The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 48

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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 48
Within the pitch-black atmosphere, a sensation like cool moonlight scattered across the darkness intensified the mood even further.
‘So this center is Seo Ha-yul.’
Since his favorite had called Seo Ha-yul “Ha-yul,” the fans naturally began calling him by the same nickname.
‘Well, it’s not bad.’
Park Mo was disappointed that Cha Si-woo wasn’t the center, but she could accept it since Seo Ha-yul was connected through Roommates and HeartPing Bread.
As Seo Ha-yul lifted his head in time with the intro, his languid gray eyes shimmered.
The moment their eyes met, an inexplicable secret lay dormant within those eyes.
Thump.
Park Mo’s heart began racing rapidly.
‘His expression and aura are insane. Now that I see him like this, Ha-yul is incredibly handsome too.’
A frigid breath
strikes my heart once more
“…!”
“Wow…!”
Instead of rap, a cavernous, deep baritone voice resonated unexpectedly, and astonished gasps erupted from the audience members scattered throughout the venue.
‘This guy can actually sing?’
Of course, not as well as Cha Si-woo, but the rich, low timbre of his voice that stirred the hearts of women enhanced the song’s charm.
The voice I thought I’d forgotten
reaches me now
‘He deserves to be the center.’
Seo Ha-yul’s presence, which captivated everyone through his unexpected expression and vocals, was more overwhelming than any other trainee.
Above all, Seo Ha-yul’s unique aura harmonized perfectly with the song and concept, creating a synergistic effect.
Just as Park Mo found herself mesmerized by the stage, a familiar voice snapped her back to reality.
From the day the light disappeared
I couldn’t stop.
“Kyaaaaa!”
“Cha Si-woo!!!”
His already pale skin appeared even more porcelain-like today.
His eyes gleamed sharply, brimming with deep darkness.
Standing on stage, Cha Si-woo was enveloped in a precarious atmosphere, as if he might crumble at any moment.
‘This is so different from how he was being cute during the team introduction earlier!’
The subtly smudged smoky eye makeup created shadows that resembled exhaustion and emptiness.
The slightly chapped, bright red lips frozen in a cynical smile emanated a decadent aura.
‘A man this professional…!’
Park Mo’s heart began pounding wildly.
After Cha Si-woo’s part ended, an explosive EDM followed with a rapid-tempo rap section.
The team had many rappers, so the song contained quite a few rap parts, but the clear control of dynamics gave it a chewy appeal instead.
After an elaborate group dance, Cha Si-woo returned to center stage.
I’m undead (I’m alive)
Your unfinished curse
…!
Cha Si-woo’s appearance, laughing precariously with his clean high notes enhanced by an alluring tone, was genuinely threatening.
My heart may stop (but I’m still alive)
My heart for you burns bright
The highlight section where Cha Si-woo’s high notes blended with Seo Ha-yul’s deep voice felt like an incantation that could bewitch anyone.
‘What are these guys? Why are they so good?’
As the chorus ended, the LED backdrop finally displayed flashing lightning and a crimson moon alternating in rhythm.
The entire stage transformed into one mysterious space, and the atmosphere shifted in an instant.
With Seo Ha-yul standing at center and extending his arms, the remaining trainees knelt while facing forward.
As if Seo Ha-yul were controlling vampires with his gestures, the members simultaneously raised their arms.
The black leather gloves gleamed under the lights, deepening the sense of immersion.
The intense choreography expressing vampires and the undead felt precarious yet strangely sensual.
Even the slightest movement of their fingertips and the tremor in their gazes seemed to embody both destruction and allure simultaneously.

