From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

It was another sunny day for the members of EVE. As their promotion week had already ended, they had significantly fewer schedules.

However, they had some shoots and small brand endorsements here and there. They were also busily preparing for the New Year's Eve performance that happened every end of the year.

They would have also started preparing for the award shows this time around. However, since they debuted in late November, the tracking period for their records for the entire year wasn't sufficient. The same went for OCTA. So, it meant that the group would probably only be able to attend actual award shows next year.

Today, Zeth had a solo brand endorsement for a coffee brand.

"Alright, we're doing this," Akira said, walking out of his room to reveal his all-black outfit, which had cut-holes in his torso, slightly showing his abs.

June, with a simple black hoodie and sweatpants, stared at him, unimpressed.

"What are you wearing?" June asked.

Akira gave him a twirl. "Isn't it cool? This is what gangsters wear when they have missions and stuff."

June scoffed. "We—I mean, they most definitely don't wear that."

"Whatever," Akira said. "You're just jealous my outfit's cooler than yours."

June shook his head. "Where are Casper and Jisung?"

"Here," two voices said at the same time.

June turned around and saw his other two accomplices, who fortunately wore normal outfits.

The four of them were set to go to Chul's house to find some kind of proof that he was, instead, the sock thief. June knew that a mere foot fetish wouldn't get him fired. However, once June proved that he was an actual creep who stole his artists' socks, he was sure Chul was going to lose this battle.

"Are you all ready?" June asked.

"Yup," Jisung chimed. "This is so exciting! I've never done something like this before."

Akira smiled and wrapped his arm around Jisung's shoulder. "Congrats, bro. This is going to be your very first crime!"

Jisung's eyes widened in surprise. "This is a crime?"

"Well, of course," Akira said. "We're going to break inside someone's apartment. I don't think that's legal."

Jisung started hiccupping, unaware of what they were truly doing.

June clicked his tongue and pinched Akira's side, causing the latter to exclaim in pain.

"Don't scare him. This won't be a real crime if it isn't discovered." June reprimanded.

Akira chuckled but quickly turned serious. "Wait. How do you know that?"

June ignored Akira and turned to Casper.

"Did Zeth give the go signal?" he asked.

"Yes," Casper responded. "They've already started driving to the shoot's location. We have half a day to accomplish our mission."

"Good. Let's go then," June said, walking to the door.

"Wait, June. How do you know that?" Akira asked, running after him.

***

The four of them arrived at a huge condominium with lavish greenery outside its huge doors.

They looked up at it in amazement, wondering how Chul was able to live in such a nice place.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" June asked Casper.

"Yeah, I'm sure," Casper said. "He mentioned his address once. He lives near the penthouse."

Akira raised his eyebrows in suspicion. "And how do you know that?"

Casper shrugged. "I just asked, and he answered. I feel like he's a big fan of me."

"Well, let's get going," June said, leading the group and walking to the back entrance.

"Wait, where are we going?" Jisung asked.

"These condominiums have tight security, so we're going through the back windows where guards usually don't watch over," June nonchalantly said.

The other three members looked at each other with confused expressions.

"You know an awful lot about these things," Akira said.

As expected, there really weren't any guards in the spot that June recommended. However, as they fixed their postures, they saw an old woman looking at them with wide eyes.

"Oops," Akira said as he faced the old woman.

She was about to call the security guards but stopped when she saw the familiar face of the pink-haired man.

"June?" she asked, her voice a bit raspy.

June smiled, feeling a sense of relief. "Hi, how are you?" he asked, working his charms.

"Oh goodness. It really is you!" she exclaimed. "I'm such a big fan. I'm friends with your grandma."

June's eyebrows raised in surprise.

June knew Grandma had some pretty rich friends, but bumping into one of them while they were trying to break into Chul's place was absurd.

"Can I take a picture with all of you? I'm going to boast about it to my friends," she excitedly said.

"Sure," June said.

The old woman moved closer to the four of them. She pulled out her phone and snapped a picture. At that moment, June saw the room number on her key card.

"Wait, you live on the 15th floor?" June asked.

"Yes," the grandma smiled. "My daughter bought the place for me and my husband. Although, it's a bit too high for old people like us. Fortunately, the elevator always works in this place."

"Doesn't Chul live on the 15th floor?" June whispered to Casper.

Casper nodded. "Yes, room 156."

"Perfect," June said, looking at the number on her card—155.

"I can't wait to show this to everyone," the old lady continued, gushing at their picture on her phone.

June cleared his throat and stepped closer to her, causing her to lift her head.

"Umm, we actually need your help for something. Will that be alright with you?"

"Of course," she beamed. "Anything for you! Your grandma told me you were a very kind boy, so I wouldn't hesitate to help you."

***

With the old woman's help, the members of EVE were able to enter Chul's apartment without any worry.

Although Akira almost died when he missed a step from the old woman's balcony to Chul's, it was alright. Casper pulled him in just in time!

Jisung held his breath as he opened the balcony doors. "It's unlocked," he said, sighing in relief.

"As expected," June said. "People always leave their balcony doors open."

"Yeah," Akira said, still traumatized. "Because normal people wouldn't even think of going through their balconies! I almost died back there."

"But you didn't," Casper said. "And this was actually a good idea. We wouldn't have been able to enter Chul's apartment otherwise."

Akira clicked his tongue, still thinking about his near-death experience.

"Find something strange," June said. "Anything that would prove that he is, indeed, a fucking creep."

His members nodded.

They searched the entire apartment, opening drawers and rummaging through stuff, all without disorganizing it too much.

"Hey, all the other rooms are unlocked except for this one," Akira said, calling his members over.

June stopped looking through the bathroom and went to where Akira was.

"Did you guys find anything yet?" he asked the other two members.

"Nope," Jisung said.

"Not yet," Casper said. "All of it's pretty normal for now."

"Me too," Akira said. "But I think there's something strange in this room. It smells somewhat…unique."

"I thought I was the only one," Casper said. "It smells just like our practice room when you remove your shoes to air your feet out."

Akira glared at him. "Shut up. My feet don't stink that bad."

"Casper," Jisung sarcastically said.

"How are we going to open the door, though?" Akira asked, changing the subject. "Should we start looking for the key?"

The three boys looked around the place.

However, June quickly kneeled down to the ground and bought something from his pocket—a safety pin, causing them to halt their search.

June shaped the metal material to his liking before inserting it through the keyhole and picking the lock.

His members looked at him, bewildered.

Then, not even seconds later, a click was heard, and the doorknob fully twisted.

"Alright," Akira exclaimed. "This is getting pretty weird now. How do you know how to pick locks, too?"

June once again ignored his question and opened the door fully.

Akira was about to continue interrogating June. However, he was quickly stunned into silence as June turned on the lights.

They looked at the room with baffled expressions.

"What the hell?"