From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

"Well, you look happy," Minjun said, going out of the house and sitting on the patio next to June.

June smiled as he looked up at the night sky.

It was filled with stars, contrary to that of the city.

The skies were clear, and the winds were fresh. June felt that he wanted to stay here, but he also knew that he couldn't leave his current life.

"Of course," June said.

Minjun smiled and looked down at his lap.

"I'm glad then," Minjun said. "You seemed pretty down these days."

June raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"I was?" he asked.

However, as he thought back on the past weeks, he realized that he truly was.

It felt like he was just existing...or merely complying with his schedules.

Because his entire day was so packed with schedules, he didn't even have any time to reflect on what he truly felt.

"I guess I was," June muttered.

"But you look very happy right now," Minjun said. "Almost like you've found your origin."

June lifted his head and sighed in frustration.

"You're like...the third person who had told me that word," he grumbled. "What's with my origin?"

Minjun shrugged. "I don't know. It's a pretty common word."

"Yet I still don't know what the real definition of it truly is," he said, staring into the night sky.

This place was his origin, so this was where he found the briefcase.

However, now, he had to find a passcode.

Did that have something to do with his origin once again?

"I also don't know, big bro," Minjun said. "Life isn't as simple as it seems. I've come to realize that as I grow older."

June clicked his tongue. "You're in 8th grade," he deadpanned.

Minjun smirked. "I've been told that my mental capacity is larger than my peers."

"Well, I can't argue with that," June chuckled.

"Anyway," he continued, now lying on the floor. "We're going back tomorrow. Always be careful in the city, alright?"

Minjun smirked and laid down next to him.

"I'm assuming you heard what happened."

"Hmm," June hummed. "You should have told me about what had happened, you know?"

"And what?" Minjun asked. "Give you another thing to stress about? I know that you already have a lot on your plate."

"Still," June sighed. "I thought we were going to share everything to each other from now on."

"You already hired me bodyguards anyway," Minjun shrugged. "My mother also bought more bodyguards after I told her what happened."

"Bought?" June frowned.

"Oh—hired," Minjun chuckled. "You get what I mean."

June shook his head in amusement.

"You know, I'm still confused as to what your mom truly does. It seems like you guys are too rich for your own good."

Minjun hummed. "Well, I honestly don't know. My dad has multiple businesses, so that's already enough to get us by—more than enough."

"However, my mom's richer. She has a lot more connections," he continued.

"I could see that," June said, recalling Lena Park helping him with his past situation with Lin Zhi.

"Must be nice," he muttered.

Minjun shrugged. "Eh, I would rather have a complete family."

"However, I have everything I could ever want in concrete terms. Honestly, it would be unfair if I had both. So, I guess I've just come to live with it."

June chuckled, finding himself closing his eyes despite the cold hardwood against his back.

"Hey," Minjun said, also sounding groggy.

"Am I the only one who feels sleepy?"

June took a while to respond. "No," he quietly said.

"Hmm," Minjun hummed, also closing his eyes.

With that, the two brothers fell asleep on the hard floor under the stars.

***

Sami woke up with a wide smile. She could still remember June's performance last night, and it was enough to get her by for an entire year—maybe even two.

However, her smile dropped when she saw that she had many notifications.

"What's this?" she muttered.

She opened her phone and saw that her Navel page was being bombarded. She had over a thousand notifications!

She quickly clicked on her notifications and saw plenty of comments on her recent live.

Sami clicked her tongue. Her trolls didn't increase, did they?

However, when she clicked on the live, she saw plenty of likes and hearts.

"Ooh, what's this?" she excitedly exclaimed.

The live had over a hundred thousand views and fifty thousand likes! Aside from that, big accounts also shared it, garnering even more views on their pages.

With that, she shot up from her bed and ran to their living room.

"Grandma, I'm famous!"

Meanwhile, Grandma Bok-sook was confused as to why the bed she had prepared was empty.

She clicked her tongue and placed her hands on her hips.

"Now, where are those two?" she muttered.

"Did they go home early?"

Then, she shook her head. "They should have told me so I could have prepared breakfast earlier."

With that, she went outside to sweep her backyard. However, she was surprised when she saw two bodies lying on her patio.

"Omo!" she exclaimed. "What are you two doing here?"

The sound made Minjun and June wake up, looking at Grandma Bok-soon's surprised expression.

"Oh, good morning," June said, yawning and stretching his body.

However, he stopped when he felt an ache go through his body.

Minjun also woke up next to him, groggily blinking away his sleepy state.

"Ah, that was a good rest," Minjun said, appearing to be in good condition.

June looked at him and shook his head.

"Goodness," he muttered. "I already have signs of aging."

Grandma Bok-soon clicked her tongue and helped them get up.

"I thought you guys left already," she said.

June shook his head. "Someone's going to pick us up a bit later."

She smiled and shook her head. "Alright. Go to the dining room now. I've already prepared breakfast."

With the mention of food, the two young men went to the dining area and quickly dug in.

The hot soup and chewy noodles stimulated their appetites, and they found themselves having seconds.

Grandma Bok-soon watched them lovingly.

"You seem happy," she chimed. "Is it because you saw your viral video?"

June froze after Grandma Bok-soon said those words.

"Viral video?" he asked.

"Oh, you haven't seen it yet?" she asked. "It's on Navel. Sami, the granddaughter of the grandma next to our house, did a live yesterday."

June quickly opened his phone and saw the video on top of his featured page.

He opened it and saw that it had already passed half a million views and was still steadily increasing.

The comments were also filled with new people and fans alike.

- Who is this fine young man?

- No one. He's a staff member.

- I didn't know June could sing trot so well!

- He's really a well-rounded performer.

- I still feel bitter that they get to witness June this close, though.

- True. I paid 2,000 dollars for my tickets to go see EVE.

- Girl, you got scammed.

- It's worth it.

June shook his head at the ridiculous comments. However, he couldn't shake the smile off his face when he realized that they were mostly positive.

He had been receiving so many hate comments and death threats for the past weeks, so having so many good comments eased his heart a bit.

However, his smile quickly dropped when he saw a text from their CEO.

Mr. Ong: Come back. Right this instant.