The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 11

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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 11
I pushed down with my legs against the floor, and the chair slid backward with a dull thud.
‘Finally time to show what I’ve got.’
I was about to move, but Seo Ha-yul, sitting beside me, remained motionless with a bewildered expression on his face.
“Seo Ha-yul. What are you doing?
The broadcast started. Come on, let’s go.”
“…Cha Si-woo hyung.”
“What?”
“…”
Seo Ha-yul sat in silence for a long moment.
‘What’s going on?’
“Grade B trainees, please come up to the stage right away!”
A Staff Member’s voice echoed from a distance, urging us forward.
“Let’s go for now.”
“Ah… yes!”
Seo Ha-yul snapped to attention and scrambled to his feet.
‘He said he was going to the bathroom during break time, so why is he acting like this?’
“Hey, what’s wrong? Are you sick?”
“It’s nothing.”
‘He was fine just a moment ago.’
Seo Ha-yul’s expression had noticeably stiffened.
‘His energy dropped this much just from a quick bathroom trip?’
“Hmm.”
Following the Staff Member’s continued instructions, I climbed onto the stage.
We lined up single file against the wall near the Screen, and the Grade B trainees began to be called one by one.
‘There’s definitely a significant gap compared to Grade A.’
When about half of the Grade B trainees had been evaluated, a familiar name was called.
“Next, trainee Seo Ha-yul, please come out.”
Seo Ha-yul walked stiffly to the center of the stage, his forehead glistening with cold sweat.
‘Why is he in such a state?’
Considering he’d gone to the bathroom during break time, there was only one thing that came to mind.
‘Did something really happen?’
“Trainee Seo Ha-yul, you seem quite nervous, don’t you?”
“Ah… no, I’m not.”
“Did you practice a lot?”
Seo Ha-yul, his expression rigid, answered in a small voice.
“…Yes!”
“Trainee Seo Ha-yul, you’re aiming for the rap position, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“From what I saw during practice, you’re so skilled that I have high expectations.”
“…Thank you.”
“We’ll now begin evaluating trainee Seo Ha-yul’s theme song stage performance.”
“Yes.”
The familiar backing track flowed through the speakers.
“…”
Quite some time had passed since the music started.
Yet Seo Ha-yul stood motionless, utterly still.
‘That bastard…! What the hell is he doing right now!’
While standing frozen, only Seo Ha-yul’s fingers twitched slightly, his pupils trembling with instability.
‘This guy was flying when we practiced together—why is he suddenly like this?’
As the theme song ended in the frigid atmosphere, Seo Ha-yul finally bowed his head deeply.
“Hey, trainee Seo Ha-yul!”
“…Yes.”
“You did well during lessons—what’s going on now?”
“…”
“Is the stage a joke? Are you going to just stand there doing nothing on the actual stage too?”
“…I apologize.”
“Sigh… I know you’re a capable trainee, but it’s unfortunate to see you perform like this during the evaluation stage.”
“Trainee Seo Ha-yul’s grade is….”
“…!”
“E grade.”
“…Thank you.”
Seo Ha-yul, his eyes bloodshot, returned to the Screen Area by the wall.
‘A trainee with enough skill to easily reach A grade made such a mistake?’
Seo Ha-yul kept his head bowed, his lips pressed tightly together.
After that, B grade trainees continued to be called.
“Hmm. Is this your best?”
“B grade.”
“After seeing A grade trainees, is that why the difference is so stark? Why such a gap?”
The evaluations for B grade trainees were harsh enough that maintaining a B grade felt like a blessing.
“Next, trainee Cha Si-woo, please come to center stage.”
“Yes.”
My name was called near the end.
As I walked slowly to center stage, the judges regarded me with the gaze of predators spotting prey.
“Hello. I’m Cha Si-woo, a 20-year-old independent trainee participant.”
“Trainee Cha Si-woo, during vocal training you showed excellent ability to absorb information like a sponge when taught something once—we have high expectations.”
“Thank you.”
At Park Chae-young’s praise, the Dance Trainer, who had been shaking his head side to side, picked up the microphone.
“However, your dancing is significantly lacking compared to other trainees.”
I recalled the shocked expression on the trainer’s face when I first showed my dancing.
“You say you’ve been practicing, but I’m curious how much you’ve actually improved in just ten days.”
The Choreographer picked up the microphone with a skeptical expression, nodding in agreement.
“To be honest, I have no expectations for the dancing whatsoever.”
I flashed a professional smile as I watched the Judges nod their heads.
“I’ll do my best to live up to the Judges’ expectations!”
“The way you speak—it’s honestly endearing.”
“Then let’s begin Cha Si-woo’s theme song stage.”
My chest surged as the heavy bass reverberated through the air.
I surrendered myself to the accompaniment of the theme song ‘Cheer me on’ and began the opening.
I’m going to seduce you
The first verse flowed out as smoothly as if I’d buttered my throat.
‘So this is how different it feels when my singing stat increases by one.’
Each note I imagined in my mind drifted effortlessly through the air.
Every moment is filled with you
Even after this night passes, I’ll only look at you
I’ll give you everything I have, so choose me
My body moved naturally in rhythm with the accompaniment, each gesture flowing seamlessly.
Suddenly, the Dance Trainer’s eyes widened dramatically.
I wish this moment with you would last forever
It felt as though something deep within my body was awakening.
‘My mind understood the movements, but my body and muscles couldn’t keep up before’
Now the dance I visualized in my mind moved smoothly, becoming one with the rhythm and melody.
As I bounced my body in time with the beat, my heart began to pound fiercely.
