The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 21

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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 21
[After a grueling evaluation session, a refreshing trainee appeared before the exhausted judges!]
“Ahahaha.”
“Hahahahaha.”
The footage was edited to comically capture how the judges’ vacant expressions transformed in an instant.
Throughout the venue, unrestrained laughter erupted from the trainees.
[The song I’ve prepared is “Piri Rik.”]
[Pardon?]
With a muted edit, the judges’ shocked expressions were zoomed in on before the broadcast ended.
‘Did I get maybe five seconds?’
The screen time was somewhat disappointing—not even a full episode, just a preview appearance.
‘Can’t be helped. There are trainees who got completely cut from the broadcast anyway.’
“Younger Sibling Si-woo. What song did you perform?”
Rua’s curious voice rang out from beside me.
“Well. You’ll find out when you watch the broadcast.”
“Why~ just tell us.”
“Spoiler prevention.”
Ignoring Rua’s pestering, I followed the Staff Member’s instructions and headed to the Dormitory.
☆☆☆
‘Should I check YouTube first?’
The moment the broadcast ended, TX’s official account had already uploaded a condensed 10-minute summary of Episode 1.
An hour after the video went live, Episode 1’s thumbnail—boasting 100,000 views—featured Yoo Ho-seung flashing a confident smile.
‘100,000 views in just one hour.’
It was a figure with significant potential to climb YouTube’s trending videos.
The 10-minute video was edited sensationally, focusing primarily on Yoo Ho-seung and Kim Sun-yu—trainees from major entertainment agencies with high buzz value.
‘Honestly, not even giving me a single appearance is really harsh.’
Swallowing my disappointment, I scrolled through the comments that were multiplying in real time.
>??? Why is Yoo Ho-seung even in such a shabby audition? (Likes: 10,000+)
-For real. He’s already famous enough that he doesn’t even need to be an idol.
-Wow. He’s seriously handsome.
-Feels kinda like rich people doing a commoner experience?
>When voting starts later, please give one vote to Ho-seung oppa(__)(Likes: 5,000+)
-The center we trust and believe in.
-Go grab his photos on DalStagram!
>But honestly, the singing and dancing… (Likes: 8,000+)
-For real. I was embarrassed just watching.
-Isn’t it just the best when an idol is handsome?
-Where does a person exist who’s perfect at everything?
-Our Seung-ho oppa is an idol just by existing.
Clearly, 10 million followers’ worth of recognition couldn’t be ignored.
More than half the comments on Episode 1 were about Yoo Ho-seung.
>Kim Sun-yu cried after watching the first audition.
It’s so sad to see you in person.
-His melancholic charm is insane….
>There are a lot of kids getting swept up in emotions here. An experienced professional showed up in a rookie competition—where’s the fairness?
-That’s annoying too, but isn’t Episode 1 basically just editing that favors Kim Sun-yu?
“Admitted. They’re using the topicality, but the actual PD pick is Kim Sun-yu.”
What are you talking about? That’s because our Seon-yu is good at it.
-Rigged TX. Did the agency pay them off or something?
Do you have evidence? You’re just guessing. Why don’t you write the story yourself?
>There are a lot of hardworking young people.
-I was worried because they say there are a lot of reclusive youth these days, but there are so many passionate young people like this.
-Passion—we support you—
>Didn’t expect much, but it’s more entertaining than I thought.
>Is it Seo Ha-yul? I want to raise that guy who looks like a gray cat. (Likes: 500+)
>My husband Kang Chan’s dancing is insane, check 4:55. (Likes: 800+)
>Except for a few, it’s basically a talent show. Why are we watching trainees who haven’t even debuted?
>Is Star picking5 really in trouble this time?
-I thought they’d rock bottom, but why are there so many handsome guys?
-My eyes are wide open.
>Isn’t Rua literally a real-life prince? His tone is great and he really sings well.
-Agreed. Main vocal material for sure.
The overall response to Episode 1 wasn’t bad.
‘With this much buzz, we’ll get even more attention going forward.’
And there were some scattered comments about me too.
