From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

"What a good boy you are!"

Now, you might think that these words would be directed to Minjun...or maybe a dog who did a simple trick.

However, that wasn't the case.

Those words were directed to June.

He was eating the vegetables that Grandma Bok-soon had prepared, his cheeks filled like a hamster's.

"So cute! So cute!"

June felt like he was transported back to his infant era.

No—he wasn't even treated like this when he was a baby! He had always been mature!

"Is the food good, Joon-ho?" Grandma Bok-soon asked.

June nodded. "Yeah," he smiled. "It's been a while since I've eaten like this."

The grandmas all frowned. "What? How come?"

June pursed his lips. "Well, it just gets busy being an idol, I guess. Most of the time, I eat outside. When I'm back in the dorms, we also get takeout. Then, when I'm too tired, I just sleep instead of eating."

Their frowns deepened.

"What kind of schedule is that? You should eat like this every day! How would you get your nutrition, then?"

"It's the same for all of us, though," June said.

"That's not true," Minjun said. "Jay cooks for the boys at the dorm sometimes. You're out most of the time, so you eat outside food."

The grandmas started scolding him.

"Tell your company to give you a more relaxed schedule!"

"Are you going to work until you die?"

"What if you get an illness and suddenly can't work?"

June smiled, trying to calm them all down.

"I'm fine, grandmas," he assured. "I'm on vacation right now, so I'm getting a lot of rest."

"Yes, yes," Grandma Bok-soon said. "You'll stay the night, so I'm going to prepare a good dinner for both of you again."

The three grandmas who stayed after lunch nodded in agreement.

"Oh," Pinky grandma exclaimed. "I almost forgot! Don't we have a small celebration later?"

"Yes," Buzzhead's grandma said. "Some local artists are going to perform! There's also going to be a lot of food from the people in the area. Why don't you go, hmm?"

June hesitated to answer.

"Umm, I don't know. I can't really go out to public events without the company knowing."

"Oh, who cares about them?" Grandma Bok-soon exclaimed.

"The people here, especially the old ones, practically live in the 80s! We don't record everything on our phones; instead, we enjoy the moment."

"Don't worry," Curly grandma said. "We'll make sure that you won't get mobbed. Although, I bet there would be a lot of grandmas pinching your cheeks."

June froze after she said those words.

Oh no!

His cheeks were already sore from all of their pinching. He didn't know if he could endure another round of that!

"Let's just go," Minjun said. "I want to see some pretty girls my age."

"And finally, forget Yunah, who keeps rejecting my feelings," he muttered.

June pursed his lips before nodding.

"Alright, we'll go."

***

When the grandmas told June to be prepared to be a cheek-pinching attraction, he knew that they were telling the truth.

However, he didn't think that it would be to this extent.

Almost every person in the town had already pinched his cheeks!

It seemed like people came to the festival just for his cheeks!

"So soft and cute!" another grandma exclaimed.

"It's so nice seeing a handsome young man in our small festival. Make sure to enjoy it, alright?"

June awkwardly smiled despite his aching cheeks.

Just then, he felt someone tug at his arm.

He looked behind him and saw a small grandma looking at him with bright eyes.

"You're June, right? This is my granddaughter, Sami. Say hi!" she exclaimed, pulling a girl that was around his age closer to the two of them.

Sami smiled at June shyly, to which June just awkwardly waved back.

"Dang it, Linda! My daughter came first! You should give June to her because she's nearing 40 already!" another grandma exclaimed, pulling an older woman who was looking at June seductively.

June felt a shiver run down his spine.

Alright, he didn't sign up for this!

That somehow created a domino effect as more and more grandmas tried to introduce their daughters and granddaughters to the handsome idol.

Fortunately, after a few more minutes of torture, Grandma Bok-soon broke the crowd.

"Alright, alright! That's enough. None of you have a chance with Joon-ho. You should have flirted with him before he went to the city to become an idol," she said.

"Now, he's prettier than all of you," she chimed.

"So, go away! He's here to enjoy the festival. None of you pester him from now on."

Sighs of disappointment were heard all around. However, they seemed to be compliant with Grandma Bok-soon's words as they dispersed after that.

June sighed in relief as he was finally able to sit.

Grandma Bok-soon gave him some food and a drink.

"Thanks," he muttered, placing them on his lap.

Then, he looked around and realized that he didn't have the little devil around him.

"Where's Minjun?" he frantically asked.

"Don't worry," Grandma Bok-soon smiled. "He's being fed over there," she pointed.

June looked toward where Grandma Bok-soon was pointing and shook his head in amusement when he saw Minjun surrounded by old ladies who appeared like they missed their grandsons. It seemed like his quest to find a pretty girl in the province went down the drain!

"I hope you feel comfortable," Grandma Bok-soon said.

June smiled and nodded. "Aside from my sore cheeks, I'm quite alright. The people here are nice."

"They are," Bok-soon smiled. "They may be a little overbearing at first, but that's only because they want to welcome you warmly. However, they know when to set their limits. They won't bother you now that I've told them about it."

June smiled at her gratefully, before turning to the performer on stage.

June wasn't familiar with him, but he seemed to have a good voice. He sang in a very old-fashioned way despite looking young.

Just then, Buzzhead grandma frantically went over to where the two of them were.

"What?" Grandma Bok-soon asked, sensing her panic.

"There's a problem," Buzzhead grandma exclaimed.

"The idol group that originally promised to perform here couldn't come because of another schedule!"

"Huh?" Bok-soon asked with furrowed eyebrows. "But, weren't they paid already?"

Buzzhead grandma clicked her tongue. "Not yet," she muttered.

"But, what are we going to do now? The people are expecting a performance!"

June pursed his lips, wondering if it was appropriate to present himself.

However, thinking that he wanted to go back to his origin and probably come to love performing even more, he raised his hand and pointed to himself.

"Well...I'm an idol."