From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show-Novel

414  June the Bandit Pops Up

The members had now come back to their dorm, appearing to be in good moods. Their practice went better than they had anticipated, so they decided to celebrate by lounging in the living room while eating their favorite food—fried chicken. Jay also invited himself to the party, claiming he couldn't miss out on what they were going to watch.

They were lounging on the couch, with some of the members on the carpeted floor. Their dorm was covered with dirty laundry, dust, and a couple of food boxes since they had been so busy for the past weeks. Thankfully, they didn't have to worry about losing socks this time around after Chul's removal from the company. June had given up on nagging them about their mess after the new year. In the end, he rotted along with the other apples. He just settled with keeping his own room clean for now. "What are we even watching?" Sehun asked, gnawing on a chicken leg. Akira exaggeratedly gasped, looking at him like he had committed a crime. "You don't know what this is?" he asked. "It's the hottest drama on TV these days!" "For a hot drama, it seems to not be making any noise," Jaeyong chimed. "I haven't heard about it at all." Jisung shook his head, feeling slightly offended. "As expected, Jaeyong and Sehun don't know about the trends. Their ages are showing." "Ya!" Sehun exclaimed. "We're not that old. I'm only three years older than Akira!" Ren and Zeth chuckled as they continued to argue. "Three years is a long time. You could have a child in those three years," Akira deadpanned. "This is the gap between the babies of the 00s and the 90s." "That's right," Jay agreed, his mouth filled with chicken. Jaeyong shook his head. "You're older than Sehun." Jay sheepishly smiled. "Age is useless," Sehun argued. "I bet June doesn't even know about this." They all turned to June, who was snacking on the radish cubes that the fried chicken came with.

"Don't bother asking. I don't know what it is," June deadpanned before they could even ask him. "See!" Jaeyong smirked. "That doesn't count," Zeth said. "June is an old man trapped in a pretty boy's body. He's an exception. Just accept that you're getting older, bros." Sehun and Jaeyong defeatedly looked at each other before shaking their heads. "Shut up now," Jay snapped. "The show's starting. The last episode ended when they were about to kiss!" After the mellow soundtrack ended, a beautiful garden surrounded by falling cherry blossom petals was shown on screen. Then, two good-looking actors appeared, appearing to be in a serious conversation. That's when June recognized the drama that was playing. June shook his head. Talk about coincidences.

It was the latest drama that Hana Lim filmed! Moreover, it appeared to be the exact episode where he played the bandit. June never thought he'd be seeing this scene on the big screen, but here he was now. The avid fans in the team watched the scene with puckered lips as the two main cast members leaned their faces closer to one another. "Kiss. Just Kiss," Akira passionately whispered. "It's been 8 episodes," Jay muttered. "They need to kiss!" 'I have bad news for you,' June thought. Their faces inched closer to one another, their lips merely a hair's width away. However, before their tender flesh could truly touch, a bandit emerged from the bushes, landing perfectly on the ground. "Oh, fuck off!" Jay couldn't help but curse. "Who the heck is this bandit?" Just then, a close-up shot of the bandit's eyes was shown, making the others stunned. June raised his eyebrows in surprise. He didn't expect a close-up shot as he recalled being filmed from afar. Then, he glanced at his teammates, who all seemed to realize something. 'Shit,' he thought. Did they figure out it was him? "Is it just me…or is the bandit familiar?" Casper suddenly asked. June froze for a moment. "I don't know about that," Jay said, tilting his head to the side. "But he's really handsome." "You're right," Ren chimed. "How could they hire such a handsome extra?" "How do you know he's handsome?" Sehun asked. "You only see his eyes." "He has a handsome vibe," Jisung said. "And he's really good at fighting." "Holy Moly, you're right," Jay exclaimed. "He's moving like Bruce Lee!" They watched, mesmerized by the bandit's light movement. Meanwhile, June half-covered his eyes as he noticed all of his mistakes. If he was in his old body, he would have moved with more precision! "The bandit's really familiar," Casper continued, but no one seemed to be listening to him. All of them were captivated by the show and how it was being executed. It seemed like they weren't the only ones captivated, though. Fans of the show rushed to take screenshots of the handsome masked bandit and posted them on Navel. - My eyes were on him instead of the main characters. - If I can't have the prince, then I'll have the bandit instead. - Why is this bandit so handsome? - Such tight-fitting clothes. Yum yum! - Please! I need the bandit's name. Tell me the bandit's name! June sighed in relief when he finally fled the scene and a commercial played. Even though his face wasn't shown, he couldn't help but cringe at his own acting. He did look pretty handsome in those clips despite his face being covered, though—which was the upside to the situation. "Damn, that was good," Jay said as the commercials played. "I was ready to throw hands because the bandit interrupted their kissing scene, but I got to admit he was pretty cool." "He's definitely going to be a hot topic tomorrow," Jisung said. "Guys," Casper exclaimed loudly, making the others turn to him. "What are you yelling for?" Zeth asked, confused. "The bandit!" he continued. "Isn't he familiar?" The members looked at each other, perplexed, while June stayed silent. "Well, he does look like an actor with that piercing gaze of his," Jay trailed off. "Not an actor," Casper sighed. "He looks like an idol. He looks like June!" he exclaimed, pointing at their member. June's eyebrows momentarily raised in surprise as they all turned to him with inquiring eyes. It was silent for a moment, with them just observing June's features. Then, aside from Casper, they came to a collective agreement. "Nah," they shook their heads. "June can't act like that," Zeth chuckled. "Zeth's right," Ren chimed. "No offense, June, but you're not the best in acting. Our cheeseball commercial is a living testament to that." "As much as I think June's talented, there's no way that's him," Jay added. "Truly, there's no way," Akira solidified the point. June nervously chuckled, focusing his gaze back on the television. "Yeah…there's no way."