The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 35

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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 35
I couldn’t help but click on the headline that demanded attention.
>An ambulance showed up at the Concert Hall.
Someone collapsed after the performance?
I was standing in line to leave after the Competition Stage ended when an ambulance suddenly rushed in behind the stage.
After the performance, it looked like someone collapsed, but I’m not sure who.
You’re not a trainee, right? I’m worried ㅠㅠ
The Broadcasting Company hasn’t made any official statement.
-Then it must be a Staff Member or Broadcasting official?
Right. If you were an Entertainment Company trainee, you would have told me.
– Oh, I saw it too. Couldn’t see their face, but they were wearing a white shirt and light blue button-up?
Isn’t that outfit only worn by one Team? On the final Stage…
“No way… that can’t be right. Stop trying to provoke people.”
Fortunately, their identity was never revealed, but there were mentions about me as well.
‘Idols need stamina, and if it gets out that someone collapsed after just one performance, there’s nothing good about it.’
“Hmm….”
Since this had already happened, there was nothing I could do about it.
“Hey. System.”
[…]
“I’m not mad, so come out now.”
[…]
After that day, the System window remained silent no matter how many times I called.
“Sigh… where the hell did this bastard go.”
As I ran my hand through my hair, the 9 PM chime sounded, and ‘Star picking5’ Episode 4 began.
The opening featured provocative commentary flowing from Yu Hae-in’s lips.
[Hello viewers. The first National Director voting will conclude at midnight today. Please continue voting until the end so that the trainee you want to debut can survive! Now, let’s begin Episode 4.]
A 30-second recap of Episode 3 aired, followed by the theme song stage evaluation.
[We’ll now select the center for the ‘Cheer me on’ theme song stage.]
With Yu Hae-in’s bright voice, Episode 4 truly began.
The trainees’ surprised expressions were captured in close-up, crossing on the screen.
[Starting with ‘Star picking 5′, the method for selecting the theme song stage center has changed. It’s now a random roulette center!]
[What?!]
The screen showed a rainbow-colored roulette wheel divided into 11 sections.
[You’re wondering what this is? These are the special talents that A-rank trainees wrote down when they registered for the Audition.]
[Excuse me?]
The screen swept across the roulette displaying: dancing, eating, drawing, playing instruments, photography, singing, gaming, cooking, sports, reading, and fishing, then quickly rewound.
A brief scene from the first Audition showing trainees submitting their self-introductions aired.
[From now on, we’ll spin the roulette, and all A-rank trainees must showcase their talent in a competition using only the one special talent selected. To prevent manipulation controversy, I will personally press the roulette button.]
Beneath Yu Hae-in’s bright smile, red subtitles appeared.
[I swear on TX Broadcasting Station. I absolutely did not manipulate this broadcast.]
“Wouldn’t that just create more controversy?”
As I was commenting on the thoughtless caption, the roulette began spinning rapidly alongside tense background music.
With a click, the needle stopped sharply over a small red-painted section.
[Wow… I didn’t see that coming]
[We really didn’t expect this one.]
The trainees’ brief interview clips were shown once more with their astonished expressions in close-up.
[The Center Selection special talent mission is… photography!]
Cheerful music erupted alongside fireworks CG effects.
As the CG faded, I appeared in close-up under bright lighting, wearing a professional smile.
‘So this is what I look like when I’m working in the corporate world.’
Seeing myself on screen felt quite unfamiliar.
[Congratulations, trainee Cha Si-woo. How do you feel about your listed talent being selected?]
[Thank you. I never expected it, so I’m delighted to have beaten the one-in-eleven odds.]
[You’re quite fortunate, trainee Cha Si-woo. What kind of photographs do you typically enjoy taking?]
“Obviously the ones that pay well.”
In my original work, priority had always been determined by price.
[…Portrait photography.]
[Portrait photography—now that’s a quality befitting an idol!]
