The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 27

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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 27
‘Rua has a unique personality, but his singing and arrangements are genuinely excellent.’
Kim Tae-han didn’t blink once as Rua stepped back.
The formation shifted naturally, and this time Park Soo-gyeok surged forward to the center position.
‘Don’t make a mistake.’
Without uttering a single word
My heart remembered you first
It was a stage worth all the grueling practice.
After that, the performance continued as each member stepped forward in sequence according to the formation we’d rehearsed.
When the first chorus finally approached, I stopped in the center of the formation.
The moment I first saw you
I thought time itself had frozen
“…!”
Rua came forward from behind and stood beside me.
I called out to you again and again
Could you possibly feel the same way?
The highlight chorus section with the highest notes was approaching.
I turned my head to face Rua and delivered the harmony we’d practiced all week.
Because our story began like destiny!
“Wow.”
“Yeah~”
As the chorus ended, the bright, upbeat music suddenly dropped.
A deep bass line flowed across the stage like a caress.
Positioned in a straight line formation with Rua at the center, the sensual group choreography began as we emerged one by one to either side.
We moved to the rhythm, marking the beat slowly and deliberately.
The judges’ reactions were intense as the dance revealed a twist melody intertwined with breathy vocals.
“…!”
“They’re showing a twist here?”
“These guys planned this out!”
As the notes climbed higher, intense group choreography continued, and finally the second verse began.
In that silent gaze where you smiled
‘Oh.’
Park Soo-gyeok, breathing heavily, made a lyrical mistake.
“…Hmm”
The Composer, whose eyes had widened, furrowed his brow again.
After that, Park Soo-gyeok’s panic and another trainee’s mistake followed in succession before the song finally ended with the closing pose.
“Thank you!”
As I bowed at a ninety-degree angle while catching my breath, I could see the judges and Kim Tae-han watching with complicated expressions.
“Who would like to speak first?”
“I’ll go first.”
The Choreography Judge picked up the microphone.
“The concept is good. But what will you do if you get the opportunity? To be honest, the stage started well, but mistakes piled up as it went on.”
“…”
“Who’s the Team Representative here?”
“That’s me!”
I stepped forward with my right hand raised.
“Cha Si-woo, will you let your team members make mistakes on an actual stage too?”
Honestly, I didn’t expect them to mess up like this either.
‘During practice, it wasn’t this bad.’
“No!”
“Isn’t the Team Representative position supposed to lead the team? You’re not going to do it properly?”
Originally, the representative position was a role where you earned the title by enduring all kinds of harsh criticism.
“I apologize. I will do my best to encourage my team members and create the best stage together.”
“Right. And I understand you want to show a lot, but since there are team members in Vocal Team 2 who lack singing or dancing skills, the overall picture feels lacking, if you know what I mean?”
The Choreography Judge scanned through Vocal Team 2 one by one.
“The twist you gave with the sexy dance in the highlight section was fresh. It had a seductive feel without being excessive, which was good. So here’s the thing. Park Soo-gyeok,”
Park Soo-gyeok picked up the microphone.
“Yes?”
“What if you tried switching the order once?”
“What order are you referring to?”
Park Soo-gyeok’s pupils trembled as he forced a smile.
“Since Park Soo-gyeok comes right after Rua’s dance, to be honest, they’re being compared. Wouldn’t the flow be more natural if someone who can continue Rua’s vibe comes next?”
“…I’ll try to do better.”
“It’s not a problem with the dance itself, but there’s a sense of incongruity in the overall atmosphere and expression, so the flow feels broken. Rather, in the sensual group dance, let’s switch the positions of Park Soo-gyeok and Cha Si-woo.”
“…!”
In the sensual group dance, my position was at the very back.
‘Fairness or whatever.’
Since I had received a key part in the vocals, I had accepted the group dance for the sake of a successful team assignment.
“But Cha Si-woo already takes up a lot of the vocal portion?”
“I know. But this mission isn’t about who takes up how much screen time. We’re doing a team stage, not an individual stage. Isn’t what’s more important how we can make the entire team stand out?”
Park Soo-gyeok managed his expression with his lips pressed tightly together.
“…I’ll think about it.”
“Okay.”
As the Choreography Judge lowered the microphone, Park Chae-young picked it up this time.
“Rua, you sing really well. Your dancing is great too, and when you do the highlight group dance in the center, you play your role as center perfectly.”
“Thank you!”
“And the arrangement….”
Park Chae-young glanced sideways at Kim Tae-han before turning her gaze back to Rua.
“To be honest, while listening, I thought the arrangement was done well. The tempo is fast, so it’s distinctive, and it still lingers in my head.”
“…!”
“And whose idea was the concept? It has that fresh, tingling feeling of first love that only people your age can truly experience, and it pairs perfectly with the arranged song.”
“It was Cha Si-woo’s idea!”
Park Chae-young shifted her gaze away from Rua.
“Cha Si-woo, is that true?”
“I came up with the initial idea, but overall, the entire Vocal Team 2 contributed ideas to create this concept together.”
In situations like this, it was customary to credit the team rather than individual accomplishments.
“You’re a team with great chemistry—it’s wonderful to see. Cha Si-woo, I’m always amazed at how much your skills improve each time I see you. Honestly, watching you and Rua blend your harmonies today gave me chills.”
“Thank you so much!”
“You’re talented as a vocalist, but as a team representative, you need to work harder. You can only make the entire stage successful if you guide team members who lack skills.”
