The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 101
A moment of silence fell over the studio.
As tense, pulsing music filled the air, the MC’s lips slowly parted.
“Congratulations! The monster rookies, Lucy Star Boys, have claimed first place!”
Looking at the scores displayed in small print, the broadcast points we’d earned through our spirited banter with Yu Hae-in on the radio had become the decisive blow.
Boom—!
With the explosive crack of confetti cannons, brilliant colored powder scattered like scales beneath the stage lights.
“Waaah!”
“Hyung! We got first place!”
Yoo Ho-seung wrapped his arms around my waist, his voice trembling with tears.
Even Kang Chan, who always maintained his usual poker face, crumpled to the ground with his face in his hands.
‘Are they all crying?’
Looking around, the group members were cheering with tears and snot streaming down their faces.
“You all look genuinely overjoyed. Could you share your feelings about winning first place for the first time?”
The bewildered MC extended the microphone and trophy, which I had no choice but to accept as the only one among us who hadn’t shed tears.
“First, I want to sincerely thank all our fans who’ve supported us. This first-place finish was only possible because of your love.”
My voice trembled without my realizing it.
“We promise to become a team that repays your affection with our best efforts. No matter what happens, we’ll deliver the highest quality results and achievements. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!”
The moment I lowered the microphone, the tear-stained members rushed toward me all at once.
“Ugh.”
“We actually got first place…!”
“Fans, we truly love you!”
“Sob… thank you!”
The encore stage was drenched in tears, but it was the moment a monster rookie group was born—one that had claimed first place just a week after debut.
Our achievements came in an unstoppable surge.
Our debut track “First Hello” received such a scorching response that we swept first place across every music broadcast we appeared on that week.
The roaring cheers that erupted from the stage lingered in my ears like a hazy afterimage.
Back in the Waiting Room, we embraced each other and laughed with genuine ease.
The members’ faces were covered in sweat and tears, yet they shone more brilliantly than ever before.
‘First place sweep just one week after debut.’
It truly felt like a miracle.
“Really… we actually got first place, right?”
Yoo Ho-seung asked, his voice still trembling with emotion.
Kang Chan ruffled his hair from beside him and nodded.
Watching the members’ pure joy, I felt my own lips naturally curve upward.
‘With these results, winning Rookie of the Year at year-end isn’t just a dream anymore.’
At first, I’d thought the Quest was absurd, but the achievements unfolding before my eyes were transforming hope into certainty.
“Aren’t you happy, Si-woo hyung?”
“Me?”
My head tilted slightly at the unexpected question.
“I’m happy about it. It’s the result of our blood, sweat, and tears.”
Even now, when I recall the sensation of holding that cold trophy on stage, my heart pounds as if it might burst.
“But why aren’t you crying?”
“That’s right! You’re the only one who hasn’t cried yet, hyung!”
The youngest members were pushing back against me.
“You brats, a man only cries three times in his life.”
“Ugh! There he goes with another weird old-fashioned comment.”
“Hyung, what’s wrong with men crying? If you want to cry, just cry.”
When I roughly ruffled the youngest members’ hair as they complained, their resistance faded.
“That’s right, Si-woo. You’re surprisingly rigid about strange things despite how you look.”
“I agree!”
“Rigid? Why are you saying that too, hyung?”
As the lively conversation continued, the Waiting Room door swung wide open.
“Everyone, congratulations on first place! I’m really proud of you all!”
The Buffet Manager entered with an excited expression, waving his phone.
“Thank you.”
“Manager, thank you!”
“And would you like to see this?”
The phone screen the Buffet Manager showed was filled with SNS feeds exploding in real-time.
[Real-Time Trends]
#LuciaStarBoys_1stPlace
#Lusbo_MonsterNewbie
#FandomName_Curious
“The fans’ firepower right now is insane! What do you think about communicating with the fans a bit to cool things down before the next schedule?”
Certainly, when momentum gets this high, it’s necessary to communicate appropriately and regulate the temperature.
“Do you know what the fans are most eagerly waiting for right now?”
Among the members pondering the Buffet Manager’s question, I spoke up first.
“The fandom name?”
Exactly.
One of the things we hadn’t completely established yet while debuting amid a brutal schedule was an official fandom name.
In that instant, all eyes in the Waiting Room turned toward me.
“That’s correct! Right now, SNS is full of posts asking us to decide on a fandom name.”
‘It’s about time we did.’
“The Company decided it would be better for your bond with the fans if you all decided it yourselves.”
The Buffet Manager handed over a whiteboard and marker he’d prepared in advance.
“Well then, Lusbo. What kind of fandom name do you think would be good?”
The members fell into thought all at once at this sudden naming session.
“Hmm… since we’re stars loved by Lusbo, how about ‘Lucia Star’?”
Kim Sun-yu was the first to speak up.
It seemed he’d already thought of a fandom name in his mind, probably because he had prior experience.
“Isn’t that a bit too ordinary?”
But even I could tell it fell a little flat, so I scratched my head right away.
“What about a name like ‘Luminary’—something that shines like a radiant being?”
This time it was Kang Chan.
The way ideas tumbled out so readily showed that even amid the chaos, Kang Chan had given this considerable thought with the fans in mind.
