From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show
chapter-976

The anticipation surrounding DAWN's new album had taken the country, or even the whole world, by storm.

After the teaser dropped, fans couldn't wait to see what this rebranded version of EVE had to offer. The chatter online had been non-stop, hashtags trending, theories flying about what the concept would be.

Everyone, it seemed, was getting ready for it to drop.

The album itself even garnered three million pre-orders, breaking their previous record.

Jia and her friends had gone all out. They didn't want to just watch the video on their phones -they had rented an entire computer shop. Rows of screens lined up, each one prepared to stream the music video the moment it went live. Jia clutched her drink with shaky hands, glancing at Bora, who had a proud smirk on her lips.

"I can't believe we managed to book this whole place!" Jia said.

Bora grinned and opened up a can of soda. "I told you! Our family has various careers. My uncle owns this place and also manages the pork belly shop downstairs. Meanwhile, my aunt has an underwear laundry shop next door."

"Underwear laundry shop?" Jia asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Yeah," Bora said like it was a normal occurrence. "A laundry shop just for underwear."

"No wonder," Jia said, finding it was fitting for Bora to have such a weird family.

Meanwhile, in another part of the city, Mimi and Nico were lounging in their shared apartment. The TV was on, streaming the countdown.

Mimi was practically vibrating with excitement, sitting cross-legged on the couch and wearing one of June's old hoodies she'd snagged from an online auction. She didn't know if it was authentic, but it was the thought that counted for her.

"This is it!" she squealed, clapping her hands together. "I've been waiting for this all week! No-all month!"

Nico, sitting next to her, couldn't help but roll his eyes. "I don't get what the big deal is," he muttered, though a small part of him was curious. But that curiosity was overshadowed by the feeling of jealousy.

Mimi had been talking non-stop about DAWN, about June specifically, and while Nico didn't want to admit it, he also really wanted to watch their music video. Of course, he wasn't going to admit that.

Mimi glanced at Nico, noticing his brooding face, and smirked. "You're just mad because you know they're better than BOYMYSTIC."

"Pfft. As if," Nico grumbled, crossing his arms. "They're okay, I guess."

"Okay? They're the most successful group to come out of Rising Stars! Admit it! We wouldn't be able to do what EVE-I mean, DAWN-had done."

Elsewhere, Choi Pablo was living it up. He and his photographer friends were gathered in a luxury apartment with a panoramic view of the city behind them.

"So, you guys are really in for a treat," Pablo bragged, leaning back against the plush cushions, swirling a drink in his hand. "I personally know DAWN. We go way back. Worked with them on a few shoots, you know?"

His friends, mostly unimpressed, raised skeptical eyebrows. "Yeah, yeah. We'll see how good it is," one of them said, clicking around on his laptop.

Pablo just smirked, knowing he'd get the last word after they saw the video.

In a quieter part of the city, the dancers from Gun's dance studio had taken a break from their usual intense practice session. Sweat still glistened on their skin, but no one wanted to miss the video drop. Gun himself had gathered his crew around a massive screen, grinning as they all settled in.

"This is gonna be epic," Gun said, popping a piece of gum into his mouth. "You know DAWN's choreo is always tight. Watch closely-we'll have to learn this one by tomorrow."

There were groans of agreement, but everyone secretly couldn't wait.

One of the dancers raised her hand. "But didn't you hate them, teacher?" she asked.

The old students turned to the girl and shook their heads. "She must be new here," they muttered.

Gun placed his hand over his heart and looked outside the window. "I freaking love those guys. If I could give them the world, I would," he said with resolution.

The room fell silent as the screen flickered with the final countdown seconds.

In the richest part of town, Minmin and Lena were sharing a rare moment of peace, sitting by the window with cups of hot chocolate warming their hands.

"I can't believe we're actually going to watch this live," Minmin said, blowing on his drink. "It's like we're witnessing history."

Lena nodded, though her thoughts seemed distant. Her phone buzzed, the notification for the music video's release making her heart skip a beat.

"I thought you hated June, Mom," Minmin continued. "Or is it the opposite? Do you like

him?"

Lena blinked, nearly spilling her hot chocolate. "What? Where did that come from?"

Minmin smirked knowingly. "Oh, come on. You can't hide it now. I bet if we looked at your search history-"

Lena's face flushed red as she quickly shook her head. "It's not like that."

"Really?" Minmin leaned in, teasing. "So, you wouldn't want him to be my dad?"

"No!" she exclaimed, her cheeks growing even redder. However, a tiny part of her mind agreed with her son.

"Let's just watch it," she muttered, not wanting to discuss it further.

All at once, the notifications began lighting up across the city. The music video had dropped. Phones, laptops, and TVs flickered on in apartments, cafés, and studios.

The screen was dark at first.

No music. Just silence.

Slowly, a night sky came into view, stars twinkling faintly in the distance. The video played

like a mini-film, not a typical music video. There was no flashy choreography or immediate explosion of sound. Instead, it opened with eight boys-each one walking alone under the

night sky.

Eight different boys. Eight different lives.

The camera lingered on each of them, their expressions thoughtful, as if they were all on separate journeys. No words were spoken, but the mood was heavy.

Each of the boys continued walking through different locations-a quiet street, a train

station, and an empty bridge.

Still, there was no music.

Just the soft hum of the night.

The anticipation grew as the boys' footsteps echoed. There was a moment when everything seemed to slow down. The night stretched endlessly around them, and for a brief second, the silence felt overwhelming, like the calm before the storm.

Then the screen went black.