The S-Rank Paparazzi Reincarnates as an Idol - Chapter 95

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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 95
That was true.
Though they were a failed group, a rookie who’d debuted six months ago was practically a child compared to a veteran who’d debuted five years prior.
“…”
The Waiting Room fell into a profound silence.
The faces of Fault Team members, unable to manage their expressions, were quite a sight to behold.
‘I don’t even need to step in—Kim Sun-yu is handling this perfectly on his own.’
He was truly a commendable leader.
“Wow! Just like Sun-yu said, six months means his experience is way behind yours!”
It was Rua, grinning brightly, who broke the silence in the Waiting Room.
‘Have I been overprotecting our team all this time?’
Watching how the older members handled the situation, it seemed I didn’t need to worry about throwing them anywhere—they’d be fine.
“Sun-yu hyung, you’ve been debuting for over five years now, right?”
I added my own confirmation shot to the situation.
“Yeah, that’s right.”
Kim Sun-yu answered with a gentle smile, his forearms tensed with prominent veins.
‘Sometimes I think Kim Sun-yu isn’t your average guy either.’
“Senior, I’m sorry we didn’t recognize you!”
“We were disrespectful.”
This time, the Fault Team members, including the red-haired one, quickly bowed their heads.
“Haha. No, it’s fine. Since I’ve re-debuted this time, it’s only natural you’d think that way.”
“No, we’re truly sorry.”
With the situation reversed, Kim Sun-yu spoke while watching the Fault Team members break into cold sweat.
“It’s okay. Since we’re both rookies, let’s get along well going forward.”
“Yes…”
We’d definitely picked the right leader for our team.
“We look forward to working with you.”
Using Kim Sun-yu as a shield, I bowed slightly toward Fault from behind.
“…Yes.”
“Okay.”
Watching the Fault Team members nod with reluctant, forced smiles, my lips naturally curved upward.
‘Having a veteran shield on the team is quite useful in many ways.’
It was quite satisfying how situations resolved themselves simply through Kim Sun-yu’s presence, without needing to make a scene.
‘I should definitely use this advantage frequently for a while.’
As I gazed at Kim Sun-yu with satisfaction, he naturally looked after the members.
“Everyone, we don’t have much time left before the pre-recording. Should we rest a bit?”
“Yes, sounds good. Sun-yu hyung.”
“Yes.”
Fault Team naturally stepped back from the sofa.
“Please, sit here.”
“Oh…! No, it’s fine.”
“Besides, we need to start rehearsing soon anyway.”
“That’s right. Please rest comfortably.”
Watching the restless Group Members, I quickly guided Kim Sun-yu to the sofa first.
“Sun-yu, your legs must be hurting, right? Get some rest.”
In that moment, Kim Sun-yu’s lips curved upward as he flashed a wicked smile for the first time.
“After you’ve been so considerate, how could I?”
‘Kim Sun-yu, you’re unexpectedly talented at this, aren’t you?’
“Yes!”
I quickly sat down beside Kim Sun-yu and bowed once more toward the Fault Team.
“You’re so thoughtful. Thank you so much.”
“Ha… yes.”
The forced smiles on the Fault Team members’ faces were quite a sight to behold.
Their eye corners were sharply raised, and with only their mouths curved slightly upward, it was clear they were genuinely irritated.
‘That’s what they get for picking a fight from the start.’
It was entirely self-inflicted.
☆☆☆
‘Is this the fourth room?’
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Yes, please come in.”
The one who opened the door with a formal response was the Other Idol Manager.
Inside, while Staff Members bustled about, the idols sat looking at their phones.
“One, two, three!”
“We are shining stars! Hello seniors, we are Lucy Star Boys, who just debuted!”
One of the mandatory customs when a debut song releases is going around to greet people with the album.
What was commonly called the album rounds.
“Ah… yes. Hello.”
At the lukewarm response from the manager, the male idols who had been sitting comfortably in the Waiting Room leaned their heads forward.
“What?”
“Another rookie?”
“They’ll probably disappear without a trace soon enough.”
“Ugh, they’re guys.”
The male idols’ expressions twisted in an instant.
“It’s an honor to meet you, seniors. Since this is our first debut song, we’ve come to visit you with our album!”
Kim Sun-yu continued delivering the prepared remarks with a gentle smile despite their lukewarm reception.
“Ah, yes.”
“Just leave it on the table.”
Their eyes had already shifted elsewhere as they spoke in blunt, terse tones.
On one side of the table, other albums were already stacked from previous visitors.
‘Why is everyone’s reaction exactly the same?’
Their attitudes were uniformly cold and dismissive.
Sharp hostility poured down on us simply because we were male idols like them.
‘Let them think what they want.’
I’d never seen anyone of that type last very long.
So I didn’t even feel it was worth my attention.
“Thank you so much! We’ll work hard going forward!”
I bowed my head in accordance with the prepared remarks.
By the fourth lukewarm reception, I was growing quite accustomed to it.
I carefully closed the door while maintaining a respectful bow.
“Phew…”
“How many do we have left?”
The younger members were beginning to show signs of fatigue from the continued hostility.
“Fifteen left now.”
“Wow. We get to meet fifteen new groups? That’s amazing!”
Rua’s perspective was truly unique.
“Come on, everyone—let’s push through!”
At Kim Sun-yu’s cry, the members’ expressions visibly brightened.
“Yes!”
“Let’s go!”
We set off down the corridor again, albums in hand, the atmosphere now warm and encouraging.
