The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 109

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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 109
I wanted to say something about the balance being broken, but there was nothing a rookie who’d just debuted could do.
I willingly kept my mouth shut for the sake of the broadcast’s entertainment value and ratings.
‘That’s right, I just need to win this too.’
Then, a cyberpunk-style intense b-boying beat exploded from the speakers.
The moment everyone froze in surprise, Kang Chan twisted his lips upward and strode confidently toward the center.
Whoosh—!
Kang Chan planted his hands on the ground and launched his body into the air.
A windmill that seemed to defy gravity swept across the water park floor, then seamlessly transitioned into a freeze move where he supported his entire body weight on just a few fingers.
“Whoa!”
“That’s impossible!”
“He’s doing that on bare concrete?”
But it didn’t end there.
As the beat reached its climax, Kang Chan executed a perfect double aerial flip in place, then flawlessly landed a Thomas move—spinning like a top on one hand against the ground.
His movements were as fluid as if he had no bones, yet radiated the elasticity of steel.
Clap, clap, clap!
All the cast members and staff members applauded in awe.
It felt less like a variety show moment and more like watching a complete, polished b-boy performance.
“The final winner of the Random Dance Challenge is… Lucy Star Boys!”
“Whoa!”
“Yeah!”
We’d claimed victory in the second game as well.
‘Oh yes! We’ve dominated the entire segment of Run Star.’
The first game was crushed by my quick thinking, the second by Kang Chan’s dancing prowess.
Now if I could perfectly secure the final game, the ending solo stage was as good as ours.
In that moment, Fault’s leader Gu Ji-hyuk trembled and glared at us.
That loser’s gaze was actually quite satisfying.
‘I’ve given them a proper lesson.’
“Current score: Lusbo 200 points! Fault and Embrace still have 0 points! Lusbo is absolutely dominant!”
At MC Kang Jung-ho’s praise, the other team members’ faces turned ashen.
They tried hard to smile, but their trembling fingertips couldn’t hide their tension.
‘This is the perfect reaction spot.’
I flashed them the most harmless smile in the world and drove the final nail in with ease.
“Thank you for the great match, seniors. I learned a lot.”
At my ostensibly polite remark, sparks flew from their eyes.
Indeed, there was no weapon more lethal than artificial courtesy when it came to getting under someone’s skin.
“Everyone, don’t be discouraged. The championship isn’t decided yet. Because we still have the main event—the Name Tag Ripping Race!”
The atmosphere instantly reversed at the MC’s comment.
Now the real hunt was about to begin.
‘Should I prepare properly for this?’
I tightened the laces of my sneakers, which had been hanging loose.
The signature game that had sustained 【Run Star】 for over a decade—【Name Tag Ripping】—awaited us.
“This 【Name Tag Ripping】 race has a special rule added to it.”
“Really?”
“It’s ‘treasure hunting’!”
“…!”
What had been a simple physical competition was now upgraded into a strategic treasure hunt.
“Hidden throughout the Water Park are treasure chests containing point values. The more treasures you find, the more points your team accumulates!”
“Oh…!”
“And when you tear off an opponent team’s name tag in 【Name Tag Ripping】, you gain 50 points per tag!”
“That’s insane!”
“Wow…!”
“Finally, if you tear off the name tag of the person holding the points, you can steal all the points they’ve accumulated!”
That was the real masterpiece of the rules.
In other words, it meant comebacks and reversals were entirely possible.
The expressions of the Fault and Embrace members brightened with renewed malice.
“Haha, you worked so hard—wouldn’t it be quite frustrating to get reversed at the end?”
The leader of Embrace was openly provoking me.
I flashed him the gentlest smile in the world, the way Kim Sun-yu usually smiled.
“That’s fine. We’re going to win anyway.”
“…!”
“You’re quite confident, Si-woo. I look forward to it.”
I gripped the hand he extended firmly.
A chilling battle of wills passed through our palms.
“Cut!”
Finally, the Director called cut.
“Teams will move to your positions and we’ll continue filming!”
“Yes!”
Following the Staff Member’s instructions, we split into our starting positions.
Our starting point was the Northern Section where a massive water slide towered prominently.
As we waited briefly, the distinctive urgent signal music of 【Run Star】 pierced through the speakers.
[Can everyone hear me?]
It was MC Kang Jung-ho’s voice.
“Yes!”
[Now let’s begin the full 【Name Tag Ripping】 race! I’ll provide live commentary, so enjoy yourselves to the fullest!]
‘Let’s do this properly.’
[3, 2, 1… Race start!]
The moment the upbeat background music kicked in, the members took off with grim determination.
In that instant, I quickly cut in front of them.
“Everyone, wait a moment!”
“Huh…?”
“Si-woo, what’s wrong?”
I suppressed the urge to dash out recklessly.
“Let’s have a quick strategy meeting before we move.”
In games like this, using your head before your body is what makes the difference.
The members naturally gathered around at the mention of a meeting.
“There are two ways to score points in this game, right?”
I held up two fingers, and the members’ attention focused on me.
“What if we focus on finding the treasure instead of collecting name tags?”
“Why?”
“Why do you think that?”
I quickly laid out my analysis for the puzzled team members.
“There are two reasons. First, collecting name tags inevitably leads to physical confrontations. If we exhaust ourselves early on, we’ll struggle to hold out in the final stretch.”
“Yes.”
“That’s true.”
“Second, the Production Team deliberately used the word ‘treasure’ to hide something.”
“Huh?”
“Since they specifically called it treasure, the points are likely higher. Each name tag is worth 50 points, so the treasure probably has significantly more points hidden in it.”
The members slapped their knees at my analysis.
“That makes sense! You’ve got a point.”
“Si-woo really is smart, isn’t he?”
