The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 108

—————

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

—————

Chapter 108
[Charisma Stat Upgrade Ticket]
‘This Gacha System really does give you exactly what you need.’
Now I was certain.
The Gacha System was truly a cheat code.
‘I’ll use the ticket right away.’
Ding!
[S-Rank Ticket is being used.]
In an instant, blinding light engulfed my surroundings.
After my eyes adjusted for about three seconds, the ordinary bathroom came back into focus.
‘Did it apply?’
[Yes. Cha Si-woo, would you like to check your stat window?]
‘Yes.’
Ding.
[Stat Window]
Cha Si-woo (20)
Appearance: A-
Singing: B+
Dancing: B-
Charisma: A (▲UP)
Stamina: B+
Ability: ???
Status: Paparazzi who regressed five years into the past.
Fatigue: 10
‘Wow, it raised my charisma stat by two whole levels?’
My charisma stat, which had been stuck at B-rank, had skyrocketed to A in an instant.
I’d thought I might never be able to raise my stats again, but seeing my charisma increase after so long filled me with renewed emotion.
[That’s the power of an S-Rank Ticket. Cha Si-woo, your luck with the Gacha System today has been quite exceptional.]
‘Wait, you didn’t pick this for me?’
[No. The Gacha System determines rewards solely based on the participant’s luck.]
‘I see.’
Well, regardless, the results were good, so I wasn’t complaining.
I checked my remaining break time and quickly made my way back to the Filming Location, my confidence surging.
Now it was my turn to outshine everyone—child actors, veterans, all of them.
☆☆☆
“We’re restarting the ‘Speak with Your Body’ game!”
“Yes!”
“3… 2… 1… Action!”
As the camera light came on, MC Kang Jung-ho smoothly resumed his commentary from where it had been cut off.
It was the work of a seasoned professional.
“Cha Si-woo, you volunteered as the team representative. Is there a particular reason?”
“Well… I volunteered because I’m quite confident in my expressiveness.”
I flashed the most composed smile I could muster toward the camera.
“Wow! I love this confidence—you’re not intimidated even after seeing a senior who started as a child actor!”
“Thank you!”
“Then let’s officially begin Lusbo’s ‘Speak with Your Body’ game!”
‘I’ll give it my all.’
As I stepped confidently toward the center of the camera, a bell chimed to signal the start, and urgent background music echoed across the Water Park Plaza.
The moment I saw the first word, an involuntary laugh escaped me.
[Word: Paparazzi]
‘Is this fate playing tricks on me?’
Watching the countdown, I moved without hesitation.
First, I darted behind a decorative tree beside me like lightning.
My subsequent movements flowed as naturally as water.
When I demonstrated the sharp hand gestures focusing on the camera lens, followed by the motion of pressing the shutter and quickly diving to a new hiding spot, admiring gasps erupted from the crowd.
‘Is it because my Charisma stat increased? My body is definitely moving exactly as I imagine it.’
The sensation of the images in my mind materializing without error was nearly transcendent.
“Paparazzi!”
It was Rua calling out confidently.
The answer came in less than ten seconds.
Kang Jung-ho widened his eyes in amazement.
“Wow…! That’s the best expressiveness we’ve seen on the show so far!”
But there was no time to celebrate.
The next word was even more outrageous.
[Word: Denial Phase of Fandom]
‘…How am I supposed to express something like this?’
My complaint was short-lived.
My body, enhanced by the Charisma A stat, moved on pure instinct.
I began pounding my chest dramatically while contorting my face in anguish.
Then I pointed accusingly at an invisible target and shook my head vigorously.
‘No way, I don’t like that guy!’
I screamed internally while channeling denial through every fiber of my being.
“Chest pain?”
“Denial?”
“Dislike?”
The group members threw out wrong answers, but seeing words that approached the correct answer, I focused on the details with renewed hope.
My head shook in refusal while my feet pointed forward.
Even as my entire body expressed rejection, my body was already being pulled forward—a contradiction I embodied perfectly.
“Denial phase of fandom!”
Kim Sun-yu called out decisively.
“Correct! Wow, Si-woo! That was amazing. You explained it all through pantomime?”
Kang Jung-ho couldn’t hide his excitement as he flipped to the next page of the word card.
‘Maybe something reasonable will come up now?’
But my hopes were brutally crushed.
The difficulty of the prompts began to escalate in increasingly bizarre ways.
[Prompt: Second-hand Trading Scam]
It was nothing like the simple, elegant words the other teams had received.
Our team kept drawing only obscure, convoluted prompts.
But watching the time tick away, I racked my brain frantically.
I quickly mimed carefully handing something invisible through the air.
Then I suddenly clutched my cheek and began to wail dramatically.
“…Money?”
“A slap?”
“Cheap goods?”
“Get slapped in Jongno, cry in the Han River!”
I shook my head desperately at the Group Members’ shouts.
‘I need to express this more forcefully.’
Thump.
I collapsed to the floor and mimed opening an invisible box.
Then I acted out pulling a brick from inside the box.
“Oh, a brick!”
“Second-hand trading scam!”
“That’s it!”
The energy on set skyrocketed.
‘Please let something reasonable come up now.’
This time, something even more absurdly difficult appeared.
[Prompt: Additional Work Right Before Leaving]
‘Are you kidding me?’
The prompt itself was infuriating just to look at.
I slung my bag over my shoulder as if leaving work, then stiffly turned my head as if someone called me from behind.
Then, with a vacant, soul-departed expression, I sat back down in the chair and began typing frantically like a madman.
I even nailed the detail of silently screaming with my mouth.
“Overtime?”
“Could it be… additional work right before leaving?”
“Wow, that’s it!”
This time, Kang Chan was the one who got the answer right.
“Wow, Kang Chan, have you worked in the real world? Your expression when you got it right was so authentic!”