As the intense dance and music continued and the atmosphere escalated, the performance rushed toward its conclusion.
At Seo Ha-yul’s bold gesture, the Vampire Team displayed choreography as if they were savagely devouring each other.
“Insane…!”
The members on stage began collapsing one by one.
It was the moment when Cha Si-woo, who had held on until the end, rushed toward Seo Ha-yul.
“Si-woo!”
My favorite collapsed precariously, and finally only Seo Ha-yul remained standing on stage with a languid expression.
It’s not over yet.
Seo Ha-yul gazed at the audience with indifferent eyes and whispered softly as the song ended.
“Kyaaaaa!”
“Insane!!”
“Vampire!!!”
“I love you!”
‘They really committed to turning an obscure song into something like this. These guys are serious.’
The lingering aftereffect seemed endless as the roaring heat and cheers continued to engulf the concert hall.
☆☆☆
“Huff…huff…”
I waved to the roaring crowd while desperately catching my breath that had fallen short.
Thinking of the judge’s feedback that the dance was bland, I added several high-difficulty choreography pieces, and now my lungs feel like they’re about to burst.
‘I’m dying here.’
Despite my body’s harsh breathing as if blood were flowing backward, the corners of my mouth kept rising.
“Si-woo!!!”
“Seo Ha-yul!!”
“Waaaaah!”
The ear-piercing cheers created an illusion that they were a panacea, erasing all the fatigue from my entire body.
“The Vampire Team has shown us their final stage—thank you for your hard work. All trainees who presented the mystery concept, please come up to the stage!”
At Yu Hae-in’s voice, the Pioneer Team waiting below walked quickly toward the stage.
Kim Sun-yu, who arrived first, was visibly tense.
In the lingering heat of the moment, Yu Hae-in raised his cue card while looking toward the audience seating area.
“For this final 1v1 team battle, I honestly have no idea who will win!”
“Vampire Team!”
“Pioneer Team!!”
“The result of this close match will be decided by your votes from the audience seating area. We’ll begin voting right now.”
Through the speakers, a low melody accompanied by a heavy drum beat pulsed like a heartbeat.
‘Phew… this is making me nervous.’
The fact that I was facing off against experienced professionals in a 1v1 battle made my heart race like never before.
‘I did my best, but I’m not sure if we can actually win.’
“If you think the Pioneer Team performed well in the mystery concept, press 1. If you think the Vampire Team performed well, press 2!!!”
Beep beep beep beep.
Numbers began climbing rapidly on the split screen.
Beep beep. Beep beep beep beep.
Only when both teams’ leading digits changed to 4 did the pace of the numbers slow down.
Yu Hae-in, watching the clock, began counting down.
“Voting will close soon. 3…2…1…time!”
“Ah…!”
“The results are decided by just 4 votes!”
Sighs of relief and gasps mixed throughout the audience seating area.
“With 502 votes to 498, the trainees who survive by just 4 votes are the Vampire Team, who performed ‘The Story That Never Ended’!”
“Woooow!”
“Kyaaaa!”
‘We made it!’
Ding.
[Congratulations. You have successfully completed Sub Quest (7): ‘Survive by winning the team battle mission.’]
‘We survived!’
[Would you like to receive your reward now?]
‘Yes.’
[You will receive Stat +1 as a reward. You can directly select which stat you want to increase.]
The reward of stats, which I hadn’t received in a long time, was both sweet and thrilling.
“Just 4 votes—my heart is absolutely pounding! This was such a close match that it was even more exciting than ever.”
“Waaaah!”
“We’d like to hear from the Vampire Team, who won first. Please share your thoughts.”
I barely managed to pull away from my overjoyed teammates and bowed 90 degrees toward the audience seating area.
“First, thank you for voting for our Vampire Team.”
Seeing me bow, my teammates quickly regained their composure and instinctively bowed as well.
“We prepared this stage with our teammates, working day and night without rest. Above all, I’m just grateful that we’ve survived.”
“I appreciate your honesty. Did you face any difficulties during your preparation?”
“To be honest, everyone on our team is a rapper except for me.”
Laughter rippled through the audience.
“Haha.”
“That’s why the process of arranging the song and assigning positions wasn’t easy.”
“I can understand that.”
“I was genuinely worried because the rapper position was so concentrated, but my teammates believed in me and followed along so well that we were able to deliver a great performance.”
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Applause echoed throughout the Audience Seating Area.
“And looking at it now, you’ve pulled off such a successful stage with four rappers and one vocalist. That’s impressive.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing more great stages from the Vampire Team.”
“Yes!”
“Next, let’s hear the final remarks from the Pioneer Team, who unfortunately fell short by just four votes.”
Kim Sun-yu’s sunken eyes and expression looked unmistakably grim.
“First, I want to apologize to all the National Directors who believed in and supported us.”
Kim Sun-yu’s trembling lips finally gave way to clear tears.
“Since this was such a hard-won opportunity, I should have shown a more outstanding performance, and I deeply regret that. I’m sorry for falling short of the expectations of the fans who cheered us on.”
His sincere voice trembled with sorrow.
“Still, I’ll take the experiences I had at Star picking5 as lessons and continue moving forward toward my dreams. Thank you.”
Kim Sun-yu’s elimination was officially confirmed.
‘He must have felt relieved after placing first in the ranking announcement ceremony, never expecting to be eliminated like this.’
“Yes. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’ll sincerely support all of your dreams as well.”
“Ah…”
“No way…!”
The venue erupted in shock at the news that the trainee who had placed first in the initial ranking announcement was being eliminated in the final round.
As I moved toward the end of the Stage following the Staff Member’s directions to film the closing scene, I heard cheers mixed with exclamations of disbelief.
“Si-woo.”
I turned at the familiar voice, and Kim Sun-yu stood there with a complicated expression, staring at me intently.
“Yes?”
“I wanted to debut together with you. That’s a shame.”
His voice, full of regret, made Kim Sun-yu’s red, bloodshot eyes look even more poignant.
‘Does this person really want to debut with me that badly?’
“Really? I’m not that disappointed, honestly.”
“…Huh?”
Kim Sun-yu’s slightly tilted head looked quite bewildered.
‘This guy.’
“We’ll see each other soon anyway.”
“…?”
I pointed at the Stage with my finger to clarify the confused Kim Sun-yu’s confusion.
“It’ll be coming out soon.”
“What’s coming out?”
Instead of answering, I flashed Kim Sun-yu a professional smile.
Just then, the closing music pouring from the stage speakers cut off abruptly.
“Before we conclude the second mission of Star picking5—the 1:1 Team Battle stage—we have one final announcement!”
“…Huh?”
“What is this?”
The audience members who had been preparing to leave turned their heads urgently.
Yu Hae-in, as if savoring their reaction, pointed at the screen with his index finger while wearing an innocent smile.
“For all the National Directors feeling sad watching the trainees get eliminated, we’ve prepared a surprise gift.”
A gift box floated across the screen.
“The gift is…”

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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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