From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

Chapter 1018: The Keychain



June pushed the door open to the apartment, his hands balancing a whole box of expensive assorted ice cream tubs.

He stepped inside, instantly greeted by the noise of his members sprawled out on the couch, looking half-exhausted and half-wired.

"Did you rob a convenience store?" Akira asked, raising a brow at the ice cream box.

"Shut up and eat," June said, plopping the box onto the coffee table.

The moment he let go, the boys dove at it like a pack of hyenas.

Casper, the fastest, was already prying open a tub with his bare hands while Jaeyong snatched a spoon straight out of his pocket, ready to dig in. Zeth pulled out his favorite flavor and nudged Ren, who was struggling to find his preferred vanilla.

Amid the chaos, June's gaze landed on something out of place. Jisung's bag was left unattended on the couch. It wasn't like Jisung to leave his things lying around, especially not after the strange encounters they'd had recently. He let out a long sigh, grabbed the ice cream box again, and headed toward his room.

"Where are you going?" Zeth asked, spoon halfway to his mouth.

"To eat in peace," June muttered.

But his plan failed spectacularly as the rest of the members trailed after him like a line of ducklings, ice cream in hand.

"If you wanted us in your room, you could have just said so," Akira teased, smirking as he pushed open June's door without waiting for permission.

June clicked his tongue, setting the ice cream box on the small table in his room. The others made themselves comfortable, settling in like they owned the place.

Akira, still licking his spoon, threw himself onto June's bed while Ren and Casper sat cross- legged on the floor. Jisung, the last to enter, stood awkwardly by the door, clearly still shaken by whatever had been haunting him this past week.

"I think I know who's behind all this," June said abruptly.

The room fell silent. Even the clinking of spoons against ice cream tubs stopped. They all looked at June with wide eyes.

"So suddenly?" Akira muttered.

"You just brought ice cream, and suddenly you have an epiphany? You really are an alien!" Zeth exclaimed.

"Who?" Jaeyong asked, leaning forward, the spoon hanging from his lips.

June took a deep breath, his mind replaying the encounter outside the convenience store.

"Mia," June said, looking at each of them in turn. "Or whoever she really is."

Ren furrowed his brow, setting his ice cream aside. "Mia? The girl who gave you that very cute keychain? I talked to her, too, and she seemed quite nice!"

"Yeah, she was," Zeth said, confused. "Are we talking about the same Mia?"

"Yeah, that's the one," June confirmed. He glanced at Jisung, who was staring back at him.

"We've met her before. She changed. She really did."

"What do you mean?" Zeth asked, confused. He leaned back, crossing his arms. "She changed her hairstyle or something? I mean, we can't really recognize every fan out there."

June shook his head. "No, it's not just that. She looks like Jia now. Deliberately. She wasn't like this before, but when I saw her, it clicked. The hair, the clothes, even her expressions-it's like she's trying to be a copy of Jia."

Casper let out a low whistle, his eyes wide. "Wait, you're saying she... changed herself? To look like Jia?"

"Yes," June replied, feeling a shiver run down his spine as he remembered Mia's face. "It was subtle enough that I didn't notice at first. I knew she was familiar, but I couldn't place it. Now I know. It's her."

"The sasaeng I had during the first fan sign."

The room was dead silent. Ren rubbed the back of his neck, clearly unsettled. "You're serious?" he asked. "I thought she was in prison!"

"She got out," Jaeyong said. "She paid the bail, I believe, and the last thing I heard-she had gotten better."

"Well, it seems like she hasn't," Akira chimed in.

"But why now?" Jaeyong asked. "Why come back now, after all this time? I would infer that after being arrested like that, she would stop doing all of this."

"People are scary, you know?" Casper said. "Others claim that natural disasters, ghosts, or animals are their biggest fears, but for me, it's people!"

"We have a mind that can think, but some don't use it. They choose to do bad. That's how scary humans are."

"Casper is really smart sometimes," Akira muttered, shaking his head in amazement.

"There's another thing," June continued. "It's the keychain she gave me. I thought it was just a harmless gift, but..."

He paused, watching as the realization dawned on his members' faces. Jisung's eyes widened, his knuckles turning white as he gripped his spoon. "You're saying it has a camera or a tracker?" he asked, his voice cracking.

June nodded. "I'm almost certain it does. I realized it too late, but it explains a lot. It explains Why Jisung felt like he was being watched and why we've been getting followed so easily. She's been tracking us."

Casper pointed at Jisung. "See! I should have been the one who kept the keychain!"

Zeth swore under his breath, throwing his spoon into the empty tub with a clatter. "So, all this time, Jisung was right," he muttered. "He really was being followed."

"I knew something was off," Jisung whispered. "I could feel it, but I thought I was just being

paranoid."

"We should get rid of it," Jay exclaimed, already halfway to the door. "Smash it or throw it away or something!"

"Not so fast," June interrupted, holding up a hand to stop him.

"What?" Jay asked. "Don't tell me you want to keep that ugly ass keychain?"

"You said it was cute before," Akira commented.

"Of course not," June said, answering Jay's question.

The room was silent for a moment before Jaeyong broke it.

"Oh no," he groaned, rubbing his temples. "You're planning something again, aren't you?"

June's lips curled into a small, tight smile.

"Maybe."

Casper stood from the floor.

"So, can I have the keychain now?"