The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 68

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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 68
“Now, let me explain the most crucial aspect of the Final Stage: selecting your team members.”
‘Please, let me be placed with talented people.’
Since this Quest offered tiered rewards based on ranking, I couldn’t help but feel greedy.
‘If I secure a high ranking and get the best rewards, my future as an idol will be smooth sailing.’
Of course, I knew this was ungrateful thinking.
The fact that I was debuting as an idol in the first place was already absurd.
“Your teams will be determined by…”
‘Still, since this is the final round, the Production Team should at least be careful enough to form teams without any complaints.’
“The first food you ate!”
‘They’re deciding something this important so carelessly?’
“Because there’s no compatibility more important than food compatibility! You’ll be grouped with teammates who match you quite well.”
‘What nonsense.’
“You all remember the first food you chose to eat, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then please move to stand in front of the food you ate first.”
As I stopped in front of the pizza, familiar faces approached me.
“Interestingly, it divided perfectly into four teams of five members each. We look forward to seeing your Final Stage performance with teammates who share your food preferences!”
Yu Hae-in departed with a bright smile as the closing music played.
‘They’re really forming teams this way?’
When I looked around in bewilderment, the others seemed equally taken aback.
“Trainees! Please move to the Conference Room with your new team members so we can begin filming. Everyone, let’s go!”
The Staff Member’s urging voice snapped me back to attention.

