From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

"Why did you cry?" June asked, ruffling the younger guy's hair.

Jisung pursed his lips and looked away from June.

Even though they were only a few months apart, Jisung found June to be a wiser older brother.

Well, of course, June's mental age was far greater than Jisung's. However, as they've come a long way, June also found that Jisung was a good friend.

"I didn't cry, though," he muttered.

"Come on," June said. "I've known you for a long time. You're a bigger crybaby than Jaeyong."

Jisung sniffed and shook his head. "That's not true. He looks like he got stung by a bee after each of his crying sessions!"

June smiled in amusement. "He does cry more intensely. However, you cry more than him, bro."

The line made Jisung smile. "It's been a while since you called me that."

"What—bro?" June asked.

"Hmm," Jisung hummed. "Feels nostalgic, honestly. I kind of miss it—those times on Rising Stars."

June looked at him with raised eyebrows. "I don't," he deadpanned,

"Coming up with new performances was quite stressful," June chuckled.

"But it was still fun, right?" Jisung asked. "It makes me miss when our problems were like that."

June looked down at his lap. That was the time when he didn't want to be an idol just yet. However, it did feel like he was facing smaller enemies back then.

"Who knew, right?" Jisung asked, chuckling to himself.

"I thought that when I debuted—that would be it. All of my problems will be solved. All the questions in my mind will be answered. All of my desires will finally be fulfilled," he continued.

"However, it isn't anything like that. Debuting isn't the end of it all. We have so many problems to face now. However, I guess it's fine since I have you guys by my side."

June nodded to himself.

At some point, he also wanted to share his problems with the members.

However, knowing the possibility of them getting hurt because of him made him hold back his words.

He cared about them too much to be stringing them along to his problems.

"What happened a while ago was really scary, you know?" Jisung asked. "That was the first time I felt like my life was really on the line."

Jisung's statement solidified it further.

"However, you know what made me more upset?" Jisung asked.

June turned to him with raised eyebrows.

"How you must have felt when we were calling you the main character of the team," he said.

"I should have been more concerned about the guys dressed in black who were seemingly about to attack us. However, I couldn't take your expression away from my mind."

"You looked very...sad," Jisung said. "I thought you were going to be happy that we called you the most famous one in EVE. However, you seemed very upset."

"That's because I don't want to be that kind of person," June said, looking up at the ceiling.

"We're a team," he continued.

"Sehun looked quite disappointed. Ren, too, seemed pretty upset. I mean, it's justified. I, too, would be quite upset if I didn't get enough credit for the song I wrote."

"I saw that, too," Jisung said, looking down at his lap.

"But it's not your fault," someone said from behind him.

June raised his eyebrows and saw Akira hovering above them.

June narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Since when were you here?"

Akira smiled and jumped over the couch to sit next to June. He even laid his head down on his lap and peered up at June.

In another circumstance, June would have pushed him away.

However, seeing how happy he was lying on his lap, he let Akira be.

June was close to all members of EVE, but Akira and Jisung were the very first people he became close with, which made him even feel more comfortable.

"It's not your fault that you're being called the main character," Akira continued. "I hope you don't feel so bad about it."

"That's the point, though. I don't want this kind of attention," June continued. "I want it for the entire team—not just for me."

"We want that, too," Akira muttered. "But what can we do? The company is giving you the most schedules and opportunities."

"I think it's a double-edged sword, though. You're the most tired out of all of us because of it," Akira chuckled.

June and Jisung chuckled alongside him.

"The other members appreciate you a lot. Although it would be normal to be a little bit upset about the situation, I believe that the other members still love you."

"I know that," June muttered. "I never want you guys to feel like you are anything less than you are."

"Give them some time," Jisung said. "I sometimes think about it, too. What if you leave the group? Would I have more screen time? But then, I felt like we wouldn't be EVE without you."

"Sorry," June said, looking up at the ceiling.

Akira clicked his tongue and pinched his side.

"I told you to stop apologizing. It's not your fault. It's the company's," Akira said.

Jisung nodded in agreement. "The only way we'll be able to solve this is if we leave Azure."

The thought made Akira and Jisung laugh. They still had around two years left in their contract, and breaking it would entail a lot of money and mess, so it was pretty much impossible.

However, June remained silent, causing Akira to sit up straight.

He looked at June with narrowed eyes. "You're not thinking about it, right?"

June pursed his lips and didn't say anything, causing Akira to feel even more nervous.

"Goodness," Akira muttered. "I really can't predict what you're thinking about sometimes."

"When you stay silent like this, I can't help but think you're serious," he continued.

"Well, it would be difficult," June said. "But it's not impossible."

"You're right when you said that leaving Azure would solve a lot of our problems."

"But it would also create a bunch of new ones," Jisung reasoned out.

"Who would even take us in if we break off the contract? I know that we've made a decent amount of money, but it wouldn't be enough to counter against Azure."

"Last but not least, we wouldn't even be able to keep our name!"

June sighed and relaxed back in his seat.

"You're right," he muttered. "Let's just hope that Mr. Ong gets into an accident and is replaced by a new and kinder CEO."

"Bro," Jisung said, feeling that his comment was unhinged.

"I pray for that every night," Akira said.

Just then, a familiar theme song was heard through the television, causing the three of them to focus their attention to the front.

"Oh, right. There's going to be a special episode for Rising Stars today," Akira said, fixing his position.

"I almost forgot since we were so caught up with everything."

"Hmm," June hummed.

"You know what that means!" Jisung exclaimed.

"Let's watch it altogether!"