From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

Silence.

There were no words needed between the two.

They sat there in each other's arms, savoring the newfound brotherhood they had formed.

Minjun always wanted a real brother, and now, he had June.

Meanwhile, June never thought he'd have another sibling in this lifetime aside from Mei Ling, but Minjun proved that wrong.

As they continued to bask in the beauty of silence, there was another person trying to stay as silent as possible.

She covered her mouth to choke back a sob.

Lena leaned against the wall and peeked inside the room, her heart aching as she looked at her broken child.

After June rejected her offer to find out what was truly going on with her son, Lena did a background check on June.

She had found out some pretty interesting things—some that could potentially ruin his career.

June was the very first person who made Lena question her worth as a parent, and she admits that she acted rashly with her decisions.

However, after hearing their conversation, she felt a newfound respect for the idol.

Never in her life had she seen Minjun cry as hard as he did just now. Aside from the times when he was a toddler, Minjun didn't cry much. He didn't even cry when Lena got divorced with his dad.

So, Lena always thought Minjun was stronger than most kids.

She admired him for that.

Lena didn't pay much attention to Minjun's feelings because she thought he could handle them better than the average child.

Yet, in the end, she was wrong.

Minjun was still a child—a broken child who only put up a brave facade.

Was it for himself?

Or maybe it was for his parents?

Lena shook her head, looking at the flash drive that had always been in her pocket after the background search she did on June. She quickly destroyed the flash drive before tossing it into the trash, walking away from the room with a heavy heart.

As she walked, she bumped into her mom, who was shocked to see her presence.

"Lena?" Grandma exclaimed, placing down the food she had prepared on a nearby seat. "What are you doing here?"

Lena didn't say anything and just wrapped her arms around her mother, leaning into her embrace.

Grandma was stunned for a moment, but she also wrapped her arms around her child, resting her chin against her shoulder.

The older woman smiled and rubbed Lena's back, comforting her daughter.

"Oh, you fool," Grandma said. "What have you gotten yourself into?"

Lena let out a deep breath before gently breaking their hug.

"What did I do to Minjun, Mom?"

"You weren't there," Grandma said. "Although I tried to fill the void of your absence in his heart, I just know it could never be replaced."

Lena looked down at the ground in disappointment.

The life she had chosen—it made it harder for her to pay attention to her child.

However, hearing Minjun's honest confession, Lena wanted to try harder as a mother.

"Is it too late now?" Lena asked, tears welling up in her eyes.

Grandma smiled, placing a hand over her shoulder.

"It's never too late," Grandma said.

Then, she rummaged through her pockets before bringing out a crumpled piece of paper and handing it to Lena.

Lena looked at the piece of paper in confusion.

"What's this?" she asked.

"Open it," Grandma said.

Lena carefully uncrumpled the paper and read the contents written inside.

"I found this in Minjun's trash can the other day," Grandma said. "Maybe you should consider going."

Lena smiled softly as she looked at the large, bold writing on top of the letter.

'Family Day on January 16, 2024.'

Lena folded it neatly and placed it inside her bag.

Maybe she'll extend her trip a little longer.

Grandma also smiled when she saw her daughter's meaningful look.

"Are you going now?" Grandma asked. "Minjun and I are having dinner with June."

Lena shook her head. "It's alright. I'll join you on another day."

"Are you sure?" Grandma asked.

Lena nodded.

"I'm sure. For now, can you give me that pink-haired guy's number?"

***

"Are you done crying now?" June asked, looking at Minjun's swollen eyes.

He looked like a puffer fish, so June pinched his cheeks out of cuteness aggression.

"Stop teasing me," Minjun said, pushing June's hands away from his face as he chewed his meal.

June shook his head in amusement before taking a bite out of the homemade meal.

He groaned in delight and gave Grandma two thumbs up.

"You're seriously the best. I feel like I haven't eaten real food in a while."

Grandma chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"You should stop by more often then. You've become skinnier, too. What are you eating in your dorm?"

"A whole lot of fried chicken," June said, stuffing his mouth with the delicious food.

Grandma gasped in surprise. "That's not enough to fill your daily nutrients! I'll make you food for the next two weeks, so eat as much as you want."

"You're a life savior, Grandma," June smiled. "But do I really have to stay here for a full two weeks?"

Grandma clicked his tongue. "We've already had this conversation. How can you even think of going back when you can't even move your left arm? It's going to take a lot more than two weeks for you to be able to dance the way you used to before."

June groaned, leaning against the bed rest.

"I'm bored."

"Don't worry. I'll play with you while you're here," Minjun smirked.

"What are you talking about, young man?" Grandma chuckled. "You have classes already. You can't miss out on them anymore."

Minjun, too, groaned in disappointment.

"Now, be good and finish all your food."

The two brothers finished their food in silence despite wanting to complain further.

After they finished their food, Grandma started cleaning up the mess while the two conversed like old times.

"Are you posting on MinMin again?" June asked.

"Yup," Minjun smiled, showing him his phone. "I have a million followers now. That article I wrote about you is off the charts!"

"I hope you didn't exaggerate it," June said. "I can't have other people thinking I'm dead again."

"Don't worry," Minjun smiled. "The company already disclosed you were alive. I did say you almost bled to death, though."

"Minjun!" June exclaimed.

"What?" Minjun innocently said. "I was just telling the truth. Besides, it made the public empathize with you even more. Although, some haters definitely wanted you to have incurred more injuries."

"People are cruel," June said, shaking his head.

"Yeah," Minjun said. "But you know what's more cruel?"

"What?" June asked.

"Your cheese ball commercial," Minjun smiled.

"You suck at acting, bro."