The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 117

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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 117
‘So many people have gathered.’
In that same instant, thousands of camera flashes erupted before my eyes like flash grenades.
The sight of the surroundings flickering in white light was itself akin to a massive assault.
Click, click—!
‘A proper eye assault.’
Under the barrage of cascading flashes, several of the Group Members instinctively closed their eyes or turned their heads away.
For an ordinary rookie, it would have been impossible to even keep their eyes open, let alone make out what lay ahead—a veritable war zone of light.
But I was different.
Though tens of thousands of lenses bore down on me as if to devour me whole, my pupils never wavered for a single moment.
‘A familiar kind of attack.’
I stared straight ahead.
‘The paparazzi world was always a blood-soaked battlefield, after all.’
In my past life, chasing targets and brawling with rival paparazzi was routine.
That world was a place where we casually exchanged forced flash attacks to obstruct each other’s vision like we were sipping coffee.
This level of flash bombardment was nothing more than a dry-eye machine to me.
Rather, I was reading the angles of the cameras hidden between the flashes.
My instincts told me exactly which angle would showcase my jawline best, which lens to meet my gaze with to capture the perfect shot.
As I leisurely lifted the corners of my mouth and swept my gaze across the lenses, a familiar face caught my eye.
‘…That guy came too.’
Among paparazzi, there were quite a few who made a side business of selling high-quality photos to fan sites.
‘It feels strange meeting like this.’
I flashed my professional social smile at the Paparazzi Vendor I hadn’t seen in ages, then stared directly at his camera and gave a light wave.
‘Better get a good shot. I’m worth more now.’
As I was leading the cameras, I heard screams from beyond the fence.
“Kyaaah! Did Si-woo just look over here?”
“Insane, he just made eye contact!”
‘Ah. Those are my precious fans.’
A genuine smile leaked out before I could help myself.
The Press Section and Fan Section didn’t miss that momentary shift, erupting in simultaneous screams.
Click. Click. Click.
The shutter sounds accelerated like machine gun fire.
Turning to face the cameras at forty-five degrees to the left, straight ahead, and even the distant gimbal cameras in sequence, I uncannily pinpointed which cameras would capture me most brilliantly and took command of the Red Carpet.
“Wow… Si-woo hyung, you’re really like a machine.”
Seo Ha-yul, who had been following behind me using me as a shield, let out an admiring murmur.
“Ha-yul, calling your hyung a machine? You should say professional.” “Every time I see hyung, I feel like it’s strange.” “Thanks. And don’t close your eyes—keep smiling.”
“Yes! But hyung, the flashes are so blinding.”
“Endure it.”
As Ha-yul and I bickered, I could see Kang Chan walking the Red Carpet with a stiff, robotic gait while maintaining a poker face.
‘Kang Chan seems way too nervous.’
Just as I was about to steady Kang Chan, who was moving stiffly like a malfunctioning robot.
Rua and Kim Sun-yu, who were nearby, expertly navigated their camera walk while seamlessly positioning Kang Chan in the middle.
‘The hyung line really knows how to handle this.’
Kim Sun-yu’s polish could be attributed to his experience, but Rua’s innate star quality was genuinely remarkable.
‘Truly impressive.’
We walked the Red Carpet amidst countless camera flashes and cheers, finally coming to a stop at the stairs before the Main Photo Zone.
‘For a first Red Carpet, this is going smoother than expected.’
It was just as I was waving to the fans in the heated atmosphere, ascending the Photo Wall stairs.
Yoo Ho-seung, who had been walking confidently ahead of me, twisted his ankle.
“…!”
Was it excessive tension, or perhaps accumulated fatigue?
Ho-seung’s body lost the battle against gravity, tilting backward.
‘Ah, this is dangerous.’
My instincts from my paparazzi days, honed from capturing countless celebrities’ humiliating moments, screamed a warning.
If he fell like that, tomorrow morning’s headlines would undoubtedly be plastered with mocking articles like [Lusbo’s Yoo Ho-seung Makes Awkward Entrance at Awards Ceremony].
