The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 84

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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 84
At the mention of schedules, those who had been touring the apartment gathered once more at the entrance.
“Tomorrow we need to depart for the Studio at 6 AM sharp. There’s a commercial shoot at 10 AM, and an interview scheduled for 9 PM.”
Though we hadn’t even debuted yet as rookies, our schedule was already packed thanks to the high public recognition we’d garnered.
“Hey, Buffet Manager! When are we supposed to prepare our new song?”
“Well… it seems you’ll have to work on it during any free moments you can find. The schedule is quite tight for the foreseeable future.”
‘I expected as much, but the Company isn’t going to provide dedicated practice time.’
Being an idol really was a grueling profession.
“Okay.”
The members, already hardened by the brutal Survival Competition schedule, merely nodded with smiles—this was nothing to them.
‘These kids are tougher than I thought…?’
“Then I’ll arrange for pickup at 6 AM tomorrow. I’m staying at a nearby Dormitory, so please call me anytime if anything comes up.”
After exchanging phone numbers, the Buffet Manager quickly left the Dormitory.
“Let’s divide up the rooms first!”
“Let’s decide on roommates!”
Excited by the prospect of a shared living arrangement, they began shouting in the Living Room.
‘This will be great for content.’
I thought this alone could fill an entire episode.
“Think so?”
Kim Sun-yu stood in the center of the Living Room with a gentle smile, apparently thinking the same thing.
“How should we decide on roommates?”
Everyone naturally gathered in the middle of the Living Room.
No one had even finished unpacking their bags yet.
Someone’s suitcase lay half-open on the floor, rolled to the side.
‘If I’m thinking about content, that method really is the best, isn’t it?’
“What if we leave it to chance and draw lots?”
It was the most straightforward approach while keeping things simple and uncontroversial.
Exclamations erupted among the members.
“Wow, random selection would actually be fun!”
“This is pure luck of the draw.”
“I like it!”
If idols who hadn’t even debuted yet paired up as roommates based on existing friendships, it could spark controversy.
Since we were operating as a group, teamwork was crucial, and we needed to be careful about even the slightest hint of discord.
This was especially important now, when individual fans vastly outnumbered team fans.
So this was the best way to avoid giving anyone reason to create divisions.
‘If we show fans that the team members get along well together, they’ll unite as one, won’t they?’
As long as we had to function as a team rather than individuals, it was an unavoidable reality.
Fortunately, whether they had some sense of this or simply enjoyed the shared living arrangement, the members enthusiastically agreed to the lottery.
Kim Sun-yu pulled paper from a bag and began tearing it into pieces and writing numbers.
“Numbers 1 and 2 get the Sun Room.”
By the way, the three room doors already had name plates with names assigned to them.
The names were somewhat cute, and I suspected they’d been chosen with the concept in mind.
“Rooms 3 and 4 will be the Moon Room, and rooms 5 and 6 will be the Star Room.”
“Understood.”
“Sounds good.”
“I made the ballot papers, so I’ll draw last to keep it fair. Who wants to go first?”
“Me!”
Rua was the first to raise his hand.
“Alright, let’s start with Rua.”
As Rua stopped in front of the camera, Kim Sun-yu shook the folded papers vigorously.
Rustle, rustle.
As the papers brushed against each other, Rua picked up the first folded slip in the tense atmosphere.
“I got number 1.”
“Oh!”
“That’s the Sun Room!”
The team members gave Rua an enthusiastic reaction.
‘No matter what happens, I absolutely cannot draw number 2.’
Of course, it wasn’t that I disliked Rua.
As a person, he was one of the most impressive and cool team members.
But I could sense it instinctively.
‘If I end up in the same room as that guy, he’ll definitely be a pain.’
My survival instinct was rapidly signaling that I wouldn’t be able to live comfortably as roommates with him.
I also clapped enthusiastically, conscious of the red light on the camera.
“Who wants to go next?”
“I’ll do it!”
Generally, it’s better to move quickly in these situations.
“Alright, Si-woo, want to draw?”
“Yes.”
I slowly stood up and approached the camera.
As the cold paper brushed against my fingertips, I instinctively picked up one of the folded slips that felt right.
‘Please… anything but number 2.’
My heart was pounding like crazy over this.
“So…!”
“What number did Si-woo get?”
As I slowly unfolded the paper, the neatly written number came into view.
‘Oh no.’
“Huh? Si-woo got number 2?”
Kim Sun-yu’s eyes widened, and then he burst into loud laughter.
“Wow, Si-woo, we’re in the same room?!”
“Si-woo is confirmed for the Sun Room!”
Everyone else was delighted with the roommate selection, except for me, who was carefully managing my expression.
Rua especially seemed overjoyed.
‘…Please, just let me sleep well.’
“Who wants to pick next?”
“Me!”
It was Yoo Ho-seung, his hand shooting up eagerly.
“Our youngest—is there anyone you’d like to room with?”
Kim Sun-yu spoke, keeping the broadcast angle in mind.
“Honestly, I think I’d be fine with anyone. But if possible, I’d prefer someone with similar living habits.”
Yoo Ho-seung answered with impeccable tact, leaving no room for controversy.
‘Ho-seung could handle variety shows without any concerns later on.’
Among the team members, Yoo Ho-seung was the one I trusted most, after Kim Sun-yu.
“Then Ho-seung, want to pick a slip of paper?”
“Yes!”
Kim Sun-yu shuffled the folded papers with a flourish.
