The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 106

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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 106
The fan signing event had concluded without incident.
But the car ride back to the dormitory was remarkably quiet.
A space that would normally have been bustling with noise was wrapped in an eerie silence.
Kang Chan was staring blankly out the window, while the other members seemed to be cautiously reading the atmosphere.
It was Ho-seung’s phone alarm that broke through the silence.
Zzzziiing—!
“…Wow, Si-woo! The online community is already going crazy.”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes! Everyone’s saying you handled that situation so perfectly!”
As all the members’ eyes turned toward Ho-seung, he thrust his phone toward us.
“Take a look at this.”
‘What is this?’
[HOT] Went to Lusbo’s fan signing today and Cha Si-woo is absolutely insane (video attached)
So this jerk was hurling insults at Kang Chan, scratching at him like he was mentally unstable, right?
The kind Kang Chan couldn’t say anything because he was a fan and just kept saying sorry, but Cha Si Woo who was next to him suddenly intervened.
You can see it in the video—when he said, “We came here moved by the story about our Chan’s upbringing,” did you see his eyes?
I got chills in that moment.
He was smiling, but his eyes were absolutely fierce….
First time I’ve ever seen someone get angry while smiling like that.
When he mentioned Lumina’s name and said, “Surely Lumina wouldn’t do something like that, right?” wow, everyone at the venue held their breath.
At the end, I was curious what he wrote in the album?
Jeong Byeong got angry and posted an album photo and a message criticizing Cha Si-woo on the community, but that was a warning letter haha. It’s really funny.
I’m going to become a fan of Cha Si-woo starting today for protecting our kid.
At first I thought he ranked first out of pity, so I was a bit hesitant, but the more I see him, the more charming he seems.
Honestly, it was so satisfying.
‘Everyone sure gets the news fast.’
Even if there were criticism that I had been disrespectful to a fan, I was prepared to accept it humbly.
I had determined that it was necessary to come down hard on people who crossed the line from the start, so I had no regrets about my actions.
The comment reactions that followed were heated in a direction entirely different from my expectations.
“What? Saying it’s obvious that I don’t have parents… is that something you should say, Fan?”
– Exactly. That person’s seriously insane, right?
– That’s not a fan, that’s just a psychopath
Even though Cha Si-woo has his own painful family circumstances, the fact that he’s openly standing up to it like that is really impressive mental strength.
– Why do I feel so proud?
– That’s the kind of mental strength we should learn from
Did you see the list of questions Kang Chan wrote on his palm? To someone who’s trying that hard… that’s really too much.
– I’m really glad Siwoo protected me. ㅠㅠ
– I looked at the palm too ㅠㅠ I thought it was really cute!
– His palms were really blackㅠㅠ I’m not good at expressing myself, but it seemed like he was trying really hard.
– “I’m particularly attentive when it comes to my members.” The bliss in that delivery was perfect.
– That was so cool.
– He really sounded so mature!
– Coming from a survival competition, they must have had such a short time to prepare together, but seeing him already looking after the members like that is genuinely heartwarming.
“Si-woo….”
Kang Chan, who had been staring intently at his phone screen alongside me, slowly turned his head.
His expression remained blank as always, but the desperate look in his eyes from the fan signing event had vanished.
“I really meant it when I thanked you. Honestly, my mind just went blank for a moment. I got through it thanks to you.”
“If you’re grateful, buy me something delicious later.”
I deliberately threw out the words casually, but relief washed through me internally.
‘Thank goodness.’
“Yeah! I really appreciate it.”
“Got it. And wipe the ink off your palm, will you? It’s smudged everywhere—looks scary.”
Laughter erupted among the group members at my joke.
“Huh? When did it smudge?”
As Kang Chan’s expression relaxed, the tense atmosphere inside the car finally began to ease bit by bit.
But it was too early to let my guard down.
This kind of attention was a double-edged sword.
During my paparazzi days, I’d witnessed countless celebrities whose wholesome narratives twisted into arrogance in an instant, leading to their downfall.
‘I’ll have to be careful about every move from here on out.’
Still, I had no regrets.
‘The agency should be reaching out soon.’
Right on cue, my phone vibrated loudly in my pocket.
When I pulled it out, the screen showed a company employee who’d been contacting me frequently lately.
[TX Publicity Director]
‘Here it comes.’
“Hello?”
[Si-woo, have you seen the online community?]
“Yes, I’ve seen it.”
‘I should probably apologize first, right?’
Just as I was about to grovel, the director’s voice burst through unexpectedly bright.
[The Division Director thinks you’re absolutely incredible!]
“…What?”
[And the image of you as the wolf protecting the team has really stuck with the fans! The way you looked after Kang Chan, and how you didn’t get emotional but logically dismantled everything—they’re calling it a masterstroke.]
‘…Me?’
“Really? I honestly thought I’d get scolded for causing trouble.”
[Scolded? Thanks to this, Lusbo’s fan solidarity has become incredibly strong. Right now on the community, all the fans are rallying together saying ‘we’ll protect our kids ourselves’—it’s absolute chaos in the best way!]
‘Phew… what a relief.’
In any case, as long as the results were good, that was what mattered.
[You did great work!]
“Yes. Thank you.”
As I hung up, the concerned gazes of the group members converged on me.
“What did the company say?”
“Ah… apparently the response has been better than expected?”
“Really? That’s a relief!”
“As expected! Si-woo is the best!”
Inside the car heading to the dormitory, the atmosphere had transformed into something warm and harmonious.
As relief washed over us, the members’ brightened expressions began to succumb one by one to the creeping tide of exhaustion.
I pulled a hoodie over Kang Chan’s head as he started nodding off beside me.
