“Sure.”

The winners of rock-paper-scissors were Yoo Hoseung and me, who had both thrown paper.

The defeated expressions on Rua’s and Kim Sunyoo’s faces after throwing a rock were quite entertaining.

‘We’re definitely getting plenty of self-content footage out of this.’

Following the excited Yoo Hoseung, we started riding attractions one after another.

The best part was that the entire amusement park had been rented out for the music video shoot, so there was no waiting time at all.

“Ah, Siwoo hyung! Let’s stop by there first!”

The place Yoo Hoseung pointed at with his index finger was a souvenir shop.

Since a souvenir shop was practically mandatory content at an amusement park, I nodded readily.

“Sounds good.”

As expected of someone with good instincts, he knew exactly how to secure a good variety of footage.

The moment we opened the door and stepped inside, the atmosphere changed completely.

Shelves lined the walls, neatly organized with themed merchandise.

Beside the counter, stuffed animals were piled up like towers.

From palm-sized keychains to giant plushies that required both arms to carry, the sizes varied widely.

“Wow! There are so many cute things!”

“There really are. Amusement park souvenir shops have pretty high quality these days, huh?”

“Hyung, let’s try those on!”

Naturally, Yoo Hoseung headed toward the section displaying headbands.

One side of the display featured animal-ear headbands, sparkling crowns, and balloon-shaped headbands hanging neatly in rows.

“I’ll wear this one!”

The one Yoo Hoseung chose had long rabbit ears.

The white bunny ears swayed gently above his head.

“Does it suit me?”

Perhaps feeling awkward after actually putting it on, he poked one of the rabbit ears with his fingertip.

“Yeah. It’s cute. It suits you.”

“Really?”

“Yep. This is definitely a photo-worthy angle.”

I pulled out my phone camera and quickly started taking pictures.

Click. Click.

The rabbit ears fit Yoo Hoseung perfectly.

With his lingering baby fat and large eyes, they looked incredibly natural on him.

‘The fans are going to love this.’

“Siwoo hyung, stop taking pictures of me and pick out a headband for yourself!”

Embarrassed by the nonstop photography, Yoo Hoseung changed the subject.

“Hmm…”

‘A headband at my age.’

Being an idol really wasn’t easy.

‘Honestly, I’d rather not wear one…’

As I hesitated while looking at Yoo Hoseung’s expectant eyes…

“Fans will definitely love it if you wear one, hyung.”

“Then I absolutely have to wear one.”

If it made the fans happy, I could wear a hundred headbands.

‘Alright. I’ll pick the coolest one.’

Most of the animal headbands gave off a weak image.

‘Squirrel? Too weak, eliminated. Cat? That’s Seo Hayul’s territory.’

Just as I was seriously pondering which headband to choose…

“I’ll go with this!”

‘After all, real men should be strong.’

The one I selected was a gray wolf-ear headband.

“Oh… that actually suits you, hyung.”

“Right? Strong animals definitely fit me best.”

“Since it’s a memory, let’s take a picture together.”

“Sure. We can upload it to Byulstagram later.”

Thinking about the fans, I switched my phone to selfie mode.

“Kimchi!”

Click. Click.

“Hyung, let’s do flower poses this time!”

“Okay.”

Click. Click.

Only after taking photos in various poses while copying Yoo Hoseung’s expressions were we finally able to leave the souvenir shop.

“Now that we have our headbands, should we start having fun for real?”

“Sounds good. Let’s ride the roller coaster first!”

Equipment buffs really did exist.

After putting on the headband, I somehow felt compelled to ride the attractions with maximum intensity.

After Yoo Hoseung and I had ridden about ten attractions…

A call from the manager finally forced us to turn back toward the waiting room.

 

☆☆☆

 

“Cha Siwoo, we’ll be doing your individual shots now.”

“Yes!”

Since there were six members in the group, the number of individual scenes wasn’t actually that high.

Considering we also had group choreography and group shots to film, it made sense.

“Cut! Good. Let’s move on to the next scene.”

“Yes.”

The shoot progressed quite smoothly, following the script without any major mistakes.

Perhaps because the location had strict time constraints, the director called cuts decisively and efficiently.

As a result, only my final individual scene remained.

“For the last shot, we’ll film a scene where you’re holding a camera and taking pictures around you.”

“Yes.”

A staff member approached and handed me a camera.

“…!”

The moment I saw it, a wave of emotion washed over me.

