From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

"Congratulations, boys! It's a hit," Kun walked into the room with a wide smile.

"You've officially entered the top ten of the Durian chart!" he exclaimed. "You're the first debuting boy group to do it since 2018!"

Seven cheered loudly while Uno merely nodded in acknowledgment. The others exchanged satisfied smiles, happy with the results they had garnered.

"We already hit three million views despite the view freeze, too," Seven exclaimed, still streaming their video. "The ads our company had put out seem to be working!"

"It also looks like you've already bagged a music show win," Kun said, wrapping his arm around Seven. "Good job, boys. Prepare your acceptance speech well."

"Has the album sales been revealed yet?" Ocho asked.

"Not yet," Kun said. "It's most likely going to be revealed tomorrow. But I'm sure you can expect something good."

"Well, I'm going," Kun said. "I have to treat those interns to Korean BBQ since your album was a success. See you later, boys."

"See you, manager!" Seven exclaimed.

With that, Kun left the room, leaving the eight members to rejoice. However, Seven was the only one blatant about his happiness.

"This is great!" Seven nearly squealed. "Do you guys want to hold a celebration tonight?"

They all turned to Uno.

Uno pursed his lips while the other members looked at him with anticipation.

Uno sighed before nodding. "Fine, order fried chicken."

***

OCTA, clad in their pajamas, gathered in their living room to celebrate the success of their new album.

It was nearing 6 PM, and Seven took the initiative to order eight boxes of fried chicken and three boxes of beer.

His members looked at the display in disbelief.

"What are you doing?" Seven asked. "Sit down and eat already."

Dos shrugged and sat on the floor, joining Seven in his feast. It didn't take long before the other members joined them.

The television was turned on, but it merely showed static, causing Tres to frown.

"What are we watching?"

Seven smirked and opened his YouWatch account before casting it on the television.

Ocho's eyebrows furrowed when Seven clicked on a channel he didn't expect to see.

"Why are you in EVE's channel?" he warily asked. "And why are you subscribed to them?"

"What else, dummy?" Seven exclaimed. "We're going to watch their music video, of course!"

Ocho clicked his tongue and was about to stand up, but Dos pulled him down.

Ocho looked at his teammate in disbelief.

"You actually want to watch this?" he asked.

Dos shrugged, leaning against the couch.

"There's nothing wrong with it. We're monitoring our competition," he said. "Right, Uno?"

Uno merely stared at the screen, so Ocho took that as a sign to sit back down.

"Sweet!" Seven exclaimed when nobody else revolted. "Let's watch it!"

Seven clicked on the music video, his heart beating with anticipation.

However, a long ad played before their video, causing him to sigh in disappointment.

"Just skip it," Six snapped.

"No!" Seven exclaimed, protecting his phone. "Skipping ads aren't good for the creators. I'm not skipping ads for June's group."

The group sighed and shook their heads.

Thankfully, the ad passed quickly, and by that time, the live countdown was already finished, so the music video automatically played.

'OASIS by LEVEL-UP'

The sun touched the horizon, casting a warm golden glow over the paradise-like beach. The water shined like diamonds under the sky, and the beach looked straight out of a fairytale.

Seven gasped as he watched the scene. "Is there a place like this in South Korea? This looks like paradise! Adam and Eve's paradise! Oh, EVE's paradise! Did you see what I did there?"

Ocho covered his mouth and focused on the music video.

The video started with ambient silence. Only the rhythmic symphony of waves crashing against the scene could be heard. It felt more like an ASMR video, and it set the tone that this was going to be a refreshing and comforting music video.

The scene carried a faint feeling of nostalgia, as if the waters were the ones they swam in when they were younger.

Yet, the color palette of the scene bore something...deeper. The sky, while painted in hues of pink and orange, held a secret shadow, creating a subtle eeriness that clung to the edges of the beautiful landscape.

It was a beauty-tinged unspoken mystery.

As the waves continued their gentle lullaby, the camera panned to reveal a distant gathering on the shore.

Eight small silhouettes, barely discernible against the fading sunlight, were engaged in laughter and play. The innocence of their laughter echoed through the air, a melody that complemented the waves.

The live viewers held their breaths in anticipation. The video was barely ten seconds in, but most of them already didn't know what to expect.

- This feels more like a movie

- What do we expect from the queen of drama, June, himself?

- For some reason, I feel like this is going to be iconic.

Uno frowned as he tried to predict how the music video would progress. He thought it was going to be a simple music video of the members playing and dancing on the beautiful beach.

However, there was something more.

There seemed to be a storyline.

He focused his attention back on the music video.

Then, in the place of the carefree children emerged eight figures, now grown and captivating.

The warm hues of the scene intensified as the camera lingered on the group of handsome young men—EVE.

The soft hum of the waves transformed into the subtle melody of the music. It began as a gentle whisper, the first notes creating ripples in the air.

Each member was given a time to shine. The camera panned from one member to the other, refreshing smiles on their faces.

Their smiles, a reflection of shared memories, illuminated the beach like stars in the afternoon sky.

Then, June emerged from the scene, his back turned to the camera.

As he turned around, he sang the first lyrics with a wide smile.

"In the embrace of waves, where the sun meets the shore,

A life lived in water, forever wanting more."