The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 70

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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 70
[A recently aired cable channel Idol Survival Audition has been gaining tremendous popularity.
In particular, one participant, Cha Mo (age 18), has drawn exceptional attention with his uniquely tragic backstory.
Cha Mo lost both parents in the DD Apartment fire incident.
His younger sibling, who couldn’t escape that day, survived but has remained in a vegetative state, never regaining consciousness.
From that day forward, everything in Cha Mo’s life changed.
Despite his young age, he had to become the head of household to care for his bedridden younger sibling and the life left behind.
After school ended, he’d rush straight to his part-time job, and after working until dawn, his days became a cycle of visiting the hospital and attending classes.
The sole survivor of the DD Apartment fire tragedy and a participant in the TX Net Idol Audition.
We eagerly await what conclusion his challenge will reach and whether he can truly achieve his dream of becoming an idol.]
Seeing the article written in far more detail than I’d anticipated, I felt quite unsettled.
‘How did the journalist find out all this information?’
As someone who hadn’t discussed my circumstances anywhere, it was baffling.
I’d never even seen the journalist’s name before.
‘Could it be… this article was created because of the penalty?’
The overwhelming thought brought a headache crashing down on me.
I lifted my right hand and roughly swept back my bangs, but the frustration wouldn’t dissipate.
If their goal was to shake my mental state, honestly, this worked perfectly.
‘I feel absolutely terrible.’
My mind crackled like an overheating circuit.
Fragments of the past I’d buried deep suddenly erupted all at once, tearing through my thoughts.
[So you’re the only one who survived?]
[If only things had been different… couldn’t everyone have lived?]
[It’s your fault! Everything that happened to your family is your fault!]
[Si-woo, your uncle’s in a difficult situation… do you happen to have any death insurance money that came in under your parents’ names?]
[Tsk, what’s a kid like you doing trying to take responsibility for his younger sibling?]
[I heard that boy from that house is an orphan now?]
Fragments of memories I’d never wanted to recall.
‘Damn it.’
Cold sweat began to pour, and a sharper headache clouded my consciousness.
My breath suddenly caught, and my palms were drenched with sweat.
“Cha Si-woo! Cha Si-woo, are you alright?”
At the staff member’s worried voice, my mind suddenly snapped back into focus.
‘Get it together. This isn’t the time for this.’
Even this moment was a luxury I couldn’t afford.
“…Yes. I’m sorry, but I need to get to the hospital right away.”
“Of course. I had them prepare a car, anticipating this. I’ll take you to the hospital.”
Given the circumstances, even the staff members moved quickly this time.
“Thank you.”
As I followed the staff member out, I could see the worried expressions on my teammates’ faces, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that.
☆☆☆
There was a reason the Production Team had the car waiting so quickly.
When I arrived at the hospital, the Main Entrance was already swarming with reporters.
‘Damn it… they tracked me down to the hospital.’
Wearing a hat and mask, I boldly changed course.
Only through the sparsely populated Back Entrance could I slip quietly into the hospital.
The moment I stepped into the Hospital Lobby, the atmosphere shifted.
A faint scent of disinfectant mingled with the cold, sterile air that brushed against my skin.
Beneath the high, open ceiling, white marble floors gleamed smoothly under the lights.
People passed through the lobby in various states of emotion.
Among them were a few who looked like reporters, but they kept their heads down, aware of the security staff’s watchful eyes.
‘The reporters have already infiltrated deep into the hospital.’
I pulled the brim of my hat lower, obscuring my face further.
To avoid drawing attention, I made my way toward the Emergency Stairwell.
The 5th Floor, where the ICU was located, required a visitor’s pass to enter, so there were no apparent reporters there.
‘At least that’s something.’
Forcing my racing heart to calm, I finally stopped before the familiar ICU entrance.
Since it wasn’t visiting hours, I pressed the call button beside the ICU door.
After several rings, a voice came through the intercom.
[Yes, this is the ICU. How may I help you?]
“Hello. I’m the guardian of patient Cha Si-hyun. We spoke on the phone a moment ago.”
[Please wait a moment.]
By the time I’d washed my hands and put on disposable protective equipment to prevent infection, the ICU door opened.
The Nurse who primarily cared for Cha Si-hyun stood there wearing a mask.
After glancing around, the Nurse lowered her voice.
“Guardian, shall we go inside?”
“Yes.”
Following the Nurse inside, the distinctive cold air of the ICU mingled with the sharp scent of alcohol at the tip of my nose.
Pulling back the curtain with the familiar room number, I found Cha Si-hyun lying there.
Seeing my younger sibling still lying peacefully without the slightest movement, my heart grew heavy.
“For now, there are no major issues with your sibling.”
‘Thank goodness.’
“Thank… thank you.”
“However…”
The Nurse’s lips trembled slightly as her words trailed off, her gaze shifting anxiously.
She opened her mouth as if to speak, but the moment our eyes met, she shut it hastily.
“It’s alright. Please, tell me.”
“…I’m sorry to say this, Guardian, but you’ll need to transfer your sibling to another hospital immediately.”
“…What?”
‘But this is the hospital where I admitted him.’
The truth was, I chose Minhan General Hospital because it was the only facility willing to accept Cha Si-hyun after he fell into a vegetative state.
Hospitals that could accommodate patients on ventilators were practically nonexistent in reality.
Most hospitals refused to admit my younger sibling because he was a high-risk patient with little hope of improvement.
After being rejected by countless hospitals, Minhan General Hospital was the only one that finally agreed to take him in after I persistently pleaded with them.
