The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 90
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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 90
“Wow… Si-woo, your running speed is incredible!”
“I thought we were safe because the distance was so far, but you still caught up….”
“Si-woo, did you ever train in athletics before? Why are you so good at running?”
“Right. Si-woo’s stamina is really exceptional.”
‘It’s not athletics—I was actually a paparazzi.’
My stamina had recovered from fatigue thanks to the mayonnaise effect.
As a result, I was in peak condition.
“Well, of course wolves are fast, right?”
“I have to admit, you picked an animal that suits you perfectly.”
“Obviously.”
“Still, I didn’t expect you to catch us this quickly.”
At first, I thought they’d asked me to find the Group Members as a game of hide-and-seek.
But these guys weren’t hiding at all—they were having a blast riding the amusement park rides.
When I approached them as instructed, they just bolted, so I chased after them naturally.
It had turned into tag instead of hide-and-seek, but as long as we got the footage, it didn’t matter.
“There’s still quite a bit of time before sunset.”
“Right. I didn’t think we’d finish the music video this quickly.”
“Since we’re ahead of schedule, why don’t we all ride the amusement park rides together and get some behind-the-scenes content too?”
The Group Members were more enthusiastic about the amusement park rides than anyone else.
“Sounds good!”
“Yes!”
“Be honest—isn’t your desire to play at the amusement park bigger than getting behind-the-scenes content?”
When I voiced the suspicion I’d been harboring, the Group Members protested in unison.
“No!”
“That’s not it!”
“Right, right.”
“Ha, well, it doesn’t matter. This is our first time coming to an amusement park together anyway. Let’s just enjoy it.”
I nodded, watching Kim Sun-yu step in as mediator.
“Yes. If you say so, then that’s how it is.”
“Wow… Si-woo, I’ve felt this for a while now—why do you only show favoritism to Sun-yu?”
I nodded again, watching Seo Ha-yul’s bewildered expression.
“Sun-yu is our Team Representative. I have to listen to him.”
“That’s unfair!”
“Stop the discrimination!”
Instead of answering, I performed a little show of scratching my ear with my pinky finger.
“Wow… you’re really annoying.”
“Si-woo really does have a talent for getting under people’s skin.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
“Haha! Before we really start having fun, should we all take a photo together?”
At Kim Sun-yu’s cheerful remark, I immediately pulled out my phone.
“Yes! Everyone, gather around.”
“Wow. How did you train Si-woo like this, Sun-yu?”
“Right. What’s your secret?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure?”
Watching the Group Members spout nonsense, I switched on the camera.
“Alright, let me take a photo!”
“Yes!”
As I positioned myself in the center, the Group Members naturally fell into formation with practiced ease.
I angled the camera slightly downward from about 10-20 centimeters above eye level.
“One, two, three!”
Click. Click.
The moment the shutter sound ceased, the Group Members seamlessly shifted into different poses.
“Perfect. I’ll keep shooting with different poses.”
“Sure!”
“Yes!”
Based on fan reactions so far, they clearly appreciated variety—the same setting photographed from multiple angles and poses.
So whenever I raised the camera, I made sure to capture at least five different poses.
“Next, the heart pose.”
“Yes!”
“Okay~”
‘If I want to give back to the fans even a little, I have to do everything I can.’
After taking around thirty shots, I finally lowered the camera with satisfaction.
“We can’t upload these right away since they’re spoilers, right?”
I asked Yoo Ho-seung, who was the expert when it came to social media.
“Right. We should check with the Company and upload them to match when the behind-the-scenes content or music video drops.”
“Got it. I’ll keep the photos safe for now.”
“Understood.”
“Alright then, shall we head out and actually ride some amusement park rides?”
“Sounds great!”
‘Time to get some solid behind-the-scenes footage.’
Wearing animal ear headbands of different varieties, we sprinted toward the amusement park rides.
With the sun completely set, the Amusement Park had transformed into an entirely different atmosphere than it was during the day.
If daytime was like stepping into a fairy tale, nighttime felt like stepping into the cosmos itself.
Thanks to the colorful bulbs adorning them, the Amusement Park rides sparkled like stars in the darkness.
‘It’s just like our group’s name.’
Lucy Star Boys.
I recalled the moment when I’d been forced to attach meaning to a name that had been suddenly thrust upon me as a reward for first place.
‘Back then, I just made up whatever meaning came to mind.’
Seeing it reflected in the Amusement Park like this, the sentiment felt fresh and new.
‘Could our team shine like those lights?’
In the empty Amusement Park, devoid of people’s laughter and screams, only the lights and shadows remained.
The Ferris Wheel visible in the distance looked like a constellation frozen mid-rotation against the sky.
Each time the wind brushed past, a low sound resonated through the metal framework, seeping into the night air.
That sound quietly testified that this place existed on the boundary between dreams and reality.
‘We can shine. No—no matter what happens, we have to shine.’
“Everyone, we’re starting the group shoot now!”
The Director’s voice snapped me back to attention.
Now all that remained was the group shoot with the nighttime Amusement Park as the backdrop.
“The real highlight of the Amusement Park is the fireworks, after all!”
I’d wondered if they’d add the fireworks with CG, but apparently they were doing it for real.
‘But they’re really investing this much money in a rookie group?’
No matter how successful Star Picking 5 had been, fireworks operated on a different financial scale entirely.
