The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 32

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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 32
There was no choice but the awkward B comment.
Idols were already sensitive about military service, and if A comment came from someone who hadn’t even gone to the military yet spouting “loyalty,” controversy was inevitable.
C comment had a trainee speaking informally to the National Directors… wasn’t that worse than a new hire speaking casually to their boss?
That disrespectful tone was the perfect comment to spark character controversy.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
Moments later, the entire audience erupted in thunderous cheers that engulfed the concert hall.
“So cute!”
“Wooooah!”
“First Love Team!!!”
Some covered their mouths, while others leaned forward with eyes wide open.
The cascading cheers were so intense they seemed to swallow the stage whole.
‘Phew, thank goodness.’
I’d worried the atmosphere might turn cold, but fortunately the response was excellent.
‘I’m grateful they enjoyed even a comment like that.’
Though these National Directors were meeting me for the first time, I felt determined to perform even better for them going forward.
“First Love Team—that’s memorable. Please introduce your song as well.”
“The song we selected is ‘The Moment I First Saw You.’ Since this is a special day meeting the National Directors for the first time, we rearranged the song with a first love concept.”
“Ah, that’s why your outfits have such a fresh feel?”
“Yes! We tried to capture that innocent, youthful essence of a first love.”
The styling combined white and sky blue shirts to create an overall fresh yet innocent first love aesthetic.
‘Simplicity and cleanliness are always best at the foundation.’
For a trainee’s first competition stage, I’d decided it was better to follow the audience’s needs rather than go overboard with costumes.
After all, trainees haven’t debuted yet, so they naturally possess that distinctive innocent charm.
Initially, I’d even considered school uniforms.
But they overlapped too much with Star picking5’s signature look, and more importantly, since there were no minors on this team, I ethically passed on that idea.
“It’s an outfit that really suits that age group. Then, let’s begin the First Love Team’s performance of ‘The Moment I First Saw You’!”
Perhaps because we were the final act, or because the judges had heard us perform live, the cheers that filled the concert hall were more intense than ever.
‘We really trained hard over these two weeks.’
As I recalled the moments of pushing my teammates relentlessly, practicing until dawn, my chest swelled with emotion.
‘Let’s do this well.’
While the stage lights were off, I took my position according to the formation.
As the instrumental for ‘The Moment I First Saw You’ echoed through my earpiece, the lights gradually brightened.
The stage lights spread softly, bathing the space in subtle pastel tones.
Matching the first beat I heard through my earpiece, Rua, our center, began the opening verse.
Through the quietly passing seasons
You came to me softly
As I leaped and crossed the stage through the intense choreography, my costume’s hem fluttered and the lights brushed across my face.
My heart still pounded, but my feet hit every beat with precision.
Those movements I’d repeated countless times in the practice room now felt as natural as my own body.
At last, the chorus section approached, and I, standing at the center of the stage, poured power into the microphone.
The moment I first saw you
I thought time itself had stopped.
“…!”
Rua, who had been right behind me, stepped forward and stood beside me.
I called out to you, again and again
Could it be that you feel the same way?
The highlight chorus section—the highest note of this entire song—had finally arrived.
I turned my head and met Rua’s gaze.
‘This is the most crucial moment.’
My heart began to race wildly.
Watching Rua’s radiant smile, I layered in the harmony we’d practiced all week.
Because we began like fate itself!
“Waaaaaah!”
The chorus section, with its refreshing high note and harmonies, ended successfully.
The bright, cheerful music suddenly diminished, and a deep bass flowed through like a tickle along the floor.
We took our positions in a straight line formation, and as I stepped out after Rua at center, the highlight group choreography began.
Moving with the rhythm, I marked the beat slowly.
The sensual group choreography, paired with the breathy, inverted melody that seemed to brush across the senses, drew an intense reaction.
“…Ahhh!”
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“First Love!!!”
As the notes climbed higher and higher, the powerful choreography intensified.