“I’ve done a lot of additional work through part-time jobs.”
Ignoring the amazed reactions erupting from all around, I quickly moved to the next prompt.
The final question was the grand finale.
[Prompt: Stock Delisting]
‘Is this really a question meant for idols?’
Usually, prompts related to idol activities or daily life were the norm for these games.
Watching the countdown timer tick away, I pushed my doubts aside and pretended to look at my phone while flashing a bright, joyful smile.
Then suddenly, I made my pupils quiver slightly and gradually let my focus slip away.
‘My… money.’
Thinking about actual wealth, the imaginary phone in my hand dropped with a soft thud to the ground.
I sprawled out flat on the Water Park floor.
It wasn’t just any collapse.
I embodied the complete mental breakdown of someone who’d lost their entire fortune—a void of all motivation and will to live.
“…Huh? Stocks? A crash?”
As Rua called out, I nodded vigorously while crawling across the floor.
Fumbling desperately to grasp at invisible scraps of paper, I laughed with an open, hollow expression.
It was the exact face of countless people I’d witnessed in my past life who’d been ruined by stocks.
“Ah! Stock delisting!”
“That’s correct!!!”
It was Rua who’d gotten the answer right.
Ding ding ding!
The moment the timer stopped, an alarm blared out.
Kang Jung-ho stood up and applauded.
“Wow, Lusbo got 9 questions correct—you’re in first place overall!”
“Woooow!”
Thrilled at having beaten the rival team from the start, the Group Members bounced excitedly in their seats.
“Wait, Si-woo. Have you ever experienced secondhand trading scams or stock delistings? How do you express it so well?”
Faced with the barrage of questions, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“No, I’ve never experienced either.”
“Then how is it so realistic?”
‘Well, naturally… I boosted my Charisma stat through the Gacha System.’
The way my movements flowed naturally the moment I saw the prompt suggested that my ‘Charisma A’ stat was carrying me perfectly.
I flashed a bright, idol-like smile toward the camera.
“As a rookie, I simply did my best!”
The winner of the first game was already decided.
☆☆☆
Thanks to our victory in the first game, we secured an early 100-point lead.
“The second game is 【Random Dance Challenge】!”
“Woooow!”
The energy at the Water Park Plaza reached a fever pitch.
“The rules are simple. Listen to randomly selected songs, and anyone who knows the choreography comes to the center and dances. The team that completes the most songs wins!”
The Random Dance Challenge was the crown jewel of idol variety shows—the segment that generated the most viral “bias moments.”
‘Hmm… honestly, I’m not confident about dancing yet.’
When I thought back to my Dance stat starting at E, while my dancing skills had improved considerably, the choreography database my body remembered was still sparse.
This game was the timing to ride the Group Members’ bus.
As I was thinking about members with relatively higher Dance stats, the MC’s shout rang out loudly.
“So who is truly the greatest dancer? Music, please!”
In that instant, Kang Chan standing beside me flinched noticeably.
His feet were already moving to the beat.
‘Alright, go get ’em, Kang Chan!’
I gently placed my hand on Kang Chan’s shoulder.
As he turned to look at me with a puzzled expression, I flashed him a quintessentially capitalistic smile.
“Chan, show them everything you’ve got.”
“…Yeah. I’ll be back.”
Kang Chan nodded solemnly and sprang toward the center like a coiled spring.
The speakers mercilessly poured out everything from the latest girl group songs to retro dance tracks from the ’90s.
Nearly six male idols were already tangled together in the center, creating a chaotic dance battle.
Among those flying around, dancers with clumsy movements mixed in, creating a discordant effect.
‘Yeah, variety shows thrive on momentum.’
Without hesitation, I dove in right behind Kang Chan.
“Woooo!”
Though my movements were slightly awkward, I relied on my Charisma A stat.
Thanks to that, my facial expressions were world-championship level as I mirrored Kang Chan’s choreography.
Using my movements as a signal, Kim Sun-yu, Yoo Ho-seung, and the other members joined in.
We positioned Kang Chan at center and provided sharp, synchronized backup dancing one step behind.
“Lusbo! Your teamwork is incredible! It looks great seeing everyone dance together!”
MC Kang Jung-ho’s praise poured out.
Kang Chan, who danced overwhelmingly well, stood out distinctly among all the idols showcasing their moves.
We backing him up looked like a perfect team to anyone watching.
“The winner of this round is Lusbo!”
Our perfect formation—Kang Chan carrying while we defended—worked flawlessly.
‘Good. Let’s keep this momentum going.’
Then, a sticky bass-heavy song with a sexy concept from a fifth-year girl group flowed from the speakers.
It was a section requiring advanced hip control.
‘Wow, this one’s pretty intense.’
But Kang Chan showed no hesitation.
He snapped his hips with perfect precision and copied the choreography flawlessly.
‘Damn, whoever’s team member this is, the guy can really dance like nobody’s business.’
Kang Chan’s toned muscles, slightly visible through his shirt, rippled with the rhythm, exuding sexiness.
Though the Embrace team, whose concept was sexiness, tried hard to stand out, Kang Chan’s overwhelming dominance made him the undisputed number one in dancing.
“This round… Kang Chan just dominated it! Lusbo wins!”
The expressions on Fault and Embrace members’ faces soured.
‘What an impressive guy!’
Having an overwhelmingly skilled dancer on the Team was an unparalleled blessing.
By the time beads of sweat dotted my forehead, the game had already reached its final stretch.
“Current score: 5 to 5 to 7! Lusbo is in the lead! But of course, the final round needs that thrilling reversal, doesn’t it? Here comes the last question worth 3 points!”
‘Why would they give us a 3-point question when we’re already at 7 points?’

—————

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

—————