The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 41

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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 41
Seo Ha-yul’s expression was clouded with worry as he recalled Yoo Ho-seung and the other trainees who had received negative editing in the previous episode.
“Don’t worry too much. You’ll get good editing.”
“Yes…!”
As I was stroking Seo Ha-yul’s hair, the live broadcast of Star picking5 Episode 5 began.
From the start, an ominous BGM accompanied a countdown that decreased from 100 one number at a time.
[The number of eliminations is…]
The screen showing a nervous trainee swallowing hard slowly zoomed in on the Screen.
[Exactly… 50 people.]
[No way!]
[Really?]
[That can’t be right. Half eliminated from the start…]
Following the attention-grabbing closing scene, Episode 5 began in earnest.
“Wow, I really thought my heart dropped at that moment.”
“Right? It was truly cruel.”
The scene where teams were drawn had a thrilling quality through editing as it aired.
After all the teams were selected, scenes of position-specific practice and Stage performances followed.
The first to appear was the Dance Team with many well-known trainees.
Starting with Dance Team 1 where Yoo Ho-seung was, Kim Sun-yu and Kang Chan’s team appeared next.
By the way, Yoo Ho-seung received provocative negative editing again this time due to friction with teammates during practice.
“Oh…!”
“That team had it rough too.”
The roommates, conscious of the red camera light, deliberately held back their words.
‘No matter how strong the core fanbase is, those Broadcasting Station people are harsh.’
Whether they had recruited him from the start solely to draw attention, the Production Team’s greed was excessive.
They extracted provocative scenes of the influencer to boost ratings, capturing the broadcast angle perfectly through negative editing.
‘This is going to get so much hate, isn’t it?’
Both the Production Team and Yoo Ho-seung alike.
The attention-grabbing effect was that certain.
When Yoo Ho-seung, packaged as a villain, took the Stage, the cheers were extraordinary.
The audience seemed to chant only Yoo Ho-seung’s name, and the screen even captured a fan crying with joy at the sight of him.
“He really is incredibly popular.”
“Right? I’m envious.”
The Stage footage also focused primarily on Yoo Ho-seung.
Though it was a performance of amateur-hour quality, it was a Stage worth watching for the pleasure of seeing Yoo Ho-seung’s face.
Next came Kang Chan’s team, edited as if to make a direct comparison.
The footage was edited to contrast teammates struggling to keep up with Kang Chan against Kang Chan flying across the Stage.
What was funny was that even when shown his teammates’ wariness, Kang Chan seemed hardly bothered.
‘This is entertaining.’
Kang Chan’s steadfast appearance, pushing through practice amid jealousy and envy, looked admirably resolute.
In the ‘Neon Promise’ performance, Kang Chan’s movements—keeping pace with the choreography of a first-tier male idol—were nothing short of dazzling brilliance itself.
Despite the exceptional quality of the stage edited with Kang Chan and the other trainees, the live voting results showed a razor-thin margin of just ten votes separating them from Yoo Ho-seung’s team—a deliberately sensational presentation.
It seemed the Production Team had properly identified Yoo Ho-seung as their target for maximum drama.
In stark contrast, Kim Sun-yu’s team, who had genuinely earned the PD’s pick, prepared in a harmonious atmosphere without major conflict, and their process was broadcast accordingly.
Their stage performance, true to idol standards, was nothing but warmth itself—the fact that they secured first place in the live voting was emphasized as inevitable.
“Wow~ The atmosphere here is really great!”
“Right? And everyone’s so talented too.”
Vocal Team 2, the team I belonged to, appeared roughly midway through the broadcast.
As expected, the conflict with the Composer was the opening act.
[Stop!]
A sensational scene of the Composer shoving his chair back and shouting was broadcast.
“Huh?”
“So it wasn’t easy for you either, Siu.”
I continued stroking Seo Ha-yul’s hair sympathetically.
His hair was surprisingly soft—oddly addictive to touch.
“Nothing in this world comes easy, you know.”
The Composer’s stern expression was zoomed in on, accompanied by tense background music.
[There’s no need to listen further. Let’s just go with the original.]
[Making a judgment without even hearing the song seems premature.]
The broadcast, edited as a Composer versus Trainee showdown, was spicy entertainment at its finest.
[I can tell just from the intro! Ruining the original song like this…! The tender feeling and emotional delivery are completely lost!]
[To showcase dance and performance, a ballad absolutely requires a faster-tempo arrangement!]
Rua’s sharp voice, unable to contain his frustration, came through the speakers unfiltered.
‘This time Rua’s going to catch some heat too.’
It was edited perfectly to make him sound disrespectful and rude.
[Shouldn’t a vocal position stage focus on the singing? So we’ll proceed with the original version.]
It was the moment Kim Tae-han firmly handed the sheet music to the Production Team, accompanied by the caption [Vocal Team 2 in Crisis!]
[Wait a moment!]
My voice rang out, and then the commercial break began.
“Wow, they cut it right there?”
“What did you say at that point, Siu?”
Suddenly, four pairs of curious eyes turned toward me all at once.
“It’ll air soon. Let’s watch it together.”
“Ah. I’m really curious now.”
After a mobile phone commercial and then a sports brand advertisement, the scene finally continued.
[First of all, we’re deeply honored to have the opportunity to perform such an excellent masterpiece on our stage. Thank you.]
My image giving a sharp ninety-degree bow was shown alongside a close-up of the Composer’s face.
As I spoke, I could see the Composer’s expression gradually softening before my eyes.
A scene of me poking Rua’s thigh was also broadcast, accompanied by the caption [Tamer Trainee].
“Hahahaha.”
