From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

"Congratulations, everyone," Jaeyong said with a wide smile as they arrived backstage.

The team clapped loudly, showing their support for the team.

"Great job, EVE!"

"I'm so proud of you, boys."

"All of your hardwork paid off."

The members of EVE smiled as they heard compliments from the concert team. As much as they hated the upper management team, the people who worked with them more closely seemed to love them a lot.

Most of them had been there since the beginning, and they truly wanted the best for EVE.

It was evident in how they prepared for the concert despite the lack of time and resources.

The members of EVE, all sweaty and tired, went to their make-up room, feeling a sense of nostalgia hit them.

The concert had just ended a few moments ago, yet most of them had already missed it.

There were a lot of regrettable moments, especially with the favoritism of the audience in the beginning. The line distribution during the last song was also very strange, and if June could change something about the entire experience, then it would be these two.

However, even then, he couldn't shake away his happiness.

It was his first time performing on such a large stage with only astras watching.

"Is it normal to feel this empty?" Jisung asked, staring at the ceiling.

"The post-concert depression has already hit you, huh?" Akira said, chuckling.

"Same," he said, suddenly turning serious. "Now, I'm thinking about the meaning of life."

Jaeyong shook his head and patted both of their shoulders.

"This is just the beginning," he said with a small smile.

"I know you guys already miss the stage, but we're going to have plenty more chances to perform as a team," he continued.

"In the span of three years," Ren chimed. "Well, around two years now."

The atmosphere dampened as soon as Ren said those words.

Somehow, they realized that everything they had would be temporary.

"Don't say that, man," Zeth said, feeling a pang in his chest.

"We just finished a happy event. No need to think about the near future," he continued.

Ren sighed and nodded. "You're right. I guess I'm just feeling emotional."

"I've had many of my firsts with you," he said.

"Hmm?" Akira asked. "What kind of firsts?"

Sehun shook his head. "Way to ruin the moment, Akira."

Akira shrugged. "Well, I haven't had those firsts yet. So, I'm curious."

Ren clicked his tongue. "It's not that, you green-minded idiot! I'm just talking about this. Our first performance. Our first song. Our first concert."

"One day, we'll be looking back at this and realize what we had was so special," he smiled.

"It doesn't have to be like that, right?" Jisung asked, looking at his members with wide eyes. "They can renew our contract like BOYMYSTIC."

"You're right," June said, comforting their youngest member since he seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"It doesn't have to be like that," he smiled.

"We don't have to settle with what's only given to us."

Jisung smiled widely. "Then, we could stay forever as EVE! Honestly, I don't care if we become the biggest boy group in the world. I don't even care if we're not in a well-known company."

"I just want all of us to be together—performing and making music together."

"This has always been my dream since I was a kid, and to think that we're here makes it feel so surreal. I truly love what I'm doing," he ended.

"Me too," Casper said, a wide smile on his face. "I know that I don't show it as much, but I really love performing—especially if it's with you, guys."

With Jisung's and Casper's statements, the atmosphere in the room became lighter.

At that moment, they weren't EVE, the top K-Pop group of their generation.

Instead, they were EVE, the boys who loved performing with each other and were fortunate enough to have other people love them.

***

After the concert ended, June felt like he saw the world in a completely different light.

He realized that this was what he wanted to do—to perform in front of everyone and make them feel the emotions of the song he was performing.

Acting, modeling, and others were also fun, but being an idol had become his lifelong dream.

However, he had encountered another problem.

He decided to monitor Grandma's surveillance camera once again to get to know her so-called new friends.

Her nurse and her next-door neighbor were pretty much harmless, but this 'Zin' guy was truly suspicious.

When he saw a hooded guy coming in at the weirdest times, June knew that he was right to be suspicious.

There was no doubt—this was Lin Zhi.

June shook his head in disbelief, throwing his head back.

"I see," June said. "You're involving everyone, huh?"

Then, he smirked. "But I'm always one step ahead of you."

With that, he decided to contact Dr. Oh.

It didn't even take two rings before Dr. Oh answered the call.

"June!" Dr. Oh exclaimed. "Oh, thank goodness. I've been trying to contact you for the past few days."

"I've been busy," June said. "We just ended our concert."

"I saw," Dr. Oh said, sounding nervous. "You guys did a good job. Honestly, you killed it."

"But there's something important—"

"Do me a favor," June said before Dr. Oh could even finish his statement.

Dr. Oh sighed in frustration. "June, you should really come here to my office as soon as possible."

June clicked his tongue. "Can't you send it by text?"

"No," Dr. Oh said. "I can't. I need to tell you in person."

June frowned, sensing the seriousness in his voice.

"Then, does it concern Grandma, Minjun, or any of my members?" June asked.

"What?" Dr. Oh asked, confused. "No. It's not that, but it's really important."

June clicked his tongue. "Do this for me first, then. Ban Lin Zhi from coming inside Grandma's room."

"Lin Zhi?" Dr. Oh asked. "Why is Lin Zhi visiting Grandma?"

"He has a reason—a very sinister one," June said. "So, I need someone from the hospital to ban him from visiting Grandma from now on. I'll also hire bodyguards, but I just want the health workers to be informed."

Dr. Oh clicked his tongue. "I got it. I'll make sure he doesn't visit anymore."

June sighed in relief. "Good. I'll come visit soon."

"Wait, just listen—"

With that, June ended the call, a deep frown still on his face.

He was glad that he was able to catch Lin Zhi before the situation escalated further.

If he had caught it later, then he wouldn't have forgiven himself if something happened to Grandma.