>Why does that Charming Man from the music show have zero screen time?
-Curious, but he got completely edited out of Episode 1.
-Still, he showed up in the preview…. If he’s doing center, he must be pretty good, right?
How the hell am I supposed to wait a whole week?
-Zero seconds of screen time as center? Rigged TX—look at them benching an individual trainee like this.
‘Since I showed up in the preview, I should at least get some screen time in Episode 2.’
☆☆☆
Filming proceeded with forced wake-up calls early in the morning.
Today, instead of the PD, Yu Hae-in, a first-tier idol, took the stage.
With cue cards in one hand and a gentle smile on his face, Yu Hae-in picked up the microphone.
“Everyone, it’s been a while. Have you been well?”
“Yes!”
“Today we’ll be conducting the battle mission, which is the main event of the team survival!”
The group assignment had begun.
“The team survival will proceed through position battle missions. Each team will prepare songs suited to their positions and showcase not only individual capabilities but also collaboration, stage direction ability, and charisma in a comprehensive way.”
The large screen on stage flickered to life.
The number displayed was 100.
“Starting with this survival mission, eliminations will occur alongside ranking announcements determined by voting.”
“…!”
Tick… tick… tick…
An electronic sound like a clock’s second hand rang out at regular intervals.
But as time passed, the sound grew faster and sharper.
With each number decreasing in the countdown, the trainees’ breathing grew shallower in sync.
The announcement of eliminations—the crux of any survival program—filled the filming studio with palpable tension.
“The number of eliminated trainees is···.”
The studio fell into such profound silence that even breathing seemed cautious.
Finally, the descending numbers came to a halt.
“Exactly…. 50 people.”
It was the beginning of a purge that eliminated half from the very start.
“This can’t be right!”
“Seriously?”
“This is insane. Half eliminated right from the beginning···”
In Star picking5’s previous seasons, only 25 trainees had been eliminated in the first vote.
Apparently, the production team had noticed the internet’s relentless criticism about milking the format.
‘So this is what they meant about making changes at the press conference?’
As the show garnered more attention than expected, the production team had decided to make a bolder, more sensational move.
“Quite shocking, isn’t it? This year’s Star picking5 will proceed differently from last season!”
The murmuring voices tangled together, spreading outward like a massive wave.
“As for positions, they’ll be the same ones you originally applied for during your initial survival audition. We’ll start by dividing teams: 35 vocalists, 30 rappers, and 35 dancers.”
Yu Hae-in received a square box wrapped in black cloth from a staff member.
“Inside this box are balls numbered 1 through 5. The number on the ball you draw will be your team number.”
‘They really love drawing lots here.’
“First, the 35 trainees who applied for the dancer position, please come up on stage.”
To counter manipulation accusations, the production team had even resorted to drawing lots for team assignments.
‘This way, there’ll definitely be fewer accusations of rigging.’
The 35 trainees who had applied for the dancer position lined up and took turns drawing from the box.
“Oh! Trainee Kim Sun-yu drew number 3.”
“Trainee Kang Chan drew number 5.”
The trainees who had drawn their numbers came down from the stage and lined up in front of the placards bearing their assigned numbers.
“The dancer teams have been divided into 5 teams of 7 members each. Quite unexpected combinations—this should be interesting! Next, vocalists, please come up on stage.”
As I stood, my plastic chair scraped against the floor.
Naturally forming a line as we went up, my turn arrived before I knew it.
“Trainee Cha Si-woo drew number 2.”
I came down from the stage and headed toward the vocal team 2 placard in the 3 o’clock direction.
A familiar face was already standing there.
“Oh~ Cha Si-woo!”
‘That guy’s energy never changes.’
Rua was waving his hand high in the air, casually dropping my surname and calling me by a familiar nickname.
Since we were filming, I couldn’t ignore the greeting, so I gave Rua a slight nod.
*nod*
“Hahahaha.”
As I tried to pass by Rua’s hearty laughter, he suddenly pulled me into a shoulder embrace.
