From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

795  What Mei's Mission Really Meant

The boys laughed like buffoons for what seemed like the hundredth time after the game ended. June sat on the corner, sulking as his members continued to tease him. Akira mimicked what June had done before laughing until he became breathless. June pursed his lips and crossed his arms in front of his chest. "Are you guys done?" he asked. "Ahh," Akira sighed, leaning onto Casper for support. "That was great—it was the biggest laugh of the year." June clicked his tongue. "You should have just told us that you didn't know how to play the game," Jisung said, still chuckling. "I didn't think I would be the first one to go," he said. "The real question is—have you never played this before?" Ren curiously asked. June bit his lip before sighing. "No," he said. "I never got the chance to play such games when I was younger." "I had to take care of a lot of things, so I didn't have time for it," he confessed, halting the members' laughter. They turned silent and looked at each other with guilt. Zeth clicked his tongue and nudged Akira's side. "You imbecile!" he whisper-shouted. Akira pursed his lips before glaring at Zeth. "You laughed too," he whisper-shouted back. The boys looked at June with pity, making him click his tongue. "It's fine," June said. "Don't look at me like that. I still had a happy childhood." Just then, his phone rang, and he saw the reason why his childhood was happy yet bitter at the same time. 'Mei' "I have to take this one," June said, holding his phone. "Sure," Jay said. "We'll leave after you take the call."

June nodded and walked to an empty space in the garden. He sat on the bench and saw his members interact with the children. He smiled in amusement before pressing the 'answer' button. "June!" Mei exclaimed as soon as he answered. June had to move his phone away from his ear for a moment as Mei's loud voice rang through. "Well, you're excited," he remarked. Mei chuckled. "I have some good news," she started off, making June even more surprised. "Wow," he said. "You actually called me for some exciting news. That's a first." Mei clicked his tongue. "You're ruining the moment." "I just wanted to tell someone this since I'm so happy. Besides, it's not like I can share this information with anybody else. They'd think I'm crazy for saying I have a voice inside my head." June chuckled. "So, it's about Fu." "Yes," Mei said. "I finally accomplished that pesky mission!" June searched his mind for Mei's mission and remembered the one she mentioned when they spoke in the dorms. "Ah, yes. What was it again—find out a real name?" June asked. "Yeah," Mei confirmed. "I didn't get it in the beginning. I still don't know what it means now, but it's actually much simpler than I thought." "Continue," June said, growing curious about her mission. When he had Fu, all of his missions were stated blatantly. Their reasons weren't really disclosed, but at the same time, they weren't as vague as her mission. "I just have to learn about someone's real name," Mei continued. "It's that easy?" June asked. "Well, yes...and no," she responded. "That's what I did in the first place! I offered your real name, which is Choi Joon-ho, but it didn't work. I also tried other artists' real names, but Fu still didn't accept it." "Then, I figured that it's because I was using known real names," she continued. "I inferred that I should find out the real name of some unknown person." "With that, I stumbled upon something in Lei's car," she said, making June straighten his posture. "Hmm," June hummed with a small frown. Then, he strayed his gaze to Lei, who was still playing with the children. He had a wide smile on his face as the little girls chased him. Lei looked kind and carefree—someone who had a good heart. "I found his contract with Azure and saw his real name," Mei continued. "Turns out Lei was just a fake name," she chuckled. "What's his real name?" June asked, his gaze still focused on Lei. "It's surprising," Mei said. "I thought he was Korean because he looked the part. However, it turns out that we have the same nationality." Ding. A ringing sound echoed in June's mind. "Wait, I wrote it down," she said, followed by the sound of turning pages. "It's Zhilei Hong," Mei chimed. "Well, Lei isn't really a fake name. It's more of a nickname, I guess? But it's really a surprise that he's Chinese!" June couldn't hear anything but the ringing sound in his ears. "Hong," he muttered. "Anyway, that's what happened," Mei happily ranted. "Now, I have a new set of missions that had become even more ridiculous. However, I'm glad that I was able to upgrade my vocal skills since we're going to start recording the album." "By the way, I also want to ask for some tips in the recording booth. I didn't want to come to you, but you're really one of the best singers out there—" June would gladly help her sister. However, he couldn't do so with his current mind. "Zhilei Hong," he said in a deep voice, making Mei halt. "June?" she asked, sounding confused. "You still there? Why are you repeating his name?" "I'll talk to you later," June said. "Wait, I'm still asking for advice—" June turned off the call before Mei could even finish her statement. It was amazing how Mei's mission still benefitted June even after he gave Fu away.

His gaze didn't leave Lei even after the call had ended. June knew that he looked familiar. However, he didn't think it would be possible. At that moment, a lot of things made sense. The reason why Lin Zhi was favored the moment he arrived at the gang. "Brothers," June whispered. His gaze hardened as he continued looking at Lei. Then, Lei's gaze suddenly snapped toward June, his eyebrows raising in surprise when he saw June's intense look. Nonetheless, he chuckled in amusement and even smiled at June. June shook his head as a small smirk appeared on his lips, crossing his arms in front of his chest just as Lei snapped his gaze away. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"My instincts are right." "Looks can really be deceiving."  

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