The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 88

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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 88
“It’s quite chilly this early in the morning.”
“Tell me about it. Though I don’t think I’ve ever been to an amusement park at this hour before.”
“Me neither! It’s so exciting!”
We arrived at a fairly well-known amusement park located in a provincial region, having completed full makeup since the early dawn.
The reason was that the music video for my debut song would be filmed here at the amusement park.
‘As expected, this will match the song’s atmosphere perfectly.’
In the early stages of the meeting, the dominant opinion had been to suggest a school as the music video backdrop.
Since my debut song had a refreshing concept, the symbolism that a school setting would provide was understandable.
But it was far too common, and the location felt predictable.
If we filmed at a school, fans would inevitably find it stale—that much was obvious.
There was even a risk that I’d be pigeonholed from the start as just another mass-produced idol.
I had strongly opposed filming at a school because of these concerns.
While searching for alternatives, the idea that came to me was an amusement park.
‘There’s no setting more fitting than an amusement park to showcase a refreshing concept alongside dramatic excitement.’
When I advocated for it passionately, the company eventually accepted my suggestion after several rounds of discussion.
Once the location was decided, the company unhesitatingly rented out an entire amusement park in the provincial region.
I was struck anew by the capital and momentum typical of a Major Entertainment Company.
“When do you think the sun will rise?”
I turned my gaze to the side at Yoo Ho-seung’s bright question.
“Looking at the time, it should be soon.”
Just before the sun fully rose, dawn light was slowly seeping through the gaps in the metal structures.
The horses on the carousel stood motionless, and the roller coaster was as quiet as a beast catching its breath.
‘Is it because it’s dawn? The amusement park has quite an eerie atmosphere.’
The sight of the empty amusement park felt strangely unsettling.
“Wow… we’re really filming a music video here at the amusement park?”
“It’s going to be so fun!”
In contrast to the eerie atmosphere of the amusement park, excitement colored the ends of my teammates’ words.
Watching the team members smile brightly and enjoy the sight of the darkened amusement park made me wonder if I’d really gotten older.
Staff members began moving busily to prepare for filming.
Over seventy people had gathered since early dawn to film a music video that would only be about four minutes long.
Camera rails were laid down busily, and lighting rigs were erected.
“Lusbo, it’s nice to meet you all.”
As I was observing the atmosphere of the filming location, a middle-aged man wearing a hat approached.
The hat, worn from long use, had a slightly frayed brim, and a thick beard covered half of his face.
“I’m Oh Ji-hoon, the director overseeing your music video shoot today.”
His eyes, shadowed beneath the hat’s brim, always seemed half-closed.
“Director, hello!”
“We’re looking forward to working with you today!”
“Right. Just so you know, we can only rent the amusement park for today, so no matter what happens, we need to finish all the amusement park scenes today.”
“Yes!”
‘This music video shoot has a time constraint.’
Given that the location was the Amusement Park, it was unavoidable.
“Then I’ll start filming as soon as preparations are done. Please stand by.”
“Yes!”
The moment the Director turned back toward the camera, the Stylist approached me.
“Si-woo and Kang Chan, let me do one more wardrobe check.”
“Okay.”
I was moving back to the Waiting Room with the Stylist.
“Si-woo, aren’t you nervous?”
Kang Chan’s hands trembled noticeably despite his expressionless face.
‘This guy is really tense.’
It seemed the Director’s words about finishing all the Amusement Park scenes today had made him even more anxious.
“Nah, I’m fine. Are you nervous?”
Kang Chan nodded slowly, his expression unchanged.
“Yeah. It’d be a lie to say I’m not nervous.”
‘Kang Chan really struggled during that commercial shoot too.’
Music videos took significantly longer to film than commercials.
Plus, there were individual cuts where he had to act, so naturally he was quite anxious.
“If you’re too nervous, just think of it as performing on a stage.”
“…!”
“This is a filming location, but it’s also a grand stage. A big stage to show our fans our new song.”
“…Thanks.”
I could see Kang Chan’s hand tremors gradually subsiding.
“Yeah.”
After finishing the wardrobe check, I moved back to the filming location.
The members who had been waiting greeted us, waving their hands side to side.
“Guys! Come on over.”
