From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

Xin pulled onto his dyed blue hair as the results of the Concept Mission sank in. As he retreated his hand away from his hair, he was surprised to see that more than fifty strands of hair had been pulled out. 

“What the fuck!” he exclaimed and ran to the bathroom mirror. He parted his hair and saw a small bald spot on the area he pulled. 

Xin pursed his lips before screaming in frustration.

Nothing seems to be going right for him today! 

He had done so much for their ‘Thunder’ performance. He even went as far as dyeing his hair the same color as Zeth’s, but that, too, backfired on him. 

Xin sighed and combed his hair back so the bald spot wasn’t noticeable. Afterward, he realized that he still hadn’t contacted Hoon and told him about the results of the competition. 

He went out of the bathroom to speak with him but halted when he saw Akira inside the room. 

“Why’d you scream just now?” Akira asked with a frown. 

Xin evaded his eyes away from him. “Uh—I couldn’t get a big shit out.” 

Akira raised his eyebrows in surprise before slowly nodding. “Alright, is it out now?” 

“Yeah,” Xin said, scratching the back of his neck. “Don’t worry. The toilet isn’t clogged.” 

“Alright,” Akira said. “Well, let me know if you need anything. I have fiber supplements if you need them.”

Xin shook his head. “I’ll head out for a while.” 

With that, Xin left the awkward room and started looking for a place to talk with his most-respected brother, Hoon. He wandered around the hallways and cafeteria but couldn’t find an empty place. In the end, he settled on the one place he knew wouldn’t be disturbed by anyone else. 

He walked toward the Janitor’s closet, making sure to open the lights this time since he didn’t want the past incident to repeat itself. Then, he locked the door before dialing Hoon’s number. 

The closet smelled oddly comforting—like the janitor had done a good job keeping it clean. After a couple of rings, Hoon finally responded. Xin placed it on a loudspeaker since his hearing was still a bit muffled after all the screaming in the studio a while ago. 

“Is it over?” Hoon asked. 

“It’s over,” Xin responded. 

“Well, how was it? Did Skateboard Ride win? Did you win against June’s team?” Hoon asked. He was currently confined in his small room, the sound of his mother ranting about how she was the only one doing chores in the house echoing in the thin walls. He was covered in potato chips, soda bottles, and ramen packets that he ate uncooked. All of the lights in his room were turned off except for the purple LED lights that adorned his computer. 

Under his computer were numerous bottles filled with his pee. Now that he was back in their house, Hooon was once again miserable—merely playing games and eating junk food all day long. It’s only been less than a week since he was eliminated, but he already gained a belly pooch. 

As he lost in the game he was playing, he let out a string of curses. Then, his reflection was seen on a black loading monitor, making him feel even more miserable than before. 

And he could only blame it on one person. 

“Well,” Hoon asked. “Who won?”

Xin let out a deep sigh before responding. “They won.”

“They won against your team?” 

“No,” Xin softly said. “They won the Concept Mission. They won even against Skateboard Ride.” 

Hoon stopped for a second, the mouse pointer hovering over the game’s ‘start’ button. 

“What?” he asked after a while, his voice sending shivers down Xin’s spine. 

“Uh…June won? They got 200,000 stars.” 

Hoon’s grip on his soda bottle tightened, causing some of the liquid to ooze and spill over his legs. He was surprised to find that it was really warm. 

What the hell? It was straight out of the fridge. 

He looked at the bottle and saw that the contents were yellow instead of clear, sparkling white.

“Shit!” he cursed loudly, causing him to let go of the pee bottle and soak his white shirt too. 

Feeling frustrated by it all, Hoon screamed out of rampage before standing up and punching a hole in his wall. His mother heard the commotion from upstairs and shook her head. 

“When am I going to live a peaceful life?” she muttered as she continued washing the dishes. 

“A—are you okay, bro?” Xin asked, sensing Hoon’s anger even through the phone. 

Hoon continued to breathe heavily, and Xin’s fear escalated. 

“The photos I sent,” Xin said, trying to divert Hoon’s attention. “Have you gone through them? Can you believe it? I think June is actually loaded. It doesn’t come off that way, and his friends also say that he lives in a small apartment.”

“Shut up,” Hoon snapped, causing Xin to shut his mouth. 

Hoon closed his eyes for a second and tried to calm down.

He couldn’t lose his cool yet. He still hadn’t made June pay. 

“I have seen the photos,” he calmly said, his voice turning a complete 360, causing Xin to become even more fearful. 

Hoon doesn’t seem to be himself anymore. 

He sounded so…desperate. 

As Hoon calmed down, he went back to his computer and exited the shooting game he was currently obsessed with. He sat down, ignoring the way his computer chair made a squelching sound, and then pulled up an article from Navel. 

He had been desperate for June’s downfall ever since he got eliminated, and he camped on various social media sites to find something that could lead to his demise. 

And after sleepless nights, he finally came across the article…

It wasn’t a big discussion among the public since it involved Azure’s shareholders—something boring to a normal citizen’s eye. 

But Hoon can make it much bigger. 

He just needed something more. 

“Those shoes,” Hoon started off. “From the box, I can tell those are limited edition shoes. Tomorrow, I need you to go back to June’s room and take a picture of them.” 

“And tomorrow, Xin,” he continued. “I need you to follow him.” 

“How is that going to help us?” Xin asked. 

“Trust me,” Hoon said, smirking, still staring at the article on his computer. “I have a good hunch about this.” 

Then, he turned off the call before letting a manic chuckle. Those chuckles eventually turned to bouts of laughter, causing Hoon’s mom to think that her son had gone crazy. 

“Choi Joon-ho,” Xin whispered. “You’re one sly bastard.”