From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show Chapter 5: Pink Cat

June sat in the waiting lounge, his features obscured by a vivid pink cat mask. Being the final candidate scheduled for an interview turned out to be a stroke of luck, as only one other individual remained in the room.

The young boy, appearing even junior to the former Joon-ho, observed him with wide, sparkling eyes. Noticing the look of astonishment on the teen's face, June offered a sharp raise of his eyebrows.

"What are you staring at?" he questioned. While his command of Korean was flawless, his Chinese accent was nearly imperceptible, yet his rough, street-hardened tone remained unmistakable.

The boy recoiled immediately, retreating to a more distant seat with his ears flushing a deep shade of pink from sheer shock and mortification.

[Host, you really should moderate your tone. You sounded exactly like your old self just then.]

June gave a sharp click of his tongue.

"What do you expect me to do, Fu? Old habits are engraved in my soul."

The sudden sound of June conversing with thin air startled the teenager once again.

This gentleman—could he possibly be unhinged?

Minx, an aspiring idol born in 2006, found himself wondering why Azure—the network behind Rising Stars—would ever greenlight such an applicant. He understood that the station craved sensationalism for the sake of ratings, but he hadn't anticipated them signing someone who seemed clinically insane!

Without realizing it, Minx found his gaze drifting back to the eccentric man.

"Got a problem with me, kid?" the man asked, his voice unexpectedly mellow, carrying a weight of maturity that suggested he was significantly older.

"Not at all," Minx stammered with a nervous chuckle. "I was just mesmerized by your handsome mask, brother."

"Trainee Minx, your interview session is starting now."

Relieved, Minx practically lunged out of his seat and sprinted toward the door.

At last, June was left alone. Although he had intended to scold the kid for his persistent staring, he couldn't help but feel a surge of satisfaction regarding the compliment.

[Congratulations! You have completed the objective: Receive a compliment calling you 'handsome.']

All three missions were now fulfilled. Even though he had found the task of assisting that elderly woman with her coffee tedious, his efforts in tending to her garden and tidying her home had finally paved the way for success.

[All missions have been reset. Here are your new objectives:

1. Attract 100 followers

2. Trend on a social media platform

3. Form a new friendship]

"What in the hell? Why did the difficulty spike so drastically?" he grumbled, though Fu offered no response.

[You may now select one attribute to enhance.]

"Vocals," June chose without a second thought. He had upgraded this after wrapping up the coffee mission, and he felt it was vital to polish at least one talent before the contest commenced.

[Vocals +1]

[Current rank: B+]

That should suffice. He felt confident that by the time the competition kicked off, his singing would at least be passable.

Eventually, the teen wrapped up his interview, signaling that it was June's turn. The intern managing the queue froze in her tracks when she spotted the man in the cat mask.

She let out a weary sigh and shook her head. 'This season is overflowing with weirdos. This job doesn't pay nearly enough to deal with characters like this.'

"Trainee June, you're up."

June rose and strolled toward the interview chamber. The staff inside appeared exhausted after a full day of evaluations. Yena was already nursing her third cup of coffee, while Yejin was struggling to keep her eyelids from drooping shut. Even the camera crew appeared to be swaying with sleepiness.

At least he was the final applicant.

"Let's wrap this up quickly," Yena remarked, draining the dregs of her cup.

"June, right? Like the month?" Yejin asked, flipping through the trainee's file.

"Seems so," Yena agreed. "Wait, what is going on with his headshot? Why is it blurry, black and white?" She squinted, struggling to discern any distinct features on the printout.

Yejin offered a dismissive shrug. "No clue. He's an independent trainee, and his audition footage looks like it was captured with a potato. The team just needed a filler to round out the 100th spot, so they brought him in."

"Whatever, then," Yena sighed. "We're seeing him now, anyway."

They waited in a state of bored anticipation. Yena was particularly curious to see what he looked like, given the poor quality of his records.

Her tired eyes scanned the threshold, hoping the day would end soon. However, she nearly jumped out of her skin the moment June stepped into the light.

Yejin straightened up instantly as the guest wearing the pink cat mask took his seat.

"What's the word? I'm June."