The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 42

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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 42
“First up, Cutie Team 1, please take the stage.”
Four trainees followed behind the solid Kang Chan as they climbed onto the stage.
True to the nature of a midpoint evaluation, the trainees wore sportswear from a brand with three-colored stripes.
A cute girl group song played, followed by the trainees’ performance that they had prepared over the past week.
‘Kang Chan really does soar through that song.’
Once again, with Kang Chan at center, the stage showcased Kang Chan and the children—a consistent narrative.
On the individual evaluation sheet I’d been given, I had to write down my overall impression of the team and pick first and last place.
‘First place is definitely Kang Chan.’
The stage ended just as I was finding it harder to choose last place.
Sharp criticism and praise from the judges followed, and the next team took the stage.
After continuously watching and evaluating performances, my turn finally arrived.
“Next, Mystery Team 1, please take the stage!”
Bolstered by Park Chae-young’s voice, I stood from my seat.
“Let’s go.”
As I led Seo Ha-yul and three other trainees onto the stage, all eyes from the audience poured down on us at once.
“Mystery Team 1! Please give us a brief team introduction.”
“Hello. We are Mystery Team 1, and we’ll be presenting ‘The Unfinished Story’ by our seniors from Wild Boyz.”
“That’s a pop-rock song I quite enjoy. How did you approach the arrangement?”
“Actually, since our team has many rappers, we rearranged the entire song with a hip-hop vibe.”
“Hmm… Hip-hop in this song? That’s quite intriguing. Could you explain in more detail?”
Despite her words, Park Chae-young’s expression remained uncertain.
“We arranged it around the theme of an unfinished story—blending undead and vampire concepts so that even death cannot stop it.”
“Wow! That’s a great idea!”
Behind the genuinely surprised judge, the trainees’ exclamations echoed.
“That’s quite an innovative concept—whose idea was it?”
“It was a team effort.”
For a team mission, it was right to credit the entire team for such contributions.
“The idea is so good that I have high expectations. Mystery Team 1, please proceed with your performance!”
“Yes!”
As we took our positions, a dull drum sound like a heartbeat accompanied an ethereal soundscape.
In the intro, Seo Ha-yul, our center, delivered his rap in a whisper.
A cold breath
Knocks on my heart again
What I thought I’d forgotten
Your voice reaches me
“Wow!”
“Wow~”
The moment Seo Ha-yul’s rap section ended, exclamations burst from the trainees.
Following Ha-yul’s part, Yoon Min-soo took over the rap.
As the song crescendoed and the bridge section approached, I finally picked up the microphone.
From the day the light disappeared
I couldn’t stop.
“…!”
It was quite a high note section, but thanks to my B-rank vocal stat, the notes rose smoothly.
After the bridge section ended, the chorus finally approached.
I’m undead (I’m alive)
Your unfinished curse
Even if my heart stops (I’m alive)
My feelings for you burn bright
As the hip-hop styled arrangement finally reached its end, the expressions on the judges’ faces were quite worth seeing.
Finally, centered around Seo Ha-yul, we struck the ending pose.
“Who would like to give their evaluation first?”
Instead of applause, a low voice echoed through the Filming Location.
“I’ll go first.”
The Composer Judge with a stern expression picked up the microphone.
“Hmm. Who came up with the arrangement idea?”
‘A question I expected.’
“It was my idea!”
Yoon Min-soo picked up the microphone eagerly on my behalf.
“Why did you arrange it so hip-hop oriented?”
“…Pardon?”
Seeing the judge’s stern expression, Yoon Min-soo’s face showed clear confusion.
“The song became a completely different song. The original charm of the piece disappeared, didn’t it?”
“Since our team has four rappers, this was the best we could do.”
“What is this, Show Me The Gold?”
“No, it’s not….”
“But why did you turn a pop-rock idol song into hip-hop? If that was the plan, you should’ve auditioned for Show Me The Gold instead of Idol Survival.”
“…I apologize.”
“Did all your team members agree with this decision?”
“…”
Yoon Min-soo swallowed his words instead of answering.
The Composer Judge’s expression grew fiercer as he turned his gaze like a predator eyeing its prey.
“Cha Si-woo.”
“Yes!”
“As the Team Representative, what exactly were you doing?”
‘This team leader qualification issue.’
I’ll never take on a leadership role again next time.
“I sincerely apologize!”
I immediately bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
When caught in a mistake like this, bowing deeply at a ninety-degree angle proved far more effective than making excuses.
“As the Team Representative, it’s my responsibility to guide teammates back onto the right path. I had high expectations for this team, but I’m completely disappointed.”
“…I apologize!”
“Honestly, the chorus section is the main appeal of this song, but changing the genre completely stripped away all its charm.”
“You can’t force an arrangement to suit your own tastes so much that it damages the song itself.”
“I’m sorry.”
“If this team wants to survive, you need to re-arrange the entire piece. Make sure you re-arrange the chorus section especially.”
‘Perfect.’
Finally hearing the answer I wanted, I forced down the smile threatening to spread across my face.
“Yes!”
As the Composer Judge set down his microphone, Park Chae-young picked hers up.
“The arrangement itself was well done, but overall it leans too heavily into hip-hop—it feels excessive. Who did the arrangement?”
“…I did.”
Seo Ha-yul carefully raised his hand.
“You seem to have talent for arrangement, so try reducing the hip-hop elements and re-arranging it. Don’t make it so rapper-focused. Bring out the song and team’s charm while making it winnable.”
“Yes!”
“And remember—this is an idol audition. Keep that in mind.”
“Yes, I understand.”
As the evaluations continued, I could see the team members’ expressions hardening.