“The scene where everyone’s exchanging greetings while reading the room is hilarious!”
“…haha.”
Once again, I’d been edited in a way that made me unintentionally funny.
‘Should I seriously consider becoming a comedy character?’
While I was pondering this, the scene transitioned.
With the BGM I’d often heard in racing games, the broadcast cut to Park Soo-gyeok running, followed by me chasing after him.
[Vocal Team 2’s Second Crisis!]
The scene of me catching the fleeing Park Soo-gyeok and shoving him back into the Practice Room had been edited in an exaggerated, rough manner.
“Hahahaha.”
“The escape is funny enough, but catching him? That’s truly something else.”
“…haha. There’s no such thing as desertion in my team.”
At this point, I had no idea what to think.
Half-resigned, I continued watching the broadcast when the scene shifted again.
My expression on the Stage was noticeably changing in real-time, as if overwhelmed with emotion.
At first, I’d clearly been wearing my professional smile, but as genuine laughter gradually spread across my face, something about it felt strangely unfamiliar.
[Because we started like destiny!]
When I sang the chorus section with Rua, adding harmonies, my expression looked genuinely refreshed.
“Wow~”
“The lead vocalist really is different!”
“You sing really well.”
“Thank you.”
‘So that’s what my expression looks like when I’m singing.’
There was a peculiar tingling sensation in my chest.
“Honestly, your performance was really good, but since you performed last, it felt like you got fewer votes.”
“Haha, is that so?”
“Yeah.”
“I think so too!”
My Stage performance, which had felt so strange, finally ended.
Fortunately, the editing emphasized [Team with Highest Judge Panel Score], and the airtime was decent.
The broadcast then focused intensively on the Rap position performances.
“Now Seo Ha-yul’s coming up?”
“Um… yes.”
For some reason, Seo Ha-yul was watching the Screen with a stiff expression.
[Should we decide the center position?]
Watching Seo Ha-yul cautiously raise his hand, the Rap Team 3 trainees giggled and snickered.
[Come on. Ha-yul’s the youngest—what center position?]
[Right. The center is basically the focal point of the Stage, so can timid Ha-yul really pull it off?]
The banter had been edited as if they were joking comfortably among close friends, walking the line between playful and crossing it.
‘Look at these bastards.’
Without realizing it, my fists clenched with force.
Seo Ha-yul’s expression visibly hardened as he lowered his head.
Jin Young-hoon, the team leader, opened his mouth with a bright smile.
[Everyone’s joking around too much. What if Ha-yul starts crying?]
‘Damn it.’
I yanked the microphone off my clothes without hesitation.
“…hyung? What are you doing?”
I grabbed Seo Ha-yul’s microphone and ripped it off just as decisively.
My roommates stared at me in bewilderment, but that didn’t matter.
The worst part was that Jin Young-hoon, the leader of Rap Team 3, was the one behind this.
“Jin Young-hoon, weren’t you from the same Entertainment Agency as me?”
“…Yes.”
‘This bastard’s subtly cutting down Seo Ha-yul?’
During the part distribution, Seo Ha-yul’s opinion was naturally silenced, leaving him with the smallest part position.
‘Wherever you go, there’s always someone like that.’
He must have been jealous and envious of Seo Ha-yul, who was better than him.
“You know when you went to the Bathroom before the ranking evaluation mission?”
“Yes.”
“Who did you meet in the Bathroom back then?”
“…”
“Was it Jin Young-hoon?”
“…Yes.”
Found him.
I’m going to take this bastard down.
“Hyung.”
“What?”
Even in front of the camera with its red light on, I couldn’t control my expression.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m not fine, you punk.”
“I don’t shake easily like I used to.”
Unlike when I first saw him, there was something slightly off in Seo Ha-yul’s eyes.
“I have friends now too. So please, just watch over me.”
“…Alright, I got it, you punk.”
I felt the urge to rush out immediately.
I thought I’d only feel better if I went and found each of Seo Ha-yul’s teammates one by one and gave them a knuckle sandwich.
‘I have to hold back.’
My parents had always said that an older brother should know how to trust and watch over his younger sibling in moments like these.
It was when I reluctantly put the microphone back on and turned my gaze to the Screen.
On the Screen, Seo Ha-yul was shown practicing diligently even with the smallest part until the very end.
‘The kid’s got guts.’
Though usually passive, Seo Ha-yul transformed completely on Stage, soaring with a reversal charm that captivated the audience.
With overwhelming skill, I became the member with the smallest part yet the one who commanded the most attention.
☆☆☆
“Everyone, today we’ll be conducting the midpoint evaluation stage for the Team Battle Mission!”
It was Park Chae-young who picked up the microphone in place of the busy idol Yu Hae-in.
“The 1:1 Team Battle Mission midpoint evaluation stage will proceed differently from last time. Everyone will observe as you receive your midpoint evaluation!”
This was different from the first mission’s midpoint check, which had been conducted with each team called separately to their Practice Room.
This 1:1 Team Battle midpoint evaluation took place in an open Evaluation Space with everyone watching.
The Judge Panel sat in plush cushioned chairs while the trainees sat behind them on plastic chairs as filming for the midpoint evaluation began.
Seo Ha-yul’s arrangement was better than I expected.
The dance with the point choreography came out at a decent quality compared to the original song.
‘The biggest problem is the chorus section?’
When the chorus section that had soared to high notes and felt refreshing was changed to rap, the song lost its savory depth.
So I planned to solve this part today with someone else’s touch.
“Today, not only the Judge Panel but all of you trainees will also provide feedback.”
That’s right.
Today, the trainees sitting by team had been given evaluation sheets and pens.

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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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