I never imagined my paparazzi work would prove so useful for idol training.
[I’ll give the A-rank trainees two photography missions.]
The camera panned across the trainees’ expressions, brimming with curiosity.
[First, take a selfie in your own style. Second, take a photograph of me. You’ll only have one chance.]
The moment I took a selfie of Yu Hae-in using the phone handed to me by the Staff Member, the screen changed.
When Yu Hae-in’s high-definition selfie appeared, the trainees’ excited cheers were edited quite humorously.
[Wow…!]
[So handsome!!!]
[A true god!]
[The latest smartphone really shows—the grip is excellent and the image quality is outstanding. Now let’s begin the A-rank trainees’ photography time.]
As expected from the product placement prediction, the screen transitioned and an advertisement appeared.
It was the same smartphone that Yu Hae-in had used for his selfie moments earlier.
It seemed the expensive phone had been included as product placement thanks to Yu Hae-in’s rising recognition and the show’s climbing ratings.
Once the advertisement ended, the broadcast resumed.
The scene showed Yu Hae-in handing the phone to Kim Sun-yu, accompanied by dramatic background music.
[Let’s start with trainee Kim Sun-yu’s selfie.]
[Yes!]
On screen appeared a high-definition photograph of Kim Sun-yu winking.
“I have to admit, the photo isn’t bad—probably because he has professional experience.”
It’s certainly not because people look different when they’re not working at the Hospital.
[Wow!]
[Kyaaaaaaah!]
As the trainees continued their snappy reactions, I was finally given a close-up at the very end.
[Finally, we have trainee Cha Si-woo, whose specialty is photography. I’m personally very excited about this.]
[Thank you. I’ll do my best to capture great shots.]
Click.
[Woooooah!!!]
[Wow. That’s insane.]
When my photograph appeared on the screen in full size, I felt a bit embarrassed.
“Still, the photo turned out pretty well.”
When Yu Hae-in’s burst shot appeared on screen, the trainees’ genuine cheers were broadcast for all to see.
With the caption “[Trainee who photographs like a professional],” the scene of me winning first place in the “Cheer me on” center voting was edited smoothly as the finale.
‘Honestly, no one can beat me when it comes to photography.’
The screen transitioned, and a brief shot of the TX Music Show Stage filming location passed by.
Naturally, the assault controversy that had occurred at the filming location was cut out, and instead it was edited to show the trainees’ nervousness during the first stage shoot.
“Wow, they’re really broadcasting it like this?”
Yoo Ho-seung, who had continued making mistakes at the filming location, had become the villain and received proper negative editing.
With the caption “[Trainee who keeps making mistakes],” the screen passed by showing the exhausted expressions of the other trainees in close-up.
[Though it was a grueling shoot, the trainees produced the best results!]
At the end, the TX Music Show Stage performance was broadcast as-is.
Positive articles about the successful performance and music chart rankings flooded the screen all at once, delivering the perfect payoff.
The screen transitioned with grand BGM.
[Today, we’ll be conducting the mission that could be called the main event of the team survival!]
A large screen displayed behind Yu Hae-in on stage.
The center of the screen was zoomed in, showing the number 100.
[From this survival mission onward, through voting, rankings will be announced and eliminations will occur.]
“The team assignments were pretty intense.”
Tick… tick… tick…
The sharp electronic sound, like a clock’s second hand, pierced through the air and created a proper sense of anxiety.
The number 100 on the countdown was decreasing one by one.
[The number of eliminations is…]
The screen showing a trainee swallowing nervously, capturing their Adam’s apple, slowly zoomed in on the screen.
[Exactly… 50 people.]
[No way!]
[Really?]
[This can’t be right. Half eliminated from the start···]
Episode 4 ended with the trainees’ screams of despair.
“They’re ending it like this.”
The production team’s skill at stirring up controversy was extraordinary.
After watching the brief preview for Episode 5, I entered the Idol Community, which was absolute chaos in real time.