Cheer for my shining moment
When I cleanly hit the highlight’s three-step high note, a cool thrill ran through my entire body.
I’d never felt anything like this in my life.
A tingling sensation, as if my breath had opened up, enveloped my whole being.
As I finally finished the stage, a wave of intense heat surged up from within.
‘Wow, I’m breathless.’
As the accompaniment for the theme song ‘Cheer me on’ ended, the Dance Trainer Judge picked up the microphone with a serious expression.
“Cha Si-woo.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me honestly.”
‘What? Did I make a mistake?’
I tried to steady my rapid breathing.
‘Could the stat system have been exposed?’
“You said you’ve been preparing as an idol trainee for less than a month—that’s a lie, isn’t it?”
“No, it’s the truth.”
“How is that even possible?”
“…”
‘I can’t exactly tell them that raising my stats made it possible.’
If I told the truth, I’d definitely be forced to withdraw and sent to a psychiatric hospital.
Then the Quest would be over, and my life would be finished.
“How were you able to improve your dancing so rapidly in just ten days?”
I opened my mouth to address the Judge, whose expression betrayed concern that I might have taken some kind of drug.
“I believe I’ve improved thanks to learning from an outstanding instructor and practicing diligently with wonderful colleagues.”
As I delivered a socially appropriate response, the Dance Trainer Judge’s rigid expression gradually softened.
“Ahem. You speak well too.”
Seeing the Judge’s subtle smile, a sigh of relief escaped me naturally.
‘By redirecting credit, I’m scoring points and protecting my image—truly a win-win situation.’
“By any chance… you mean the instructor, right?”
“Of course! The teacher who taught me about dance and vocals is truly a genuine mentor.”
Park Chae-young and the Choreographer, who were sitting next to the Dance Trainer, lifted their cheeks slightly in smiles.
In social life, there was nothing more cost-effective than gaining favor and reaping benefits through words.
“Then who were you referring to as your colleague?”
“Seo Ha-yul, a trainee at the Entertainment Company.”
‘He gave me HeartPing Bread and solidified my fundamentals in choreography.’
“Ah… Ha-yul was really excellent during practice.”
“Yes. I received considerable help regarding dance.”
“Haha. That’s right. Your dancing is still lacking, but I have great expectations for trainee Cha Si-woo, who has shown the most outstanding dance improvement in such a short period.”
To be honest, it was more praise than I expected.
While I did work hard, society values results more than the process of hard work.
But within the confines of the Idol Survival competition, the keywords of growth and process were essentially cheat codes.
“Trainee Cha Si-woo’s final grade is…”
‘Please. I really did practice hard.’
“Grade A.”
‘Yes! I succeeded!’
Ding.
[Congratulations. You have successfully completed the Sub-Quest (4) ‘Receive a Grade A on the theme song midterm evaluation stage.’ Quest.]
‘Oh yeah!’
[Would you like to receive your reward?]
‘Of course.’
[You receive +1 Stat as a reward. You can select the stat you wish to increase.]
‘I’ll think about which stat to raise later.’
“For ten days, you didn’t sleep properly and devoted yourself to practice more than anyone else—your effort was remarkable enough to earn you the nickname ‘practice machine.'”
“Above all, the potential of trainee Cha Si-woo, who is growing so rapidly, is truly astonishing.”
“The ability to learn and adapt quickly is the hallmark of an idol. Impressive.”
As the Dance Trainer Judge set down the microphone, Park Chae-young raised hers as if waiting for the moment.
“My student Cha Si-woo… no! Trainee.”
“Yes.”
“Your pitch, rhythm, and three-octave high notes were all excellent. Most importantly, you have a captivating tone.”
“Thank you.”
“Your singing has shown remarkable growth compared to when you started. You began your trainee career late, so there are still many areas to improve, but your absorption rate is so good you could be called a sponge.”
‘It’s all thanks to the stat window.’
“A student who’s rewarding to teach… No, a trainee, I should say. Since this is a Survival Audition, growth potential is also an important evaluation criterion, and in my eyes, trainee Cha Si-woo has greater growth potential than anyone else. I look forward to your future performances.”
“Thank you!”
I bowed ninety degrees toward the judge.
Even though my skills might fall short compared to other Grade A trainees, the narrative of steep growth was landing perfectly.
‘Let me establish myself as a character who grows through effort.’
If I ride the broadcast with the most popular narrative in South Korea, I’ll definitely be one step closer to debut.
‘I don’t need to be first. For now, I just need to debut by any means necessary.’
Isn’t it fine as long as I reach my goal regardless of the path I take?
Following the Staff Member’s guidance, I returned to the Screen Area where I had been standing against the wall.
Envious and resentful gazes flew at me from all directions.
‘You bastards. Better watch yourselves.’
After my turn ended, two more trainees were called.
Once all the Grade B trainees’ evaluations, which had been like a storm, were finished, we descended below the stage following the Staff Member’s instructions.
“Trainees, you may move to your new seating assignments based on your updated grades.”
“Yes!”
I was just about to move to Grade A when—
“Ha-yul!”
I quickly grabbed Seo Ha-yul’s wrist just as he was about to stumble.
“…Oh!”
“You okay? Be careful.”
In that moment, I met the gaze of Seo Ha-yul, whose eyes were noticeably red around the edges.
‘He’s getting under my skin.’
“Did something happen to you?”
“No. Nothing happened.”
“You’re lying.”
“…”
Honestly, I couldn’t understand how Seo Ha-yul, who possessed such outstanding skills, had fallen to the lowest Grade E.
‘How does it make sense that you’re Grade E?’

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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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