☆☆☆
The formal filming began in the Conference Room, surrounded by cameras densely mounted on every wall.
“First, shall we decide on our Team Representative?”
At the familiar voice, I looked up to see Kim Sun-yu smiling warmly.
“Sounds good!”
‘This team composition is my first time with these members.’
In the last competition, I ended up on the same team with Rua and Kim Sun-yu, who hadn’t picked me as a teammate before.
The remaining two members of our team were Park Soo-gyeok and Hong Ryu-han.
“First, who would like to be Team Representative?”
“Me!”
“Me!”
“Me too.”
‘Everyone’s so eager. Well, since this is the Final Stage, getting more screen time is definitely advantageous.’
Not just our team, but all the other teams were expected to face fierce competition as well.
“But Si-woo, why aren’t you applying to be leader?”
Thanks to Kim Sun-yu’s gentle smile and question, all my teammates’ gazes suddenly focused on me.
While everyone else was volunteering for the leader position, I was the only one not raising my hand, making me stand out even more.
‘I absolutely despise being leader.’
Recalling the humiliation I’d experienced while leading before, my mouth turned bitter.
‘But I still need to show an active attitude until the very end.’
If my passive demeanor gets broadcast, it would only fuel more negative perceptions of me.
‘A trainee without desperation is disqualified as an aspiring idol.’
“I’d like to apply to be leader as well!”
“So everyone wants to be leader.”
“We have no choice then.”
Since everyone wanted to be Team Representative, we eventually settled on rock-paper-scissors to decide fairly.
There was a good reason for choosing such a simple method.
We couldn’t afford to spend much time deciding on the team leader.
“The Pizza Team leader, finally decided, is….”
‘This can’t be happening.’
“…Cha Si-woo!”
‘I was secretly hoping to lose at a decent moment.’
“Woooow!”
‘I never knew I had a talent for rock-paper-scissors.’
After an intense match, my teammates accepted me as Team Representative without any objection, perhaps because I’d won such a close game.
‘It would’ve been fine if at least one person objected.’
Deep down, I’d hoped Kim Sun-yu would take the leader position, but when our eyes met, he simply offered a serene smile.
‘There’s nothing I can do about it.’
“Thank you. I’ll do my best as the Pizza Team leader!”
“Yeah!”
“Sounds good~”
I stood up from my seat and stopped in front of the whiteboard in the center of the Conference Room.
“Let’s officially begin the Pizza Team’s meeting.”
Since the Final Stage theme was open-ended, there were many aspects we had to decide ourselves from start to finish.
‘At least we have a cheat code among our team members.’
Given the high degree of freedom, having Rua—who possessed overwhelming talent in arrangement—was incredibly reassuring.
“First, I’d like to decide on the most important element: our concept.”
In a Male Idol Audition Program competition, many factors matter.
Among them, the song and concept are judged to be the most crucial.
‘Once this is solidified, everything else falls into place.’
Since there were many song options available, I decided it made sense to establish the concept first this time.
“If anyone has good ideas, please feel free to share them. I’d appreciate it.”
As the core foundation of the team, this was a moment that called for both caution and importance.
“It has a strong impact!”
“Rua, what do you mean by strong impact?”
“Um… just. strong impact!!!”
‘That’s so Rua.’
“Yes, I understand.”
I wrote Rua’s suggestion first on the whiteboard.
“Um….”
Park Soo-gyeok, who had been gauging the mood, carefully raised his hand.
“…?”
The moment our eyes met, he quickly looked away in a panic.
‘Anyone watching would think I’m pressuring him.’
“…Since it’s the final stage, how about something flashy?”
“Flashy sounds good.”
“Phew….”
Watching Park Soo-gyeok exhale in relief, I wrote “flashy” on the whiteboard next.
As various opinions were exchanged, Kim Sun-yu, who had been thinking seriously, slowly raised his hand.
“I’d like us to do something that would really shock people.”
“In what way?”
“I want to show them a stage they’d never expect, something that truly stays with them.”
“That would definitely have a strong impact.”
Looking at the whiteboard filled with notes as the meeting continued, I could see the direction the team wanted to go.
‘It’s time to finalize the concept.’
Seeing how much time had passed, it was time to make a decision for the next steps.
“Then, how about we mix dark pop and sexy for our concept?”
“…!”
Something that was sexy yet charismatic, with a strong impact.
In other words, I was suggesting we use both of the most popular core concepts for the finals—a cheat code strategy.
“Both…of them?”
“Yes. Since this is the final stage, I wanted to showcase something the National Directors would appreciate most.”
To obtain what I desired, I needed to understand the audience’s needs.
If I wanted to debut, I simply had to show the fans what they craved.
A concept with high commercial appeal while satisfying the desires of the majority was bound to secure more votes.
“Since it’s a cheat-code concept, I believe performing it on the Final Stage will guarantee us a substantial number of votes.”
“Wow!”
“That sounds good!”
“Does everyone agree?”
My teammates nodded rapidly in unison.
“If everyone approves, our team’s concept will be dark pop and sexy!”
Fortunately, the concept was finalized quickly without any objections.
“Now that we’ve settled on a concept, shall we choose the song next?”
“What about Raiden’s ‘Sexy Mode’?”
‘That song is too much.’
No matter how important the final competition was, an excessively sensual performance could feel awkward to watch.
“It’s decent, but since the song emphasizes sexiness from beginning to end, I’m not sure if it suits us.”
‘What could untested trainees possibly deliver with such a sultry performance?’
The song required concentrated intensity, something that seemed beyond the reach of fresh-faced trainees.
Many other song suggestions came up, but none of them truly resonated with everyone.
‘Is there a decent song out there?’
My mind was tangled with countless thoughts, unable to organize itself.
‘A song that would shock people while showcasing both sexiness and dark pop.’
I was unconsciously spinning my pen, repeatedly writing and erasing the same phrase, when suddenly a small spark ignited deep within my mind.
A sudden flash of inspiration pierced through the darkness.
“That’s it…! That song exists!”
All the confusion in my mind converged into a single point, and the threads of thought connected seamlessly.
“Leader, do you have a good idea?”
Instantly, all my teammates’ gazes turned toward me.
“Yes. What about the song ‘Red Shadow’?”
“…Hera’s song?”
Clearly surprised that I’d suggested a girl group song, my teammates’ faces filled with bewilderment.
‘I understand their reaction.’
‘Red Shadow’ was a song by a top-tier female idol group with significant recognition.
It was a masterpiece that had earned tremendous love for its sexy yet powerful choreography and impressive high notes, remaining consistently popular even now.
“The advantage of this song is that we can pull off a reversal.”
‘Because typically, girl group songs aren’t performed often in male idol audition program finals.’
Usually, in male idol competitions, the Final Stage involved selecting songs from first-tier male idols as role models.
‘That way, we could showcase our charm and strengths as male idols with a recognizable song.’
But performances that everyone conventionally does can sometimes feel stale.
That’s why we need to flip our thinking.
If we prepare a female idol song and blindside the audience with it before taking the stage, we’ll definitely achieve a shock factor.
“That’s… true.”
“And since it’s a song choice that lets us capture both powerful dark pop and sexiness, we’ll have an impact on the Final Stage that surpasses anyone else.”
‘Most importantly, no male idol has ever covered this song before, so we won’t be compared to experienced performers. It’s safe.’
As I continued with detailed explanations, my teammates’ expressions grew increasingly confused.
“Everything you’re saying makes sense, but…”
“Can we actually perform a girl group senior’s song?”
“Don’t worry about that. Our team has the best producer.”
The moment my eyes met Rua’s, who was watching with interest, he burst out laughing.
“Ha-ha! Yes! I’m confident I can arrange any song perfectly!”
“True. With Rua here, a girl group senior’s song won’t be a problem.”
“Honestly, I think it sounds good?”
The conflicted teammates finally expressed their agreement.
“Then let’s confirm that the Pizza Team’s song will be Hera’s ‘Red Shadow.'”
“Yes!”
“Agreed!”
Once the concept and song were decided, the rest of the meeting proceeded smoothly.
For reference, Kim Sun-yu and Park Soo-gyeok were assigned to create the choreography together.
Part distribution was to be decided once the arrangement came through, and in this first meeting, the most important matter remained.
“Finally, let’s decide on the center!”
The center position on the Final Stage.
The announcement that only one person could occupy the exact center of the stage as a last chance sharpened the atmosphere instantly.
Thump. Thump.
My heart began racing rapidly.
It felt like an invisible force was pulling at me, as if that single position was the crucial key.
“I… really want to be center this time.”
At Hong Ryu-han’s quiet but firm voice, all my teammates’ eyes turned toward him.
“Since I’ve always survived in last place, I want to take the center position with strong impact and finally debut.”
I could see my teammates flinch at his emotionally charged and honest appeal.
‘Is there anyone here who isn’t desperate?’
I was contemplating how to respond.
“Me too.”
Kim Sun-yu seized the moment and continued.
His usual composed demeanor had vanished—now his eyes burned with intensity.
“It’s the Final Stage. For this stage alone… I want it too.”
The air in the room suddenly grew heated.
It didn’t need to be said.
Everyone wanted the center position.
‘This is interesting.’

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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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