From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

"Ah, that was a good meal," Akira said, feeling satisfied as he patted his stomach.

"Yeah, I almost doubted June for a second there, but he pulled through in the end," Zeth added.

"Moral of the story: never doubt June," Jisung chimed. "I think he's already proven himself over and over."

The others nodded in agreement.

"It's also good that we weren't mobbed at the restaurant," Jaeyong smiled. "The people were respectful and didn't even want to disturb us. Chen Chen is a sweet kid, too."

June smirked. "Told you."

"Well, what do you guys want to do now?" Akira asked. "I don't want to go back to the hotel just yet. It also appears like our disguise is still working since nobody has approached us." "Calling my clothes as a disguise," June muttered. "Where do you want to go? We need to take a cab if you want to go to some historical sites."

"Nah, I don't think we can have a tour like that," Sehun said. "It would be too much of a waste since we need to prepare for our early flight tomorrow in a few."

"Yeah, something along the neighborhood would be nice," Ren said.

June stopped when he saw a familiar scenery not far from them.

"Do you guys want to go there?" he asked, pointing toward it.

"A playground?" Jisung asked with bright eyes.

June nodded. "It's a playground just for adults."

The boys excitedly turned to each other. "Heck yeah!" Akira exclaimed. "Race you there!"

The group of eight boys ran to the playground, just playing to their hearts' content.

For a moment, they forgot that they were idols and became just a regular group of people having fun.

The smiles on their faces couldn't be painted as they continued to play, some passerbys also enjoying the sound of their laughter.

Meanwhile, they were oblivious to the craze that they had created in the country.

***

Azure Entertainment's staff were currently in a meeting for the plans for the last two quarters of the year.

They were discussing LUNAIRE's variety show appearances when the news of their stocks going up suddenly broke in the room.

"This is crazy," Ted exclaimed. "With LUNAIRE's debut, our investors have increased by 10%. They're really a monster group!"

"It just went up to 15%," one of the graph analysts said.

Lei's eyebrows shot up in surprise. It seemed like his plan of having LUNAIRE take him to the top was actually working. He also wasn't afraid of using the members of EVE, but he needed to get rid of June and ruin his career as discretely as possible as he did with Lin Zhi's.

"I think it's because of this!" Mari chimed. "EVE is trending in China for the second time in the day, and this time, it's because of their kindness."

Lei maintained a neutral expression while the others buzzed in excitement.

Jay proudly nodded. "My boys were seen eating in a local restaurant that's well-loved by everybody, and they were praised for their good attitudes. Moreover, the song '52' is trending in their music platforms while Luster is quickly climbing up the charts despite it being a foreign song!"

Lei couldn't believe his ears.

He had sent EVE to the Jade Music Festival so they would be humiliated! Then, he would use that humiliation to make them into his pawns.

However, it seemed like nothing was going his way.

With that, he smiled and chuckled in what seemed like a genuine manner.

"I'm happy that the boys are being praised over there," he said.

The others nodded. "We have to look into their comeback soon. I believe this would be a great time to capitalize on their popularity," Mari chimed, already feeling excited for their next album.

The room was filled with positive reactions after Mari's suggestion.

Lei continued smiling; however, in the back of his mind, he only had one thought.

For their next comeback, he didn't want June to be a part of it.

In fact, he wanted June gone.

In EVE.

In Azure.

In the whole entertainment industry.

***

After a fulfilling stay in China, the boys were now on their way back to their home country.

"I'm going to miss this place," Jisung said as they drove to the airport.

"Yeah, it was fun playing with you guys, even if it was only for a short while," Jaeyong said with an emotional smile.

Ren shook his head. "Please don't start crying on us now," he teased.

Jaeyong pursed his lips and looked outside the window to stop his eyes from tearing up. The trip made him realize how he wanted to travel the world with the boys and share good music with people who loved them.

Moreover, it just instilled in him that they were a family and that being apart for things like this was going to be a miserable thing.

They finally arrived at the airport, and Sehun was about to leave the car when June suddenly stopped him.

"What's wrong?" Sehun asked. The other boys also turned to June with inquiring eyes.

"Those people," June started off, his gaze focused on the large crowd before them. "Are they

here for us?"

The boys also gazed outside and saw a huge group of people behind two barricades with banners in their hands.

"I think they are," Jaeyong muttered. "I saw the word EVE on one of the banners."

The security guard smiled. "They are here for you, boys. I was afraid that you guys were going

to be mobbed again, but it seems like the airport staff had arranged these great security measures for all of you," he chimed.

The boys turned to each other in pleasant surprise.

They loved their fans very much, but at the same time, they didn't want to be mobbed like

they did at Incheon Airport.

So, seeing such efforts from people who weren't even from their company touched their

hearts.

"Shall we head out?" June asked.

The boys nodded, and they finally made their way out of the car.

June was still wearing his comfortable clothes, but the fans didn't seem to mind, only finding

him more relatable.

There were a lot of guards in the area, so everything was orderly. The members happily waved their hands as they made their way through, not being able to stop smiling.

At that moment, June felt like they had won again.

"You've failed, Lei," he muttered in amusement. At the end of the day, the public was on their side.