From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

Jay and June were silent as they rode the van back home.

June had his medicine tucked under his armpit while the gifts he received from Grandma were on his lap.

A week.

Dr. Oh recommended for June to take an entire week off.

June hadn't been on a break for so long that a week off already felt like an eternity.

He could just imagine all the sleep that he could get!

However, glancing at Jay, who seemed to be even more troubled, June shook his head.

There was no way.

A week's break was too good to be true!

"You don't have to follow what the doctor said," June said, breaking the silence in the car.

"It's just a recommendation. It's not a mantra," he continued.

Jay sighed once again before shaking his head.

"I know," he muttered. "I'm just thinking of your schedule for the next week."

"Hmm," June hummed.

"Well, I have to film for Rising Stars. I have to practice for our showcase. We also have to prepare some content for our YouWatch."

"Oh, didn't we have to perform in that morning show, too?"

"I guess I also have that photoshoot with a candy brand," he muttered.

"And I almost forgot—I have to attend someone's party tomorrow, right?"

Jay clicked his tongue. Now that June had laid out his entire schedule for the week, he felt that it was really too much.

Jay felt a bit useless since he wasn't the one who accepted the different events. Instead, he was just responsible for joining June in attending them and making sure he went to every single one.

"Gosh, that's a lot," Jay said. "How can you do all of that when you're fatigued?"

June shrugged. "It's something that you have to live with, I guess."

"I'm used to it now," he continued.

"You don't have to, though," Jay muttered. "Dr. Oh told me that your condition will only get worse if you overwork yourself. He also warned me that you need to cut back on your schedules after this break."

"You know that's not possible," June said. "The company keeps accepting and giving me work."

"I know," Jay muttered, feeling a bit hopeless.

However, as he glanced at June, who didn't appear as vibrant as he did a few months ago, he felt something shift in his heart.

"You'll take the rest," he suddenly said, causing June to turn to him with raised eyebrows.

"A day's rest??" June clarified.

"No," Jay shook his head. "A week's worth of rest!"

June was taken aback. "And how are you going to do that?"

Jay pursed his lips before shaking his head.

"That—I do not know. However, leave it up to me, okay? You've been working hard for the entire year, and I need you to rest."

"The company can issue out a statement that you're not feeling well."

"They can definitely afford to make you rest with all the profit you've contributed to the company."

"That nasty-ass CEO Ong should stop exploiting his artists like this," he angrily said.

"You guys don't even get paid enough for this shit."

June was surprised at Jay's outburst.

"Well, it seems like you're prepared to rebel against the CEO," he remarked.

Jay sighed in frustration. "It's just sickening, honestly—how you're being treated. I know that other companies aren't any better than Azure, but gosh, I can't help but think that they're the worst out of the big companies."

June nodded. "You got that right."

"Anyway," Jay said, trying to lighten the atmosphere. "You should take the week off."

"They'll probably still have you practice and stuff. But I won't let you go to any of the official schedules. Your body needs to recover."

June smiled, feeling a sense of relief.

"That's fine with me," he said, suddenly feeling at peace.

With that, as he felt the lull of the car, he found himself falling asleep.

However, even with his tiredness consuming his body, he felt that something was strange.

During times like this, his pesky little system would pop up and give him a mission at the most inconvenient time.

Yet, it was quiet.

Almost too quiet.

Then, it occurred to him.

A week's break was definitely too good to be true.

He might not have any official schedules for the entire week, but he still had to accomplish his mission.

The first step?

Finding the briefcase.

***

"He has a family," Lin Zhi excitedly said, slamming the door to Laohu's office open.

Laohu frowned in confusion.

"I believe his parents are dead," he said. "I did a background check on his past and found that they got involved in a car accident."

"They did," Lin Zhi said, remembering the scandal that June had during Rising Stars.

"For so long, I felt that June didn't have a weakness," Lin Zhi smirked.

"I know that he cares deeply about his members, but we can't do anything about them since they're too exposed to the public."

"If we do something to harm them, then the people would investigate it to their wit's end."

"However," Lin Zhi said, smiling even wider as he placed the printed photos of June, Minjun, and his sick grandma in the hospital.

"It seems like we've finally found his weakness."

Laohu's eyebrows raised in surprise as he picked up the photo.

"I see," he muttered. "This kid—I feel like I've seen him before."

"The little kid and the old woman visited June when we were in Rising Stars. However, the other trainees said that they were just his neighbors, so I didn't think too much about it."

Laohu hummed as he tried to analyze the situation.

Lin Zhi smirked as he continued his statement. " I also have some information that you're not going to believe. That guy's father—he's the one who owned the third-party voting company when I was in Rising Stars."

"That's why he was able to change the tides at the last minute," Laohu said, finally piecing the puzzle together.

"Exactly," Lin Zhi said.

"That's good then," Laohu said, mirroring Lin Zhi's smirk. "We can get our revenge by killing two birds with one stone."

Lin Zhi nodded enthusiastically as Laohu ripped the photo in half, carelessly discarding the old woman's photo to the ground.

Then, he placed the other half of the photo, which was Minjun, in the middle of the photo.

"This young man," he smirked.

"Let's see how important he really is to June."