The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 76

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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 76
The unexpected revelation that someone no one had anticipated had claimed third place sent the Filming Location into immediate disarray.
“Why is the first-place candidate being called now…?”
“Kim Sun-yu isn’t first place but third?”
“…That’s insane!”
All eyes, struck with shock, turned toward Kim Sun-yu.
‘This can’t be real.’
Yet Kim Sun-yu seemed utterly unaffected, simply offering a serene smile as he made his way to center stage.
“Congratulations! Kim Sun-yu, would you please share your thoughts?”
“Thank you for selecting me. To be honest… before I participated in this audition, I never thought I’d be able to stand on stage again.”
Kim Sun-yu’s grip on the microphone was steady, but his voice carried a careful tenderness.
“Yet here I am, given this chance to debut anew, and I’m genuinely grateful.”
“Aren’t you disappointed that you placed third instead of first, as you might have expected?”
Even at Yu Hae-in’s perfectly timed jab for the cameras, Kim Sun-yu merely smiled.
“Not at all.”
“Kim Sun-yu, you look truly happy. Please, continue with your thoughts.”
“Yes.”
Kim Sun-yu’s gaze fixed on the camera was unwavering.
“I want to express my deepest gratitude once more to all the National Directors who supported me. The truth is, I’ve debuted before, but the years I spent in obscurity were extraordinarily long.”
‘Kim Sun-yu has truly endured so much.’
I’d looked it up out of curiosity once, and discovered that Kim Sun-yu, whose previous team had been riddled with scandals, had been the sole survivor of that group.
Violence, dating scandals, drugs—his team members had committed every conceivable transgression. The only reason it hadn’t become a bigger issue was because they were an obscure idol group with minimal public recognition.
“Even when I stood on stage, almost no one called my name. There were times I sang in front of an audience of fewer than ten people.”
As those memories surfaced, Kim Sun-yu’s eyes glistened slightly as he bowed his head.
“Yet I couldn’t give up. Because whenever I stepped on stage… my heart still responded first.”
Kim Sun-yu’s expression, as he gazed out at the Audience Seating, overflowed with joy.
“In those moments on stage, I feel truly alive.”
‘No wonder he’s always so genuine on stage.’
Perhaps it was the stage itself that had sustained him all this time.
“Because I never gave up until now, I was able to debut here today. National Directors, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to stand on stage once more!”
As Kim Sun-yu bowed deeply in gratitude, applause erupted from all corners of the venue.
‘I have to admit, that was moving.’
I was caught up in his sincere gratitude, clapping enthusiastically, when—
“We’ve heard your touching remarks, Kim Sun-yu. Please move to the chair marked with the number 3.”
Yu Hae-in’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“Next, we’ll invite the two first-place candidates to center stage.”
‘Wait. If Kim Sun-yu is third, then who on earth is second…?’
As low, heavy music began to play, tension mounted on stage.
“The first-place candidate is…!”
The camera, which had been methodically zooming in on each trainee one by one, finally came to a stop.
Two trainees’ silhouettes appeared simultaneously on the large screen.
“It’s Yoo Ho-seung and Cha Si-woo!”
In that instant, my name—completely unexpected—echoed through the venue.
“…!”
‘This can’t be real.’
My mind went blank as the sudden, bewildering situation crashed down upon me.
‘Really… me?’
I’d thought simply debuting would be enough, yet suddenly I was being called a top candidate.
My heart lurched violently, as if losing its rhythm.
The ambient noise faded into the distance, leaving only the stage lights blazing with unnatural brightness.
I couldn’t believe that light was shining on me.
‘Is this real?’
I questioned it dozens of times, but no answer came.
My fingertips turned cold, as if embodying my shock.
I couldn’t control my expression—unsure whether to smile or hide my astonishment.
I, who had believed it impossible to debut as an idol, now stood directly beneath the word “first place.”
My chest pounded as if it might burst from that reality.
‘I’ve successfully completed the Quest. I made it!’
My survival was now guaranteed.
“The top candidates, Yoo Ho-seung and Cha Si-woo, please come to center stage.”
I was taking deliberate deep breaths, still unable to accept this reality.
“Si-woo, let’s go together.”
Yoo Ho-seung extended his hand first, his smile radiant and genuine.
“Yeah.”
As Yoo Ho-seung and I stopped at center stage, a roar of cheers erupted with such intensity the ground trembled.
“Si-woo!!!”
“Cha Si-woo, take first place!”
“You’re amazing, Si-woo!”
“Congratulations on your debut, our Si-woo!”
‘So many people are supporting me.’
Standing in this precarious position as a top candidate and receiving such encouragement felt entirely new.
“Cha Si-woo.”
“Yes?”
“You placed tenth at the last ranking announcement, didn’t you? It’s remarkable how you’ve climbed all the way to being a top candidate! Would you share your thoughts?”
‘Honestly, this situation is absurd.’
I was dumbfounded, yet human nature is peculiar.
Recalling the Quest that promised differential rewards based on ranking, I found myself genuinely coveting first place.
Ding.
[Please select one of three responses to this question.]
A. You got it! Any real man goes for first place! Bring it on!
B. Hehe. (wink) I love you, National Directors! Thanks to you, I’ve gone from 10th place straight to being a candidate for 1st!
