From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

"Holy crap! That actually worked," Jisung exclaimed, sitting on the pavement as he felt the adrenaline leave his body.

He was the last one to leave the hotel along with Ren, and it seemed like the people started becoming suspicious when it was their turn. Fortunately, the crowd didn't do anything and just let them pass through.

"Told you it would work!" Casper exclaimed, still feeling excited since he got to wear June's clothes.

Meanwhile, someone dropped a bill in front of Jisung's sitting figure, causing all of them to freeze.

"Feed yourself and your friends, young man," the old woman said in a kind and worried voice.

As she left, Jisung felt like crying.

"At what expense, though? I was just mistaken as a beggar!"

"Hey," Akira said, picking up the bill and seeing how much it was. "Don't diss beggars like that. They're still people."

Jisung pursed his lips and didn't say anything more.

"Besides, this is 100-yuan!" Akira excitedly said. "Can we buy a meal with this one, June?"

June grabbed the bill and nodded. "This would do. We're going to a cheap place."

"It's bound to get full soon," he continued. "Let's go."

With that, June started walking in the direction of the restaurant.

Meanwhile, the other boys turned to each other with inquiring eyes.

"A cheap restaurant?" Akira asked.

"Maybe it's a hole-in-the-wall kind of place," Jaeyong excitedly chimed. "I love restaurants like those!"

"Yeah, they have the best food," Ren added.

"You said it was near, right?" Jisung asked.

June nodded. "A ten-minute walk," he muttered.

"That's not too bad," Jisung smiled. "I'm really excited. I'm so hungry that I could eat a whole mammoth."

"Right this way," June said, pointing to a narrow alleyway with cigarette butts scattered around.

June smiled as he walked through the familiar pathway. Although he hadn't been here for a long time, he still remembered it in the back of his mind.

It seemed like muscle memory at this point.

However, he stopped in his tracks when he didn't feel anyone trailing behind him anymore.

June turned around, his eyebrows raising in inquiry, when he saw the other boys with hesitant looks at the entrance of the alleyway.

"Are you sure it's here?" Jisung warily asked, already feeling afraid.

June frowned and looked around before nodding. "Yes," he said. "We're almost there."

"Oh, it must be a shortcut!" Ren said.

"Ah," the others sighed in relief. "Right. I am fond of shortcuts."

With that, they followed after June once again.

However, the deeper they got in the alleyway, the more they realized that maybe, just maybe, it wasn't just a shortcut.

Jisung felt a shiver run down his spine as a muscular, bald man cut meat on the side of the street.

"That guy's good at knives, so he became a butcher," June said, touring his friends like they were on a safari adventure.

They quickly evaded their eyes as the butcher stabbed the meat with full strength, some of the blood splattering on his apron.

"Now, that guy is good with chainsaws, so he's doing metal work," June chuckled, remembering a funny story that involved the guy.

Once again, the boys became nervous as the guy welded what seemed to be a window frame without wearing any goggles.

"Are you guys seeing this?" Zeth whisper-shouted. "He's raw-dogging the welding machine!"

"Please never say that word again," Ren whispered back. "But you're right. This is insane."

Akira turned around and gulped. "Do you think it's too late for us to go back?"

"Oh, I can't go back there without June," Zeth said.

"Why the hell not?" Akira asked. "You have the biggest body among us here!"

Zeth shook his head. "June's the toughest here, if you think about it."

"Oh, that guy," June chuckled, pertaining to another man. "He used to be a hitman, so he decided to do a funeral business."

June continued chuckling, finding the irony funny.

However, the boys continued to be silent.

"How does he even know all this stuff?" Sehun whispered, feeling afraid of June, too.

"I—Is it still far?" Jisung stammered.

"No, we're here!" June happily exclaimed when he saw the familiar restaurant at the very end of the block.

The boys sighed in relief. However, their relief quickly vanished when they saw the restaurant

before them.

"This...is the place?" Jisung squeaked.

June turned around and nodded. Their faces were occluded with hoods, so June didn't even notice that his members were already in distress.

"Yeah, we're here," June confirmed. "I told you it would be filled to the brim. Good thing there's still one vacant table over there."

June guided his hesitant members inside, where they sat in the middle of the room.

The boys continued looking around, gulping when their eyes connected with a scary group of

old men.

The boys couldn't believe June took them to such a place. The small space was filled with

people who appeared like they had troubled pasts!

Jisung kept his gaze on the table while the others appeared visibly uncomfortable.

"Ah, let me see," June said, grabbing the menu. "You don't mind if I order for all of us,

right?"

"S―sure," Akira said, still feeling apprehensive.

"They increase their prizes, too" June whispered. "Inflation is really crazy. It's a good thing

that these are still affordable."

Meanwhile, the boys whispered among each other while June was busy scrutinizing the

menu.

"Maybe we should have stayed at the hotel instead," Jaeyong whispered.

"Yeah, the mob was actually a blessing in disguise," Zeth chimed.

"Come to think of it, this is Casper's fault. He shouldn't have suggested that we dress in these

clothes!" Akira added.

"You guys approved of the idea," Casper retaliated.

"Come on, guys. Don't fight. It's already scary as it is," Jisung said.

He looked around but quickly directed his gaze to the table.

The boys were in a dilemma.

They trusted June to bring them to a good restaurant.

And although the small space smelled incredible with different spices, meats, and vegetables,

they couldn't shake off the feeling of being uneasy.

Zeth looked around, not being able to take his curiosity. Then, he froze when he made eye

contact with a large, burly man.

Zeth was a buff dude, but the guy before him was a different story.

"Zeth, stop looking!" Ren exclaimed. However, it was too late.

The man was already heading toward their way with clenched fists and a menacing

expression.

"Oh no," Zeth muttered. "He's going to fucking beat us up!"

"You shouldn't have looked him in the eye!" Ren whisper-shouted. "June, June, help us," Jaeyong said, but June was too preoccupied with the menu.

"I miss eating all of this," he chuckled, his members appearing like dust. Then, the man finally arrived at their table and slammed his fist on the old wood. "What are ya looking at, huh?"