From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

Chapter 1004: Mixed Feelings



The audience was silent, not wanting to ruin the moment.

The soft strains of Casper's gayageum still resonated, but now June's voice began to thread through the quiet stage.

There was something unique about the way he sang. How could he use his delicate voice in so many genres? Pop, rock, ballads, rap, trot, and now pansori? How many more talents did he have?

It was hard to pull off, requiring experience and deep emotional resonance, yet June captured it perfectly.

- My mom owns a pansori vocal lesson house. She's watching with me right now, even if she said she wasn't going to watch at all! Now, she wants to recruit June to our roster of performers!

- Do you guys know how difficult this is to pull off? He's literally singing in a different genre.

- He sounds like a master! Most people are born in this kind of singing atmosphere. They take years to cultivate their skill.

- Yeah, it's freaking amazing! I don't recall June saying he has experience in pansori. So, it must be his first time.

"The sun rises, but it doesn't feel like it's for me.

The light slips past, and I wonder if I'm just not meant to follow."

A soft murmur swept through the audience, the song's bittersweet tone reaching deep.

The idols in the crowd exchanged glances, their expressions showing amazement and empathy.

Haruki leaned forward, hands clasped together, trying his hardest not to fanboy right then and there.

Members of LUNAIRE were motionless, their whispers stilled by the captivating start.

"Everything I want feels out of reach, like chasing shadows,

And every day feels long, as if time stretches on when I suffer,

But short, so short, when a little happiness finds me.

It's strange-how the days can feel endless yet disappear in a blink."

The depth in June's voice was like a spell, drawing listeners into his world. He had the kind of voice you didn't just hear...but feel.

He navigated between the soul-stirring vibrato of pansori and the polished, modern notes of contemporary balladry.

The result was a performance so layered that the crowd felt each phrase pressing against their chests.

The camera captured Crimson, a member of a 5-year-old boy group, who was known for his stoic demeanor, with a subtle mist in his eyes. He was one of those who questioned the order of performances. Now, all he could focus on was June's singing.

Suddenly, the voices of the other members joined in, harmonizing softly. The blend was rich and haunting, enjoining their individual stories into one shared experience.

"I wonder if I could stop time, would I?

Could I do it all again?"

The lights became whiter, and Jisung stepped to the center, moving with the grace of a seasoned dancer. His ballet was fluid and expressive, every leap and turn echoing the song's theme of longing and acceptance.

There was an elegance to the way he danced, yet an underlying sharpness that came from being an idol dancer.

Zeth joined him without hesitation. He was the member who claimed he couldn't dance to ballet because it would make him look unskilled. However, he joined in without a problem. He had absorbed Jisung's teachings of ballet and applied them to this performance.

The audience watched, entranced.

Even seasoned performers in the crowd, who were used to the grandeur of award show stages, felt a tightness in their chests.

The story unfolding before them was one they all knew too well-the sacrifices, the uncertainty, the fragile joy of pursuing a dream together.

As the two dancers concluded their duet, the song's chorus played.

"I won't.

I won't do it all again.

What meaning would it have if it did?

Will I meet the same people?

Will I get to live the same life?

So, I'd rather be stuck in what I have

Then, we live in the uncertainty of not having this life.

It's tough, it truly is.

But it's mine."

June's voice pierced the tension in the room. For a moment, it felt as though everyone could see the long, tireless journey DAWN had taken to stand on that stage together.

- Oh, fuck this! Why am I crying?

- Again, you must be new here.

- Yup, as a seasoned astra, you should always be prepared with tissues whenever DAWN performs.

- I thought they were going to change their concept with the name change. They're still the same! They're the best at making me feel insane.

Camera flashes caught idols in the audience nodding slowly, their eyes reflecting the song's message.

Haruki rubbed the corner of his eye with a quick motion, and even members of LUNAIRE shared quiet, understanding smiles.

The boys on stage looked at each other as the final verse neared, their expressions filled with unspoken words.

They wanted to portray this song in a different way—as if they had an alternate ending.

Instead of being with each other, they live their lives individually.

It was the acceptance that they couldn't stop time.

It was the truth that if they hadn't fought for it, then they would be friends who became

strangers.

With that thought in mind, their performance became even more emotional.

"I won't stop time.

I won't rewind my life, tempting as it sometimes feels.

Because this life, with all its struggles and its moments of light,

Is what brought me here, to my new beginning.

The people, the memories, the joy and pain-it's all real.

And I'd rather hold onto that,

Than risk a life where none of it exists."

The last note hung in the air, fragile and full of unvoiced emotion. The audience held their

breath, on the verge of tears.

And then, just as the silence threatened to tip into a sob, the music changed dramatically.

It became intense once again-similar to that of the VCR.

Then, without warning, Casper went to the middle and flipped forward, landing on his feet

with a smirk.

The audience was stunned, to say the least.

"What the heck was that?" Bora exclaimed, on the verge of standing from her seat.

Leave it to DAWN to tug at heartstrings only to jolt everyone and surprise them with backflipping in the next second.