‘He’d be upset seeing that article.’
And if he fell badly and injured a member, it could jeopardize our team’s activities.
The moment my thoughts crystallized, my body reacted swiftly.
Rather than just catching Ho-seung’s arm as he stumbled, I wrapped my arm around his waist and pulled him back sharply.
“…!”
Our pose resembled the finale move of a tango.
“Si-woo hyung…?!”
Ho-seung’s pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck.
‘This pose actually works.’
I smiled with practiced ease and whispered softly near his ear.
“Smile, Ho-seung. This is a performance angle.”
With one hand firmly supporting Ho-seung’s waist, I used my other hand to gently lift his chin toward the camera lens.
Then, like a movie protagonist escorting a lover, I lowered my head and gazed directly into Ho-seung’s eyes.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
Click, click-click-click!
The camera shutters that had been ready to capture a moment of humiliation instantly transformed into a rapid-fire symphony of astonishment and excitement.
“Insane! What was that just now? Like a movie!”
“Wow, a hyung taking care of the maknae! So cool!”
“Why do those two look so good together?”
“Si-woo’s got such presence. He and cute Ho-seung really match perfectly.”
Screams of near-fainting erupted from the Fan Section.
A near-catastrophic moment had transformed into an unprecedented bromance spectacle.
‘Well… as long as the fans are happy, that’s what matters.’
I slowly helped Yoo Ho-seung to his feet and straightened his collar.
“Let’s go, maknae.”
“Yes!”
The venue descended into absolute chaos.
The journalists were thrilled—not with a scoop, but with the stunning photo opportunity, while the fans gazed at us with warm approval.
Despite the brief commotion, all the members finally came to a halt at the Main Photo Zone.
Click. Click!
I tensed my eyes against the barrage of camera flashes and smiled earnestly, waving toward the cameras.
“Kyaaaaaah!~”
“Lusbo!”
“Give us a heart!”
With each pose we struck in response to the endless requests from fans and journalists, the roar of the crowd only intensified.
☆☆☆
‘Phew, so the Awards Ceremony is really starting now?’
Among the Rookie/New Artist Category seating, we’d been assigned the absolute prime spot.
Our stage performance was also scheduled first.
The significance of the opening performance slot at an Awards Ceremony was immense.
The first stage was the face that announced the beginning, representing the most talked-about rookie team, and essentially, the opening performance of the Awards Ceremony went to whichever team had the highest buzz that year.
The moment we sat down, piercing stares from all directions bore into us like daggers.
“Those guys? The rookies who sold over 500,000 copies on first release?”
“Didn’t they dance tango outside earlier?”
“A rookie putting on a show on the Red Carpet.”
“They must be attention-seekers.”
The rival rookies sitting on either side of me whispered loudly enough for me to hear.
Their eyes burned with obvious jealousy as our competitors for the Rookie Award.
‘How cute.’
I didn’t avoid their gaze—I met it head-on with a slight smile.
Just as they turned away in confusion, a senior male idol seated in the front row suddenly turned around, radiating cold hostility.
‘That person… isn’t he the one I saw in the corridor earlier?’
He was the one who’d been shouting at his stylist in the corridor while we were moving from the Waiting Room to the Singer’s Seat.
“Don’t rookies these days know how to greet people? You’re sitting here all stiff-necked while your seniors are right in front of you.”
Classic senior hazing.
The pressure delivered from an angle where the cameras conveniently missed it made my members’ shoulders flinch.
‘Why are there so many old-fashioned people in this industry?’
I didn’t hesitate—I quickly bowed.
“Senior! Hello!”
“….”
The senior idol’s face twisted into an expression of utter disdain despite asking for the greeting.
‘You bastard, you told me to greet you, so I did—why are you acting disgusted?’
It was truly pathetic.
I drove my point home immediately.
“Actually, I tried to greet you in the corridor earlier, but you were in serious conversation with your Stylist about costume issues, so I was careful not to interrupt and kept it brief.”