‘Isn’t this one of the cameras I used to own?’

It had a pleasantly familiar weight.

“Siwoo, it’s an expensive camera, so please handle it carefully.”

“Yes, understood.”

‘I never thought I’d run into this camera again here.’

Holding the camera that had once captured countless people made my heart start racing unconsciously.

“We’ll begin filming immediately.”

“Yes!”

“Three… two… one… action!”

The moment I lifted the camera, the world entered the viewfinder.

The scenery beyond the lens looked far clearer than reality.

I lowered the ISO and tightened the aperture.

‘What should I shoot?’

A mascot character from the amusement park entered the edge of my vision.

‘That’ll do.’

I even calculated the angle at which the sunlight struck the steel structures.

The focus was already set.

I placed the subject in the center of the frame and held my breath.

‘It’s been a really long time since I’ve taken photos with this camera.’

The sensation of applying pressure to the shutter button felt familiar.

At this moment, even my heartbeat felt like noise.

Click.

A slight recoil traveled through my wrist.

The feeling of the mechanical shutter dropping was unmistakable.

“…This brings back memories.”

A smile escaped me unconsciously.

This time, I switched to burst mode.

As long as I kept my finger pressed down, the shutter clicks continued endlessly.

Click. Click. Click.

“Cut! That shot was excellent.”

I immediately bowed ninety degrees toward the director, who had wrapped up the filming quickly.

“Thank you!”

At last, all of my individual scenes were finished.

“Cha Siwoo.”

“Yes?”

The director tilted his head slightly.

“Have you ever formally learned photography?”

‘Oops.’

I must have gotten too excited after handling a camera I used to use.

“It’s just that the way you hold a camera looks incredibly natural.”

‘Well, I practically lived with a camera in my hands every single day.’

Photography had been my livelihood.

In a way, it was only natural.

Apparently, my instinctive handling of the camera had stood out to the director.

“Yes, I know a little.”

Since outright lying would be awkward, I answered close to the truth.

“An idol who knows how to use a camera… that’s impressive. It helped us finish filming quickly too.”

“Thank you.”

“But… have you ever considered becoming an actor someday?”

‘Out of nowhere?’

It was an incredibly random question.

‘Maybe if it were Yoo Hoseung. But not me.’

I’m already struggling enough adapting to life as an idol.

Why would I go seeking even more trouble by becoming an actor?

“No. Not at all.”

My goal was only one thing:

To become a world-class idol.

Someone who barely knew the first thing about acting had no business dreaming of becoming an actor.

“Your acting feels very natural. It seems like a waste to limit yourself to being only an idol.”

“Haha, thank you for the compliment. But I’m not interested in anything besides being an idol.”

Without hurting the director’s feelings, I made my refusal clear once more.

“Well, you’re still a rookie preparing for your debut, so maybe that’s how you feel right now. Still, think about it at least once.”

‘I’m never going down the acting path.’

“Yes, understood.”

Out of politeness, I simply gave him the answer he wanted to hear.

“Alright. You worked hard today. Get some rest, and let’s meet again later for the evening shoot after the sun goes down.”

“Yes, thank you!”

Incidentally, I was the last member of our team to finish individual filming.

As a result, all of the daytime music video filming was complete.

Once night fell, we’d film group scenes with the illuminated amusement park as the backdrop, and that would wrap up the music video shoot.

‘Filming ended earlier than I expected.’

A large part of that was thanks to everyone except Kang Chan acting naturally.

I headed toward the waiting room where the members should have been gathered.

‘What are those guys up to now?’

When I finally opened the waiting room door, it was strangely quiet inside.

“…Huh?”

Even with the lights on, the room felt empty, as if all traces of human warmth had vanished.

Only a few blankets lay scattered across the sofas lining the wall, as though someone had been using them moments ago.

“Where did everyone go?”

On the table sat only a single sheet of paper and a wolf-ear headband.

“…What’s this?”

I picked up the paper.

Crooked handwriting stood out clearly.

[Find the members who have transformed into animals!]

‘That sloppy handwriting is definitely Seo Hayul’s.’

I held up the paper toward the self-content camera with its red recording light on.

“Everyone, it looks like the members have left me a mission.”

This was clearly a signal from the members trying to create content for the self-produced variety show.

“Not one by one… I’ll be hunting them down one animal at a time.”

Putting the wolf-ear headband from the table onto my head, I stepped out of the waiting room once more.