The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 19

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

Chapter 19
Ding.
[Cha Si-woo’s physical condition has reached its limit. Your current fatigue level has exceeded 69. Any further use of your body will result in organ damage.]
‘What?’
I need to earn every last penny right now—what kind of nonsense is this?
[A welfare system is being applied to participants pushed to their physical extremes. System users can avail themselves of a service where they can borrow energy by paying a ‘price’. Will you use this service?]
‘A loan? Out of nowhere? Are you lending me money or something?’
[We cannot provide material goods.]
‘Then what is it?’
[Right now, what you need most is energy to overcome your accumulated fatigue, Cha Si-woo. We can loan you that energy, but in return, a powerful ‘penalty’ will be applied as ‘interest’.]
Thud.
My legs suddenly gave way beneath me.
The four delivery boxes blurred before my eyes.
The opaque crimson window continued to flicker relentlessly.
[(Warning) Participant’s fatigue level has reached 70. Organ damage is now beginning.]
“Cough! Cough!”
With each cough, something inside felt like it was tearing apart.
The moment my trembling fingertips touched my lips, something hot and sticky dripped onto my palm.
Vivid crimson blood spilled from my mouth in a violent gush.
“…What is this…”
The pain boiling up from deep in my throat seemed to pour out along with the blood.
[Will you take the loan? (Warning) You will receive a powerful ‘penalty’ as ‘interest’.]
‘Penalty or whatever—just give me the loan. At this rate, I’m going to die right here.’
Both my hands clutched my head as a crushing migraine bore down on me.
‘I’ll take it.’
Ding.
[Per your request, the loan system is being activated. Energy loan is approved under the condition that you receive a ‘penalty’ as ‘interest’. The repayment period is one month.]
In an instant, a brilliant white light engulfed my surroundings.
‘This damned system.’
As the white light faded, the familiar translucent blue window gleamed before my eyes.
[Status Window]
Cha Si-woo (20)
Appearance: A-
Singing: B
Dancing: C
Charisma: B+
Stamina: B+
Ability: ???
Status: Paparazzi who regressed five years.
(NEW) Fatigue: 0 (-70)
[Due to the borrowed energy, Cha Si-woo’s fatigue disappears.]
In an instant, my blurred vision snapped into sharp focus.
The four packages I’d been seeing became one again.
My ragged breathing settled into a steady rhythm, and the muscles in my legs tensed back up.
‘Wow, I’m going to make it.’
My body felt lighter, as if the weight pressing down on my shoulders had suddenly lifted.
I got up from my seat and resumed moving the stacked packages that had accumulated.
‘Hey.’
[Yes.]
‘Thanks. You saved my life.’
[…]
‘You said interest comes with a penalty. What exactly is the penalty?’
[That is classified information.]
Why is everything classified the moment I ask?
‘That’s frustrating. When do I receive the penalty?’
[You will receive it randomly before you repay the borrowed energy. (Warning) No matter what happens, you must repay it by the due date.]
The penalty bothered me, but earning money was the priority right now.
After finishing the delivery work, I took my lighter body to my part-time job at the Vegetable Market Event Venue.
☆☆☆
Working as an event staff member meant doing all sorts of miscellaneous tasks.
With years of part-time job experience under my belt, I quietly powered through everything they asked of me.
When I received my daily wages, I was notified to come during the same time slot for the six days the event would run.
‘Phew, thank goodness.’
I headed to Minhan General Hospital with the wage envelope in hand.
Hospital bills had a way of piling up and creating pressure.
‘I can’t let Cha Si-hyun suffer if I’m even slightly late with payment.’
If payment delays became frequent, the hospital would definitely take notice.
Watching patients who couldn’t afford it being rushed out, I’d always scraped together hospital fees no matter what it took.
The moment I arrived at the hospital, I rushed to the Administrative Department and paid the hospital bill first.
Suddenly, the tightness that had been suffocating me eased slightly.
With a weight lifted from my heart, I made my way to the ICU.
Cha Si-hyun, whom I was seeing during ICU visiting hours for the first time in a while, still lay motionless and unchanged.
‘At least seeing him doing well puts my mind at ease.’
With my fatigue gone, my body felt so much lighter and work actually felt rewarding.
After visiting hours ended, I headed to the Wedding Hall for a buffet part-time job I’d found on a short-term job site.
Given the notorious reputation of extreme part-time work, there were quite a few places hiring buffet staff on the same day.
Despite all the news about low birth rates, the ironic situation was that wedding halls were booked solid months in advance with couples holding ceremonies.
“Hello. I’m Cha Si-woo, and I came to apply for the short-term part-time work today.”
“Nice to meet you. Your work history is quite impressive—do you have experience with buffet work too?”
“Yes, I have experience working several times before.”
“But why the mask…?”
‘Better safe than sorry.’
Thinking back on the unexpectedly intense response from the broadcast and the articles, I’d decided to wear a mask while working.
“Since it’s a food service job, I thought it would be better for hygiene.”
“Ah, true. From a customer’s perspective, that does look better.”
“I’ll do my best today.”
“Good.”
I changed into the uniform handed to me without ceremony and clipped the earphone connected to the walkie-talkie onto one ear.
Short-term part-time work never earned good treatment anywhere.
Befitting my position as a temporary worker, I was assigned simple tasks like clearing dishes and disposing of food waste.
‘There really are so many people.’
I was quickly catching and processing the stacked plates left by the incoming guests.
Crash!