“…”
‘Damn. I can’t say anything in front of the camera, and why has he been acting so close to me all this time?’
I had no choice but to stand beside Rua with a professional smile.
This time, Rua clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.
‘Go ahead and laugh.’
Finally, all the vocal teams had been divided.
With Park Soo-gyeok joining last—still bearing a scab on his lip—Vocal Team 2 now consisted of seven members total, including me.
‘That guy’s wounds still haven’t fully healed, it seems.’
“We’ve gathered quite a few talented people here.”
“This is like a complete vocal Avengers team, isn’t it?”
“Haha.”
“Let’s do our best!”
After all the selections were complete, including the rap position, the final hundred trainees were divided into fifteen teams.
‘Five vocal teams, five dance teams, five rap teams—it’s perfectly organized.’
Once Yu Hae-in confirmed that all the trainees had moved to their respective teams, he picked up the microphone again.
“Are all of you trainees satisfied with your teams?”
“Yes!”
‘Who would actually say they’re not satisfied in a moment like this?’
I noticed Park Soo-gyeok sending a heated glare from beside me.
‘Well, there’s one. Doesn’t he think about how this will be edited?’
“I’m glad to hear that. Now we’ll move on to song selection. Choose a song that will best showcase your team and capture the hearts of our national directors!”
“Yes!”
“Could everyone please look toward the 9 o’clock direction?”
On one wall of the filming location at the 9 o’clock direction, fifteen album covers were displayed at regular intervals.
“The song selection will be….”
Since the teams had been randomly assigned, song selection was equally crucial as a strategic move.
‘I wonder…?’
If they did this through another random draw, it would be ridiculous, so I watched Yu Hae-in with anticipation.
“Each team representative will come forward and race to claim the song they want most!”
“Woooow!”
“Ugh!”
The trainees’ reactions were mixed—some excited, some dismayed.
It was predictable.
The production team had already decided on a running race with a pre-selected song—a format that required no additional budget, allowed for competitive editing, and could deliver results quickly.
‘They’re really getting good value for their production costs.’
The production team’s determination to extract compelling footage and entertainment before the voting was evident.
The albums lining the wall featured a diverse selection: songs from first-tier male idols including Yu Hae-in’s group, failed idol groups, ballads, and female idols.
‘As long as it’s not one specific song, I don’t really care.’
“You’ll have twenty minutes total. Each team should quickly decide on your representative and song selection.”
As Yu Hae-in lowered the microphone, a twenty-minute timer activated on the stage screen.
Watching the numbers decrease rapidly, the two vocal teams huddled closer to the center.
“Should we start by choosing a representative?”
“Anyone confident in running or good at it?”
A brief silence hung in the air.
The trainees in vocal team two were busy gauging each other’s reactions.
‘…?’
Suddenly, countless gazes from vocal team two turned toward me.
“Why are you all looking at me?”
“You just look like you’d be good at running.”
‘…What does that even mean?’
“When we were filming the theme song, we saw your physical abilities and reflexes were incredible.”
“How about you become our team representative?”
It seemed they’d all been watching during the selection quest, even while pretending not to.
‘That was just because Yellow-haired Trainee was way too slow back then.’
Still, becoming team representative wasn’t a bad thing.
Since this was the early stages of a survival program with a hundred participants, getting on camera even once was crucial for screen time.
‘I had no screen time in episode one, so I need to work harder.’
Recalling the five-second preview that had aired, my heart sank.
In a situation where voting was involved, an active approach was better than a passive one.
‘They probably won’t edit in a scene of me just running normally anyway.’
“I don’t mind being the team representative, but is there anyone else who’d like to be?”
If I’d immediately volunteered from the start, there would definitely be talk.
‘I’ll do it anyway, but I should ask out of courtesy.’
I needed to show some humility for the sake of public opinion.
The internet was a battlefield.
There was no benefit in giving ammunition to viewers who were ready to tear me apart at any opportunity.
‘What matters is debuting in the end.’
As I looked around, Park Soo-gyeok raised his hand as if he’d been waiting for this moment.
“Me!”
‘I knew 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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