It was hard to comprehend, but the capital of a Large Conglomerate was truly something else.
“Everyone, the fireworks scene has a set budget. Please do your best to get it right on the first take.”
“Yes! Understood.”
It was phrased as a request, but it was practically a threat.
Perhaps sensing the weight of the large sum riding on this scene, the Group Members’ expressions visibly stiffened.
The saving grace was that for the fireworks scene, I only needed to nail the main choreography for the chorus section.
“Then let’s begin filming. Get ready, please.”
“Yes!”
The backing track for the new song “First Greeting Hello” began playing from the Plaza where the Castle was clearly visible.
“Action!”
My body responded to the chorus—one I’d rehearsed hundreds, perhaps thousands of times—without giving my mind a chance to think.
I was in the middle of concentrating on the high-difficulty synchronized choreography.
Boom—!
The sound of fireworks exploding erupted from behind.
The sound of the fireworks and the music overlapped, piercing through my ears.
Within the intense sound that matched the addictive chorus, my body moved in rhythm.
As fireworks continuously bloomed overhead, the surroundings grew brilliantly bright.
“Cut!”
I exhaled all the breath I’d been holding back due to the tension in one long release.
“Huff… hah…”
As I lifted my head, the Director’s expression had brightened considerably from before.
“You’re doing really well for a newcomer. That was perfect.”
“Thank you!”
“Let’s go with the scene we just shot without any reshoots.”
‘Phew, what a relief.’
“You all did great work!”
The Director smiled faintly as he watched the Group Members exhale sighs of relief.
“Let’s keep this momentum going and film in front of the Carousel and the Ferris Wheel too.”
“Yes!”
“Then we’ll head over right away.”
I was moving my feet under the guidance of the Staff Member.
Whoosh— Bang!
At the sudden sound of fireworks, I turned my head.
“…Huh?”
“Oh, fireworks.”
“There must have been some left.”
After a brief silence, light burst forth once more, embracing the Castle’s spire.
The fireworks spreading from the Castle’s center unfurled brilliantly across the sky.
Golden light beginning from the spire split left and right, tearing through the heavens in radiant streaks.
Overlapping with the illumination installed along the castle walls, it appeared as though the Castle itself was radiating light.
Each time red fireworks burst, the Castle’s outline became sharper, and each time blue afterglow lingered, the night Sky deepened further.
Red, blue, and gold layered and spread, and for a moment, the world seemed to stop, shining brilliantly.
Boom—
In that instant, what burst forth alongside the sound was not fireworks, but a buried memory.
☆☆☆
I saw myself as a child.
My right hand was gripping Cha Si-hyun’s small hand tightly.
“Big brother, you won’t let go of my hand, right?”
Whether it was because the Amusement Park rides frightened him, or because he was scared of the crowds.
Little Cha Si-hyun’s voice trembled as if he might burst into tears at any moment.
“Haha. Si-hyun, should we stop riding the rides now?”
“Are you scared and holding your big brother’s hand tight?”
“That’s not it. I’m not scared at all!”
Beside Cha Si-hyun, who was shaking his head side to side, stood our parents.
Father was holding a camera, and Mother was gazing at us with a gentle smile.
“You two, there will be fireworks soon.”
“When that happens, close your eyes and make a wish. Understand?”
“A wish?”
As Cha Si-hyun asked back with wide eyes, our parents laughed aloud.
“Yes. If you make a sincere wish when the fireworks burst, it will come true.”
“So let’s all make a wish together.”
I knew well enough that wishes didn’t actually come true this way.
Yet watching Cha Si-hyun and my parents’ hopeful expressions, I nodded quickly.
“Understood.”
After the wait, the Amusement Park’s grand finale—the fireworks display—finally began.
Boom—
Massive fireworks erupted across the sky, painting it in countless colors.
“Wow!”
“It’s so beautiful!”
Ear-splitting explosions and cheers rippled through the crowd from all directions.
“Coming to the Amusement Park today was really the right call. Right?”
“Yes!”
“Let’s hurry and make a wish before the fireworks fade.”
Watching my family close their eyes and earnestly wish upon the fireworks, I closed mine as well.
☆☆☆
“Si-woo!”
‘I’m startled.’
Rua’s voice suddenly pulled me back to reality.
Perhaps because of the fireworks, the scene of enjoying the fireworks display at the Amusement Park with my family came rushing back like a forgotten film reel.
‘I didn’t know then.’
That it would be our last outing together.
“Yes?”
“Look at those fireworks! Beautiful!”
More fireworks burst across the sky.
This time, they were larger and brighter.
For a moment, the firelight overlapped with the fluorescent lights of the Hospital Room.
“…”
As my sleeping Younger Sibling’s face came to mind amid the mechanical sounds, my chest ached.
‘What wish did I make that day anyway?’
The memory was too distant to recall clearly.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yes! It’s the best!”
For but a fleeting moment, the fireworks burned with everything they had, shining brilliantly.
“Wow…”
“It’s truly magnificent.”
“I can’t remember the last time I saw fireworks this spectacular.”
Listening to the Group Members’ admiring remarks, I gently closed my eyes.
Even knowing it was an absurd superstition, I recalled the past and made a wish once more.
‘Please let me complete all the Quests so I can save my Younger Sibling.’
As I opened my eyes, the light scattered across the sky slowly settled and faded.
Through the dissipating smoke, the Castle was gradually reclaiming its original color.
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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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