From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

832  A Piece Of Land

"Why can't we find June's shirt anywhere?" Jia exclaimed out of frustration. The girls were out in the mall with shopping bags in their hands. Bora sighed. "Well, it did look pretty old. I'm guessing they've already discontinued it." Jia slumped in disappointment before adding a new oversized shirt to her basket. They quickly paid for it and went to look for a restaurant so they could eat their lunch. As they walked around the mall, they were amused by the amount of people who were wearing the same style as them. Bora shook her head in amusement. "June just really created a new fashion craze, huh?" Meanwhile, Cindy, who had just arrived at Azure's building, frowned when she saw so many people dressed like they were in the comfort of their homes. "Goodness," she said to her assistant as she sat on her chair, her gaze focused on her laptop. "Why are kids dressed so comfortably these days? Jia was the same when she went out of the house a while ago." Then, she looked up, only to see her assistant wearing the same thing. Her assistant smiled and placed her coffee on the table. "Oh, this is the new trend—dressing for comfort!" she excitedly exclaimed. "So many people want to look good these days, and most are just pretentious. We already live in discomfort, so we might as well be comfortable with our clothes, right?" Cindy pursed her lips. "I guess," she said. "Who made this trend, though?' Her assistant beamed. "It's June, of course! That man has everyone in a chokehold these days." Cindy froze before bursting into laughter. She shook her head in amusement. "That boy, really." Meanwhile, the members of EVE were elated that June's dreaded airport fashion turned out to be positive. They were in their living room, watching the reruns of 'Everyday, Everynight,' as they ate the fried chicken that Jay had ordered.

Jaeyong chuckled as Jay dropped some of the sauce on his clothes. However, since it was all-black, it didn't really show. "So, you're also sporting June's fashion now, huh?" Jaeyong asked. Jay smirked. "This is the shit nowadays, boys. You should really recommend some good places where I can buy such clothes in June. I've never felt so comfortable in my entire life!" June clicked his tongue, shaking his head. He wanted to order a batch of his favorite black shirt because Casper ripped one, but he saw that it was sold out. "No way," June said, taking a bite of the chicken and focusing his gaze on the television. "Anyway, what happened while we were gone?" Jisung asked. "Well, LUNAIRE's debut was a success," Jay smiled. "They're going to perform in music shows for three weeks, and it's predicted that they're going to have their first win soon." "Nice," Akira exclaimed. "As you all know, June has created a fashion craze, and nearly everyone is wearing his comfortable clothes," Jay continued. "However, aside from June, there's another person who trended over the weekend," he added. "Who?" June asked. Jay pursed his lips before revealing the person. "Lei," he answered. ***

"The most relatable CEO eats street food after a busy day!" "Lei, the new CEO of Azure Entertainment, is this month's cover of GG Korea, showing off his muscular body!" "A glimpse into the life of Lei, the hunky CEO of Azure that everybody loves!" "From charity projects to being a supportive CEO, Lei does it all." "They're thirsting over our CEO?" Jisung asked with a small frown. "Well, to be fair, he is pretty good-looking," Jay muttered, earning weird looks from the other boys. "I kind of agree," Akira said, his facade cracking. "Everyone seems to love him," Jay continued, biting his lip as he looked at June. June shrugged before focusing his attention on his chicken leg. Again, it wasn't too much of a surprise. Lei was known to be charismatic even when he still identified as Laohu. He had the kind of charm that encapsulated the public. He was damn good at hiding his real intentions, too. Because EVE was a group that the public loved, Lei must have wanted to have the same trait. June shook his head in amusement. "He must be making his move soon," he muttered.

***

In the large office of Azure's CEO… Lei couldn't stop smiling as he read through the comments of the articles that were posted about him. "Two could play that game," he whispered as he watched their stocks rise once again. Just then, his assistant, Dan, entered his office. Dan was also his co-worker at Phoenix Entertainment, so he was aware of Lei's intentions. "Sir," Dan said, bowing his head as he sat on one of the chairs before Lei. Lei took a sip from his tea before crossing his arms in front of his chest. "Yes?" Lei asked. Dan chuckled as he placed his tablet on the table. "It seems like it had worked, sir. The public loves you, and your employees are praising you for being a great CEO." "48 billion won," Dan smiled. 08:33

Lei's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Doable," he muttered. "We need to acquire this land at all cost." "Well, of course," Lei smiled. "It will only go uphill from here." Dan nodded in agreement. "Now, I know that you want to expand your domain in the industry, and Azure is finally ranked third out of all entertainment companies. We have finally beat TopStar and Harmony in terms of ranking." "Only ESPER and Phoenix are above us in terms of stocks," Dan continued. Lei smirked. "It's only a matter of time before we surpass them too." "Hmm," Dan hummed. "However, before we do that, I believe that an expansion is necessary." Lei's eyebrows raised in intrigue. "I'm listening." Dan smirked as he showed a photo of a huge demolished lot. "This is a 4,500-square-meter lot in the heart of Seoul. It is located in a growing business district, which has been acquired by other businesses. I believe this would be a great start to expanding Azure Entertainment." "Not a lot of people know about this, so we need to consider ourselves lucky, sir." "Moreover, it is owned by an individual who couldn't take the renovation costs, so she's selling it for a reasonable price." "Considering it is still a large piece of land, we need to have a huge investor." "Hmm," Lei hummed. "How much?" "48 billion won," Dan smiled. Lei's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Doable," he muttered. "We need to acquire this land at all cost." Dan nodded and scrolled to another photo—a logo of a familiar company. "And I have just the investor—Star Motors. They recently signed a billion-dollar contract with an international oil company, and I heard they're looking for something to invest in." "And the best part is—the CEO, Minsoo Kim, is known for holding private parties in his club in Cheongdam-dong every now and then." The smile on Lei's face couldn't be erased. "I see," he said. "He must be looking for a new muse." Dan mirrored his smile. "Exactly."  Nôv(el)B\\jnn