The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol Chapter 90

Chapter 90

 

“Wow… Siwoo Hyung, you’re so fast!”

“I thought I was safe because there was plenty of distance between us, but you still caught up…”

“Siwoo, did you do sports in the past or something? How are you this good at running?”

“Seriously. Siwoo Hyung’s stamina is on another level too.”

‘Not sports. I was actually a paparazzo.’

My fatigue had recovered thanks to the mayonnaise effect.

As a result, I was in peak condition.

“Well, wolves are naturally fast, aren’t they?”

“Seriously… you picked an animal that suits you perfectly.”

“Of course.”

“Still, I didn’t expect you to catch us this quickly.”

At first, when they told me to find the members, I thought it was a game of hide-and-seek.

But these guys weren’t hiding at all.

They were happily riding attractions and having fun.

I only approached them because they told me to find them, but the moment I got close, they bolted.

So naturally, I ran after them.

It had turned into a game of tag instead of hide-and-seek, but as long as we got good footage, that was all that mattered.

“There’s still quite a bit of time before sunset.”

“Yeah. I never thought we’d finish filming the MV this quickly.”

“Since it turned out this way, should we all ride attractions together and get some footage for our variety content?”

The members were more passionate about amusement park rides than anyone.

“Sounds good!”

“Yes!”

“Honestly, isn’t it more that you guys want to enjoy the amusement park than get footage?”

The moment I voiced the suspicion I’d been harboring, everyone protested at once.

“No!”

“That’s not it!”

“He’s right, though.”

“Haha, what’s wrong with that? It’s our first time coming to an amusement park together. We should enjoy it.”

I nodded as Kim Sunyoo stepped in as the mediator.

“Yeah. If Sunyoo hyung says so, then that’s how it is.”

“Wow… Siwoo hyung, I’ve felt this for a while now, but why do you only treat Sunyoo hyung differently?”

Seeing Seo Hayul’s bewildered expression, I nodded again.

“Sunyoo hyung is our team leader. I should listen to him.”

“That’s so unfair!”

“Stop discriminating!”

Instead of answering, I performed a little gesture of cleaning out my ear with my pinky finger.

“Wow… you’re seriously annoying.”

“Siwoo hyung definitely has a talent for getting under people’s skin.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“Haha! Before we start having fun for real, should we all take a picture together?”

At Kim Sunyoo’s suggestion, I immediately pulled out my phone.

“Sure! Everyone, gather up.”

“Wow. Sunyoo, how did you train Siwoo like this?”

“Seriously, what’s the secret?”

“Hmm… who knows?”

Ignoring the nonsense the members were spouting, I opened the camera app.

“Alright, we’re taking a picture!”

“Yes!”

As I stopped in the center, the members naturally found their positions.

I angled the camera about 10–20 centimeters above eye level, tilted slightly downward.

“One, two, three!”

Click. Click.

As soon as the shutter sound ended, the members instinctively changed poses.

“Good. Let’s keep going with different poses.”

“Okay!”

“Yes!”

Judging from the fans’ reactions so far, they seemed to enjoy seeing multiple poses even if the photos were taken at the same location.

So whenever I had a camera in hand, I always made sure to take at least five different poses.

“Next, heart poses.”

“Yes!”

“Okay~”

‘If I want to give the fans even a little more in return, I should do everything I can.’

Only after taking around thirty photos did I finally lower the camera, satisfied.

“These photos are spoilers, so we probably shouldn’t upload them immediately, right?”

I directed the question to Yoo Hoseung, our resident social media expert.

“Yeah. I think it’d be best to ask the company and upload them when the variety content or the MV is released.”

“Got it. I’ll keep the photos for now.”

“Yes.”

“Alright then, shall we finally go ride some attractions?”

“Sounds great!”

‘Let’s get some proper variety footage.’

Wearing our different animal-ear headbands, we sprinted toward the attractions.

 

☆☆☆ 

 

The amusement park after sunset felt completely different from how it had been during the day.

If daytime resembled a fairy tale, nighttime resembled outer space.

The rides shone like stars in the darkness thanks to countless colorful lights.

‘It feels just like our group’s name.’

Lucy Star Boys.

The name that had been suddenly given to us as a first-place benefit.

I remembered desperately trying to force some meaning onto it back then.

‘At the time, I was just making things up on the spot.’

But now, seeing it compared to the amusement park, it felt different.

‘Can our team shine like those lights too?’

In the empty amusement park, where all laughter and screams had vanished, only lights and shadows remained.

The Ferris wheel in the distance looked like a constellation frozen in place across the sky.

Whenever the wind passed by, a low metallic hum echoed through the steel structures and dissolved into the night air.

That sound quietly proved that this place existed somewhere between dreams and reality.

‘We can shine. No… we have to shine, no matter what.’

“Everyone, we’re starting the group shoots!”

The director’s voice immediately brought me back to reality.

At this point, only the group scenes filmed against the nighttime amusement park remained.

“The highlight of any amusement park is the fireworks!”

The fireworks I’d assumed would be added with CGI were apparently real.

‘But they’re really spending this much money on a rookie group?’

Even though Star Picking 5 had been a huge success, fireworks were on an entirely different budget level.

It was hard to understand, but corporate money truly operated on another scale.

