The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 34

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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 34
Kim Moon-soo’s bewildered gaze lingered for a moment before shifting back to his phone.
[You seem far too confident just because it’s a Major Entertainment Agency. Do you think everyone at a major company debuts?]
[What?!
]
[How do you expect to survive in this brutal idol industry with such naive thinking?]
[Are you finished? Come here!]
[I’m not done yet. Your words are getting shorter? I guess Harmony Entertainment teaches their trainees character like this?]
[Hey!]
[And you’ve been muttering about lobbying this whole time—but from your attitude, wasn’t it actually you who did the lobbying?]
[You bastard!]
Crack.
[…Ah!]
The manager’s face flushed visibly at the sharp sound of impact.
[Oh, are you alright?]
[…Yes]
[You’re bleeding.]
[…Damn]
[Ah! I’m… I’m sorry! I didn’t… I didn’t mean to hit you.]
[Hmm… I think Park Soo-gyeok should get treatment at the Medical Office. The fans will be so upset seeing his injured face.]
[What’s going on over there!]
Crackle.
[He hit me.]
“You recognize the voice, don’t you?”
“…”
The man’s expression hardened instantly.
“Those are the voices of our Soo-gyeok, Joo Han, Min Jae, and Ho-soo that you just mentioned—surely you don’t mean to say you don’t know?”
“Why are you playing this for me?”
The man’s voice had grown considerably colder.
Given the assault controversy, the agency would already be aware of this incident.
‘He probably thought he could just silence it through the broadcasting station.’
He never anticipated that I would bring the recording and negotiate.
“How could they possibly debut alongside friends who are so… terrifying?”
“…”
“If this gets out, it won’t just damage them—Harmony Entertainment will take a hit too. Are you prepared for that?”
Kim Moon-soo’s expression twisted violently.
His eyes narrowed, his lips trembled, and then a sharp breath escaped through his nose.
“Is a kid your age really trying to blackmail me right now?”
‘He took the bait.’
I nodded while maintaining a professional smile.
“True to Harmony Entertainment’s reputation—your language is crude, and suddenly you’re running short on words.”
“What?”
“Still, I appreciate how quickly you get to the point. This isn’t a threat, just a proposal. Shall we settle this amicably?”
The man stared at me in disbelief, his mouth slightly agape as words momentarily escaped him.
“How can we settle if nothing actually happened?”
“I may not have been struck directly, but there was clear intent to do so. There are multiple witnesses. I am the victim here.”
“Good grief. Someone who’s never even worked a day in society, spouting nonsense from who knows where. Listen, kid—if you weren’t directly assaulted, you’re not a victim. Understand?”
“Psychological and indirect damages are legally recognized, and you know that perfectly well. Before this gets messy with civil suits and media exposure, why don’t we just settle this cleanly?”
“Ha… hahaha!”
The man dragged his hand across his face, letting out a hollow laugh.
“I’ve never seen a lunatic like this in my life. You’re truly something else.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
“What gives you the nerve to come at me like this? Do you have something backing you up?”
There’s nothing in this world worth trusting.
The only thing I can trust is myself alone.
“Yes, I do.”
‘Myself.’
“Sigh…”
Kim Moon-soo ran a hand through his hair.
“Fine. Let’s settle.”
“…!”
My experience cutting deals back in my paparazzi days was proving surprisingly useful.
Kim Moon-soo pushed the contract aside and pulled out a fresh sheet of paper.
The paper was labeled a settlement agreement.
‘This is why major agencies are so efficient at these things.’
Kim Moon-soo picked up a pen and exhaled heavily.
“The moment you sign this agreement, delete the recording immediately.”
“If you’re generous with the settlement amount, I’ll delete it right before your eyes.”
“And don’t even think about disclosing the recording or this settlement to anyone else.”
“As long as you pay enough, I’ll be thorough. Don’t worry.”
“…Fine. How much do you want?”