This time, I knocked on the waiting room door marked with the number 5.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Come in.”
Unlike before, this time a considerably brighter voice came from inside.
When I opened the door, the waiting room held people I hadn’t expected at all.
‘I never thought I’d see them this soon…!’
Wild Boyz—who should have been rediscovered and trending as a BGM backdrop in a movie scene—were already sitting in the waiting room.
They had debuted three years earlier than the timeline I knew.
‘Could it be… because of me?’
It seemed to be the influence of “The Unfinished Story” being selected as a competition song due to my involvement in the audition program.
“One, two, three!”
At Kim Sun-yu’s chant, my focus snapped back to the present.
“We are shining stars! Hello, seniors. We’re Lucy Star Boys, who just debuted!”
The Wild Boyz members who had been preparing on stage stopped in unison.
Their gazes sweeping over us from head to toe were filled with goodwill.
“Our benefactors have finally arrived!”
“Lusbo, we’ve been waiting for you!”
“We really enjoyed watching the Survival Competition.”
As I extended the albums, the person who appeared to be their leader rushed over and accepted them with both hands.
“Thank you so much for welcoming us!”
“It’s an honor to meet you seniors!”
“Haha. Thanks to you all, our song is climbing the charts again. We’re grateful.”
The Wild Boyz’s expressions were noticeably brighter than any seniors I’d met before.
“Especially you, Cha Si-woo.”
“Yes?”
“The way you believed in our song and pushed forward until the end—it was impressive. Thank you for saving our team.”
At their genuine gratitude, my lips curved upward without thinking.
“Not at all. I really chose it because the song was good. And thanks to you seniors, I received a good ranking too.”
“Thank you for saying that. Actually…”
The leader’s expression looked quite complex.
“Our team was about to disband when our contract expires soon.”
What gave weight to the leader’s words were the Wild Boyz seniors who had drawn closer by then.
“That’s right. Getting another chance like this feels amazing.”
“Thanks to you juniors, we’re back at the broadcasting station and on stage after so long.”
“We’ll listen to your song and promote it hard.”
“Congratulations on your debut, truly!”
At their genuine, unguarded support flowing freely for the first time, the members’ shoulders relaxed slightly.
“Thank you so much!”
“This is your first week of activities, then. You’ll need to manage your stamina well since the schedule will be tight at first.”
“Is there anything uncomfortable or difficult?”
Thoughtful questions continued one after another.
The members’ expressions brightened as they answered eagerly.
‘At least there’s one decent senior.’
Though unintended, a connection with an experienced idol senior would prove quite useful in this industry.
Praise and advice flowed naturally in the warm atmosphere.
“TX’s stage lighting is brighter than other broadcasting stations, so it’ll be dazzling.”
“So the center shouldn’t look up too much, and for the ending, look at the camera a beat late.”
As several tips continued, the Wild Boyz Manager who’d been watching checked the time and gave a subtle signal from the side.
“Ah, we need to go now.”
The Wild Boyz Leader spoke with a reluctant smile.
“I’ll keep watching your stages. I’ll give you my number, so contact me if you need anything. Got it?”
It was an unexpected windfall.
“Yes!”
“Right. Congratulations on your debut, and do well on stage.”
“Thank you so much!”
When we closed the door and came out, the members’ expressions were visibly brighter.
We’d handed over the album and bowed just as before, yet the weight lingering in our hearts was entirely different.
Formal greetings were procedure; genuine care became memory.
☆☆☆
‘Finally, my kid is debuting!’
Park Mo had been waiting for this day alone ever since the music video and album dropped.
Having debuted through the Survival Audition that had garnered explosive popularity, Lusbo possessed remarkable recognition even before their debut.
‘Thanks to that, getting audience seating was difficulty at an all-time high.’
Park Mo, who had managed to secure a single spot in the pre-recorded broadcast audience seating, wore a victorious smile.
Obtaining audience seating hadn’t been easy, but as a fan, I absolutely couldn’t miss my bias’s first pre-recorded broadcast after debut.
‘I expected it to some degree since they’re rookies, but shooting this early in the morning…’
Watching the clock creep toward 4 AM, Park Mo clenched her fists tightly.
‘You guys, grow up fast and change the pre-recorded broadcast time to later!’
At least there was one silver lining—it was September, so the weather wasn’t extreme.
“We will now begin entry for the pre-recorded broadcast filming.”
At the Staff Member’s call after hours of waiting, my lips curved upward involuntarily.
‘Finally…!’
It was good news arriving just as the sensation seemed to drain from my feet after standing for so long.
The expressions of the fans who had been standing in line since early morning brightened instantly.
“Please enter in order!”
The audience seating was lottery-based, but the actual seats were first-come, first-served.
That’s why Park Mo had arrived earlier than others to claim the front row.
‘I’m finally going to see my Si-woo in person after so long.’
I quickened my pace while trying to calm my rapidly beating heart.
The moment I reached the fence right in front of the stage, emotion washed over me anew.
‘I’m meeting my bias again!’
Park Mo never imagined that the kindness received at the wedding hall buffet would develop into this.
I adjusted the slogan I’d tucked into my bag and waited endlessly for my bias’s stage to begin.
‘The debut song was really good.’
My bias’s debut track, “First Hello,” had surged up the real-time charts upon release and achieved the impressive feat of entering the TOP 30.
‘At this pace, we could even aim for first place.’
The song was perfect.
Now all they needed to do was absolutely nail the stage performance.
‘I wonder how the live performance will be.’

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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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