FROM THUG TO IDOL: TRANSMIGRATING TO A SURVIVAL SHOW - Season 3 Episode 40

June thought that his haters would have gone down at this point, but it seemed like more people had it out for him.

– This loser is still acting like June?

– What does he mean by ‘June-approved?’ He’s more of an August if we’re being honest.

– Loser. Stop acting like June.

– The ice cream truck looks pretty nice, though.

– Maybe we should actually visit the ice cream place. This guy must be doing some reverse psychology type of shit for us to stop supporting a business.

June scoffed and shook his head. They were reading too much into the situation!

– Yeah, let’s do that.

– I was actually craving ice cream. I might go there tomorrow.

But, in the end, June shrugged since his objectives were seemingly met. Sure, they threw insults toward his way, but at least they were still going to support the ice cream truck.

“It’s your performance already!” Jisung excitedly exclaimed, causing June to stop looking at his phone. He glanced at the other boys in the room and found them waiting patiently in excitement.

“I know I’ve already seen this, but I can’t help but want to watch it again,” Zeth said.

“Yeah,” Akira agreed. “Your performance is going to get viral again, June.”

“And pairing it with his pink hair, it’s practically over,” C-Jay exclaimed.

Truly, as soon as June was shown on screen, the online viewers went into a frenzy.

– Pink June? Pink in June. June in pink. What the hell is this?

– I can’t take this. Are you trying to kill me, June?

– IS IT POSSIBLE FOR SOMEONE TO BE THIS CUTE YET HOT AT THE SAME TIME?

– Bro, no homo, bro. But you’re kinda cute.

– They’re all so cute! They’re wearing the uniforms we used to wear when we were younger.

“Yeah, this was legendary,” Jaeyong said. “Who even thought of a school concept?”

“June thought of the ‘memories’ concept,” Ren said. “But I came up with the schoolboy concept.”

“That was a genius move,” Zeth whistled. “I should have brought you to our team.”

“If you had done that, we still wouldn’t be on speaking terms,” Ren chuckled, causing Zeth to chuckle too.

“I chased the sun on endless summer days.

I laughed with friends, engaged in fun and plays.”

Mimi, who didn’t have the opportunity to watch the live shows because of a personal schedule, watched their performance intently as she snacked on some peas.

She was all alone tonight since Sasha and Lala were both busy. However, Mimi wasn’t complaining. Now, she could scream in peace as June continued to act cute.

It felt like only yesterday when seeing him smile was a rare occurrence. Now, he looked like the cute high school boy who everyone had a crush on but was too shy to admit it.

– Fuck, I’m falling.

– Is everyone hearing these lyrics? How can June turn such a cute song into a sad one?

– Bro, he always makes things emo, I swear.

– True. He got me grinding while crying to Tie Me Up, too. Now, I’m skipping around the house with tears streaming down my face.

Mimi was so focused on the cute aspect of their performance that she didn’t even notice the depth of their lyrics. However, as June’s part came up, she was stunned to silence by the amount of emotion that came from his voice and lyrics.

“Though years have passed, and we’ve grown apart,

The treasures of my childhood still fill my heart.

In the quiet moments, I close my eyes,

I hope I find my way back to that paradise.

When I cried because I fell and stumbled…

And not because my mind had crumbled.

When happiness was a piece of candy,

But now, no matter what, happiness can’t reach me.”

“I still can’t believe you wrote these lyrics,” Ren pointed out.

“You wrote all of this, bro?” Jisung asked with wide eyes.

June nodded nonchalantly.

“No wonder it made me cry,” Jaeyong whispered, but Akira still heard it.

“How do you even come up with these lyrics?” C-Jay asked. “It’s like you’ve lived more than one life with how you write.”

June smirked as he shook his head. They had no idea.

– Is someone cutting onions?

– The screen’s getting blurry. Why can’t I see it clearly?

– I didn’t expect a group of boys acting cute to make me cry, but here I am.

– Ah, I missed the good old days.

– Hi. I’m a 64-year-old casual watcher from the province. My granddaughter only recently taught me how to use my cellphone, and since I like singing and dancing, she recommended this to me. I know idols, of course. However, I never really liked idol music. No offense to the other performers, but I didn’t click well with their songs. This song, however, reminded me of when times were simpler. I didn’t expect to gain such happiness from a group of young, aspiring trainees. Thanks for taking good old me to the past!

The comment section was filled with heartwarming comments, with people sharing their own experiences when they were younger.

June couldn’t help but smile.

It seemed like being an idol was actually a pretty inspiring job.

He never realized that being an entertainer would have so much impact on other people, but June was happy that people found joy in their performance. Even after the song ended, the feeling of happiness still lingered in the air.

People who were watching the show over their dinner tables (courtesy of their daughters who had the biggest say in the household) felt a heartwarming vibe in their homes.

It was a song that could be enjoyed by people who weren’t even fans of idols.

In another building, similar to Azure, a group of five boys were hanging around the lounge room, their luxurious outfits appearing to have come out straight from the magazines.

“Can you turn that off?” the blonde-haired guy, who had shining blue contacts, snapped. “Why are you even watching that?”

“It’s my first time watching this show since you told us not to watch it, but it’s actually pretty good,” a handsome guy with bunny-like teeth said. “They’re getting so popular, so I just got curious.”

“Popular?” a red-haired boy scoffed. “Mildly popular, you mean. It’s just the hype around the show. Let’s see, once the group debuts, I’m sure they’ll fail just like the group from the third season.”

The bunny-teeth guy sighed and finally turned off the TV. “You guys are so bitter.”

“We’re not bitter,” another guy in the team, wearing glasses, nonchalantly said as he flipped through a thick book. “We’re just telling the truth. The group that comes from Rising Stars will probably never get on our level.”

“Let’s stop talking about that show,” their black-haired leader said. “We’re about to perform.”

Like perfect timing, a production crew member knocked on their door.

“CHAOS! Please come backstage and prepare for your performance.”