The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 66

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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 66
“…Why did they edit it that way?”
While everyone else looked flustered, Yoo Ho-seung—who had been the target of relentless negative editing up until now—simply tilted his head with an unbothered expression.
“It looks like Si-woo is the target this time?”
Finally, the screen transitioned to show the other trainees enthusiastically selling snacks.
They even cleverly wove in promotional moments, tasting the snacks and commenting on how delicious they were.
‘These bastards are promoting subsidiary products for free and they dare to throw in negative editing?’
The audacity of the broadcasting station staff was truly remarkable.
“Wow! Ho-seung, you’ve got a real talent for sales?”
“I wondered why you picked chocolate at first, but you had it all figured out?”
“Ha. Yes.”
Yoo Ho-seung nodded slightly, looking a bit bashful.
By emphasizing the limited-edition random toys hidden inside the chocolate, Yoo Ho-seung had skillfully drawn crowds and managed to sell them at premium prices.
“I’ve felt this for a while, but Ho-seung, you’re pretty sharp.”
“It feels good hearing that from Si-woo.”
The warm atmosphere created by Yoo Ho-seung shifted once again.
It was because my negative editing hadn’t ended yet.
[Since we need to cover stage construction costs with sales revenue, it’s important to select trainees with the highest sales, right?]
[Yes!]
[The top five trainees with the highest sales revenue, please come forward now and select your teammates!]
I, who had achieved 300,000 won in sales revenue during the team selection, was edited as a troublemaker trainee.
“Hmm….”
“Honestly, wasn’t it not quite that bad?”
“The editing on this broadcast seems a bit excessive?”
The atmosphere grew even darker as the editing brazenly cast me as the villain.
‘Damn it. What did I do wrong? I’ve always been the best at greetings.’
Feeling wronged, something suddenly came to mind.
‘Could they be intimidating me now because I put a leash on him during that assault incident?’
Other than that, nothing else came to mind.
“Why now?”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing.”
‘Is this payback?’
Watching myself portrayed excessively as a villain through episode 10 left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Overall, this broadcast had focused negative editing on both me and Kang Chan.
Especially the final scene of episode 10 emphasized Kang Chan freely deciding the concept, reaching the peak of villainy.
The team atmosphere was completely destroyed, and the broadcast ended with sensationalized editing.
As if adding fuel to the fire, the caption read: [What is the fate of Royal Team?]
“…”
Finally, episode 10 ended with a caption announcing that the third round of voting for the ranking announcement would soon close.
‘So this is how the Broadcasting Station operates, huh?’
“Are you both okay, hyungs?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re fine.”
“But both of you don’t look fine at all….”
When I turned to look at Kang Chan, his expression remained expressionless as always.
“He’s always like that anyway.”
“True.”
Kang Chan, agreeing with me, simply nodded indifferently.
‘Actually, Kang Chan looks perfectly fine?’
“And I’m fine too. I always figured I’d get hit with negative editing at some point.”
‘When I think about it, things have gone pretty smoothly so far.’
For an independent trainee with no backing, I’d been receiving decent broadcast editing and screen time.
‘But I never knew this was the buildup for one final blow.’
Now that I’ve been hit with negative editing, I’ll inevitably be affected by it going forward.
‘Even if I survive the third ranking announcement, with this negative image stuck to me, the finals won’t be easy.’
The thought of all my accumulated effort being shaken by negative editing left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Hyungs, it might be better not to check SNS for a while.”
Seeing Seo Ha-yul’s worried expression, I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Don’t worry, kid. Who am I? You think I’d be shaken by something like this?”
“You’re human too, hyung.”
“You worry too much for someone so young. Look at the time already. Minors, let’s head home before it gets any later.”
“…Yes.”
I figured I should check how things were playing out online.
☆☆☆
Just as I’d expected, I was being thoroughly torn apart on the Online Community.
>Why is Cha Si-woo acting like this?
-Am I the only one uncomfortable with him extorting money from kids?
I’m frustrated that they’re taking money by talking about collecting funds for stage equipment.
This is ridiculous. They told me to save up money by selling snacks on the broadcast, so why are you cursing out Si-woo?
Just because of that, is it normal to take money from babies?
Hey, isn’t it obvious that you have to pay money when you buy something?
Even so, touching money that a baby wiped their nose on seems like crossing the line?
There are a lot of complainers these days.
Why are the comments like this here?
>He only made 300,000 won, what a nuisance
-Why did he have to pull that Heart Ping bread of all things…
Heart Ping is brain-dead. I wish they’d stop milking it already.
Stop blaming Si-woo! He didn’t deliberately pick it—it’s the machine’s fault, so quit being so unfair!
“That’s why Cha Si-woo acts up even more—because he has fans who suck up to him like this.”
Even just watching this makes me feel wronged—how much more must Cha Si-woo be suffering under all this unfair criticism?
>Royal Team really are the villains here
-This is infuriating to watch
Even Cha Si-woo and Kang Chan together, tsk tsk.
ㄴPeople of the same age group
-Only Ho-seung looks pitiful to me
>This is why you shouldn’t support independent trainees without proper backing.
-So that’s why there were no controversies until now
-Right. Now that his true character is showing, I’ve lost all respect
Kids like this shouldn’t be allowed to debut. There will definitely be problems.
‘Is this level of hate comments even mild? Maybe medium spice?’
Thanks to my paparazzi days, where I’d heard plenty of vicious curses, honestly, comments like these had zero impact on me.
Rather, seeing fans defending me scattered throughout the comments made me feel oddly ticklish and strangely reassured.
‘There are actually people standing up against my hate comments.’
After constantly getting beaten down, seeing a protective barrier form was quite remarkable.