“Everyone, the fireworks sequence has a fixed budget. Please try to get it right in one take if possible.”

“Yes! Understood!”

It sounded like a request, but it was practically a threat.

Perhaps because they understood how much money was tied to this scene, the members’ expressions visibly stiffened.

Thankfully, the fireworks scene only required us to perform the main chorus choreography.

“Alright, we’ll begin filming immediately. Please get ready.”

“Yes!”

The instrumental for our new song, “First Greeting Hello,” began playing in the plaza where the castle was clearly visible.

“Action!”

The chorus we’d practiced hundreds… no, thousands… of times triggered my body before I even had time to think.

Just as I focused on the difficult synchronized choreography…

BOOM!

The sound of fireworks exploded behind us.

The fireworks and music merged as they pierced my ears.

Amid the powerful sounds that perfectly matched the addictive chorus, my body moved in rhythm.

As fireworks erupted continuously overhead, it felt as though the entire area had brightened.

“Cut!”

The breath I’d been holding due to tension escaped all at once.

“Haah…”

When I lifted my head, the director’s expression was noticeably brighter than before.

“You really don’t seem like rookies. That was perfect.”

“Thank you!”

“We’ll use that exactly as it is. No reshoots.”

‘Whew. Thank goodness.’

“Great work, everyone!”

As he watched the members sigh in relief, the director smiled faintly.

“Let’s keep this momentum going and film in front of the carousel and Ferris wheel next.”

“Yes!”

“We’ll move immediately, then.”

Just as we began walking under the staff’s guidance…

Fwoosh—BOOM!

A sudden firework explosion made me turn my head.

“…Huh?”

“Oh, fireworks.”

“Looks like there were some leftovers.”

After a brief silence, another burst of light exploded and wrapped itself around the castle spires.

The fireworks spread outward from the castle in dazzling waves.

Golden light originated from the spires and split into two sides, slicing across the sky.

Combined with the lighting installed along the castle walls, it looked as though the castle itself was radiating light.

Every time a red firework exploded, the castle’s silhouette became sharper.

Whenever blue afterglow followed, the night sky seemed to deepen.

Red, blue, and gold layered upon one another, and for a brief moment, the entire world seemed as though time had stopped.

BOOM

At that moment, what exploded along with the sound wasn’t a firework.

It was a memory I had buried long ago.

 

☆☆☆

 

I saw my younger self.

My right hand was tightly gripping Cha Sihyeon’s small hand.

“Hyung, you’re not going to let go of my hand, right?”

Whether she was scared of the rides or frightened by the crowd…

The voice of little Cha Sihyeon, who looked ready to burst into tears at any moment, trembled.

“Haha. Sihyeon, should we stop riding attractions now?”

“Are you holding onto Hyung’s hand because you’re scared?”

“That’s not it! I’m not scared at all!”

Shaking her head vigorously was Cha Sihyeon.

Beside him stood our parents.

My father held a camera.

My mother watched us with a warm smile.

“Kids, the fireworks will start soon.”

“When they do, close your eyes and make a wish, okay?”

“A wish?”

When Cha Sihyeon asked with wide eyes, our parents laughed.

“That’s right. If you sincerely make a wish when the fireworks go off, it’ll come true.”

“So let’s all make a wish together.”

I already knew wishes didn’t come true just because of things like this.

But seeing Sihyeon and our parents so full of anticipation, I quickly nodded.

“Okay.”

After a period of waiting, the highlight of the amusement park finally began.

The fireworks show.

BOOM

Massive fireworks exploded across the sky, painting it in countless colors.

“Wow!”

“It’s so pretty!”

Thunderous explosions capable of splitting one’s ears and the cheers that followed echoed from every direction.

“I’m really glad we came to the amusement park today. Right?”

“Yes!”

“Quick, make your wish before the fireworks end.”

Watching my family close their eyes and sincerely pray toward the fireworks, I closed my eyes as well.

 

☆☆☆

 

“Siwoo dongsaeng!”

‘That startled me.’

Rua’s voice suddenly pulled me back to reality.

Perhaps because of the fireworks, the memory of enjoying the amusement park fireworks with my family returned like an old forgotten film reel.

‘Back then, I didn’t know.’

That it would be our final family outing.

“Yes?”

“Look at those fireworks! Beautiful!”

Another explosion lit up the sky.

This one was bigger.

Brighter.

For an instant, the light overlapped with the fluorescent lights of a hospital room.

“…”

The moment my sleeping brother’s face appeared amid the electronic beeping of medical equipment, a sharp ache pierced my chest.

‘Come to think of it, what wish did I make that day?’

The memory was so old that I couldn’t recall it clearly.

“They’re beautiful.”

“Yeah! They’re the best!”

Though they lasted only for a fleeting moment, the fireworks burned everything they had to shine brilliantly.

“Wow…”

“They’re really beautiful.”

“I don’t even remember the last time I saw fireworks this magnificent.”

Listening to the members’ awestruck comments, I gently closed my eyes.

Even though I knew it was a ridiculous superstition, I remembered the past and made a wish once more.

‘Please let me complete every quest and save my younger sister.’

When I opened my eyes again, the scattered lights filling the sky were slowly fading away.

Beyond the drifting smoke, the castle was gradually returning to its original colors.