From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show
chapter-696

June froze as soon as Lina said those words.

He even felt his heart stop as he looked into her hopeless eyes. He hadn't seen her like that before.

Not even when she couldn't join their high school field trip.

Not even when she got scammed by a K-Pop album seller.

Not even when their parents died.

Although, she was a bit too young to comprehend what was truly happening back then.

June could guess that she was also devastated when he died, but he didn't live long enough to see it.

Nonetheless, this was the most dejected that June had ever seen Mei Ling.

"Poor girl," Akira said. "She must feel so pressured."

"I know that I'm less skilled than everybody else," she sighed.

"I also said that I want to prove myself to all of you and show my improved skills," she continued, still looking down at her lap.

"But why is it so hard?" she asked.

"I'm trying my best," Mei chuckled, although her voice was devoid of any happiness.

"Or at least I think I'm trying my best. However, it just feels like my best isn't good enough."

- Are you guys happy now? This beautiful girl is breaking down because of all the pressure she is feeling.

- She set herself up. She told everyone she would improve.

- It's been one week! Do you think she's June or something?

- June improved so fast, though. Why can't she do it?

June looked down at his lap as the comment section were bombarded with Mei being compared with him.

He felt guilt consume his heart.

The main reason why he improved so fast was because he had Fu. However, his sister was being unjustly compared to him.

"I feel like nobody's supporting me in this dream," she continued, making June lift his head.

There were tears brimming in her eyes, making June feel even guiltier than he already was.

"I came here out of my own accord because I want to be an idol, but it seems like a lot of people are against me going for my dream—even those who don't know much about me," she muttered.

June pursed his lips since he knew that he was one of those people.

He only wanted what was best for her sister, but as he thought back on those times, he realized that he must have hurt his feelings.

"However, I don't want to complain any further," Mei continued, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands.

Then, she looked into the camera.

"I went into this show knowing that it wouldn't be easy," she said with resolution.

"So, for now, I will just focus on myself..."

"...and go back to where I came from—to my origin."

With that, the clip ended, yet Mei's words continued to echo in his mind.

"Origin," he muttered.

There was that word again.

He didn't realize how much that word was thrown around up until he received his latest mission from Fu.

"She's right," Jisung sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "When everything gets tough, you just have to go back to your roots."

"Ask yourself—how did you get here? Where did you come from? Where does your home lie?" he continued.

"You've also reminded us that plenty of times before, right, June?" he asked, nudging June's shoulder.

June looked at Jisung, his mind still racing with a thousand thoughts.

How he got here.

Where he came from.

Where his home lies.

Just then, June's head started hurting, causing him to hold onto his temples.

Jisung and Akira noticed this and quickly went to his aid.

"Bro," Jisung said in a concerned tone. "Are you alright?"

"Oh goodness," Akira panicked. "Is this because you practiced with us? You should have really stayed at home and kept on resting!"

June shook his head and opened his eyes, finally finding the answer to the question that had been lingering in his mind.

"I got it," June muttered, causing the two to look at each other in confusion.

"What?" Jisung asked.

June retrieved his phone from his pocket and opened his notes app, where the poem entitled BC was hidden.

A beauty in the rain

It had already been established that Mei was the beauty under the rain. Her name also sounded like 'May,' which strengthened the point even more.

Gave me something I didn't know I needed

She gave Choi Joon-ho the briefcase in fear of it landing in the hands of the wrong people.

But it brought immense pain.

It brought immense pain since he witnessed the death of Chen Jun Hao. Aside from that, he also saw Haruto slowly losing himself and his dream—even going as far as trying to take his life by jumping off of a building.

That I had it seeded

Buried, underground

June interpreted this literally. The briefcase must be buried underground—away from prying eyes and evil hands.

Where the sun doesn't shine

The sun didn't shine in his original home that much. It was a pretty rainy province except for the summer, and it had been called as the 'Wet City' ever since.

Where life took love

Where his parents died—the people that Choi Joon-ho truly loved.

Where flowers bloom

Their graves were embellished with flowers scattered around the area to honor the beauty of their lives.

...where it was engulfed in flames

Their house had been burned down by unknown people, so everything he knew and loved had turned to ashes.

It was an ingenious clue—one that only Choi Joon-ho would know about.

Fortunately for June, although he wasn't Choi Joon-ho himself, there would always be a part of him that June would understand.

So, he was able to decipher the clue and possibly the location of the briefcase.

"Finally," June muttered with a small smile.

He was finally going to find the answers to his questions!

"June," Jisung said, snapping him back to reality. "You shouldn't come with us to practice tomorrow."

"Yeah," Akira agreed. "You should rest."

June couldn't shake the smile off of his face as he sat back down on the couch.

"Yeah—rest," he muttered.

Akira and Jisung turned to each other, finding June's tone suspicious.

"Are...you alright?" Jisung asked.

June nodded. "Of course," he said. "I'm going to rest tomorrow."

June just won't tell them where he would rest.

It would be in his hometown—Gangwon Province.