“Hyungs! We’re about to start filming.”
“Yes!”
The first shoot took place in front of the Amusement Park Main Gate.
The landscape before me seemed as if reality and a fairy tale world were blended across the boundary of the gate.
Turning back, a blue stone castle wall stood as if piercing the sky.
The spires rose sharply, and atop the highest tower, a metal flag slowly rotated in the wind.
The surface of the spire caught the sunlight filtering through, glimmering and feeling detached from reality.
‘But why does this place feel so familiar?’
In that moment of confusion, I tilted my head.
“We’re starting the official shoot now!”
“Yes!”
At the Director’s words, my gaze turned forward toward the camera.
“The first shot will center on Cha Si-woo, with members gathering one by one at the Amusement Park Main Gate.”
“Yes.”
“Please act as if you’re meeting each other for the first time. Once all members have gathered, I’d like you to look at each other and smile.”
“Yes! Understood.”
The Director nodded approvingly at the spirited response and moved toward the camera.
“We’ll begin filming in earnest now.”
As the sound signaling the start of filming echoed out, the amusement park came alive.
The stationary rides began moving slowly, and sunlight poured across the empty pathways.
“Ready… Action!”
‘He asked me to express excitement about meeting someone for the first time, right?’
Recalling the script I’d reviewed beforehand, I focused on managing my expression as best I could.
As I turned my head left and right, members approached one by one in the predetermined order.
The first to approach was Yoo Ho-seung.
Upon spotting me, he wore a look of surprise—truly, the makings of a future actor showed through.
“Cut! Both of you acted well.”
“Thank you!”
The Director, seemingly satisfied, continued filming with a smile.
“Ready… Action!”
The second to approach was Kim Sun-yu.
Upon seeing us, Kim Sun-yu widened his eyes for a moment before breaking into a gentle smile.
‘Kim Sun-yu can act pretty well too.’
The filming continued smoothly in this pleasant atmosphere.
The third to approach, Seo Ha-yul, walked over while affecting a cool demeanor and capturing every nuance of the mood.
‘…Haha!’
The sight was so amusing that I barely managed to suppress a burst of laughter.
True to his nickname as a born entertainer, Rua approached without a trace of tension, radiating his usual bright energy.
“HaHa! Hey, everyone~”
The Director, satisfied with the natural performance, gave an OK sign on the first take.
After everyone finished acting according to the script, Kang Chan finally approached with long strides.
The expressionless Kang Chan looked at us gathered together and only slightly raised the corners of his mouth.
“Cut! We’ll shoot again.”
‘Wasn’t that level acceptable?’
Though puzzled, a rookie idol couldn’t very well object to the Director’s judgment.
When the Director turned his gaze and looked through the camera, he became a completely different person.
The eyes that had seemed indifferent moments before suddenly grew sharp, catching even the slightest tremor within the frame.
“I apologize.”
“Then we’ll begin filming again.”
Kang Chan’s joining scene was shot multiple times.
Just as my lips began to twitch, the Director nodded with satisfaction.
“Cut! That was good just now. Let’s move on to the next scene.”
“Yes!”
“Next, we’ll film all of you walking together from the Amusement Park Main Gate to the Carousel. Just walk naturally, like you normally would.”
“Understood!”
“Then let’s start filming right away. Three… two… one… action!”
‘Like I normally would.’
I gripped the balloon in one hand and flashed my professional smile.
“Haha.”
“Hehe.”
I let out an awkward laugh and walked toward our destination.
‘This is nothing like my normal self.’
Being an idol really isn’t an easy job.
My footsteps finally reached the front of the Carousel.
“Oh…!”
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind swept through, and I lost my grip on the balloon I’d been holding tightly in my right hand.
‘My balloon.’
The balloon drifted upward into the sky, catching the sunlight.
“Cut!”
“I’m sorry!”
I quickly bowed ninety degrees in response to the unexpected mistake.
“Cha Si-woo.”
“Yes?”
When I lifted my head, I saw the Director with an unexpectedly calm expression.
“It looked natural—actually, I think we can use that balloon scene.”
His voice was low and rough, but the faint upturn of his lips beneath his beard signaled that he was pleased with what we’d just filmed.
