The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 116

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

Chapter 116
Ding.
[Opening the stat window of ‘Observer’ Yu Hae-in.]
[Stat Window]
Yu Hae-in (25)
Appearance: A-
Singing: A+
Dancing: S-
Charisma: S+
Stamina: S-
Ability: ???
Characteristic: Idol who regressed five years
Fatigue: 40
Current Status: Penalty threshold breached (???%)
Special Circumstance: Observer
“…So he really is insane.”
‘All his stats are nothing but A and S grades.’
It was truly absurd stats.
‘And his penalty has breached the threshold.’
Yu Hae-in had always played it cool, but in reality, he was a clown clinging to a rotting rope—a man living on borrowed time.
‘I was grinding my teeth after just three penalties.’
With penalty numbers at that level, every breath he took must be agony.
Yet he concealed that suffering behind laughter while manipulating the entertainment industry.
‘I was worried about how Yu Hae-in would move forward, but at this rate, he’ll struggle just to keep himself together.’
This was excellent intelligence.
The fact that the regressor threatening me was shackled by the heavy chains of penalties—that was invaluable information.
Ding!
‘Huh?’
Again, a translucent blue window suddenly gleamed before me.
[Data analysis complete!]
[Successfully absorbed a fragment of causality separated from the target’s System ‘Observer’.]
‘What?’
[You have acquired a new item!]
‘What is this thing saying? I obtained an item?’
[Would you like to check the item?]
‘Yes.’
Beside the translucent blue window, a lens gleaming with a violet hue materialized.
“…A lens?”
The moment I grasped the disposable-packaged lens in my hand, a description of the item appeared.
[Item Name: Observer’s Afterimage Lens (Grade: A)]
[Effect: When equipped, the observer can detect the light emitted by the System’s power usage exactly once.]
‘This is a better haul than I expected.’
The corners of my mouth lifted involuntarily at the fact that I’d acquired an unexpected skill.
“Si-woo! What are you doing over there!”
At the urgent cry that suddenly reached my ears, I lifted my head.
The Group Members were rushing toward me, their backs turned against the festival’s brilliant lights.
The light scattering behind them blazed like a halo.
“Younger Sibling!!!”
Rua, arriving first, smashed my back with his palm.
Thwack—! Thwack—!
“Ow!”
His hand had quite the sting to it.
“I told you not to go! You deserve to get hit, Younger Sibling!”
As I silently accepted the incoming blows, the other Group Members who followed surrounded me.
“Why does your face look like that?”
“I just got hit on the back by Rua.”
When the Group Members glanced over, Rua finally stopped his assault.
“No. I didn’t hit that hard!”
“What are you talking about? It hurt a lot!”
As Rua and I bickered, the Group Members spoke up one by one.