In the audience seating before my eyes, I could see fans waving their slogans.
Among the colorful signs, I had the illusion that the letters spelling out “Cha Si-woo” stood out distinctly.
My eyes met those of a female fan waving a slogan.
Her expression, beaming with joy and a radiant smile, was pure innocence itself.
My heart felt a strange flutter at the unconditional, genuine affection from someone I’d never met before.
This unfamiliar love from a stranger stirred something peculiar within me.
Gratitude, apology, and emotions I’d never felt before—a jumble of unfamiliar sensations.
‘Right now, giving my absolute best is the greatest way I can repay this.’
As I focused on the relentless choreography, the stage was already drawing toward its end.
Through the second verse chorus, Rua and I layered our harmonies, and after delivering sharp, synchronized choreography, I struck the final ending pose.
As the song ended, sweat streamed down my spine, yet this scorching heat felt strangely welcome.
“Kyaaaaaah!”
“Amazing!”
It was in that dreamlike moment, when I felt almost enchanted.
“National Directors who think the First Love Team performed well, please vote right now!”
At Yu Hae-in’s voice, I snapped back to reality and looked toward the screen.
The numbers, rising rapidly from zero, stopped when the leading digit reached four.
“The First Love Team’s voting score is….”
“450 votes.”
“…!”
It was a surprisingly low vote count given the intense audience response.
“Ah…”
“…Why?”
Sighs mixed with cheers echoed throughout the audience seating.
Being the last performance slot had clearly taken its toll.
Faced with the unexpectedly low vote percentage, all my teammates except Rua lost their composure.
I quickly bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
“Thank you!”
‘You bastards. Be grateful for these votes too.’
The Vocal Team 2 members, snapping back to attention, hastily composed themselves and bowed in turn.
“Thank you!”
“Thank you!”
“Next, we’ll have the judge panel’s evaluation.”
As the lights illuminated the judge’s seat, familiar faces came into view.
“First Love Team, your stage was absolutely wonderful!”
Park Chae-young was the first to pick up the microphone.
“To be honest, personally speaking, you delivered an outstanding performance that ranks in the top tier among all fifteen teams. The arrangement was excellent, and the vocal elements were equally impressive—it was genuinely moving to watch.”
“Thank you.”
“And the harmony between trainee Rua and trainee Cha Si-woo was absolutely spine-tingling. Everyone demonstrated skills that surpassed what you showed during the midpoint evaluation.”
I bowed deeply toward Park Chae-young as she set down the microphone.
“You even adjusted the choreography positions based on my feedback.”
This time, the Choreographer picked up the microphone.
“Yes!”
“The flow was seamless, making the overall performance much more visually appealing. The song maintained that fresh, first-love feeling throughout, but then revealed a surprising charm with subtle sensuality at the climax—I found it genuinely refreshing. And the amusement park ambiance you created was excellent. You’ve delivered the stage that best fits the evaluation criteria for this competition.”
“Thank you.”
“You’ve truly presented the most fitting performance for this competition’s standards.”
The judge’s seat continued to overflow with praise.
As the evaluations finally concluded, Yu Hae-in, wearing a gentle smile, handed over the cue card.
“This is the team that’s received the highest judge evaluations among all the trainee performances so far. Now, let me reveal the judge panel’s scores.”
The stage lights dimmed, and a soft string sound gradually intensified.
Tension-filled music flowed through the speakers as the screen displayed the scoreboard from the judge’s seat.
“85, 90, 90, 95—for a total score of 360 points! The First Love Team has the highest judge panel score!”
“Woooow!”
‘We did it!’
We’d secured the highest score from the judges, who held the greatest weight in the evaluation criteria.
This meant we’d almost certainly avoid elimination and land safely in the middle rankings.
‘The live voting fell short of my target… but we nailed the judge scores!’
If I could just secure decent personal votes, I might crack the top ten at the ranking announcement ceremony.
