The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 26

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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 26
“Hello, everyone. I’m Kim Tae-han, the composer of ‘The Moment I First Saw You.'”
The arrival of a master craftsman famous throughout South Korea for producing hit songs—someone whose music nearly everyone had sung at least once—sent ripples of commotion through the room.
‘They actually brought in the composer directly.’
As Star picking5’s recognition grew, so did the scale of the show’s ambitions.
‘But he’s not the type of person who usually appears on broadcasts.’
Kim Tae-han, who ranked among the more successful composers, had even received offers from paparazzi during his earlier years.
‘He probably doesn’t enjoy exposing his face.’
He was one of those rare individuals famous for living a reclusive lifestyle, rarely stepping outside his home, which made him notoriously difficult to photograph.
“Composer, I’m a fan of yours!”
“Could you sign something for me?”
“Haha. It’s wonderful to receive such a warm welcome.”
“It’s truly an honor to meet you like this!”
Watching Vocal Team 2 rush toward him, Kim Tae-han offered a subtle smile.
“The reason I’ve come today is to conduct a mid-point evaluation of the position stage.”
“Wow. Will you be giving us feedback directly, Composer?”
“Yes. I was curious since you’re rearranging my song, so I wanted to participate and provide feedback that might be helpful to all of you.”
“What an honor!”
In the warm atmosphere, the composer examined each member of Vocal Team 2 in turn.
“First, how did you rearrange the song?”
“Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!”
At Rua’s cheerful response, the composer’s expression couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom… is that the rearrangement?”
“Ah… it’s hard to explain in words, so I’m not sure how to describe it.”
Rua raised his right hand to scratch his cheek and glanced over at me.
‘Is there anyone in the world who would understand “boom-boom-boom-boom-boom” on the first try?’
“Hello, Composer Kim Tae-han. I’m Cha Si-woo, the team representative of Vocal Team 2. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, would it be alright if I explained instead?”
When a teammate found themselves in a difficult situation, it was the team representative’s duty to step forward.
‘That’s what this position is for.’
“Ah, I see.”
“Yes. For the rearrangement, we preserved the original song’s strengths while increasing the tempo and pace. We added instruments to transform the ballad into something upbeat and bright.”
“Hmm, could you explain in more detail?”
‘Does something about this not sit right with him?’
“Of course. We established the concept as a fresh first love, and when listeners hear it, we wanted them to think of an amusement park. For the highlight section, we incorporated a twist with sensuality to emphasize the dance performance with a sexy flair.”
“…The first love concept is nice. But a fast tempo and sexy choreography for this song…?”
The composer’s brow furrowed briefly before smoothing out, and he turned toward the judges.
“I’m curious about the rearrangement, and if you don’t mind, could we start the mid-point evaluation right now?”
“Of course.”
“After hearing Cha Si-woo’s explanation, I’m even more curious about how the final rearrangement turned out. This works perfectly.”
“Vocal Team 2, please prepare for the position stage!”
“Yes!”
Without anyone saying a word, we each moved to our positions as the music was being prepared.
“Music is ready.”
“Alright! Vocal Team 2, please begin.”
We exchanged signals through eye contact and gestures rather than words.
The arranged version of “The Moment I First Saw You” flowed through the speakers.
A sweet piano melody streamed from the speakers, and gradually the song’s tempo began to accelerate.
The moment the slow and composed intro of “The Moment I First Saw You” rang out brightly and quickly through the speakers, the Composer’s brow furrowed deeply.
‘What is this…?’
It was the instant Rua, standing at the center position, opened his mouth to sing the opening.
Bang!
“Stop!”
The Composer shoved his chair back and abruptly stood up.
…?
In that moment, silence hung over the Filming Location.
The Composer, his eyebrows slightly contorted, silently crossed his arms and swept his gaze over us with his head tilted slightly upward.
‘We haven’t even properly started yet?’
“There’s no need to listen further. Let’s go with the original composition.”
“…!”
An unexpected answer burst from the Composer’s mouth.
‘We practiced our hearts out for a week, and he won’t even listen? What is he talking about?’
“Composer, if I may say so, we haven’t even started yet?”
“Yes. It seems premature to judge without even hearing the song.”
Rua, unable to hide his bewildered expression, stepped in to support me.
“I am the Composer. Just by hearing the opening, I can tell how it was arranged. I can’t believe you’ve ruined the song like this—there’s no need to listen further.”
In that instant, Rua’s expression visibly hardened.
‘I’ve never seen Rua make that kind of face before.’
Unlike other teams, Vocal Team 2’s arrangement had been handled by Rua without professional assistance.
After offering his opinions with scattered remarks, Rua had made several corrections to the sheet music with dazzling precision, completing the arrangement in an instant.
To be honest, the finished arrangement was so catchy and excellent that even an untrained ear would find it lingering.
‘It was done so well that it wouldn’t be strange to say the arrangement was even better than the original.’
“It’s too much to say the song is ruined without even listening to the arrangement all the way through.”
Rua’s voice, lower in tone than usual, carried barely suppressed anger in every word.
‘So this person does know how to get angry.’
“Ahem, I can tell just from the opening! The original’s poignant feeling and its unique emotional delivery aren’t coming through, you see.”
At the Composer’s nonsensical excuse, Rua’s expression grew even more rigid.
“To showcase dance and performance, a faster tempo arrangement is inevitable for a ballad!”