“Let’s see…!”
“Which number will Ho-seung pick?”
With everyone watching, Yoo Ho-seung finally reached out and grabbed a folded slip.
“It’s number 5—the Star Room!”
“Woooow!”
The roommate selection continued as Kang Chan picked number 3 next.
“Ha-yul, what’s your number?”
“…I have number 6.”
“Ha-yul and Ho-seung are confirmed as roommates!”
“Woooow!”
“So the two youngest are rooming together?”
“Congratulations!”
Seo Ha-yul scratched the back of his head awkwardly and opened his mouth cautiously toward Yoo Ho-seung.
“Ho-seung, let’s get along well.”
“Yes. Ha-yul hyung, let’s have a great time together!”
The two of them had an unexpectedly awkward atmosphere between them.
The two youngest didn’t seem particularly close yet.
Seeing their stiff demeanor, I placed my hands on both Seo Ha-yul and Yoo Ho-seung’s heads.
“…!”
And I ruffled their hair recklessly.
“Ah…! Si-woo hyung!”
“We just got our hair styled, and now it’s all ruined!”
“Kahahaha!”
The two of them finally showed their true selves.
“You two youngest, get along well.”
“Don’t worry.”
“We’ll manage just fine on our own, so you focus on doing well.”
Right. That was true.
This wasn’t the time for me to be concerned about others.
“So as the last one, I naturally ended up in the same room as Kang Chan. Kang Chan, let’s get along well from now on.”
“Yes. Kim Sun-yu, thank you for having me.”
“Good. I’m glad to have a chance to get closer with Kang Chan.”
“…Yes.”
Kang Chan’s ears had turned bright red.
‘So all the roommate pairings are decided now?’
With Seo Ha-yul and Yoo Ho-seung claiming the Star Room and Kang Chan and Kim Sun-yu claiming the Moon Room, the roommate selection had finally come to an end.
“Is everyone happy with their roommates?”
‘No.’
I forced a smile while swallowing my true feelings.
“Yes!”
“Yes!”
“Haha. Thank goodness. But even if you’re not happy with your roommate, don’t get discouraged. We’ll be switching roommates every month anyway.”
‘Oh yes!’
Kim Sun-yu was truly a leader I couldn’t help but respect.
“Alright everyone, pack your things and get some rest early. The Buffet Manager said he’d pick us up at 6 AM tomorrow, so don’t stay up too late.”
“Yes!”
Watching my teammates disperse, I dragged my reluctant feet toward the Sun Room.
“Hey, Si-woo’s Younger Sibling!”
Rua approached quickly and linked arms with me, beaming brightly.
“We’re in the same room—this must be fate!”
“Haha.”
I let my arm go limp, aware of the camera filming us.
Noticing the camera mounted beside the Sun Room door, Rua naturally winked at it.
“Everyone, let’s open the Sun Room door!”
‘His movements are naturally those of a true entertainer.’
As the Sun Room door swung open boldly, a single window in the center of the wall caught my eye.
Light filtering through the thin curtains divided the floor cleanly, creating the impression that the space was precisely split into two halves.
On either side of that window, a single bed had been placed.
A low storage unit sat against one wall, and the room carried that delicate balance unique to a two-person space.
“Rua, which side of the room would you like to use?”
Though I was actually older, I decided to show deference to Rua, who was older according to the resident registration.
“I’ll take the right side!”
“Understood. Then I’ll take the left side.”
Since the direction made little practical difference, I unpacked my belongings on the left without complaint.
‘The dormitory has better facilities than the one-room apartment I used to live in.’
The room, recently remodeled, was sparse yet remarkably clean.
I carefully unpacked the few belongings I had into my new sanctuary, removing them from my worn crossbody bag.
☆☆☆
“Hey. Si-woo!”
Someone’s urgent voice jolted me awake.
“Come on, wake up already!”
‘When did I even fall asleep?’
As my vision gradually came into focus, a blonde-haired man continued tickling my toes.
“Ugh.”
“Oh…! You’re finally awake?”
‘Couldn’t you wake me up like a normal person…?’
“Rua, it’s only 4 in the morning?”
My voice came out hoarse and groggy from just waking up.
For some reason, cold sweat was trickling down my forehead.
“Huh?”
“…?”
I turned my head to check the clock—it read 4 AM.
‘This is way too early. I could’ve slept at least another hour and a half.’
“Why did you wake me up?”
“Because you kept having nightmares?”
“Me…?”
“Yeah. Didn’t you know?”
I had no idea.
‘That explains the cold sweat.’
“No, I didn’t know. I’m sorry if I woke you up. Was I being too loud?”
“That’s not it. It’s just that you…”
Rua swallowed his words and shook his head.
“Anyway, want to listen to a song I made?”
“…Huh?”
‘At this hour, suddenly?’
“It’s not finished yet—more like a song sketch—but I wanted your opinion on it.”
‘He didn’t even have time, so when did he make this?’
I already knew Rua was a genius, but I hadn’t expected a song to come together this quickly.
“Of course. It’s for the Team, so I’m always happy to help with things like this.”
“HaHa. Go ahead and listen.”
I inserted the earbuds Rua handed me.
The intro was the sound of wind rustling through verdant trees.
Leaves scattered in the breeze, brushing against one another with soft whispers—a gentle rustling that seemed to carry the breath of nature itself.
I found myself caught in the illusion that young green leaves were swaying lightly in rhythm with those sounds.
‘The intro already has me hooked.’

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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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