With the members’ agreement, the strategy was locked in.
Kim Sun-yu, acting as leader, quickly issued follow-up instructions.
“Alright, let’s focus on searching for treasure. But since the other team might ambush us, how about we split into pairs of two for safety?”
“Sounds good!”
“Should we play rock-paper-scissors and pair up people who throw the same sign?”
“Yes!”
“Rock, paper, scissors!”
“…!”
Remarkably, in just one round, rock, paper, and scissors split us into exactly two people each.
“Wow, that’s eerie. How did it work out perfectly on the first try?”
“Right, that’s crazy.”
“Alright everyone, let’s sweep through the slide area together first, then split up and search your assigned zones.”
“Got it!”
“Let’s make sure we all make it back alive!”
We searched the Northern Section together as our first priority, then scattered toward the east, west, and south.
The starting point seemed to have no treasure hidden there—no matter how hard we looked, nothing resembled treasure.
I tapped Seo Ha-yul on the back as my partner for this round, scanning the water park’s landscape.
My former career as a paparazzi had trained my eye to spot blind spots others easily missed.
“Ha-yul, just trust me and follow.”
“Yes, hyung!”
Our team’s assigned section was the Southern Section.
‘Alright, let me think. If I were on the production team, where would I hide the cameras?’
Wherever the treasure was hidden, there had to be either a fixed camera or a VJ waiting nearby.
‘Because if the production crew missed the dramatic moment of someone finding the treasure, it would be a dereliction of duty.’
I carefully examined the camera directors’ sightlines, the angles of the lighting, and even the trajectory of the gimbal camera’s rotation.
Following the instinct that only camera operators share, I traced their gazes and spotted the best shot composition that the VJs preferred.
In the distance, I could see the other teams huddling together with their backs pressed against the walls to protect their name tags.
In stark contrast, we headed straight toward the Central Plaza, which was wide open on all sides.
A magnificent fountain rose from the center of the plaza.
‘Oh, that’s the perfect place to hide something.’
As I climbed up along the fountain’s railing, I spotted the yellow plastic box that the production team had hidden so carefully, and the small mounted camera standing guard beside it.
“Found it!”
The moment I held the treasure box confidently in front of the camera, Kang Jung-ho’s voice echoed across the entire water park through the speakers.
[Cha Si-woo from the Lusbo Team has found the treasure box first!]
“Yes!”
Seo Ha-yul, who had been searching the ground, quickly ran over.
“Hyung! You found it already?”
“Yeah. Ha-yul, do you want to open it?”
“Yes!”
I made sure not to forget to give Seo Ha-yul his share of screen time.
‘No PD would be heartless enough to cut out the decisive moment of opening the treasure box.’
When Seo Ha-yul opened the yellow plastic box, it contained the number [70] written inside.
“Hyung! We got 70 points!”
“Nice!”
‘My prediction was right.’
This was far more efficient than tearing off a single name tag.
I gave Seo Ha-yul a satisfying high-five and then moved on.
‘So, where did they hide the next one?’
Considering the water park’s geography, there were several other locations that seemed promising.
“Ha-yul, let’s head to the Main Pool this time.”
“Sounds good!”
Checking the map, the Main Pool was right in front of us.
When we finally arrived at the Main Pool, it was quiet—everyone else must have been lying in wait somewhere else.
“Ha-yul.”
“Yes?”
“Focus on the edges. Preferably the corners.”
“Got it! I’ll check the right side then.”
“Sure, I’ll take the left.”
Given the water park’s nature, the shallow edges were the only place suitable for hiding a small camera.
‘The deeper the water, the more variables there are.’
As I continued searching with focus, an unexpected object came into view near a pillar.
It was a water cannon control panel.
‘What? There was a water cannon here?’
Looking around, I realized the Main Pool had event water sprayers installed throughout for visitors to enjoy.
‘Come to think of it, given that this is a water park, it makes sense there’d be water cannons.’
“It’s not treasure, but let’s hold onto it for now.”
I grabbed the control panel and boldly shoved it into my pocket.
That’s when Seo Ha-yul’s bright voice burst out.
“Si-woo! I found the treasure!”
“Oh…!”
As I turned to the right, I saw Seo Ha-yul cradling a yellow treasure chest, beaming with a radiant smile.
“Would you like to open this one, hyung?”
‘When did this kid grow up so much?’
I carefully patted Seo Ha-yul’s head.
“It’s fine. This is what the youngest members are supposed to do.”
“Hehe, yes!”
Seo Ha-yul, brimming with anticipation, carefully opened the box.
This time, the score was also 70 points.
“Oh…!”
“Wow…jackpot!”
Once again, Kang Jung-ho’s voice echoed throughout the water park through the speakers.
[Lusbo Team’s Seo Ha-yul! You’ve found the second treasure chest!]
“Nice.”
Seo Ha-yul, overjoyed, raised his hand.
We naturally exchanged a high-five and then searched for the next location.
“We found one at the Fountain and one at the Main Pool, so the rest are likely near large sculptures or amusement rides.”
“That does seem right. As expected, Si-woo, you really have a sharp mind for this kind of thing.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Whether it was thanks to my increased Charisma stat or my instincts from my former paparazzi days, my entertainment sense felt sharper today.
[Lusbo Team, currently adding 140 points from treasure! Leading with a total of 340 points!]
Kang Jung-ho’s excited voice flowed through the speakers.
‘What? They’re announcing all the treasure scores too?’
This was an unexpected variable.
The quiet atmosphere of the water park suddenly shifted.
‘If it’s like this, they’ll be coming soon.’
I felt it instinctively.
Like a hunting dog finding prey, a savage competitive spirit mixed into the air.
Sure enough, in the distance at the entrance on the opposite side of the pool, I spotted a familiar uniform color.

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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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