As Park Chae-young set down her microphone, the Choreography Judge picked his up.
“The center here is trainee Seo Ha-yul?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
The Choreography Judge studied Seo Ha-yul intently and nodded.
“I find trainee Seo Ha-yul quite fascinating.”
“Yes?”
“You become a completely different person the moment you step on stage.”
“…”
“You rap well, you dance well… but honestly, your facial expressions are a bit lacking.”
“…Yes.”
“I can clearly see your potential to do better, so build more confidence. The center position is the face of the group—perform with assurance.”
“Yes, I understand!”
After an endless stream of criticism and praise, finally the Dance Judge picked up his microphone.
“The dancing isn’t bad, but honestly it lacks real impact. How do I put it? It feels a bit dull.”
“…Yes.”
“I had high expectations, but I’m disappointed.”
‘It seems I’ll need to incorporate bolder choreography.’
“We’ll make adjustments!”
“Right. Now you understand it’s not about effort anymore—it’s about actually delivering, yes?”
“Yes!”
I bowed deeply at a ninety-degree angle.
The Dance Judge set down his microphone.
“Ah!”
Park Chae-young suddenly grabbed the microphone with surprising speed.
“Before you leave, would you sing it as the original version once?”
“…!”
I nodded calmly amid the bewildered rappers.
“Yes! Understood.”
Kids, when the boss says to do it, you do it.
As the Staff Member moved quickly, the original instrumental of “The Unfinished Story” flowed through the speakers.
When the heart-stirring sound resonated, Seo Ha-yul at center moved first.
Instead of Seo Ha-yul’s rap, a deep baritone voice rang out.
Your cold breath
knocks on my heart again
The voice I thought I’d forgotten
reaches me now
“…!”
With singing layered over that captivating tone, the song felt entirely different.
‘What? Seo Ha-yul can actually sing?’
After Seo Ha-yul, Yoon Min-soo sang next.
The cursed one with crimson lips…crack!
The blood-drinker beneath the moonlight…crack!
It was a string of off-key notes.
It was only natural, really—rappers rarely sang well.
Finally, as the bridge section ended and I saw a teammate unable to lift the microphone during the chorus, I brought mine closer to my lips.
I’m undead (I’m alive)
Your curse that never ends
Seo Ha-yul perceptively added the chorus.
Even if my heart stops (I’m alive)
My feelings for you burn bright
Seo Ha-yul’s deep voice layered over the high-pitched chorus section blended remarkably well.
‘Not bad.’
As the song finally ended, my lips curved upward in satisfaction.
The frustration that had been bottled up suddenly released, leaving me feeling refreshed.
Applause erupted from the Judge’s Seat as if they’d been waiting for this.
“Yes! That’s it!”
“You preserved the original feel while making the song so much better!”
“Forcing this song into hip-hop was too much! Really.”
I carefully maintained my composure at the judges’ satisfied expressions.
‘Perfect.’
Now it was time to avoid criticism and proceed with the arrangement legitimately.
☆☆☆
Once all the mid-evaluation performances concluded, the team members reconvened in the Practice Room.
The only difference from before was that everyone now held thick mid-evaluation assessment sheets in their hands.
“First, let’s take a look at how you trainees have evaluated our team’s mid-evaluation performance, shall we?”
“Yes.”
“…Yes.”
With the camera’s red light glowing, the team members carefully composed their expressions.
They had already braced themselves, knowing the judges had been harsh during the mid-evaluation.
“It looks like I was voted as the best performer.”
The bridge and chorus sections must have made quite an impact.
“Wow!!!”
“…Wow~”
While only Seo Ha-yul offered a genuine reaction, I continued reading through the assessment sheet.
“The lowest-ranked trainee is…”
Seeing the tension etched across my teammates’ faces, I flipped the assessment sheet over.
“It’s me, of course.”
“…?”
“What?”
Yoon Min-soo’s expression visibly hardened.
“What did you just say?”
He must have sensed that his name was written on the assessment sheet.
“As the team representative, I failed to lead my teammates properly, so I’m ranked last.”
“Are you joking right now?”
“No. Actually, I don’t see what the point of being first or last in the team is right now.”
“What do you mean—”
“This mission is a team battle mission. We live together and die together as a team.”
“…”
“So whether it’s first or last, it’s me as the team representative.”
Yoon Min-soo stared blankly for a moment before forcing a smile onto his lips.
But that smile didn’t last long, fading away into the air.
“I’m… I’m sorry.”
His voice trailed off uncertainly, and his face was painted with a mixture of embarrassment and shame.
“I’m sorry. I insisted on doing hip-hop, and I was greedy about the chorus section too.”
“No. Thank you for apologizing first. And I agreed to it as well, didn’t I?”
“…Still. I was too greedy.”
Someone who knows how to acknowledge their mistakes and apologize doesn’t need to be cut loose.
‘There are plenty of people in this world who can’t even do that.’
“Ha ha. It’s fine.”
With the atmosphere warming considerably, I brought up the topic I’d been waiting to discuss.
“Since we’re on the subject, I’d like to rearrange our song. What do you all think?”
“I’m in favor of it!”
Seo Ha-yul quickly cast his vote.
‘One more Heart Ping point for us. Nice.’
“Considering the judges’ evaluations, I think rearranging the composition is the right call.”
“That’s true, but with only a week left, do you think we’ll be okay?”
I flashed a professional smile toward my teammates, whose eyes reflected their worry.
“Of course. The fastest way to fix a mistake is to correct it the moment you realize it. So let’s rearrange the chorus section while preserving the original song’s feel.”
“Sounds good.”
“And there are a few other things I’d like to change. First, Ha-yul.”
“Yes?”
“Let’s work on your vocals.”

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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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