The realization that there was still hope for completing the Quest brought a small measure of comfort to my chest.
“Thank you!”
I bowed ninety degrees toward the Judge’s Seat, pouring sincerity into the gesture.
As I descended from the stage following the Staff Member’s direction, my Vocal Team 2 members embraced each other, savoring the joy of the moment.
Yu Hae-in was still delivering his closing remarks on stage.
“National Directors, the first competition of Star picking5 has concluded.”
“Ahhhhh!”
“The trainees’ rankings will now be announced, reflecting both the on-site votes announced today and the judges’ scores. Any trainee who fails to place within the top fifty will be eliminated.”
Sighs erupted throughout the concert hall.
“The ongoing internet voting will be tallied with these scores, and the official ranking announcement will take place exactly one week from now. There’s still a chance, so please vote to help your favorite idols debut!”
“Yeahhhhh!”
“This concludes the position evaluation competition stage. Thank you.”
The closing music—”Cheer me on”—flowed from the speakers.
People in the audience seating began gradually filing out.
“Vocal Team 2, gather over here.”
“Yes!”
As we moved following the Staff Member’s instructions, an explanation of the next schedule followed.
“Please move to the Waiting Room and wait there, then we’ll all head to the Dormitory together. Once you arrive at the Dormitory, all filming for today is finished. Pack your things right away, and just come back to the Filming Location for the ranking announcement ceremony a week from now.”
“Yes!”
“Then please move to the Waiting Room right away.”
“Understood.”
As I followed the Staff Member, my excited teammates began cheering in victory.
“We got lucky!”
“Wow, I was nervous seeing the vote count, but it’s great that the judges gave us first place in their scores!”
“We performed well on stage, but I think we got good scores because we fit the evaluation criteria best!”
In the cheerful atmosphere, I smiled professionally at the camera following us.
“Everyone worked hard. I’m glad we finished the stage successfully.”
I’d done everything I could.
‘Now all I can do is hope the personal votes come in high.’
“Si-woo.”
Rua, brimming with excitement, linked his arm through mine.
“Yes?”
“You did great on stage today!”
“You did well too.”
Honestly, this guy’s singing was so good it was almost terrifying.
“Yeah? Thanks. It feels good to get praise from someone with such a nice tone.”
“Haha. Same here.”
“By the way, Si-woo, what are you planning to do over this week? If you’re not busy, want to practice with me?”
‘During this week I’ve been given, I need to earn hospital fees through part-time work.’
I held back my words as I watched the camera’s red light come on.
“I’m sorry, but would it be alright if we did this together next time? I have something I need to take care of.”
“Hmm… Sure, got it!”
‘Once I get my phone back, I need to contact the Wedding Hall coordinator right away.’
Just then, following the Staff Member’s guidance, I arrived at the Waiting Room.
The moment I opened the door to the room next to the Waiting Room where we’d first stayed, countless eyes turned toward me all at once.
“Oh wow, the First Love Team is here!”
“You guys really performed well on stage!”
“The First Love concept is really nice.”
I responded with a professional smile to their praise tinged with wariness, being careful with my words.
This scene would probably be edited and broadcast as well.
Just as my lips were about to twitch, a Staff Member conveniently entered carrying a basket filled with phones.
“Alright, everyone take your phones. Once you arrive at the Dormitory, return your microphones and you’ll have free time.”
“Yes!”
During the Star picking5 filming, we’d had to surrender our phones while shooting was underway.
We only received them back just before returning to the Dormitory on days when we were given free time.
‘I need to contact my Entertainment Agency and family in advance.’
Like when I was a student, the Staff Member called out names one by one, and I began receiving my phone in the order I was called.
“Cha Si-woo, trainee.”
“Yes!”
‘There shouldn’t be any calls from the Hospital, right?’
It was the moment I turned on the screen of the phone I’d just received.
[(Warning!) A penalty has occurred.]
A murky crimson window flashed frantically before my eyes.

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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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