“Si-woo, did something happen with the senior?”
“Did Yu Hae-in say something strange?”
The worried voices of the Group Members echoed from all directions.
‘This… isn’t a bad feeling at all.’
It had been a long time since someone worried about me like this.
The bizarre and chilling world of the System that I’d experienced just moments before suddenly felt distant.
“No. It’s just… I heard a story that got tedious.”
I deliberately didn’t look back toward the warehouse.
Instead, I stared at the new notification window that appeared before me.
Ding.
[Cha Si-woo]
The blue window, now finally regaining its senses, sparkled loudly with emotion.
‘It’s appearing as the System normally would.’
The one that had been moving so mechanically until just moments ago was gone.
[You protected me!]
‘Well… yeah?’
The System sharing that Yu Hae-in had proposed wasn’t actually an alliance—it was parasitism.
A horrifying scheme to siphon my fresh System authority and fill his own rotting penalties.
‘I’m not particularly interested in sharing what’s mine.’
[This System is moved!]
‘All right.’
As I was savoring this touching reunion with the System that sparkled so ostentatiously, Rua’s resolute voice rang out.
“Next time, never go alone, Si-woo.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Si-woo, let’s go now. We need to check our next schedule.”
As I nodded to the endless stream of nagging from the Group Members, my lips curved upward of their own accord.
“Yes, understood. Let’s head out.”
As I moved forward, the Group Members surrounded me like bodyguards.
“…?”
“Si-woo, you’re banned from acting alone from now on.”
“Seriously. Do you know what kind of troublemaker you are?”
“Yes.”
With Seo Ha-yul’s pouting remark, I headed toward the vehicle, enveloped in the warmth of the Group Members.
‘If Yu Hae-in holds the answer key, then I’ll simply turn that answer key into a wrong answer myself.’
I resolved to hasten the ending of deletion that he so desperately desired.
☆☆☆
It was less than two hours after the festival ended.
The van heading back to the Dormitory was wrapped in an eerie silence.
The Group Members, who had poured all their energy on the Stage, had collapsed from exhaustion.
‘They must be tired.’
But I wasn’t resting.
I had to monitor the real-time reactions pouring in from the Online Community.
‘This reaction is hotter than I expected?’
The speed at which posts were being uploaded was extraordinary.
The dam of the fiercely burning Online Community finally burst after countless cracks.
>[Are they really rookies? Their command of the university festival stage was insane]
>[Did Lusbo really get tens of thousands of people to sing along without backing tracks?]
[How I became a Lusbo fan after waiting for a girl group]
Among the flood of posts, I clicked on the one that had claimed the top spot in overall popular posts with overwhelming view counts.
[Today’s Minguk University Lusbo sound accident + 18-minute delay incident summary.txt]
1. Lusbo’s first song had sound issues and all backing tracks went out.
2. Cha Si-woo threw the microphone (the performance was incredibly cool) and started leading with his raw voice.
3. Carried the atmosphere with unaccompanied group singing.
4. Sound was fixed and successfully ended the university festival stage.
5. The next team was late, leaving the stage empty for about 18 minutes.
6. Lusbo grabbed the microphone and spontaneously held a ‘department competition’ that turned the Sports Field upside down.
7. Finally sang a national anthem and led group singing, then took a group photo before leaving.
Summary: A rookie cleaned up after the seniors and created a legendary stage. These guys have insane value and are the real deal.
>Comments (1,291)
Wow. I watched the video and the vocal power was insane. The raw voice pierced right through the speakers. (1,000+ recommendations)
I almost threw the major textbook I was holding when Cha Si-woo shouted “Department of Nursing, make some noise!” at the scene. His charisma is no joke.
Honestly, it was the most fun I had at this festival.
Cha Si-woo’s hard carry was insane lol
– The senior team that was late—everyone knows who they are now, right? (500+ upvotes)
Lol, if it wasn’t for Lusbo, the festival would’ve almost turned into a total mood killer today.
Honestly, if the junior hadn’t done the probation period, it would have been controversial.
– I became a fan after seeing Cha Si-woo roll up his sleeves and keep the beat. (3,000+ upvotes)
Me too.
How is this a rookie’s mentality? That’s seriously impressive.
Even a man would think that’s cool.
“Are those view counts and comment numbers real?”
The numbers that had accumulated in such a short time made me doubt my own eyes.
Following the firepower that had dominated the real-time best posts on major online communities, YouTube was in complete chaos.
>[Real-Time Trending Video #1]
[4K] Minguk University Festival Audio Malfunction—How a Rookie Handles the Crisis (Full Version)
Just two hours after upload, the view count had already surpassed 500,000 and was climbing vertically.
‘At this rate, we’ll easily break a million views by tonight.’
With each refresh, the surge in view counts and comment speeds was absolutely overwhelming.
‘How on earth was this filmed so well?’
As I played the video, the me on screen didn’t even flinch at the sudden audio malfunction.
Instead, I was leisurely commanding the audience and dominating the stage.
Particularly, the part where I laughed cheekily saying “The test failure is our fault” had already been turned into a meme and was flooding SNS.
‘I’ve definitely solidified my position.’
At this point, it wasn’t just solidifying—it was like pouring cement over everything.
With this level of recognition and buzz, aiming for the Rookie Award at the Year-End Awards Ceremony was no longer a goal but something that felt inevitable.
Then, my smartphone vibrated softly in my palm.
The name that appeared on the screen was one that made my brow furrow just looking at it.
[Yu Hae-in]
The lingering warmth from the stage vanished in an instant, as if ice water had been poured over me the moment I saw that name.
The text message I confirmed was ridiculous.
[Yu Hae-in: The internet response is great. Your handling was honestly impressive. I’ll wait for your call.]
“What.”
I responded with a light read without replying.
I didn’t want his contact to ruin this good mood.
‘I need to change my mood.’
I opened the gallery and looked through the group photos taken on stage and behind-the-scenes cuts from the waiting room.
‘The photos turned out well. The fans will love these if I post them on SNS.’
With practiced hands, I quickly edited the photos.
I uploaded the raw individual cuts of the members looking tense as we prepared the stage and the group shot with tens of thousands of camera flashes spread across it like the Milky Way to Lusbo’s official account.
[#Lusbo #MingukUniversityFestival #ThanksLuminaForJoiningUs #MingukUniversity]
The moment I pressed upload, likes and comment notifications erupted like a machine with a broken gauge, ringing out frantically.
☆☆☆
After grinding through a brutal schedule, the calendar numbers shifted once again.
The cold winter air brushing against my nose seemed to ask who the true star of this season was, and that chill announced the arrival of awards season.
Finally, the invitation to GMSA (Global Music Show Awards)—the most prestigious stage that summarizes a year in South Korea’s music industry—was placed in our hands.
Hosted by C Broadcasting, GMSA was the most influential festival that opened the year-end awards season each year, and for idols, it was a dream battlefield.
The heat radiating from tens of thousands of spectators packed around Gocheok Sky Dome was so intense it seemed capable of melting even the depths of winter’s bitter cold in an instant.
“Wow, this is seriously no joke.”
“There are so many people.”
Just before stepping out of the vehicle, we did a final check of our outfits and makeup.
Since this gathering brought together South Korea’s most renowned singers, momentum was just as important as talent.
“Alright, Lusbo members. We’ll be getting out soon, so get ready.”
“Yes!”
At the Buffet Manager’s calm voice, leader Kim Sun-yu rallied the team members for final preparations.
“Everyone, when we get out in front of the red carpet, there will be an unprecedented number of journalists.”
“Wow!”
“I’m really nervous.”
“You know you need to smile and greet the cameras properly, right? Don’t lose your nerve.”
“Yes!”
“Of course.”
“Good. Let’s go!”
Finally, the van came to a smooth stop at the red carpet entrance.
The moment the van’s heavy sliding door opened, all the noise of the world surged into the quiet interior like a tidal wave.
“Waaaaaaaa!”
“Lusbo!”
“Cha Si-woo!”
“Ho-seung!”
The roar of countless people shook the space, pounding against our eardrums.

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