From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

The handsome guy leaned against the weathered rock, his tan skin kissed by the sun. His arms, toned and smooth, were stained with sand. His linen pants were touched by the waves, looking effortlessly stylish. His crisp white shirt flowed in the ocean breeze, dancing with the winds.

"Damn, Sehun's hot," Bora said as she continued looking at the handsome idol through her binoculars.

"I'm adding him to my bias list," Wei said. "How come I've never noticed him on the show?"

"Cause you guys are blind," Jia chimed. "I've noticed him after his performance with June."

"Oh, don't lie. If he didn't perform with June, then you wouldn't have known about him," Soo-min teased.

Jia clicked her tongue and brought her binoculars down. "Why do we have binoculars again?"

Na-ri shrugged. "I don't know. Ask Wei."

"Well," Wei said. "I was thinking we could go stargazing later at night. But I'm already looking at a star," she cheerfully said, continually observing Sehun.

"Oh my gosh," Bora said, causing the others to turn to her.

"What?" Jia asked.

"There! 9 o'clock," she exclaimed, pointing to the direction she was pertaining to.

Jia froze as she looked through her binoculars. Walking over to the set was June, his pink hair flowing through the wind. His eyes were squinted due to the sun, and it seemed like he didn't want to get his photos taken, but he looked handsome nonetheless.

Jia's hands shook as she followed him with her eyes. Na-ri looked at her in horror before holding onto her shoulder.

"Guys, I think Jia's malfunctioning!" she exclaimed.

"Yo, are you alright?" Bora asked.

Jia repeatedly shook her head. "He—He's so precious. My precious little guy."

"Gosh. Talk about luck," Soo-min said. "Our favorite idols are actually here."

"I've definitely used up all my luck for this moment," Wei said. "Should we go up there and talk to them?"

"No," Bora and Jia said at the same time.

Soo-min raised her eyebrows in surprise. "Don't you want to meet them?"

Jia shook her head. Although she loved June to the core, she knew the boundaries of their relationship. June was an idol. She was a fangirl.

"They have a professional schedule, it seems," Jia stated, still looking at him through the binoculars. "I don't want to put any burden on them. They came here to work—not to meet fans."

Wei sighed, nodding in agreement. "You're right. Besides, watching them from afar is already enough."

"Yeah," Jia whispered.

Watching from afar was already enough.

***

"You did a great job," June said as Sehun left the set. Sehun smiled brightly and patted June's back.

"I'm sure you'll do even better," Sehun smiled.

"I highly doubt that," June responded.

"I'll call the others so we can cheer you on!" Sehun excitedly suggested. "Wait here!"

"Sehun, no—"

However, Sehun already ran back to the tent before June could refute him. He already felt uncomfortable with getting his photos taken, and his teammates watching him would just be an added pressure.

June was the last person to get his photos taken. He was told that their photos would be posted based on the time they had been taken. So, Zeth, who was the first on the set, would also be the first one posted.

June found it weird that they were going to post their photos by consecutive ranks, but he didn't mind it at all. Being posted last meant he still had time to get his atrocious stage name changed.

"June, darling. Yoohoo! Come here now," Pablo exclaimed, calling him over.

With a sigh, June turned around and walked to where Pablo was. They were currently moving the cameras to a different location, so June walked with them.

"Where will I take my photos?" June asked.

"Over there," Pablo said. "It's a bit plain, but I'm sure you'll pull it off," Pablo said.

"Right here?" June asked, settling right next to the shoreline. The beach and the sun were behind him, casting a warm glow onto his skin.

"Yes," Pablo said. "It's already really good. I'll start taking photos now."

Pablo clicked away while June stood where he was, practically unmoving. To make matters worse, he saw his members walking toward the set, all with wide smiles on their faces.

"Wooh, go, June!" Jisung cheered, causing June to become even more stiff.

However, his handsome and pretty face saved him since the photos were still decent.

Still, Choi Pablo wasn't satisfied with them.

"June, remember when we had our photoshoot last time?" Pablo asked.

June silently nodded.

"Can you think about the thing that made you happy again?"

BenBen gummies?

June outgrew them.

It's because they didn't make him grow.

He thought constantly eating those yummy red gummies would make him taller. However, it betrayed him and merely gave him a toothache.

In the end, he was still the shortest in their team.

Again, he wasn't short. He was almost 5'10! His teammates were just giants, with Casper, the tallest, standing at 6'3.

The thought made him frown, which wasn't what Pablo wanted.

Pablo sighed and put down his camera. "Do you want to take a break?"

"Break?" June asked. "But we just started?"

"Well, I need one. I'm craving a cola," Pablo said. "So, why don't we take five while I drink my refreshing soda."

June shrugged. "Sure."

Pablo sat on his seat and waited for Esther to fetch him a cola. Meanwhile, June sat on the sand and watched the bright sun.

The afternoon was already nearing, so the sun wasn't as harsh as before. Instead, it felt more relaxing, which eased June's mood a bit.

However, his peace was instantly broken when Jisung and Akira sat next to him. They had mischievous looks on their faces, which made June back up a bit.

"What are you planning?" he asked. Just then, the two of them stood up and started chasing June around.

Esther came with a can of cool cola, handing it to Pablo before sitting next to him. She observed his eyes and clicked her tongue. Pablow was currently watching the scene before him with a wide smile.

"You're enjoying this a little too much," Esther said.

"What can I say?" Pablo asked. "That kid," he said, pointing to June. "Is definitely going to be a star someday. I just feel it."

"You say that about every person you've photographed."

"And what happened to them?" Pablo boasted. "They became stars just like I predicted."

Just then, Jisung placed a long piece of seaweed into the back of June's shirt, causing June to shriek in panic (it was a manly shriek, of course).

"What the fuck is that?" he shouted, trying to get it off his body. June loosened his tie and wriggled to get it out of his shirt. However, it clung to him like a second skin, causing him to struggle even harder.

Then, he couldn't control it.

He laughed when the seaweed brushed his abdomen.

Jisung and Akira looked at him in surprise, confused as to why he was suddenly laughing.

Here's another fun fact about June: he was extremely ticklish.

So, he struggled to get it off, all with a smile on his face.

"June, watch out!" Jisung exclaimed.

Amidst his struggle, June tripped on his own feet and fell into the shallow water. The world seemed to freeze as he sat, drenching in the salty water. Half of his white, thin polo was drenched with water, making the lines on his abdomen visible.

Akira and Jisung looked at each other in horror before bolting to help him.

However, Pablo's voice suddenly broke the silence.

"Wait!" he shouted.

"This is genius!"