From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show



Choi Pablo? 

June had never heard of that name! 

Fu's missions were becoming more specific as time progressed. It's like he doesn't want June to improve his skills after all! 

"What are you thinking about?" Sehun asked as he sat next to him. 

They were currently taking a break after endlessly practicing their song. They started practicing at 5 a.m. today since they didn't have much time. 

Tomorrow night will be the performance, so they had only one more day to finish polishing their performance. 

All of them had finished writing their lyrics, too, and it seemed like his teammates had gained newfound confidence after their concept changed. 

June also found that they were improving drastically. He doesn't know if it was brought by pure desperation, but aside from June's rapping skills, their performance was almost complete. 

"Have you gotten a headshot taken before?" June asked, opening the topic. 

The other members gathered around them in curiosity. 

"Headshots?" Sehun asked. "Of course, I have. It's an unofficial prerequisite to becoming an idol. If you don't have a headshot these days, then you practically can't enter entertainment companies."

C-Jay smirked and brought out his phone, showing them the photos he had taken in an overpriced studio in Seoul. "Look at this. Aren't I hella handsome?"

June looked at the photos with a blank expression. 

His pictures were overly edited. 

His eyes were too big, and his chin was a bit too sharp. Seeing C-Jay in real life felt like watching those mukbang videos where the filter suddenly turns off while they were eating. 

"Oh wow, they're…good," Sehun said with a smile and a thumbs-up. 

June shook his head. "You look like an alien."

C-Jay raised his eyebrows in surprise. "An alien? You must be blind, brother. These are the best pictures I have. And you're one to talk! I bet you don't have any headshots at all."

Jakob's eyes widened when June didn't respond. "You haven't done a photoshoot at all?"

June pursed his lips. "Not as I remember."

It seems like Choi Joon-ho never liked getting his photos taken. It was evident by the lack of photos stored in his phone. 

"Right, you're an individual trainee now," C-Jay said. "But it wouldn't hurt to have your headshots taken. Like Sehun said, idols need those these days. It's what entertainment companies send to other enterprises so they can catch brand deals and the like."

June nodded. "Then, do you know Choi Pablo?"

C-Jay frowned. "You don't know who Choi Pablo is?"

"No," June honestly said. 

C-Jay clicked his tongue. "I'm not even surprised at this point. You barely know about important people. But you know a lot about useless things." 

"Is he important?" June asked. 

"Important? He's the most famous photographer for celebrities!" he exclaimed. "He's only in his late 20s, but he's already made such a big impact on the world of celebrities."

"What makes him so special?" 

"Choi Pablo only photographs people he wants to photograph," Sehun answered. "I heard that the members of CHAOS wanted to get their photographs taken by him, but he refused."

"Really?" Haesoo asked with wide eyes. "But that's CHAOS we're talking about! They're the hottest boy band right now."

Sehun shrugged. "Like I said, he doesn't really photograph people based on their fame, but based on his gut feeling. A lot of people tried booking him, but he refused a lot of them."

"But get this," C-Jay added. "All the people he photographed became even more famous than before! From Bong Yoo, G-Dinosaur, Bae Sueme, and Cha Eun Boo—those are just a few names under Choi Pablo's name." 

Taekyung sighed and shook his head. "Being photographed by him will be impossible for people like us. I bet we need to be born again before we accomplish such a task." 

June placed his hand under his chin. 

"Then, do you know where Choi Pablo is?" he asked. 

C-Jay laughed out loud. "Why? Are you going to pay him a visit?"

June didn't answer, causing C-Jay to stop laughing. 

"Wait—you're serious?" 

June clicked his tongue. "Just answer the question."

"Well, his studio is located somewhere in Itaewon. It's called 'Pablo.' But if I were you, I wouldn't even waste my time," C-Jay advised. "He's definitely not taking any clients at this time."

June sighed. 

It's not like he wanted to meet this Choi Pablo dude. 

He NEEDED to meet him. 

It's the only way he can upgrade his rap skills to the B-tier! 

"Hey," June said, looking at the clock. It was still early in the morning since they started practicing at dawn. "Do you mind if I step out a bit? I'll be back this afternoon."

"What?" Sehun asked. "Tomorrow evening is the performance, though. We still need to polish everything for our performance. And we haven't gone over everything with our rap yet." 

"Continue practicing," June instructed. "I'll catch up in the evening."

C-Jay frowned. "It's not like the production crew will allow you to leave."

"They will," June said. 

"Where are you even going?"

To Choi Pablo. 

"To the hospital. My incision has reopened."

***

June knew that his teammates and the production crew wouldn't be able to deny his request to leave once he mentioned his stab wound. 

So now, he was roaming the streets of Itaewon and looking for the photo studio named "Pablo."

June was wearing a  black mask and bucket hat since he didn't want to risk the chance of getting recognized. After the last elimination, he had even more people coming up to him! 

Fortunately, June didn't have to look long and hard since the white building with the equally white signage that spelled out "Pablo" was easy to point out. 

Without hesitation, he walked to the white building, determined to get his photos taken by the legendary photographer. 

As he opened the door, he was greeted by a short woman with short black hair and short bangs. She was chewing her gum while filing her short black nails. She was wearing all-black too!

Everything about her seemed short. 

However, her gaze could be likened to a giant. 

She looked at June with raised eyebrows before pointing to the door. "We don't accept walk-in clients."

"I made an appointment," June bluffed. 

She raised her eyebrows. "Oh, I'm sorry. It seems like I haven't made it clear enough." 

She looked him dead in the eyes before smirking. "We don't accept clients like you here."