“Luminary’s nice too, right? Anyone else have ideas?” “Me! What about ‘Lucy Princess’?” “That sounds good?”
The word “princess” might make some cringe, but I had a feeling fans who adored us would be thrilled to hear themselves called that.
In any case, with the camera rolling, ideas bounced back and forth among the members.
Everyone was deliberating over the name with genuine sincerity, thinking of the fans.
None of them wanted to disappoint the fans, so their expressions were as serious as if they’d become professional namers.
Not a single person was throwing out half-baked suggestions.
‘Man, why is our team so sincere about this?’
Just as I felt a swell of pride, an ominous formula suddenly flickered across my mind.
‘Wait. According to the law of eccentric preservation… something feels off here?’
It was that cruel truth: every group has at least one weirdo.
‘But what if there’s no obvious villain in sight?’
That leaves only one possibility.
‘…No way.’
I quietly glanced around at everyone.
They all seemed fine.
Actually, they seemed almost too fine.
‘Surely I’m not the villain, am I?’
I paused to consider, then shook my head.
‘No, I’m not quite villain material. More like… a hidden hero?’
At least one thing was certain.
No one was more genuinely invested in the team’s success than I was.
I turned my attention back to the whiteboard, lost in thought.
‘Is there a name the fans would really love?’
As my contemplation deepened, one thought led to another.
Those who chase stars.
‘What am I really chasing in this idol life?’
The old me, a paparazzi chasing sensational light from the darkness, and now the me who stands on stage as the light itself, receiving the fans’ love.
After wrestling with it, a decent idea came to me, and I raised my hand eagerly.
“What about Lumina?”
All eyes turned toward me.
“Lumina? What does that mean?”
Kim Sun-yu tilted his head curiously.
I continued calmly.
“Our group’s name means shining stars, right?”
“Yeah.” “But stars can never shine alone.”
“…!”
“A star can only shine its truest light when there exists someone who reflects that radiance and loves even the unseen shadows.”
I spoke with sincerity, conscious of the members, the Buffet Manager, and the camera recording the behind-the-scenes footage.
“Lumina carries the meaning of ‘light,’ but it also embodies ‘a presence that shines light.’ I thought of our precious fans—those who complete our light and sometimes embrace even our dark, hidden sides—as our true Lumina.”
In that moment, everyone’s eyes in the Waiting Room widened.
“Si-woo…!”
“Si-woo, I’m genuinely moved.”
“The meaning is so profound, and the pronunciation is beautiful too.”
Kang Chan nodded and added with conviction in his voice.
“That name is really great. It fits our team’s identity perfectly, and I love it!”
The Buffet Manager also expressed satisfaction, giving a thumbs up.
In that instant, a translucent blue System window appeared before my eyes.
Ding!
[Cha Si-woo, I’m touched ㅠㅠ]
‘…What are you?’
When I was attacked by the purple window, I was helpless, but this translucent blue window appeared suddenly.
[Growing this much, you’ve finally become truly human! This System is genuinely moved!]
‘You bastard. I was always human to begin with.’
[Not everyone who is a person is truly human. You’re finally showing such a ‘humanly’ moving side.]
After shooting a glare at the System window spouting such nonsense, I forced a smile toward the members.
“So we’ve decided on the fandom name—shall we tell our Lumina fans right away?”
“Yes!”
“We have a little time before we move, so let’s do a short live broadcast!”
“Good idea!”
☆☆☆
“One, two, three!”
“We are shining stars! Hello, we’re Lucy Star Boys!”
I greeted the hastily set-up smartphone camera with the members, our voices full of energy.
Gathered around the first-place trophy placed in the center, our faces were still flushed with excitement.
The moment we turned on the live broadcast, the concurrent viewers surpassed 500,000, then shot up vertically in an instant.
‘Is this… really a possible number?’
The chat window was already flooded with congratulations for first place, so densely packed that it was impossible to read with the naked eye.
“Wow, so many people are watching us live right now?” “Everyone, we’ve just surpassed 500,000 concurrent viewers!”
Yoo Ho-seung exclaimed with wide eyes, his voice trembling with amazement.
“Fans, thank you so, so much!”
Even Kang Chan, famous for his usual poker face, couldn’t hide his overflowing joy and smiled brightly.
Kim Sun-yu, who took on the role of MC again, skillfully led the atmosphere.
“Everyone, we’ve achieved the dream of first place just one week after our debut! All of this is thanks to our Lusbo fans who support us!”
The members took turns sharing their feelings about first place and expressing their gratitude.
I too expressed my heartfelt thanks toward the camera.
“Everyone, we actually wanted to share this joy with our fans as quickly as possible before moving on to our next schedule, so we hastily turned on this live stream.”
Seo Ha-yul spoke with his ears flushed crimson.
His expression looked genuinely happy.
“We never expected so many people to watch. Thank you once again from the bottom of our hearts.”
With Seo Ha-yul’s closing remarks, all the Group Members bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle with utmost sincerity.
“Actually, we have a surprise announcement for today!”
At Kim Sun-yu’s words, I straightened up quickly.
The long-awaited moment to reveal our fanbase name had finally arrived.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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