C. Hey! Thanks for letting me get this far! It’s all because of you guys!
‘…?’
He definitely hadn’t given normal answers even up through the Final Stage.
‘Why are all his answers so strange this time?’
[Now that your debut is confirmed, it’s my choice.]
‘…this bastard!’
[If you don’t choose within 3 seconds, the answer will be randomized.]
“Hehe. (wink) I love you, National Directors! Thanks to you, I’ve gone from 10th place straight to being a candidate for 1st!”
‘…damn it.’
A wave of regret crashed over me as I reluctantly selected statement ‘B’.
This time, I had no choice either.
Statement ‘A’ was an answer that could spark controversy—treating 1st place as a given and pushing forward with an arrogant masculine concept attitude.
Statement ‘C’ had a trainee speaking casually to fans, which was just garbage.
“Kyaaaaaaah!”
“Our Si-woo is so consistent!”
“So cute!!!”
The fans were truly people I could only be grateful for.
‘I’m so grateful they’re happy even with such a comment like that… I’ll definitely do my best in my idol activities.’
“We’ve heard a charming remark from trainee Cha Si-woo.”
It seemed Yu Hae-in had grown quite accustomed to these cryptic remarks by now, as he delivered his scripted lines without any change in expression.
“Next, we’d like to hear a comment from trainee Yoo Ho-seung about becoming a candidate for 1st place.”
Standing before the stage, Yoo Ho-seung seemed nervous about the situation, his expression stiffening noticeably.
“I was able to reach this position as a candidate for 1st place thanks to the fans who have always supported me.”
“Woooooah!”
“Ho-seung!!!”
“With your support, I’ll do my best to claim the 1st place position!”
“That’s right!”
“1st place is obviously Ho-seung!!!”
As cheers poured in for Yoo Ho-seung, Yu Hae-in, microphone in hand, began firing off all sorts of questions.
‘Is this a time-stretching strategy?’
To some extent, they needed to maintain viewership until the 1st place announcement, so it was unavoidable.
The problem was that Yu Hae-in seemed to have run through all his prepared remarks and was now throwing out meaningless questions indiscriminately.
“Trainee Cha Si-woo, what’s the first thing you want to do after debuting?”
‘I want to sleep.’
My body felt stiff, so I checked my status window for the first time in a while, and my fatigue level had climbed all the way to 40.
‘Once this is over, I’m definitely getting some quality sleep.’
People are really funny.
Just moments ago, I was desperately praying to be included in the rankings to debut, but now that I’ve made it, all I can think about is sleep.
“After debuting, the first thing I want to do is repay the love I’ve received from the fans with all my effort.”
But in questions like this, one is supposed to give the textbook answer.
That’s just how professional life works.
‘Besides, it’s the truth anyway.’
These precious fans who supported and cheered for unremarkable me—my determination to repay them with my absolute best effort was genuine.
“The National Directors will really love that. So when have you felt the happiest in your life?”
Yu Hae-in continued asking questions, apparently needing more time to fill the segment.
‘When I was happy.’
A childhood memory surfaced unbidden in my mind.
The image of the Amusement Park flickered before me—the day I visited with my family, hand in hand with them all.
‘That was probably our last outing together.’
It was one of the precious few memories I possessed in my entire life.
“…Right now, this very moment.”
This too was not a lie, but the absolute truth.
I had confirmed just ten minutes ago that I would survive and debut.
In a situation where I necessarily had to achieve the Quest, how could I not be happy?
“Why do you think that?”
“The fact that I’m debuting is the greatest happiness for me.”
“I see. Cha Si-woo, congratulations on your debut. But wouldn’t first place be even better?”
“The fact that I’ve made it this far as a candidate for first place feels like a miracle to me. It’s such an undeserved position that I don’t think the ranking is that important.”
“Oh.”
“I’m just happy that I get to debut and have the chance to repay my fans from now on! So even if I’m not first, I’m truly grateful.”
“That’s wonderful to hear.”
This time, Yu Hae-in shifted his focus and directed several questions toward Yoo Ho-seung.
Though there were a few questions designed to provoke tension between first and second place, the sharp Yoo Ho-seung slipped through them as smoothly as a loach.
About twenty minutes had passed by my estimation.
Yu Hae-in finally received cue cards from the Production Team.
“Well, everyone, you’ve been waiting long enough. I’ve just received an envelope with the name of the first-place trainee!”
‘Wait? He just found out who’s first too?’
With so many votes, it seemed the tallying had taken longer than expected.
Yu Hae-in’s demeanor as he stretched out the moment looked rather awkward.
“I will now announce the trainee who will debut in first place at Star picking5!”
The music that had filled the stage with tension ceased.
Every sound vanished in an instant, and only the sound of my heartbeat remained vivid.
Thump— thump—
My pulse was so violent that I worried it might be picked up by the microphone.
Yu Hae-in finally opened the golden envelope.
On that ordinary sheet of paper was written the name of the trainee who would rank first.
“The final first-place trainee is…!”
In that fraction of a second before the name was called, all those nights flashed before me—nights spent dancing and singing in the Practice Room until the very end.
‘I’ve accomplished even impossible Quests somehow.’
“Right now…!”
As I rapidly recalled fleeting moments passing like a lantern show, Yu Hae-in’s voice rang out loudly.
“With a margin of 1,000 votes, claiming first place….”

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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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