The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 114

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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 114
My mouth went dry in an instant.
As a former paparazzi, I’d seen countless stars, but facing the presence of a first-tier idol group was a different kind of pressure altogether.
Yet rather than fear, a strange exhilaration surged through me first.
The skill gap was larger than expected, but I’d anticipated as much and didn’t mind.
There was no thrill quite like surpassing someone standing at such heights.
Every time Yu Hae-in before me casually threw a wink, my instincts responded sharply.
‘Damn. I want to poke his eyes out.’
I didn’t avoid Yu Hae-in’s glittering gaze on stage, instead meeting it with a cold stare.
☆☆☆
The moment RAIDEN’s performance ended, the stadium erupted in explosive cheers.
Responding to countless encore requests, they descended backstage drenched in sweat after delivering a peak-level performance.
Despite their ragged breathing, the way they waved casually to the fans was the very picture of a top-tier professional idol group.
In the chaotic swarm of Staff Members rushing in with towels and water, we lined up and bent our waists ninety degrees.
“Senior, thank you so much for your hard work!”
“That was an incredible performance!”
In this industry with its rigid hierarchies, you couldn’t simply leave once your own performance ended.
You had to clock out in order of seniority.
I suppressed the facial muscles threatening to cramp and forced out my professional smile.
‘I’m dying of exhaustion, so please just leave already.’
Internally screaming for them to go, I spoke hollow pleasantries instead.
“Your performance was amazing!”
“Thank you. Lusbo’s performance today was really impressive too.”
RAIDEN was no different.
Conscious of the self-camera filming them, the RAIDEN members performed their role as warm-hearted seniors as if they’d rehearsed it.
That’s when it happened.
“Si-woo.”
Yu Hae-in approached me, brushing back his wet hair.
“Your handling of the audio malfunction today was impressive. Filling the stadium with just your raw voice without a microphone—that was truly remarkable.”
Yu Hae-in flashed the most harmless, benevolent smile in the world.
Seeing that smile, I was certain.
‘This bastard definitely did it.’
To everyone around us, it looked like a dependable senior praising his junior’s quick thinking, but to me it was unmistakably a barbed jab.
Behind those narrowed eyes, I caught a glimpse of something bizarre and intrigued—and I wanted to flick him on the forehead again.
“You’re too kind. It’s all thanks to you paving the way for us, senior.”
‘The audio malfunction was your doing, wasn’t it?’
“Ha-ha!”
Yu Hae-in laughed out loud, apparently pleased with my insincere response.
He leaned in close beside me, draping an arm around my shoulder, then pressed his lips near my ear and whispered in a low voice.
“Si-woo, shall we stop this little play of ours? There are too many ears listening here.”
A cold voice scraped across my eardrums.
“Follow me for a moment.”
“Yes, senior.”
I answered with a professional smile, and Yu Hae-in turned his head, donning his mask once more as he faced the Group Members, who were watching us with puzzled expressions.
“Everyone, I actually have something personal to discuss with Si-woo, so would it be alright if I borrowed him for a moment?”
All eyes fixed on me.
I nodded and assessed the situation.
“I’ll just have a quick chat with the senior and be right back. I’ll make it as fast as I can.”
“No.”
That’s when Rua flatly refused.
‘Damn it, Rua… even so, it’s awkward to outright reject a senior calling you like this, isn’t it?’
As I stared at Rua in bewilderment, Yu Hae-in flashed him an easy smile.
“I’ll send Si-woo back right away. Come on, Si-woo. Let’s go?”
“Yes, senior.”
I followed Yu Hae-in as he led the way.
I felt Rua’s piercing gaze boring into my back like an arrow, but I deliberately ignored it and plunged into the dark Corridor behind the Stage.
At last, the long-awaited private conversation was about to begin.
☆☆☆
Since crowds filled every corner, we headed to the Temporary Storage behind the Stage, where abandoned equipment towered in heaps.
As I pushed open the rusted iron door, a wave of damp air stabbed into my lungs.
It was a sealed space devoid of light—a mixture of musty dust and the stench of rotting timber.
Creak—bang.
The heavy iron door slammed shut, severing all external noise in one clean cut.
The festive energy echoing from afar felt impossibly distant, as if belonging to another world entirely.
Only the sporadic dripping of water from the ceiling and our ragged breathing filled the silence.
In the dim darkness, Yu Hae-in slowly turned his head.
The brilliant afterimage from the Stage had vanished without a trace.
Dust settled atop the stacked speaker boxes, rendering his already pallid complexion even more ghostly.
“The air’s rather filthy here. Worst possible place for a vocalist.”
Yu Hae-in murmured softly.
His voice reverberated eerily off the Warehouse walls, trapped on all sides.
“You’re the one who brought me here, senior.”
“…There were too many people everywhere. I had no choice.”
A brief silence fell, and my eyes met his expressionless gaze head-on.
“Si-woo, isn’t that System starting to feel burdensome?”
“Well… occasionally.”
‘Honestly, I want to blow it up every time it makes me do that ridiculous forced cuteness that doesn’t suit me.’
The penalties are pretty shit too.
Apart from that, the System wasn’t a bad entity.
‘It’s actually quite a capable ally.’
“You dance and sing as ordered, and when a Quest is thrown at you, you have to push through and overcome it.”
