From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

The members of DAWN gathered around in the practice room, each of them sprawled across the floor, catching their breath after a long practice.

Sweat glistened on their faces, but so did a collective sense of frustration. The song they were bound to perform at PAPA awards continued playing in the background, so Jaeyong went and stopped it, already finding it repetitive.

"Is it possible to hate our songs when I liked it so much back then?" he asked.

Jisung shook his head. "Of course, it's not normal! We should love our songs."

"I love our songs," Casper chimed.

"Man, I do, too," Zeth sighed. "But this performance preparation is making me drained."

"Tell me about it," Sehun said. "It feels like we're still in the beginning of everything even though we've practiced so much."

Ren nodded in agreement. "There's something missing here! I just don't know what."

"We need something new, something...extra," Jaeyong declared, hands on his hips, still breathing heavily.

He was met with a chorus of sighs.

Akira wiped his forehead dramatically, grinning from ear to ear as if he was about to solve the world's problems with one brilliant idea.

"What if we did, like...a ribbon dance?" he said.

Sehun, leaning back against the mirrored wall, raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know how to use ribbons? You barely handle a mic stand, Akira."

Akira shrugged. "Hey, I saw it in a drama once. They looked cool!"

Jisung's eyes lit up. "What if we tried ballet?"

"No way!" Zeth shot down the idea immediately, looking horrified. "Ballet is such a hard type of dance. People underestimate it. You're the only one who can do it well! Imagine what that would do to my image!"

Everyone rolled their eyes, especially Ren, who muttered, "Of course, it's always about your 'image.'"

Zeth ignored him, leaning back with his usual smirk. "Actually, you know what we need?"

He casually began to tug at the hem of his shirt, winking at his reflection in the mirror. "Maybe I should just...take this off." He flexed his arms, smirking as he looked around for approval.

"Zeth, we're aiming for PG-13, not an R rating," Jaeyong groaned, covering his eyes. "Do you think the PAPA awards are going to be okay with that?"

Zeth shrugged, clearly unfazed. "Can't help it if the fans want what they want."

Casper suddenly jumped up, pointing at Zeth. "Oh, I got it! We should do...a roleplay theme.

Like, I could be the hero, Zeth's the villain, and the rest of you are my backup squad! I'll save the day, obviously."

"And who are we going to save?" Jisung excitedly asked.

Career turned to June.

"Oh heck no!" June exclaimed.

Akira's laugh was loud and immediate. "You? The hero? If anyone's saving the day, it's obviously me. You're the comic relief, Casper."

Ren chimed in, his tone dry. "And does this hero rescue include a brain transplant for you?"

June looked at his members with disbelief and shook his head. "Goodness," he muttered. "That's what all of you are concerned about-and not me as your freaking damsel?"

"That's actually the best part of the idea," Sehun said, causing June to sigh in disappointment.

He then searched his mind for a brand new idea.

It seemed like DAWN had done every trick in the book. That was how many performances they had curated. Being in survival shows, they were compelled to perform with new concepts in fast intervals.

Now, they were going to perform at a much larger stage-with different fandoms attending -so they had to leave a good impression.

He leaned against his elbows and looked at his members before suggesting something. "What about...martial arts?"

The room went silent as everyone turned to look at him, blinking as if he'd suggested they all try underwater synchronized swimming.

"Martial arts?" Jaeyong's jaw dropped a bit, already picturing the group doing stunts on the stage.

June nodded, his expression unchanging. "Think about it. High energy, crowd-pleasing, impressive."

Sehun looked doubtful, scratching his head. "You think we're all built for that? I mean, I've got old bones."

"Sehun, don't say that," Jaeyong said. "Please don't succumb to these guys' teases."

Sehun chuckled. "Sorry. Akira is getting to me."

"It's cool though!" Jisung exclaimed, his eyes sparkling. "Like we could jump and kick and do those fancy moves! Imagine Casper doing a flying spin!"

Ren chuckled, rolling his eyes. "The only 'flying spin' he'd be doing is falling on his face." Casper raised his hand. "I was in the Taekwondo and Judo team when I was younger."

They all turned to him with wide eyes. Then, in the small space, Casper executed the flying spin that Jisung had mentioned.

Ren looked at him with wide eyes. "Holy crap! I forgot how talented you were for a second." Zeth, too, seemed intrigued. "I could make martial arts look hot."

Casper's eyes suddenly lit up again. "Wait! We could do a crossover! Martial arts and roleplay! Like, we're all fighters from different realms, meeting in an epic battle to...I dunno, save the world or something...or June. June is better."

"Alright, that's enough," Ren chuckled. "Let's stick with Martial Arts, yeah? Casper can teach us some tricks."

"Is that alright with everyone?"

They shrugged, and their leader, too, didn't seem to hate the idea.

"We still have some time," he said. "I think it's worth trying."

Just then, the door creaked open, and Jay stepped into the room, his clipboard in hand and a tight-lipped smile on his face. The members immediately groaned in unison, already sensing what this could mean.

"DAWN, I see you're...hard at work," Jay began, raising an eyebrow as he took in the scene

before him.

"Another schedule?" Ren guessed, his tone dry as sand.

Jay nervously chuckled, clutching the clipboard closer to his body. "Let's just say, you're going to need all this 'creative energy' you've been discussing. I've got something big

planned for you."

Jaeyong shook his head.

"We don't want it."