From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

The venue was filled with nervousness as the girls gathered once more for the second elimination of the fifth reason of Rising Stars.

The studio already felt empty because there were only fifty girls left. However, knowing that they were going to be halved once again, felt like a cruel punishment.

Ara sat next to Mei and nudged her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" she asked, looking concerned for her friend.

Mei looked at Ara and noted her bright aura. Well, of course, she would be in a good mood. She was paired with the 'killing' team, otherwise known as the powerhouses of the show.

Meanwhile, Mei looked like the light had left her eyes.

Nonetheless, Ara still found her very pretty.

"Were you able to sleep?" Ara asked.

Mei pursed her lips and nodded in silence. However, Ara knew that her friend probably didn't get any sleep at all.

Ara sighed in frustration. "You must be having a hard time. However, don't bottle it up, okay? Talk to other people about what you feel."

Once again, Mei nodded in response, causing Ara to become even more frustrated.

Just then, the girls erupted into nervous squeals as June arrived at the stage.

No matter how many times they had seen him, it seemed like they were still starstruck because of his unmatchable beauty.

Moreover, most of the girls watched EVE's mini-concert through their phones, which made them admire June even more.

Even though he was the least-trained trainee and came from an independent company, he had improved so much all throughout the show until he became a top idol.

"Good evening, everyone," June started off. "First, I would like to say thank you for waiting for me for such a long time."

"It was only a week," he chuckled. "But I needed that time to recover physically. For the people concerned, do not worry too much. I'm much better now and am fit to go back to work," he said as he was instructed to by Yena and Yejin.

"Now, enough about me," he said. "Today, we shall get straight to the rankings!"

"Last week's benefits had been added to the winners' votes, so the ranking is reflective of their collective points," June said.

"We have 50 girls with us tonight, but only 25 will remain by the end of this episode."

"The stakes are high because the ladies have started practicing for their third mission. Thus, those who are eliminated won't get the chance to perform what they've practiced hard for."

The girls, especially those at the lower ranks, slumped their shoulders in defeat.

They were already seated according to their current teams, and Mei's team had the darkest atmosphere.

Mei appeared like she was out of it. Meanwhile, her teammates looked like they had already accepted their defeat.

- Azure is cruel as usual.

- Are we seeing Mei's team right now?

- I wouldn't mind if they all get kicked out.

- Don't you think it would be funny if they were all eliminated except for Mei?

- No. That's not funny at all.

"For this week, we have another special guest," June said, turning his gaze to the back.

"Please welcome Mimi from GIRLS' EVOLUTION, another successful idol who came from Rising Stars!"

Mimi came out from the back, and she was immediately greeted with gasps and squeals.

"Oh my gosh! She's so pretty!"

"I loved her during the first season."

"Don't they look cute together?"

Nico, who was watching from Mimi's apartment, stood from his seat with clenched fists when he heard that trainee's comment.

"Oh, I sure hope she gets eliminated," he muttered under his breath.

Going back to the elimination...

"Thank you for having me here," Mimi said. "I've been here in almost every season, and I can't miss the opportunity to become the special host with June."

June smiled at her, and she felt her cheeks redden.

Oh goodness. June still had such an effect on her!

However, she shook her head since she was now ever-loyal to her boyfriend, Nico.

"Let's finally start," June said, taking out the cue card for the first ten trainees to be announced.

"Starting off with the 24th place," he continued, staying silent for a few seconds to add to the suspense.

"We have...Somin!"

The previously 30th-rank trainee sighed in relief as her name was called, feeling like a thorn had just been removed from her throat.

Mimi and June took turns announcing the members, and as they got to the 11th spot, the girls at the bottom ranks had already lost hope.

Mei glanced at her teammates' rankings and pursed her lips.

43...

47...

49...

50...

With only 11 spots left, it seemed like an almost impossible feat.

Unless they had June's genes, it was most definitely out of the question.

"For the 11th spot, we have Yeri!" Mimi exclaimed, making Mei's members slump further in their seats, some of them even chuckling in acceptance.

- Yes! Yeri is at the 11th spot. She deserves it so much.

- I'm telling you, guys. Yeri is the dark horse of this season. She's silently hardworking, and she's always stable. This was proven during her performance in the first round, but she was overshadowed by Mei and Mina!

- She honestly deserves a higher spot.

- It sucks that other people who aren't ready to debut yet, cough Mei cough, get into the top five.

- Mei is hardworking, though. I'm sick of people saying that she isn't working hard when she puts in double the amount of effort to improve herself.

- Mei simp.

- The world is so cruel and unforgiving.

Yeri stood from her seat with a wide smile. It wasn't as high as she had wanted, but she was already happy to be included within the top 25.

She had a little speech before going over to her seat.

Meanwhile, June opened the next envelope for the top ten trainees.

He glanced at the bottom of the list and froze since he saw something very unexpected.

His throat felt dry, and it took him a while to snap back to reality.

The audience, however, took that as a deliberate action to increase the suspense even more.

- Come on, June. I love you, but please just tell us the top ten!

- These are the people who are most likely going to debut!

- There are only around three or four weeks left. I'm so excited!

June pursed his lips and finally lifted his head, bringing the microphone close to his lips.

"In the tenth spot is..."

"Mei."