My mind spun rapidly at Yu Hae-in’s words.
‘Does his System operate on a framework similar to mine?’
“And then, at some point, you’ll come to realize. That you’re not an idol, but the System’s ‘avatar.'”
“…!”
My heart lurched in that instant.
‘An avatar? What does that even mean?’
I quickly composed my expression.
At least the darkness worked in my favor.
‘He dangled the System as bait first.’
In a situation where I had so many unanswered questions, bait like this was actually an opportunity.
“An avatar? Actually, I quite like the System.”
“Hmm… Is that so?”
“How long has it been since you regressed, senior?”
At my blunt question, Yu Hae-in’s eyes narrowed.
“Si-woo, you certainly seem to have a lot of questions.”
“Of course. That’s why I followed you all the way here without complaint—otherwise, why would I have come this far?”
“Ha!”
Yu Hae-in let out a dry laugh, seemingly pleased.
“Then let’s do this.”
“Do what?”
“Exchange three pieces of information each. But absolutely no lying.”
“…How am I supposed to trust that you won’t lie, senior?”
“Ah, don’t worry about that. I have a way.”
Ding.
An opaque purple notification window appeared—one I hadn’t seen in a long time.
[‘Observer’ Yu Hae-in has requested ‘3 Questions 3 Answers: Chamber of Truth.’]
[Rules: You must answer all questions truthfully. Lying will result in permanent stat penalties. Do you accept?]
‘I had mountains of questions anyway, so this works out perfectly.’
I didn’t know what Yu Hae-in would ask, but for someone as starved for information as I was, this was a trade with nothing to lose.
“Fine. I’ll take the deal.”
Ding! Ding!
[With the participant’s consent, ‘3 Questions 3 Answers: Chamber of Truth’ begins.]
The purple window sliced through the air, radiating an eerie glow.
The air inside the warehouse rippled strangely, and opaque purple empty windows materialized before both Yu Hae-in and me.
A bizarre chatroom had been opened—one completely isolated from the outside world, shared only by those who possessed a System.
Yu Hae-in smiled coldly from beyond the purple window.
“So, who should ask the first question?”
Every word I spoke in here had to be truth, sealed by the System’s mark.
To seize the initiative, I immediately posed my first question.
“Let me ask first. Senior, how long has it been since you regressed? And what is the real name of that System you possess?”
Yu Hae-in’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Si-woo, I understand you’re in a hurry, but you need to ask one question at a time.”
‘So tricks like that don’t work on him either?’
“Understood. How many years ago did you regress, exactly?”
He let out a hollow laugh as if he’d anticipated the question, his gaze fixed on the purple window.
“…Five years ago.”
His voice cut through the warehouse’s silence.
‘The exact same point in time as me?’
Ding.
[Judgment: Truth.]
Vivid green letters materialized on the purple window.
A chill ran down my spine at the realization that he had regressed to the same point in time as me, five years ago.
“Well, is it my turn now?”
Yu Hae-in stepped forward.
In the darkness, his irises shimmered with an eerie violet hue.
“Cha Si-woo, what is the true identity of your System? Your actions are far too anomalous for a typical cultivation system. You’ve extracted information, upended the board. Tell me the name and ultimate purpose of your System.”
Finally, it had come.
I swallowed hard, recalling the System window visible only to me.
“Senior, that’s multiple questions, isn’t it?”
“…What?”
“When you think about it, it is. Ask just one.”
Yu Hae-in exhaled a sigh and slowly opened his mouth.
“What is the true identity of your System?”
I met his expectant gaze head-on and spoke.
“…I don’t know.”
“What?”
Yu Hae-in’s face contorted in an instant.
“I really don’t know. The System’s name just displays as ‘System.'”
“…”
“From the beginning, it never properly explained anything—it just tells me to figure it out myself.”
I met Yu Hae-in’s bewildered gaze directly.
“Every time I ask a question, it clams up saying everything’s classified. So I genuinely have no idea what the System’s true identity is.”
It was the truth.
My desire to know about the System was probably greater than Yu Hae-in’s.
Though Yu Hae-in glared at me menacingly, the letters displayed on the purple window were unmistakable.
Ding.
[Judgment: Truth.]
“…That’s absurd.”
For the first time, Yu Hae-in lost his composure and muttered under his breath.
According to the rules of the truth game, there’s no way it could be a lie—but the fact that my opponent’s identity remained unconfirmed must be quite unsettling for them.
‘Either way, I’ve gained something here.’
I’d always been frustrated with the System, which only answered “I don’t know” no matter what I asked, but I never expected it to be helpful in this way.
“Your system’s name is just… System? And you’re performing Quests without even knowing its purpose?”
‘The way Yu Hae-in is saying this suggests his System actually has a proper name.’
Thanks to that, I’d obtained a new piece of information.
“I’m not lying—that window right there proves it.”
I pointed to the purple window displaying the word “Truth,” and Yu Hae-in fell silent.
“…”
“What’s really frustrating is my situation. Whenever I ask the System anything, it just says it’s classified. I don’t even know what you expect me to do.”
I shrugged my shoulders with an air of grievance. Yu Hae-in stared at me blankly for a long moment.
“Ha… haha! Hahahaha!”
Yu Hae-in pressed his forehead and burst into laughter like a madman.
‘Has he finally lost it?’

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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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