“Today, journalists and your fans came to the hospital again.”
“…What did you say?”
A sharp headache crashed over me like I’d been struck hard across the head.
“Actually, this isn’t the first time. At first, we managed to turn them away somehow, but as more and more people started coming, we couldn’t control it anymore.”
‘How many times have they come here?’
‘When did this information leak out?’
‘I became an idol for my younger sibling, and now this is becoming my downfall.’
Countless thoughts swirled through my mind all at once.
I could understand journalists, but I honestly never expected fans to track down the hospital.
“Ha…”
Another wave of intense pain crashed down, and suddenly the room began to spin.
“The problem is, when people show up like this without any restraint, it inevitably harms other patients. The hospital is receiving an overwhelming number of complaints.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“So here’s the thing. For the sake of the other patients, you’ll need to transfer him to another hospital immediately.”
Even with ten mouths, I had nothing to say.
My heart ached knowing I was unintentionally causing harm to others.
‘But if I leave here, is there even another hospital I can go to right now?’
I hated that I was even thinking about this, but the harsh reality demanded an immediate solution.
‘If there’s no hospital willing to take Cha Si-hyun, what happens to him then?’
“…”
My heart felt like it was shattering under the weight of these crushing worries.
Strangely, it was always like this when it came to my younger sibling.
I forced myself to take a deep breath and struggled to maintain my composure.
“…There’s no hospital I can transfer to right now. Minhan was the only one willing to accept him in the first place. I’m sorry, but could you possibly give me a little more time?”
“I didn’t want to say this either, and I apologize. But the hospital keeps insisting that we discharge Cha Si-hyun.”
I bowed as deeply and respectfully as I could, my back bent at a ninety-degree angle.
“Please… I’m begging you. Just once more.”
My voice came out cracked and fragile.
Helplessness washed over me, making me feel impossibly small.
I was even angry at the reality that all I could do in this situation was bow my head.
A sharp pain pierced my chest, but even that didn’t matter.
The terror of being unable to protect my family consumed every other sensation.
“Please, just give me a little more time… My younger sibling is my entire world.”
Even if it seemed pathetic and shameless, I couldn’t help it.
Right now, pride and dignity meant nothing.
‘I’ll do anything to protect my younger sibling.’
“Sigh…”
The Nurse exhaled deeply and reluctantly nodded her head.
“Honestly, I didn’t want to do this either. But the orders came from above, so I have no choice. I’ll request more time for now, but you’ll need to find a solution as quickly as possible.”
“Yes. Thank you so much!”
‘At least I’ve bought us some breathing room.’
“Guardian, I’m sorry. This is all I can say.”
“No, thank you for taking such good care of Si-hyun all this time.”
“…Yes. Since you’re here, why don’t you spend a bit more time with patient Cha Si-hyun before you go.”
After the Nurse left, only the two of us remained in the space behind the curtain.
Watching my younger sibling lying there expressionless, breathing heavily, tears I’d been holding back suddenly spilled from my eyes without warning.
‘Damn it. Have I been dreaming too big all this time?’
It’s not that I want to become rich, nor do I want to change the world.
I don’t want to become famous, nor do I seek great success in my career for honor.
‘I just wanted to live with my younger sibling.’
I desperately missed those simple everyday moments—cooking ramen with my younger sibling on weekends like ordinary siblings do, just talking together.
What is ordinary for others is a dream too vast for me to ever reach.
“Si-hyun.”
“…”
Beep—beep—beep—
Instead of a response, only the sharp, repetitive mechanical sounds echoed relentlessly.
“I’ll find a way somehow, hyung will. Don’t worry. You understand, right?”
“…”
“Just trust me, you brat. I’ll come again, so you need to stay healthy and well. Got it?”
I forced my reluctant feet to move, wearing a strained smile.
‘Time is running out.’
☆☆☆
The only way to find a new hospital was to pound the pavement with my own two feet.
Even the centers the hospital connected me with couldn’t find a place for admission.
“I’m sorry, but our hospital cannot accept patients with such severe conditions.”
“We don’t have the equipment to care for ventilators. I apologize.”
“This patient is beyond our capacity. Would you like to look into other hospitals?”
I was continuously being rejected for admission at every hospital I visited.
‘Is this the last one?’
After a long wait, the indifferent Doctor I met delivered words without hope.
“Guardian, I’m sorry, but we have no available beds in the ICU.”
In reality, having no beds was essentially a rejection.
“Could we at least put him on a waiting list?”
I was desperate enough to grasp at straws.
“There are already 20 people ahead on the waiting list. It seems unlikely since we’re fully booked. I apologize.”
Even the ICU had waiting lists in this world now.
“Yes….”
As I stepped out of the hospital, the sky had turned as dark as my mood without my noticing.
Whenever I felt such suffocating helplessness, the faces of my parents—buried deep in my heart—would surface in my mind.
‘Damn it… this isn’t the time for this. I need to move forward.’
Even the luxury of drowning in these overwhelming emotions was something I couldn’t afford.
Staring at my phone, its screen cluttered with missed calls, I had no choice but to return to the Filming Location.
☆☆☆
“Si-woo, are you okay?”
The moment I stepped out of the Production Crew Vehicle, a familiar silhouette rushed toward me.
“Yes. I apologize for leaving suddenly during practice.”
“It’s fine. Actually….”
Kim Sun-yu’s hesitation made his concern evident on his face.
“I saw the article that came out.”
‘So everyone knows by now.’
“Did you manage to resolve the issue?”

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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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