>They’re really cutting it in half?
-Please vote just once so that I can get my baby.ㅠㅠ
-That’s brutal. Cutting half the contestants from the start is too much, don’t you think?
>The voting ends at midnight today, so there’s not much time left, right?
-How many votes does that team have from the position stage?
ㄴ5@@
I’m going to vote right now on my family group chat.
>How are they picking the center with just a photo? Did they lose their minds?
-TX’s classy way of choosing the center by lottery~
-But the photos are actually really well taken though?
Wow, seriously. Yu Hae-in’s photos are legendary too.
I can’t provide a reliable translation for this text. It appears to contain Korean consonants and vowels that don’t form standard Korean words or phrases. Could you verify the original text?
>Yoo Ho-seung is such a nuisance. Why does he keep showing up in the idol industry and causing trouble?
-Seeing the kids’ tired expressions breaks my heartㅠㅠ
-Hey, it’s not just Yoo Ho-seung who got it wrong. Lots of other kids made mistakes too.
-Is our Ho-seung already getting targeted because he’s famous?
>Those voting for Kim Sun-yu, please verify and we’ll send chicken to 10 people through a raffle.
-Thanks
-Where do I send the verification?
(Link)
The announcement that half would be eliminated sparked a keyboard war among anxious fans, trembling at the thought that their favorite trainee might be eliminated.
The fact that the voting would determine who was eliminated by midnight set the fans’ hearts racing.
“It’s like a warzone out there.”
>Cha Si-woo became center just because of his face
-What good does it do for an idol to photograph well?
What am I doing? Fan service, of course.
-He’s so handsome it’s thrilling.
What?
>I was wondering how someone with weak dancing became center… and they picked him as center based on a special talent? His luck is insane.
-Seriously, it’s so random.
-Honestly, he’s not center material.
-Honestly, swap him with Kang Chan.
We need to switch with Kim Sun-yu.
Seeing the jealous comments, I let out a relieved sigh.
“Not a single person criticizing my photos.”
My photography skills were truly the best wherever I went.
☆☆☆
“Cha Si-woo, are you okay?”
“Cha Si-woo, how are you feeling?”
Seo Ha-yul and Rua spotted me at the filming location gathered for the ranking announcement and rushed over from a distance.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not fine. Your face has gotten gaunt.”
“Besides, I might as well diet while I’m at it. Why not?”
Thwack.
Seo Ha-yul brought his arm down with a pained expression.
‘He hits harder than I expected.’
“Are you joking right now? Are you really okay?”
“Wow, hitting your hyung? Seo Ha-yul, you’ve grown up. And I’m not joking—I’m serious.”
“The way you’re talking, it sounds like Cha Si-woo’s Younger Sibling is doing fine.”
“I’m completely fine, really.”
As I exchanged casual conversation with Rua and Seo Ha-yul, whom I hadn’t seen in a week, the full-scale filming preparations had already wrapped up.
“Then we’ll begin the ranking announcement ceremony. Trainees, please sit with your respective teams.”
“Yes!”
Seo Ha-yul moved away, and I headed to the Vocal Team 2 section with Rua.
There, the Vocal Team 2 Trainees gathered with visibly tense expressions.
“Cha Si-woo, are you okay?”
“We were so shocked when you suddenly collapsed back then.”
“Thank you for worrying about me. I’m fine.”
“What did the hospital say?”
‘What was it again? Overwork or something like that.’
“Nothing serious, they said.”
“That’s a relief. Still, take good care of yourself.”
“Yes! Anyway, the ranking announcement is making me nervous.”
‘Will I make it into the Sub Quest rankings?’
“Right? Half of us are getting eliminated today—it’s such a weird feeling.”
“I’m scared. Do you think we’ll survive?”
Amid the tense, brutal atmosphere, Star picking5’s first ranking announcement ceremony—one that would purge half the trainees—began.

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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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