The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 113

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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 113
My raw voice, without speakers or microphones, split across the Grand Athletic Field.
As my voice pierced to the far end of the stadium, every student’s gaze snapped toward me in unison.
“If the music won’t play, we’ll provide the accompaniment ourselves! If the crowd won’t sing along, we’ll lead the way!”
Gasps of admiration erupted from scattered pockets of the audience seating.
“Ooooh!!!”
“Are we going to let our festival die just because the music cut out?! We’ll sing for you, so please keep the beat with us!”
‘I can’t let the energy die.’
Energy and atmosphere were absolutely critical to a university festival.
Waiting aimlessly for sound equipment that might take forever to fix was something only amateurs would do.
I began stomping the stage floor with all my strength.
Boom, boom, boom.
The steel stage resonated like a drum.
Seo Ha-yul, catching my intention instantly, began layering intricate beatboxing with his voice.
The other Group Members stomped in rhythm alongside us.
“One, two, three! Hello—!”
We didn’t need backing tracks.
The Group Members’ harmonies and my raw voice tore through the cool night air of the open field.
The startled students began clapping one by one, matching our beat.
I planted my foot on the stage railing, coaxing the crowd to sing along.
“Hello! Hello! Lu! Sbo!”
The accident had transformed into “Lusbo’s exclusive live show.”
My throat-shredding vocal power filled the entire Grand Athletic Field.
Without music, the sound of sneakers scraping the stage and the Group Members’ ragged breathing became all the more visceral and electrifying for the audience.
Tens of thousands of smartphone flashlights became the lights illuminating us.
Thump, thump.
My heart felt like it would burst.
‘So this is what a university festival truly tastes like.’
As the stage ended, the audience beamed with bright smiles and erupted in cheers.
“Waaaaaah!”
“Lusbo is the best!”
“Seriously insane vocal power!”
“Thank you! We really pulled off our debut!”
The Group Members also exhaled sighs of relief and smiled brightly.
Then, a signal came from below the stage that the sound system had been restored.
“Alright, everyone! We just got word that the audio is fixed!”
“Wooooooh!”
“So let’s ride this incredible energy straight into our second performance!”
Cheers and applause erupted several times more intense than before.
The second song was Star picking5’s theme track, “Cheer me on.”
Every member had the choreography and lyrics down to muscle memory, so the stage flowed seamlessly.
Since the Survival Competition had captured nationwide attention, the moment the intro track dropped, the Grand Athletic Field erupted with massive crowd chanting.
Drawing on my experience as center during that time, I flew across the stage, and the roaring cheers sent electric shivers down my spine.
Finally, we’d completed every setlist we’d prepared.
“Woooooo!”
“Lu! Sbo! Lu! Sbo!”
We’d even squeezed out the encore song we’d prepared.
The faces of the breathless Group Members were radiant with the exhilaration of successfully debuting at the University Festival.
Kim Sun-yu, our leader, threw out a final greeting toward the Audience Seating.
“We’ve been Lucy Star Boys! Thank you so much!”
As Kim Sun-yu finished his greeting, we all bowed ninety degrees and were about to leave the Stage when—
A Staff Member below the Stage frantically waved his hands, drawing an ‘X’ shape.
It was unmistakably a signal not to come down.
‘…Huh?’
At the same time, an urgent, hushed voice crackled through my earpiece.
[Lusbo, everyone! The next performer is running late and isn’t ready yet. We have a setup delay! Can you just hold on for seven minutes—no, ten minutes, somehow!]
‘…Ten minutes?’
A chill suddenly ran down my spine.
We’d already cleanly wrapped up the encore.
We had no more backing tracks, no more prepared remarks.
Watching us hesitate without leaving the Stage, the students filling the Grand Athletic Field began to murmur.
It wasn’t booing yet, but the atmosphere was becoming awkwardly stagnant.
A broken momentum at a festival is scarier than a failed stage.
“Si-woo hyung, what do we do?”
This time, Yoo Ho-seung beside me whispered with a trembling voice.
I scanned the Audience Seating.
I met the gazes of tens of thousands of eyes still brimming with anticipation for us.
‘Ten minutes… if I use this time well, I could convert half the people here into fans.’
This wasn’t a crisis—it was an opportunity.
I gripped the microphone I’d been about to set down again.
“Everyone.”
The murmuring instantly subsided.
“To be honest with you, the senior performers coming up next want to show you an even more perfect stage, so they need a little more time to get ready.”
‘Since so many performers are late at University Festivals anyway, they’ll figure out the next team is running behind no matter what I say.’
Rather than lie in a situation that could sound like an excuse, I told the truth.
I added with the most professional smile I could muster.
“But you know what? This is actually a total win for us, right? We get to hang out with you all a little longer!”
“Woooooo!”
Laughter and cheers erupted simultaneously from the Audience Seating.
In that moment, I’d transformed the awkward wait into something special—a bonus fan service.
“Before we came on stage, I heard Minguk University’s midterms ended yesterday. So, who here thinks they aced the exam today? Let’s hear it—which department wants to shout it out?”
Someone immediately responded to the sudden proposal, their voice ringing out.
“School of Business Administration!”
“Okay, School of Business Administration! That’s a pretty loud voice, right? If you get even louder, you might score an A+!”
At the provocative remark, the Business Administration section erupted in screams that bordered on shrieks.
I deliberately covered my ears and winked at the Group Members.
Kim Sun-yu, quick on the uptake as always, immediately took the microphone.
