From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

"Have you seen Untouched Souls already?"

"No way! You haven't seen Untouched Souls?"

"The movie is so good. I can't believe you haven't seen it yet."

"At this day and age, it seems like a crime to not have watched Untouched Souls."

"Untouched Souls has garnered 12 million viewers in the domestic market in just a week!"

Director Jam shook his head as he read through the news. The smile on his face couldn't be painted as he continued scrolling.

"Gosh," he muttered, clicking his tongue. "It's a hit. This movie is a hit!"

He knew the movie was bound to be successful because of the star-studded cast. However, the fact that even the strictest critics had complimented the movie made it even more successful.

Of course, there were still some critiques and unreasonable hate online. It's what people do when they see something popular. They jump on the bandwagon and call it 'bad' and 'overrated.'

However, Director Jam didn't mind at all. It was actually working great in his favor! The more they talked about the movie, the bigger his bank account becomes!

Yet, then again, the money didn't feel too important for Director Jam. He was rich enough to live adequately until the age of 95.

He had another script at hand, and he was more focused on bringing June into the production to become his main character.

He called his assistant over, who appeared more tired than he was.

"Yes, sir?" she asked.

"Bubbles," he said, looking at his laptop home screen, which turned out to be a screencap of June in Untouched Souls.

"Have you gotten in touch with Phoenix Entertainment?"

Bubbles pursed her lips and nodded. "Yes, sir," she said. "They've been very easy to

communicate with since they've gotten a new CEO."

"Then, did you ask what I wanted?" he asked, hope filling his heart.

Bubbles nodded. "Yes," she responded. "I gave them a proposition about June being the main character for your new drama."

"What did they say?" he excitedly asked.

Bubbles scratched the back of her head before responding. "Well, you see...June is quite the busy guy, they said. He's fully booked until the end of the year."

"This year?" Director Jam asked, standing from his chair. "Then, we can push the production back a bit! We can start next year."

Bubbles nervously chuckled. "That's the thing, sir," she said. "He's booked until the end of NEXT year."

"WHAT?"

***

"Well, if it isn't our busy guy," Akira said as he came out of June's room. He snuck in during the middle of the night. June wanted to be alone in his room, but Akira couldn't take Casper's snoring and decided that sleeping on the floor of June's room was much better.

"And yet this busy guy is still cooking for you, guys," June said, rolling his eyes.

Akira smiled and leaned against the counter. "Well, at least we can watch your show today! It's the reason why we even gathered here this morning."

June shook his head and gestured for him to sit. "The food isn't ready yet," June said. "Wait a few minutes."

"Hmm," Akira hummed and took his seat.

Since they weren't living in a dorm anymore, June's huge apartment had become their unofficial living quarters. June said he doesn't like having them around so often, but he had brought a bigger dining table to accommodate his eight members.

"Right," Akira said, remembering something. "You never told us how your filming went."

June shrugged. "It wasn't anything special," he said.

"Aww, come on!" Akira exclaimed. "It's Crawling Man! Every episode is funny. I'm sure there was also a funny moment during the filming."

June scratched the back of his neck. "Well, I had a good few laughs," he muttered, feeling a bit bitter.

Akira narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Why do I have a hunch that something happened?"

June pursed his lips. "You'll be able to watch the show anyway."

Akira groaned and glanced at the clock. "That's in ten hours! Come on-just give me a little snippet. Who else did you meet? What was their reaction when they first saw you?"

June sighed and shook his head. "Just wait until the show airs, okay?"

Akira leaned against his chair in defeat. "Oh, I can't wait for it to air."

***

It seemed like the entire country was waiting for Crawling Man to air. It was already a popular show-with a loyal fan base that tuned in every week.

It was also strategically aired on a weekend, so it garnered more viewers. However, today was definitely special. After it was announced that June was going to take part in this week's episode, his fans, who usually didn't even watch cable television, all dropped their phones to watch the show.

Not only that but since Untouched Souls had become popular, his appearance also sparked enthusiasm among the fans of the movie and the book.

Heck, even his celebrity friends wanted to watch the show despite their busy schedules!

"It's starting!" Akira excitedly exclaimed, hugging his knees to himself.

June shook his head, not getting his excitement.

Then, the familiar laughter of the cast members was heard through the speakers. The scenery showed a huge mansion with a flower garden upfront.

They could then hear the distant voices of the members from inside the house, appearing to be eating from the sound of the utensils clanging on the plate.

"What kind of theme do we have today?" Jumi, the actress-turned-comedian, asked with a

very straightforward attitude as they were finally shown.

"Wow!" Jisung exclaimed as soon as they saw them. "She's wearing a princess gown."

Ren then chuckled when he noticed something peculiar. "And Bangsoo is wearing a servant outfit," he said. "Is this going to be another hierarchy game?"

Bangsoo looked down at his outfit and shook his head. "Why am I dressed as a servant?"

"Because you look like one," Jaeduck, the main host of the show, said, causing the six other

members to burst into laughter.

"What am I even supposed to be?" Jeewoo, their oldest member, asked.

"I think you're stable, boy," Eunho, the member they were afraid of the most, noted.

Shinchan shook his head. "The bias is apparent! Why do you get to be the prince?" he asked

Eunho.

Just then, there were sirens surrounding the area, and the windows were covered with black-

out curtains.

Jaeduck's eyes widened.

"What is happening?"