A sharp, piercing sound of breaking porcelain tore through the bustling space.
White, thin ceramic fragments scattered in all directions.
One piece rolled across the floor and slid to a stop beneath a table leg, its edge cracked.
In the sudden silence that followed, all eyes converged on a single point.
There stood a woman whose face had flushed red, frozen in embarrassment.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
I asked with a professional smile, and the flustered woman nodded slightly.
“That’s a relief. It’s dangerous, so please stay seated. I’ll clean up the dishes right away.”
“Ah… I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. You must have been quite startled. I’m just glad you weren’t hurt.”
“Thank you.”
The woman’s face, which had been anxious, relaxed considerably.
I carefully picked up the ceramic fragments with a handkerchief from my pocket.
After removing the larger pieces first, I used a wet wipe to cleanly sweep away the remaining fragments from the floor, leaving it spotless.
“All cleaned up, so please enjoy your meal.”
“Um… hey.”
“Yes?”
“Well…”
The woman hesitated, tugging at my sleeve.
“Is there anything else you need?”
“Do you happen to use DalStagram?”
“No.”
“Are you perhaps an influencer?”
‘Aren’t influencers people like Yoo Ho-seung?’
Since I was just a trainee and nothing more, I shook my head.
“I must have been mistaken. Sorry for bothering you.”
“Not at all. Enjoy your meal.”
I offered a polite smile and excused myself with a bow, turning away.
Beep.
[Part-timer. Could you clear table 9 for me?]
Right on cue, the Buffet Manager’s instructions crackled through the walkie-talkie.
Beep.
[Yes. Understood.]
By the time I’d finished clearing tables in a blur of constant motion, the whirlwind that was the Wedding Hall buffet shift had finally ended.
Perhaps impressed by my diligent work and lack of shirking, the Buffet Manager offered me additional shifts when handing over my pay.
I accepted without hesitation.
‘Thank goodness. I’ve secured all my part-time work before the broadcast airs.’
It was only a week, but I needed to earn as much as possible in that time.
A rough calculation showed I’d have enough to cover hospital expenses until my next payment came through.
☆☆☆
During the days leading up to filming, my routine became remarkably structured.
After finishing my overnight delivery part-time job, I’d catch about three hours of sleep.
Then I’d work the event venue staff shift, visit Cha Si-hyun, and spend the afternoon at the Wedding Hall buffet—a hamster wheel pattern that repeated endlessly.
After grinding through all those shifts, the day before the broadcast finally arrived.
My body ached more than it had at first, but thanks to the borrowed energy, it held up reasonably well.
‘Though the interest penalty still bothers me.’
I’d checked the System window several times since then, but the opaque blue interface only repeated the same message.
‘What exactly is this penalty that they keep it classified?’
I regretted not having time for singing and dance practice, but at least I’d solved the immediate hospital bills.
‘After today’s shift, I’ll be back in the dorms.’
I was diligently clearing plates at the Wedding Hall buffet when it happened.
An unexpected question crackled through the walkie-talkie.
Beep.
[Is there any part-timer available to sing right now?]
“…”
A brief silence followed before the receiver crackled again.
Beep.
[It’s urgent. We have an important ceremony at 7 PM, but the ceremonial singer just cancelled. If you can fill in for the tribute song today, I’ll pay you generously.]
‘Money…!’
In my position, where every penny mattered, this wasn’t the time to be picky.
Without hesitation, I quickly pressed the receive button.
Beep.
[I can do it.]
Beep.
[Come to the front of Athena Hall on the 5th Floor right now.]
Beep.
[Yes.]
After informing the Buffet Manager of the situation, I headed to the elevator.
The moment I stepped onto the 5th Floor, the Event Coordinator rushed toward me at a brisk pace.
“Cha Si-woo! You’re here!”
“Yes, Event Coordinator.”
“I was so worried since this is an important client, but I’m really grateful.”
“Not at all. As long as you take care of my payment, I’ll do my best to sing.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll make sure you’re generously compensated. We’re short on time, so let’s hurry.”
“Yes.”
As we walked, the Event Coordinator handed me a white shirt and black slacks that she’d been holding.
“These are the clothes the original singer was supposed to wear. The size should roughly fit, so go change into them.”
“Understood.”
While changing out of my uniform in the Staff Changing Room, I grappled with the most critical concern.
‘But what song am I supposed to sing for the congratulatory performance?’
Until now, the only songs I could perform without looking at lyrics were Heartping and the theme song Cheer Me On.
Since Star picking5 hadn’t aired yet, the song Cheer Me On was contractually unavailable for personal performances.
‘…So that leaves only Heartping?’
“Hmm…”
There was no way around this.
As I emerged fully dressed, the Event Coordinator gestured urgently.
“We have only 10 minutes until the congratulatory performance. I need to prepare the audio track—what song will you be singing?”
“Heartping.”
“…I’m sorry?”
“Please prepare the audio for Heartping.”
The Event Coordinator’s expression went blank, and the phone she’d been holding slipped from her hand to the floor.
“Cha Si-woo, are you joking right now?”
“No. I’m serious.”
“…”
A heavy silence hung in the air for a moment.
Just then, her phone rang loudly, snapping her back to attention as she picked it up from the floor.
The speaker was on, and an urgent voice blared from the device.
[Why aren’t you responding to my messages? This is urgent! What audio track are you preparing?]
“…Heartping.”
[What? What did you say?]
“Prepare the Heartping audio track.”
Bolstered by the Event Coordinator’s look of utter bewilderment, I made my way to Athena Hall.
☆☆☆

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