“…!”
In truth, the male senior idols I’d seen in the corridor were venting their frustrations on the Stylist, dumping every complaint and responsibility onto her shoulders.
It was unmistakably abusive behavior, no matter how you looked at it.
At my carefully veiled but fact-laden jab, the Male Senior Idol’s brow furrowed.
Even if he wanted to refute me, since their mistreatment was factual, he could only clamp his mouth shut in the face of a witness’s testimony.
“If you’re upset about the greeting, I’ll make sure to apologize properly after the performance.”
“…No, it’s fine. I already received your greeting, so that’s enough.”
Just as the tension hung thick in the air, someone approached us—accompanied by a heavy wave of expensive perfume.
Click. Click.
‘…What’s this?’
Turning at the sound of heels, I saw a woman in a daring outfit with elaborate makeup approaching us.
“Hello, you’re from Lusbo, right?”
When I looked up, the person meeting my gaze was the visual center of the top-tier girl group Floris.
‘Damn. A landmine.’
It was extraordinarily unusual for an opposite-gender group to initiate conversation in a public setting like this.
As a result, all eyes instantly turned toward us.
‘Shit. Why is she coming to us?’
There were several unspoken rules in the idol world.
One of them was that there should never be any connection between male and female idols.
‘The moment you get entangled even slightly, all hell breaks loose in this industry.’
“Hello, senior.”
‘Damn. She’s a senior, so I can’t ignore her greeting.’
Responding on behalf of the members, the woman’s eyes crinkled as she smiled seductively.
“I saw your performance outside earlier—it was so cool I became a fan.”
“Ah, thank you.”
“Your name is Si-woo, right? Your quick reflexes are amazing. I also enjoyed watching you win first place in the Survival Competition.”
As she drew closer, she subtly tried to place her hand on my arm.
‘Cunning.’
Physical contact under the guise of compliments—this was nothing short of self-sabotage for an idol.
This sudden approach would inevitably be immortalized tomorrow morning as gossip: [Lusbo’s Si-woo – Pink-tinted rumors with girl group?]
‘This is the worst.’
Whether it was an attempt to capitalize on the viral rookie, Yu Hae-in’s scheme, or just her being a flirt—whatever it was, she was definitely a landmine to avoid.
I sidestepped her touch and quickly created distance.
“Thank you so much, senior! But I’m getting an urgent signal down there, if you know what I mean.”
“…Excuse me? What…?”
The woman’s hand froze in mid-air as a bewildered expression crossed her face.
“Urgent bowels! I really need to get to the bathroom right now. I’m sure you’ll understand.”
“…Ah, yes.”
Her voice noticeably trembled at my unexpected poop attack.
‘Yeah, there’s no better weapon than this when it comes to repelling the opposite sex.’
The moment her expression hardened and she turned away, Seo Ha-yul leaned in close and whispered in my ear.
“Si-woo, the atmosphere just now was completely off, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah. A crude tactic.”
“A tactic?”
“Right. Keep your wits about you. This place is where people smile while twisting the knife.”
In that instant, Seo Ha-yul’s expression visibly hardened.
The composure that had lingered until moments before vanished without a trace, replaced by a palpable tension that settled across his face.
“Ha-yul, listen carefully. The moment a woman who isn’t a fan approaches you, it’s a minefield for idol activities—so the instant it happens, you shout that you got an urgent call. Understand?”
“Yes! I understand!”
The rest of the Group Members, having overheard our conversation, wore peculiar expressions.
‘Why? Is there a better way to handle this than that?’
Ignoring their gazes, I turned my head and fixed my eyes on Yu Hae-in.
True to his status as a first-tier idol, Yu Hae-in sat in the Singer’s Seat at the very top, watching me with his chin propped up as though he found this situation amusing.
Ding.
In that moment, a translucent blue window glimmered.
[Observer’s Afterimage Item is being consumed.]
‘…What?’

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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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