From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show
chapter-939

The lock was heard from inside Pablo's office, causing Minjun to freeze in shock.

"He just locked us in," he muttered, shaking his head. He tried to twist it open, but it was truly locked.

"Stay in there," June said firmly, his voice muffled through the thick door. "Talk it out."

On the other side of the room, Lena sat quietly, eyes tracing the curve of her son's back as he simmered in front of the door. She could see the frustration in the tightness of his shoulders as well as the anger he didn't know how to express.

"Minjun, sit down," she said softly.

Out of everything that June did (except for being such a good and handsome guy in 'Everyday, Everynight'), this was something she really appreciated.

"I'm leaving."

He pulled at the door, but it still wouldn't budge.

"You're not going anywhere," she sighed, sounding tired. She hadn't been getting any sleep. "We need to talk."

Minjun's hand slipped off the doorknob. He turned to face her, bitterness lining his words. "What's there to talk about? You're not going to listen."

Lena flinched but held her ground. "I will. Please, just talk to me."

Minjun scoffed, pacing the floor with his head bowed. "You'll hear what I say, but you won't listen. You never do."

His words cut deep, like a blade sinking in slowly into her flesh. Lena swallowed hard, her throat thickening with the pain of the truth. She had tried, hadn't she? She had always tried to be there, to give him the best life she could. But now, face-to-face with her son's anger, she wondered if she had ever truly understood him.

"I'm listening now," she whispered, eyes pleading. "Did something happen, son? I thought everything was going well. We didn't even fight before you ran away."

Minjun stopped, his breath heavy as he looked at her. His lips trembled before he finally spoke, "It doesn't matter anymore. I've already made peace with it."

"With what?" Lena's eyes softened.

"The divorce," Minjun muttered, staring at the ground. "I'm alright with it. I've been alright for a long time."

She had always worried how the divorce would affect Minjun, but he had never said anything. He had just... accepted it.

"You didn't need to be alright with it," she whispered.

Minjun's hands balled into fists. "But I had to be. I had Grandma. She always told me why you and Dad were away. You were both working hard for us to give us a good life. She made me understand that."

Lena blinked, tears forming at the edges of her eyes. "I thought... I thought I was doing what was best."

"I know," Minjun sighed. "Grandma explained it over and over, and I believed her. But sometimes..." His voice broke, and he shook his head. "Sometimes, I wonder what it would've been like to have a different kind of richness."

Lena's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Minjun met her eyes, and she could see the years of loneliness in them. "I didn't need all the stuff. The house, the fancy things. I just... I just wanted a family. I wanted time, not money."

Lena's throat tightened, tears falling now, no longer able to hold them back. She had convinced herself for so long that she was doing the right thing, working so hard for Minjun's future, that she hadn't seen how much she was losing in the present.

"Then June came," Minjun continued, his voice softer now. "He was so pathetic at first. He didn't have anyone. But he worked hard, he pushed through everything, and... I admired him a lot. And the craziest thing is, he treated me like I was his real brother."

Minjun shook his head. "I've never felt like anyone's real anything. Not with you, not with Dad. But June? He made me feel like I mattered like I wasn't just this... this project you both dropped off with Grandma while you went off living your lives."

"And then," Minjun's voice cracked again, "when Grandma died, and you came back, I thought... I thought maybe things would be different. That maybe, finally, we could live like a

normal family, even if it's just the two of us most of the time."

Lena couldn't breathe, her chest heavy. "I wanted that too..."

"But it wasn't different."

"You were still busy. You still didn't have time for me. And somehow..." He paused, his face twisted in pain.

"Somehow, it hurt even more. Because this time, you were right here, but you still felt so far away."

Lena pursed her lips. "I'm sorry..."

Minjun sighed, slumping against the wall. "Don't get me wrong. I'm thankful for everything. I know not everyone gets to be loved like this, with so much money. But it still hurts."

Lena's chest heaved, and she wiped at her tears, unable to stop the flood now. "Is that why you left? Because you hate me?"

Minjun shook his head slowly, looking at her with sadness she hadn't seen before. "No. It's because you hate me."

Lena gasped, covering her mouth as his words sank in. "What? No! How could you think that?"

"You never asked me what I wanted."

"I liked school, but you pulled me out to homeschool me. I liked our neighbors, but you took me away from them. And I liked June - he was the only one who made me feel like I belonged somewhere-but you didn't want me to talk to him anymore."

"He's already having such a tough time, but you're pushing him away. He's been there with me when no one else was. I want to be the same with him."

"I don't really know why, but I really want to help him. Maybe it's because he truly is pathetic, or maybe Grandpa's genes passed onto me, and I just like helping people who have way less

than I do."

"But, again, you're starting to push him away. You accepted that Lei guy so easily in your life when he hadn't done anything worth trusting for, but you're here, taking away the person I

care about the most."

"So, you really, really hate me."

"Minjun," she muttered.

"Sometimes," Minjun interrupted.

"I think it would have been better if I wasn't born at all."