From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

It was the final week of promotions for EVE, and they were more stirred up than ever. Even now, at the live shows, it seemed like they were giving their absolute best for their performance.

Of course, they try to always exert their best efforts for every performance. However, since this was their very last music show, they wanted to prove something to those watching.

The audience members, especially those who weren't astras, were shocked to see the amount of passion in the members' eyes.

A pair, whose ult groups were OCTA and LUNIX, stood at the very front.

"Don't you think they got better at performing?" the girl asked her boy best friend. "Their center is absolutely killing it."

"Yes," the guy responded. "We've been going to these music shows for the past week, and it feels like they're improving as every week passes."

Truly, the group continued practicing even after their tiring promotions. They stayed up late at night to continuously upgrade their skills, which became the reason for their improvement for every performance.

Today, they not only wanted to show they were deserving of a music show win, but they also wanted to give their best performance to their fans as a thank-you gift for supporting them from the very start.

Zeth saw June in his peripheral vision and felt a bit confused. Was it just him, or were his dance lines more beautiful this time around?

They ended the stage with their final pose, a bit breathless from performing two songs. The crowd cheered louder than they had expected. Even non-fans were cheering for them!

Jaeyong smiled at all of them, leading their final greetings before leaving the stage.

"Don't you think we had more cheers than usual?" Ren excitedly asked, still a bit breathless from their performance.

"Yeah," Sehun responded, downing a bottle of water. "I think we really have a chance to win today's music show."

They walked back to their waiting room but stumbled upon OCTA, who were set to perform next.

There was an undeniable tension between the two groups, and even Seven, who smiled cheerfully at June and Jaeyong, felt more tense than usual.

"Good luck, guys," Jaeyong smiled.

Uno didn't say anything but smiled back.

The two groups parted ways, the suffocating air slowly being cleared as EVE entered their waiting room.

"I can't do this," Zeth said, plopping on the couch. "We really need to win."

Even with three weeks of promotions, EVE hadn't received a music show win. While it was true that they had more streaming points than OCTA, the latter group had more fans in general.

They had more album sales and more dedicated fanbases, and the support from their company with all the s and promotions was relatively better.

"We have to win," Ren said with determination. "It's our very last chance to win for this comeback."

Jaeyong leaned against his seat, sighing as he stared at his lap.

"Let's hope for the best."

***

"Offering you trending music in the comfort of your homes—this is Music Gayo!"

The three MCs of the popular music show, 'Music Gayo,' smiled cheerfully at the camera.

They all held microphones that had their names in pink, sparkly writing.

"For this week, we have two hot rookies with us!" Wonhyuk exclaimed.

"They were also last week's nominees," Jihyo continued, "I wonder who will take the trophy this time?"

"Will it be OCTA—who will secure their double crown on the show? Or will it be EVE—who will finally get their first win?"

June watched their scoreboard intently.

Of all the music shows they had attended, June was definitely the most nervous for this one.

Not only because it was their very last music show for this particular comeback but also because he held some kind of hope in his heart that they may actually win.

When he woke up this morning, he was bombarded with compliments for his guesting on Quiz God. It also made 'Oasis' rise up in the charts. Moreover, there were numerous posts online of new fanbases dedicated to EVE.

So, their chances of winning was higher this time around.

"Let's see their scores!" Jihyo exclaimed.

"Music streaming…"

The members of EVE held their breaths as the numbers were shown. A small smile appeared on June's lips when he saw they were already leading with 500 points.

The members of OCTA, despite having two wins under their belt, wanted to take their third win.

"Album sales…"

As expected, OCTA led in that certain category. However, it seemed like EVE was still leading in terms of total score.

"Online votes…"

For the past music shows, OCTA dominated the 'online votes' category. However, today, there was a mere one-digit difference between the two.

Zeth and Ren turned to each other with wide eyes, not expecting such a huge jump in their online votes.

"And lastly, broadcast score…"

The two groups watched the scoreboard intently. It was hard to predict the winner of today's music show. EVE was actually leading with 56 points! This was the highest score they had gotten out of all the music shows they attended.

So, ambition continued to fill their hearts, all of them praying for a music show win.

The hard work they had poured into their debut flashed back into their minds—from the song picking to the dance and vocal practices and even up to the music video filming.

There were some regrets along the way. However, it couldn't be denied that they had done their best for this comeback.

The fans in the audience clasped their hands together, hoping for the best for their favorite artist.

Astras knew that EVE deserved it more than anyone else.

It's not because OCTA doesn't deserve it at all, but ending EVE's comeback without a music show win would be unbelievable.

Jia couldn't make it to the live show this time because she had her classes. However, she was watching it under her desk with her wireless earphones in.

"Let's see the total!" Wonhyuk exclaimed.

Time seemed to move slower as their final scores were finally shown.

9878 vs. 9763

"Congratulations to OCTA! You have achieved a double crown on Music Gayo!"