“Thank you!”
‘That was lucky.’
It was an unexpected mistake, but as long as the Director was satisfied, that was all that mattered.
“Next, we’ll proceed with the group choreography shoot in front of the Carousel.”
The Carousel wasn’t moving completely yet.
Instead of music, only the low hum of the motor warming up echoed across the ground.
The golden-adorned horses stood motionless with their heads held high, and behind them, colorful bulbs began lighting up one by one, as if drawing breath.
The members lined up in a single row in front of the Carousel.
The alignment was perfect.
The spacing was measured as precisely as if done with a ruler, and each member’s gaze was fixed on the front camera.
Our shirts swayed slightly in the breeze, subtly overlapping with the Carousel’s decorations.
Standing at the boundary between reality and a fairy tale, this scene looked almost unreal in its perfection.
“Action!”
The Director’s low voice carried through the walkie-talkie.
As the playback began, the first beat struck the ground.
My body, honed through all that intensive training, moved naturally in sync with the music.
The results of dozens of practice sessions—each footfall angle, each arm lift, each head turn timed to perfection—manifested without a single tremor.
The fairytale backdrop of the Carousel collided with our precisely calculated synchronized movements, creating an exquisite tension.
And then it happened.
The Carousel began to move.
Whether a Staff Member had pressed the button or it was part of the original choreography cue, I couldn’t tell.
‘Beautiful.’
The horses began rotating at half a beat slower than the music’s tempo, moving with perfect fluidity.
The golden decorations caught the light and shimmered as if flowing downward.
The song pushed toward its climax, and our choreography never faltered.
If anything, the Carousel’s movement seemed to follow our formations.
The moment I extended my arms, the horse behind me lifted its head in the same direction.
The lighting burst a beat late, synchronized with our jump.
“Keep going!”
The Director spoke in a low voice.
His eyes never left the camera monitor.
As we entered the chorus, all the members came forward together for the highlight choreography.
The gesture of raising our hands and spreading them like a greeting flowed into razor-sharp synchronized movement with the lyric “Hello.”
In that instant, as if the Carousel had been waiting for this very moment, all the lights at its center blazed to life.
The camera pulled back, capturing our entire group in a single frame.
Moving to the rhythm of the spinning Carousel, we all froze simultaneously on the final move.
“Hah… hah…”
Ragged breathing echoed among us, the intensity of the choreography still reverberating through our bodies.
‘Everyone danced exactly as we practiced.’
The flawless synchronized movement flashed through my mind.
‘Will the Director be satisfied?’
I steadied my breathing and watched the Director’s lips in silence.
“Okay.”
With that single word from the Director, the tension dissolved.
Small exclamations erupted among the Staff Members, and someone exhaled deeply through their walkie-talkie.
“Wow, are you really a newcomer?”
“Even if we overlook the acting since you’re not an actor, not a single mistake in the choreography!”
“To nail it on the first take—that’s incredible!”
As the praise poured in, memories of practicing on minimal sleep flashed through my mind.
‘All those hours of practice paid off.’
The members who caught each other’s eyes seemed to share the same feeling, their expressions noticeably brighter.
No one spoke, but everyone felt it.
This moment would be remembered.
“Now we’ll move to individual shots. Seo Ha-yul and Kang Chan, please come up first.”
The opening section of this song was assigned to Kang Chan and Seo Ha-yul, whose mid-to-low vocal tones were particularly appealing.
As a result, they were the first to move into individual and duet filming.
“You guys, go out there and do great!”
“Fighting!”
“We’ll be back soon.”
The two of them walked away amid the members’ cheers of encouragement.
“Nailing the choreography on the first try is really exhilarating.”
“Right? All that hard practice paid off.”
We moved to the Waiting Room to await our turn.
As the indefinite waiting stretched on, I was sitting on the sofa catching my breath when it happened.
“Hey, you guys. While we’re waiting for our shoot, let’s go ride some amusement park rides!”
“…What?”
As Kang Chan and Seo Ha-yul’s shoot took longer than expected, Rua, apparently bored, threw out the unexpected suggestion.
“Should we?”
Kim Sun-yu, whom I expected to object, surprisingly agreed.
‘Why are you like that too…?’

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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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