‘He was so anxious just moments ago, but it looks like he’s doing better now.’
Watching the sleeping members, I sensed that tomorrow would reveal a group slightly more resilient than today.
☆☆☆
Our debut song was an absolute smash hit.
Throughout the streets, our debut track “First Hello” echoed from every corner.
We delivered successful performances on every music broadcast and swept up first-place trophies.
Securing positions within the top three on most music charts, our popularity traced a steady upward trajectory.
As our recognition grew, schedules poured in with such intensity it was deafening.
While YouTube web variety shows dominate these days, terrestrial variety programs remain an essential course for rookie idols during their promotional period—they’re the cornerstone of broadcast scoring.
That’s why we found ourselves today at the filming location of “Run Star,” the nation’s beloved variety show on B Broadcasting Network.
Airing at the golden time of Sunday evening at 6 PM, this program had maintained its position at the top for over a decade—it was B Broadcasting Network’s flagship and pride.
This variety show, famous for putting the hottest celebrities through their paces across multiple mini-games before the final round where contestants tear off their opponents’ name tags to survive, always recruited the most trending entertainers.
‘This time they reached out with a special rookie edition project, didn’t they.’
The production team’s intention was to field three teams of this year’s representative male rookie idols—hailed as the future of the music industry—in their complete formations for a proper showdown.
‘Being one of South Korea’s three major broadcasting networks, they’re sweeping up rookies all at once.’
It’s like how servants always end up with more crumbs when working at a nobleman’s house.
Given that the program guaranteed viewership, the venue where three teams of idols gathered was already primed for fierce competition over screen time.
“Everyone, we’ll be starting filming soon!”
“Yes!”
At the production team’s call, the air in the waiting room grew taut.
My heart raced at the realization that we were meeting the very people we’d be battling fiercely against for the rookie award at the year-end awards ceremony.
The members’ eyes gleamed with intensity as they recognized these were our rivals.
“Hyung, we absolutely have to win!”
Yoo Ho-seung clenched both fists tightly.
“Of course. If our maknae says we should win, then we have to take first place no matter what.”
“Everyone, even so, if someone gets injured it could affect our promotions, so let’s do our best while staying within reasonable limits.”
This time, even Kim Sun-yu didn’t hold back the members’ enthusiasm—he fueled their fire.
“Yes!”
“Let’s go!”
Following the staff’s guidance, the filming location we arrived at was a massive water park with torrents of refreshing water cascading down.
Though it was only September, the weather remained sweltering.
This revealed the Production Team’s seasoned choice to captivate viewers’ eyes and secure ratings.
The moment we arrived at the Main Plaza, a palpable tension hung in the air.
Today’s lineup consisted of three male idol groups—nearly twenty people in total.
‘This is definitely going to be a battle for screen time.’
The venue, packed with aggressive rookies from major entertainment companies, was nothing short of a jungle.
Notably, one of the three teams was Fault, who had been soundly defeated by us on the last music broadcast.
After exchanging formal greetings, a tense silence settled over us.
Finally, Kang Jung-ho, the nation’s beloved MC who had hosted 【Run Star】 for over a decade, made his entrance.
“Hello!”
“Senior, it’s great to see you!”
We bowed with such intensity our waists nearly folded at ninety degrees.
“Wow, great to see you too. Today we’ve got all the hottest rookies in the industry gathered here!”
Kang Jung-ho greeted us with the practiced energy of a seasoned veteran.
“Senior! It’s an honor to meet you!”
“You look even more handsome in person!”
“I’ve been a fan since I was young.”
Warm flattery poured out, but beneath it all lay a subtle wariness of one another.
Kang Jung-ho laughed heartily, lifting the atmosphere.
“The competitive energy before we’ve even started filming is intense! I’m really looking forward to today’s shoot!”
Following the Staff Member’s signal, we gathered in the center where the cameras were positioned.
Perhaps because of our recent momentum, our spot was dead center—the best angle for the cameras.
‘Nice.’
In this industry, recognition truly was combat power.
I skimmed through the pre-shoot script, and it was almost entirely blank except for the opening greeting.
True to a program with such high creative freedom, the Broadcasting Station was essentially telling us to wing it.
‘Whoever makes the biggest impact gets the most screen time.’
I’d have to be prepared to really stand out today.
“We’re starting filming now.”
“Yes!”
“3… 2… 1… Action!”
The moment the red light on the camera came on, Kang Jung-ho’s powerful voice echoed across the Water Park.
“Alright! Today on 【Run Star】, we’ve invited special guests. The future of K-pop! We’re introducing three of this year’s most representative male idol rookies!”
The instant the red light came on, we applauded vigorously in sync with Kang Jung-ho’s introduction.
“Having this many people appear at once is a first in the program’s history! First, for viewers seeing you for the first time, could each team introduce yourselves?”
The introductions would go in order of seniority.
The first team was Embrace, from a major entertainment company with eight months since debut.
“One, two, three—hello! We are Embrace, the spark awakened from darkness!”
Seven men in matching dark black outfits bowed in unison.
With heavy makeup and overly exposed clothing, their concept was clearly sexy.
“Wow!”
“That’s amazing!”
I responded enthusiastically in broadcast mode, clapping along with practiced energy.
“Embrace, you were quite famous even before your debut, weren’t you?”
“Ha, you’re too kind.”
“I heard you were known for your skills even during your trainee days, so fans had such high expectations. And every song you released became a massive hit. Congratulations.”
Kang Jung-ho, true to his veteran instincts, naturally gave them airtime by adding anecdotes from Embrace’s trainee days.
‘I wonder if Embrace also made it to the first-tier group back then?’

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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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