Unable to contain his frustration, Rua’s voice came out quite sharp.
‘This guy—he still shouldn’t accelerate like this in front of the camera.’
The Composer narrowed his eyes and glared at Rua, then shook his head.
“No. For ballads, the vocals matter more than dance and performance. Isn’t focusing on singing the whole point of a vocal position stage? That’s why keeping it as is works best.”
The air suddenly grew taut.
Words ceased, and only the sound of breathing echoed strangely through the Filming Studio.
Our gazes locked in midair, neither of us backing down.
‘Conflict between the original Composer and the arranger from the start won’t look good for our image.’
The original Composer didn’t approve of the arrangement?
Public opinion would inevitably split.
I could already picture the reaction when this aired.
>It’s fine to arrange a masterpiece, but doing it against the original Composer’s wishes feels off?
>If it’s trainees VS a famous Composer, of course we should follow the Composer’s word.
>Wow, these trainees already have star syndrome. Trying to build a composer image from the start lol.
If it ended at this level, I’d count myself lucky.
A negative first impression would put us at a disadvantage long-term.
But objectively speaking, judging purely by the song itself, Rua’s composition was superior.
‘And no matter how famous a Composer is, judging an arrangement without even listening to it all the way through? That’s not right.’
“Then, Composer, what kind of arrangement would you prefer?”
Kim Tae-han’s expression was resolute.
“I’d like it to maintain the emotional sensibility of the original.”
In other words, don’t touch his song—just use it as is.
‘This guy’s stubbornness is no joke either.’
Performing a famous ballad masterpiece without any arrangement would be a catastrophic blunder.
Videos comparing us to countless singers who’d covered “The Moment I First Saw You” would inevitably surface.
The narrative of [Legendary Skilled Singer vs. Trainee Idol Vocalist] would be a disaster regardless of the outcome.
And in this Idol Survival mission, fifteen teams were competing.
During a lengthy stage performance with so many acts, a quiet ballad would likely be overshadowed compared to flashy performances.
‘If this happens, we’ll fall behind not just in rankings but in screen time too.’
With only a week until the Stage, learning a new arrangement was no easy choice.
‘If other teams show two weeks’ worth of practice, our team can only demonstrate one week’s worth of capability.’
In a performance prepared in such a short timeframe, a one-week difference was massive.
“Then I understand we’ll proceed with the original composition.”
It was the moment Kim Tae-han handed the sheet music to the Production Team.
“Wait!”
‘If we go through with this, forget placing first in the position Stage—we’ll definitely get buried on broadcast.’
Thinking of the Quest, my mind suddenly cleared.
‘I have to convince him somehow.’
“What is it?”
“I understand your perspective, Composer. I also love and cherish ‘The Moment I First Saw You’ deeply, and I completely understand how the song’s unique poignancy and emotional resonance are its charm—a hundred times over.”
To persuade someone, empathy comes first.
“Hmm.”
“First, it’s truly an honor for us to perform such an excellent masterpiece on Stage. Thank you.”
As I bowed at a ninety-degree angle, the Composer’s eyebrows twitched slightly downward.
“Well, yes.”
“However, Composer, this position stage mission has established evaluation criteria. Since the criteria assess not only individual capability but also collaboration and stage direction ability comprehensively, arrangement is inevitably necessary.”
“…”
“If we proceed with the original composition as-is, even if we perform better than other teams, we’ll fall short of the evaluation criteria and likely receive a poor score in the end.”
Given that he’d always been deeply attached to his own compositions, he must have bristled at the mention of a poor score.
As expected, the Composer’s expression appeared quite conflicted.
“So?”
“This one time, I’d be grateful if you could show us your generosity and understanding, Composer. Vocal Team 2 truly loves ‘The Moment I First Saw You.’ We care for this song so much that we brought it in first place during the running race.”
“…”
“I promise to deliver our best performance so that no harm comes to the song or you, Composer. Over the past week, we’ve practiced ‘The Moment I First Saw You’ with genuine dedication. I’d be grateful if you’d watch us through to the end just this once and reconsider.”
“…”
“And the arrangement was handled directly by trainee Rua. He’s a trainee with exceptional musical talent, so please trust him just this once!”
I bowed again at a ninety-degree angle.
Watching the silent Composer, I quickly jabbed Rua’s thigh with my finger.
“Please!”
“Just listen to us once!”
Seeing this, Vocal Team 2 all hurriedly bent at the waist together.
“…”
After a brief silence, it was the Judge Panel members who had been watching carefully that broke it.
“Come on, Composer. The kids are begging this much—let’s hear it at least once?”
“That’s right. These kids really practiced incredibly hard. Let’s listen to the end.”
“Well, when you put it that way, I have no choice.”
Seeing Kim Tae-han reluctantly take his seat, I straightened from my bow.
“Thank you so much!”
With a professional smile, I asked the Staff Member to play the arrangement again.
“Then we’ll begin Vocal Team 2’s position stage performance.”
As I sent a look to my teammates, Vocal Team 2 took their formation again with determined eyes.
‘I can’t end this without showing what we’ve practiced. We need to prove how sincere we are.’
The upbeat arrangement flowed through the speakers.
Rua, standing at center, lifted his bowed head.
Through the quietly passing seasons
Rua captivated the audience with his sweet voice and a captivating smile.
You came to me quietly
“…!”
My eyes met with Composer Kim Tae-han’s, whose eyes had widened in surprise.

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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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