“Alright, let’s make this a department showdown! Whichever department cheers the loudest, we’ll wear your department jacket and film an exclusive cheer video that we’ll post on SNS!”
Kim Sun-yu lived up to his reputation as a seasoned professional—his response was flawless.
“Ahhhhhhh!!!”
The stadium erupted in an instant.
“Next, Department of Mechanical Engineering!”
“Wooooooo!”
A deep, powerful roar reverberated across the sports field.
“Next, Department of Nursing!”
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
A piercing shriek that felt like it could shatter eardrums shook the entire stadium.
It was by far the most enthusiastic cheer we’d heard all night.
“Wow…” “Honestly, I don’t think any other department can beat the Department of Nursing, right?”
The overwhelming response drew nods of agreement from scattered pockets throughout the audience seating.
“Then the Minguk University department showdown goes to the Department of Nursing! We’ll upload the cheer video through our official SNS within a week.”
“Yaaaaaaay!”
Ten minutes had passed in what felt like a blur—the atmosphere was thoroughly heated.
Then the in-ear monitor crackled to life again.
[You’re doing great! Sorry, but could you go five more minutes? Just five more?]
‘These seniors have their sense of time in another dimension, don’t they?’
I took a sip of water and casually pulled out the next card.
“Actually, I’ve been curious about something since earlier. Did anyone secretly listen to our songs during exam week?”
Hands shot up from all over.
“Let’s confess—you can blame us for bombing the midterms, right?”
Laughter erupted everywhere.
“So, should we do an event here today to wish for better grades?”
Without any backing track, I began singing softly—the chorus of the current number-one university festival song, the one everyone was humming.
“♪—”
My raw voice, unaccompanied, carried through the cool night air and spread across the sports field.
‘This song is so catchy that almost everyone my age knows the chorus by heart.’
The audience held their breath, then—as if on cue—erupted into an explosive group sing-along at the chorus.
Thousands of voices singing in unison sent a chill down my spine that no speaker could match.
The ground trembled, and we didn’t need amplification at all.
The Group Members naturally layered their harmonies in, just as everyone else knew this chorus by heart.
This wasn’t a performance—it was practically a collective sing-along.
The moment the song ended, the in-ear monitor crackled to life once more.
[Seriously, just three more minutes. This is the real finale!]
Those seniors coming up next seemed to have a rather unique sense of time.
‘There’s no helping it.’
I pulled out my final card.
“Alright, for the very last time, let’s take a group photo together before we head down!”
I took the phone the Staff Member handed me and struck a pose with the Group Members.
“Everyone’s in the frame, right?”
“Yes!”
“Then… before the next team comes on, give us one last cheer—call out our name as loud as you can!”
“One, two, three!”
“Lucy Star Boys!!!”
Click—! Click—!
The moment the flash burst, I was certain.
Today’s star of Minguk University wasn’t the tardy senior team or RAIDEN—it was us.
As soon as the photos were done, the Staff Member waiting beside the stage gave a thumbs up, signaling that the next team was finally ready to take the stage.
Now it was time for this impromptu solo concert to come to an end.
‘We managed the time well.’
I picked up the microphone again.
“Thank you for sticking with us until the very end, even though time suddenly opened up today.”
Once more, warm laughter rippled through the Audience Seating.
“A festival is ultimately about who enjoys it more, isn’t it? It was even more fun because we were together! Seniors of the next team, please give them an even hotter welcome!”
Applause poured down as I descended from the Stage.
The Audience Seating in the Sports Field was still burning with energy.
The moment we entered the Waiting Room, the Group Members collapsed to the floor, breathing heavily.
“Wow… I seriously thought we’d cause a festival disaster.”
“Si-woo, you’re seriously incredible. How did you pull that off?”
Kim Sun-yu tapped my shoulder in admiration.
“Just luck, I guess. I’m glad it went better than expected.”
I suspect it’s thanks to my high charisma stat.
“Seriously, without Si-woo hyung, we would’ve been in real trouble today. When you look at it this way, hyung, you’re really strong at improvisation.”
Seo Ha-yul spoke with genuine admiration.
“See? This is exactly my greatness. Got it?”
‘Finally, this guy’s starting to appreciate my greatness.’
Feeling proud, I boldly ruffled Seo Ha-yul’s hair.
“Ah… hyung!”
“The festival stage is already over anyway.”
“I’m definitely going to get a proper shot at your hair someday!”
“Go ahead. I’m looking forward to it.”
Fortunately, our University Festival performance concluded successfully.
The team that performed late was a second-tier female idol group, and they put on a decent show.
‘Just as I thought—people who show up late rarely turn out to be decent.’
Their performance seemed to struggle to carry forward the energy that had erupted from our stage.
The female idol group’s performance, which had been more underwhelming than expected, finally came to an end.
Finally, the true star of this festival and the grand finale—RAIDEN’s performance—began.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Woooooah!”
The sheer intensity of the roaring cheers was distinctly different from a first-tier idol group.
‘…Damn, they’re incredible.’
Watching RAIDEN’s performance on the monitor below the stage, I had to admit—their caliber was simply different.
The title of “first-tier” wasn’t merely about the size of their fanbase.
Even amid fierce choreography, they delivered unwavering live vocals and commanded the audience’s breath with overwhelming control, as if kneading it in the palm of their hand.
They appeared completely liberated on that stage.
‘To reach the pinnacle, you really do need to possess that level of skill.’

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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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