‘These are people I’ve never even met, yet I’m truly grateful.’
My supporters really are the best, no matter where they are.
‘I need to treat my fans even better.’
Beyond that, posts with sensational titles were flooding in like a deluge.
>Cha Si-woo is actually from a wealthy family!
>Heard he’s been with over 20 girlfriends? Apparently he cheats like it’s nothing
>Cha Si-woo was a school bully?
>The sponsored trainee is apparently Cha Si-woo?
‘What kind of nonsense is this?’
Clicking on the post out of bewilderment, I found it was packed with lies.
With the broadcast reaching its final stages, I could see the efforts of rival fans trying to bring me down while momentum was high.
‘These lies will be exposed soon enough, yet they’re going this far.’
In a way, their dedication was impressive.
The problem was that these malicious comments and baseless rumors were actually influencing people.
Once a negative image takes root, viewers begin to feel fatigue.
When rumors start circulating that someone is like this or that, the truth becomes irrelevant.
Because people naturally avoid what they believe to be true or false.
‘What could possibly flip public opinion in one sweep?’
With debut approaching so soon, the speed of attacks had doubled compared to usual.
It’s only natural that for one’s favorite to debut, trainees ranking high must fall—that’s the logic of this competition.
“Trainees, please hand in your phones now. We’re about to begin filming.”
“Yes!”
Another problem was that serious filming was about to commence.
Once phones were confiscated and grueling filming began, it would become an environment where worrying about public opinion was nearly impossible.
‘There must be some decent solution. Let me think about this rationally.’
I reluctantly handed my phone over to the Staff Member, and my hands suddenly felt empty.
“All trainees, please proceed to the Auditorium.”
‘Let me focus on the filming for now.’
☆☆☆
The broadcast began in earnest with only twenty chairs arranged on the Stage.
Since eliminations were happening, the Filming Location was filled with far more tension than usual.
“Trainees, how have you all been doing?”
At the sound of Yu Hae-in’s voice, which appeared after so long, several trainees’ faces brightened.
‘Well, it’s not realistic to call a successful first-tier idol every single time.’
“Yes!”
“I’m glad to hear that. Today, we’ll start with the ranking announcement ceremony for the twenty survivors!”
“…Woooow~”
The trainees’ forced responses to the camera’s red light showed noticeably lower energy than usual.
“In today’s ranking announcement, only twenty out of thirty trainees will survive.”
The atmosphere grew even darker at the fact that a full third of the trainees would be eliminated at once.
Boom, boom.
A deep bass rumbled from behind the Stage, pounding against my chest.
As the music building toward the rankings intensified, the air around us grew increasingly rigid.
“By the way, the team that placed first in the concept competition will receive five million votes as a benefit!”
“Woooow!”
“The Wild Team, which placed first, certainly has a much higher chance of survival than other trainees, don’t they?”
At Yu Hae-in’s comment, only the Wild Team with Kim Sun-yu brightened their expressions.
‘That team’s survival is basically guaranteed.’
Unless something unexpected happened, the Wild Team would likely survive in the top rankings.
“Then let’s apply the five million vote benefit to the Wild Team right now!”
Ding-ling-ling…! Ding-ling-ling…!
Bright lights poured down on Kim Sun-yu’s team along with cheerful sound effects.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
As the obligatory applause ended, Yu Hae-in immediately picked up his cue card.
“So, which twenty trainees will ultimately survive?”
As the lights slowly dimmed, the atmosphere in the Studio shifted instantly.
“First, we’ll announce the nineteenth-ranked trainee who survives.”
A heavy electronic sound echoed through the silent Filming Location, tightening the atmosphere further.
The camera swept across the trainees before stopping persistently on one.
“The nineteenth-ranked trainee is… Park Soo-gyeok!”
“Woooow!”
‘What? He’s surprisingly making it through?’
“Congratulations. Park Soo-gyeok, please sit in the chair marked nineteen right now.”
As Park Soo-gyeok sat down amid the trainees’ congratulations, the announcements continued, one by one.
‘I wonder what number I’ll be called?’
I didn’t claim first place in the live voting, but I’d delivered a performance strong enough to secure second place by a mere three votes.
However, the real problem was that my concept stage hadn’t aired yet, and my current public sentiment was far from favorable.
‘The malicious rumors have tanked my image worse than I anticipated.’
“Next, we’ll be announcing the 10th place trainee. From 10th place onward, trainees will have the opportunity to stand center stage for an interview.”
Only twenty trainees remained in the waiting area now, each one tense with anticipation.
Even the guys who’d eaten chicken yesterday were still sitting in their designated spots.
“10th place goes to a trainee who has demonstrated exceptional vocal ability and growth speed faster than anyone else.”
‘No way…’
“Trainee Cha Si-woo.”
“…!”
The studio fell into a stunned silence.
My face was blown up on the massive screen behind the announcer.
“Seriously?”
“That can’t be right.”
‘My ranking dropped that drastically?’
My lips trembled slightly without my realizing it.
The trainees sitting beside me stared at me with wide eyes, their expressions frozen in shock.
“Trainee Cha Si-woo, please come to center stage.”
I carefully composed my expression, aware of the camera zooming in, and walked forward slowly.
‘This isn’t exactly a pleasant feeling.’
“Trainee Cha Si-woo placed 5th in the final rankings at the last announcement ceremony, but this time you’ve dropped five spots to 10th place. How do you feel about placing 10th?”
‘Are you trying to bait me?’
“To be honest…”
Yu Hae-in’s eyes gleamed like those of a predator who’d spotted prey.
“I’m happy!”
“…Pardon?”
Caught off guard by my unexpected answer, Yu Hae-in’s lips twisted slightly.
‘Why would I give you the answer you’re fishing for?’

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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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