“Show some sincerity, will you? You’re a major entertainment agency—your company has plenty of money, right?”
“…”
The man’s eyes met mine as he held up his fingers.
“Five hundred million.”
“Five hundred million won?”
“You crazy bastard. Five million won!”
“Seriously? A major agency’s sense of value is completely dead. What kind of settlement is that—pocket change for children?”
I picked up the phone lying on the table, and the man’s expression grew complicated as our eyes met.
“Let’s forget about the settlement, shall we~”
“…10 million won.”
“I think I should head straight to a news agency instead. They seem to pay better. Well then, take care of yourself!”
“20 million won!”
With less than two months remaining until the audition ended.
20 million won was enough to cover Cha Si-hyun’s hospital bills until my debut.
‘With this, I won’t have to worry about hospital expenses until I debut.’
“Excellent. Let’s settle on 20 million won then. Please provide it in cash right away so there’s no transaction record.”
“…Sigh.”
Kim Moon-soo, who let out a hollow laugh, signed the agreement first.
“I’ll sign as well.”
I picked up the fountain pen with its smooth-flowing ink and pressed my name firmly into the signature line.
The moment the final stroke of my signature landed like a period, the heavy burden that had weighed on my chest seemed to lift slightly.
I had successfully resolved Cha Si-hyun’s hospital bills.
☆☆☆
In my one-room apartment reeking of that musty semi-basement smell, I waited for ‘Star picking5′ Episode 4 to begin while replying one by one to the messages that had piled up.
[I heard you were discharged today. Are you feeling okay? Will you be able to appear tomorrow?]
It was a routine greeting and confirmation of my appearance from the Broadcast Writer, who was worried I might drop out.
[Hello, Writer. Thank you for your concern. I’m feeling fine and can appear according to tomorrow’s schedule. Also, since I collapsed during the broadcast, I’m planning to file a workers’ compensation claim. When would be a good time?]
[That’s such a relief! I’ll ask the relevant people about the workers’ compensation and get back to you with a definite answer. Rest well and see you tomorrow.]
That “relief” probably meant relief that I could appear without canceling.
Legally, workers’ compensation was possible, but I needed to be prepared in case things got messy.
‘Should I prepare just in case?’
I replied to the trainees’ messages one by one.
Rua and Yoo Ho-seung had also sent messages.
While I was replying to Kim Sun-yu, my phone vibrated intensely.
Buzz…buzz…
A familiar name appeared on the screen.
[Seo Ha-yul]
‘I replied to him first, so why is he calling?’
“Hello?”
[Hyung! Hyuuuung!]
“What’s wrong?”
[Are you okay? I went to visit you in the hospital, and when I heard you were discharged the moment you woke up, you have no idea how shocked I was!]
“It wasn’t right away—I had basic tests done before I was discharged.”
[That’s not the point! How can someone who was unconscious suddenly wake up after six days and then get discharged?!]
“Ah… I had things I needed to do. And I’m perfectly fine.”
It was true.
Because of the penalty, my body felt as though it had been forcibly shut down and restarted.
Those six days felt as though they had never existed—my body had awakened without any memory of that time.
‘Maybe because I rested properly for the first time in a while, I actually feel less fatigued.’
[Sigh… What am I going to do with this guy.]
“Were you worried?”
[Of course! But hearing your voice makes me feel so much better.]
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
[Hyuuuung!]
Leaving Seo Ha-yul’s voice behind, I logged into the Idol Community Website.
‘I couldn’t search for anything while I was bedridden.’
It was time to find reviews of the Position Stage performances.
The review post uploaded six days ago had accumulated considerable views and was pinned as a HOT! post.
‘Should I start with the top post?’
>Star picking5 First Competition Audience Review.
Due to the confidentiality agreement, I couldn’t write about the voting results or specific details, so I kept it vague.
There were 15 teams in total, and some teams performed well while others were absolutely terrible.
