From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

As soon as the two health workers were out of sight, June went over to where Grandma was to give her a tight hug.

It had only been a few weeks, but it felt like June hadn't seen her in forever.

"Grandma," he muttered into their hug.

Despite her clothes smelling strangely of hospital disinfectant, June could still feel the warmth and hominess of her scent.

"Oh, my grandson," she smiled. "How I've missed you."

June broke away from their hug and looked at her with bright eyes.

"Are you feeling okay?" he softly asked.

"Well, I'll be honest and say that I'm pretty tired and bored, but seeing you now has gotten me all fired up," she happily said.

June chuckled in amusement. "Well, I'll be sure to visit more often then. I've already finished filming Untouched Souls, so I'll have more free time now."

"That's great!" she exclaimed. "When is the movie going to be aired?"

"I think at the end of the year?" he responded.

"Let's watch it together then," Grandma said.

"Hey, no fair," Minjun said, joining them by sitting on the bed. "I want to watch too."

"It's not suitable for children," June teased.

Minjun clicked his tongue and stood, showing off his height. "I'm all grown now. I'll probably catch up to your height in two or three more years."

June shook his head. "Let's see about that."

Now that he was back to eating BenBen gummies, June was sure that Minjun wouldn't surpass him!

However, from the looks of it, the kid would grow to be more than 180 cm in the future.

However, he was smaller than June now, so he wanted to enjoy the moment for a little longer.

Meanwhile, Grandma continued to observe June, noting that he had lost weight and his eyes looked a bit more tired than before. So, she went ahead and touched his hand. However, she frowned when she saw that he had a band-aid over it.

June was surprised by her sudden touch, so he gently recoiled his hand.

"Are you alright?" Grandma asked with a concerned frown. "Why do you have a band-aid over your hand?"

"Well, you know," June chuckled. "I run through different sets—movies, variety shows, EVE's content. It's hard to know where I get these little scrapes."

Grandma shook her head. "You should be more careful, son."

"And what's with you losing weight? Are they not feeding you well in Azure?"

"And your dark circles! I gave you that eye cream to get rid of them, right? However, it seems like they're back. That means that you're not getting enough sleep!"

June pursed his lips since Grandma hit the nail on the head.

"I've been seeing you all over TV, and you seem to be the busiest idol these days. Can't you tone it down? You're already working too hard."

June scratched the back of his head as Grandma continued to scold him in a loving manner.

He knew that refuting her wouldn't be a wise choice, so he decided to divert the topic instead.

"You shouldn't be too worried about me," he chuckled. "I'm not the one confined in the hospital right now."

Well, he technically was, but Grandma didn't have to find out about that, right?

"Shouldn't I be asking you about that instead?" June asked.

"How have you been?"

Grandma clicked her tongue. "Silly child. I'm fine, of course. I've been getting the expensive treatment that my daughter is paying for. How can I not be fine?"

"Moreover, I get to see my grandsons every now and then. Life is good. I do wish that I could go back home so I could play Mahjong with my friends every now and then."

June chuckled in amusement. "I'll make sure to bring you to play when you're all better. You can wait until that moment, right?"

"Well, of course," Grandma said. "I can't wait for the day that I take back my title as the reigning champion!"

The two boys chuckled in amusement.

"But in all seriousness," Minjun suddenly chimed, making June focus on him.

"Grandma's been pretty down lately. She won't tell me the reason why, no matter how much I pester her, but maybe she'll say it now that you're here," Minjun said in a sad tone.

June frowned in confusion as he turned to Grandma, who was now looking down at her lap.

"Grandma?" he asked. "Can you tell us what is making you upset?"

She shook her head. "It's nothing," she smiled. However, it didn't reach her eyes.

"It's not that deep."

"You can tell us anything," June said, holding onto her hand. "We'll take you seriously."

Grandma let out a deep breath.

"It's just that—I miss my old self," she softly said.

"You know? I never thought it would come to this day."

"I'm old. I know that cancer can't be healed in a mere drugstore."

"However, for some reason, I just can't stop thinking about how life was like before—when I didn't have to worry about seeing another tomorrow."

"Grandma," Minjun said, tears brimming in his eyes. "Don't say that."

Grandma shook her head. "Of course, my grandson. I'm strong enough to live for more tomorrows. However, it does feel pretty far. I don't feel the improvement in my body."

"I feel useless sometimes. I feel...helpless," she muttered.

"Moreover," she said. "I miss my little gray curls. I know I shouldn't care about my appearance since I'm already this old, but hey, those curls made me feel beautiful."

June tightened his hold on her hand. "Of course, you can feel upset."

"However, I want to say that you still look pretty even without your curls," he smiled, trying to be strong for her.

"Really?" she asked with raised eyebrows. Somehow, hearing a compliment from such a handsome lad like June boosted their confidence.

"Yes," June nodded. "Right, Minjun?"

Minjun, too, nodded enthusiastically in agreement.

"Hair is just hair! If you want, the two of us can shave our heads," June said.

Minjun raised his eyebrows in surprise. However, sensing Grandma's stare, he slowly nodded with hesitation.

"Y—yeah," he stammered. "I can do that...I guess."

"I can do it," June said without any reluctance. He could do anything for his grandma.

"Do you want us to have matching bald heads?" he asked with an amused smile.

Grandma felt flattered by all their words, feeling a hundred times better already.

Then, she gently hit his shoulder.

"Don't do that. I'm sure you'll still be handsome with a buzzed head, but your fans will think that you're prematurely enlisting in the military," she teased, causing June to chuckle.

"And you," she said, turning to the younger guy. "I know you wouldn't be able to do that. You're trying to impress that girl—

Yunah, was it?"

Minjun's eyes widened, and he quickly covered Grandma's mouth.

Then, the three of them burst into chuckles, feeling warmth embrace them.

However, from outside the room, a dark figure loomed, a small smile appearing on his face.

"So, you do have a family," he muttered.