“Yes, I understand.”
After the judges delivered their feedback, Kim Tae-han finally picked up the microphone.
“To be honest, I’m still not satisfied with the arrangement.”
“…!”
It was quite a stubborn stance.
“Actually, whenever someone arranges my song, I feel like the song’s identity becomes shaken. Because of that, the very situation of someone touching my song causes me tremendous stress.”
‘Then why did you submit your song to the program in the first place?’
“I was honestly worried when I heard that idols would be arranging it. But after hearing the song performed today, I realized my prejudice was unfounded. To be frank… you did a great job with the arrangement.”
“Thank you!”
“But no matter how much they’re trainees, mistakes on stage are unforgivable.”
Once again, criticism about the mistakes poured down.
Hearing the third critique about team representative qualities, my lips trembled slightly.
‘Starting today, I need to push these guys harder.’
“Yes, of course. I’ll take responsibility and lead the team members through practice.”
“Good. I’ll trust you with this.”
“Yes, I’ll do my best!”
Though I’d weathered the crisis regarding the song arrangement, the position stage mid-check ended with an unexpected mission assigned.
The moment I stepped out of the filming studio, I read my teammates’ expressions.
Rua, who had protected the song, was beaming with a bright smile, while the trainee who had made mistakes alongside Park Soo-gyeok wore a thoroughly dejected expression.
“Alright, we’ve received our feedback, so shall we head straight to the practice room to prepare for our stage next week?”
Now was finally the right timing to legitimately push my teammates harder.
Until now, I’d let them practice voluntarily once team practice time ended.
After all, people are people—some work hard regardless, while others don’t, no matter what.
In such situations, forcing teammates into grueling practice could invite criticism.
Especially with Park Soo-gyeok, who harbored such hostility toward me.
But from this moment on, after receiving feedback, everything changes.
“Can’t we rest a bit before practicing?”
“Then let’s gather in the practice room, rest for just five minutes, and start right away.”
“…”
Having just received harsh criticism from the judges, Park Soo-gyeok couldn’t bring himself to ask for more rest.
We finally arrived at the practice room and naturally began our training session.
Whether it was the impact of being criticized for the same mistake during the midterm evaluation, Park Soo-gyeok repeated the identical error.
“Let me try again.”
“Yes!”
‘Hmm.’
As the mistake continued to repeat, Rua finally raised his hand.
“What if we try changing the movement pattern according to the Choreography Judge’s opinion and dance it?”
“…”
A few teammates who had been gauging the mood nodded.
“It might be worth trying for the team’s sake?”
“I think that’s right too. Since we received feedback, we should at least try implementing it.”
As the majority of the team agreed, Park Soo-gyeok’s expression visibly hardened.
“I… don’t like it!”
Before the words even finished, Park Soo-gyeok shot up from his seat.
While everyone stared blankly, Park Soo-gyeok began to run.
He didn’t even wait to open the door, practically shoving it open with force.
Crash!
“Park Soo-gyeok!”
‘He bolted?’
Watching Park Soo-gyeok flee, I quickly turned my body around.
“I’ll go after him. Everyone else, take a brief rest.”
“…Yes.”
Stepping outside, I could see Park Soo-gyeok’s retreating figure running down the corridor.
“Wait a moment, Park Soo-gyeok!”
“Don’t come!”
‘Damn. Being a team representative isn’t easy.’
Thud-thud-thud.
A chase unfolded as I sprinted down the corridor.
‘It’s been a while since I felt the real thrill of pursuing a target like this.’
Just within reach yet always out of grasp, the fleeing silhouette was right before my eyes.
“Stop!”
At a dead end, Park Soo-gyeok stood breathing heavily with a grimaced expression.
“Where will you go even if you run away from here?”
“Ha… ha… damn.”
“If anyone saw this, they’d think I did something wrong.”
“Honestly, if you took the chorus part, shouldn’t you compromise on the choreography?”
Park Soo-gyeok’s eyes were filled with jealousy and desire.
“Did I greedily take it from you? The Choreographer gave feedback based on the overall flow.”
“…”
“Since it’s a group mission, it’s also feedback for the entire team’s benefit.”
“Regardless, I don’t like it! If I even have to change the position of the sensual group choreography part… I’d rather drop out.”
“Then we’d have to change the entire seven-person formation for the dance, and redistribute the vocal parts all over again. You can’t irresponsibly say things like that with only a week left.”
I’d managed to protect the arrangement from the Composer, and instead of gratitude, now I was hearing complaints.
“If you don’t like it, we’ll keep it as is.”
Seeing that defiant attitude, I realized this one needed a leash too.
“Park Soo-gyeok.”
“What?”
“Are you a child? Your survival depends on the team’s overall performance, so how can you act so selfishly? This isn’t a solo stage.”
“The selfish one is you, Cha Si-woo. You’re trying to take the Team Representative position, the chorus section, and now the dance too?”
“I didn’t ask for any of that.”
“…”
Park Soo-gyeok stubbornly clamped his mouth shut instead of answering.
“And think about it. This evaluation has the Judge Panel scoring at 40% and live voting at 30%, making overall stage completion the crucial factor. With the internet voting ratio still low, wouldn’t it be best for all of us to create a successful stage together and survive as one?”
“…Still, I’m not the Protagonist.”
‘Sigh… He’s not listening to reason.’
I’d already been patient enough.
Conscious of the camera at the end of the Corridor, I whispered softly into Park Soo-gyeok’s ear.

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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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