Each person only got to vote twice, so teams that performed early had an advantage in this competition.
The performances were divided into vocal, dance, and rap positions in random order, so I had no idea when my favorite team would appear.
So it was just waiting and waiting until my favorite came on. My legs were killing me.
With 15 teams, I’ll just write about the ones that performed well or left an impression.
First, the team with that famous dancer from Gwangan-ri appeared.
They said they’d perform ‘Neon Promise’, so I had high expectations, but overall they couldn’t match the original.
But that dancer alone surpassed the original.
He dances sexyly, but it’s really crazy… ㅠㅠ
Not my favorite, but watching that dance, I finally understood why people say they dance with such intensity!
The dancing really was legendary.
The stage had a vibe of the dancer and the kids, with only that dancer standing out.
The second team was honestly at the level of a talent show.
The trainee I remembered was Yoo Ho-seung, and he was really handsome.
But compared to the first team, this one was just cute?
As for the vote count… I’ll stop here lol
…omitted…
The rap stage was decent overall, but one team stood out in particular.
Was it a strong team? A gray cat was flying around.
And the second-to-last stage was my ultimate favorite Sun-yu!!!!
Seriously, they were perfect, living up to the words “textbook idol + model student”!
Sigh… The dancing, singing, even the expression when looking at the camera—I’m using the phrase “born idol” right here.
They killed the stage, so definitely watch it when the broadcast airs. They’re seriously that good.
The last stage was a vocal position stage, so I was getting ready to head home, but they suddenly acted cute and I got distracted while packing.
I watched because there were some handsome guys, but honestly, they sang really well.
I felt bad because they seemed to receive fewer votes than their skill deserved.
I think it’s because they were last and votes ran out, but I’m glad my favorite team wasn’t the last stage.
-I’m jealous of the audience. Who did you vote for?
I voted for my favorite, Seon-yu Rang, in her first Stage performance. Honestly, while watching the dance in that first Stage, I found myself pressing the vote button without even realizing it, like I was mesmerized.
-And I heard the waiting time for this audience was incredibly long. Were you okay?
The wait time was so fucking long. The judges were sitting down while we stood for hours—it was so annoying. But seeing Seon-yu’s face made it all worth it.
-The stage level was just a joke. Why are you writing about it like it’s such a big deal?
Team vs Team
-Honestly, seeing the kids’ faces in person made the wait worthwhile.
ㄴ If you become more popular, it will be hard to see your face ㅠㅠ
-That dancer in the ‘Neon Promise’ stage—they really caught up to the main team? Honestly, how do you catch up to a first-tier stage?
That’s a lie. Seems like BS.
The author pretends Kim Sun-yu is their favorite, but it seems like they’re actually a fan of Kang Chan?
I heard Yu Hae-in was the MC, and people who saw him in person must be so jealous.
As expected, the team that performed earlier had an advantage in this mission.
“Well, Kang Chan did perform well, I’ll admit.”
I scrolled down through several posts and continued searching.
>The live voting favored trainees with higher recognition.
It turned into a showdown between Team OHS and Team GC, but the vote difference wasn’t that big. This seems a bit unfair.
It was even a dance position battle, but when it airs later, the skill gap will be so obvious that the comparison will be brutal.
-This is kind of unfair.
What’s so unfair about it? It’s the truth.
-A dance and recognition showdown? This is popcorn material!
We didn’t even need popcorn. Since it was a one-sided massacre, you could say it was brutal?
-See how they’re trying to drag down OHS just because he’s famous.
ㄴ Honestly, how important is appearance to an idol? Shouldn’t we be thankful that ㅇㅎㅅ came out?
No one can match Hosseung when it comes to visuals.
‘This is already starting to muddy the waters—comparison videos are going to flood in.’
Below the HOT! post with countless comments were several detailed reviews of the vivid position stage.
“Hmm? This is….”
While scrolling through the list, I spotted a post related to me.
>An ambulance came to the concert hall.

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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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