From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show

Chapter 1045: Full Circle

The opening melody filled the air, and with it came the whispers of confusion. After all, this was June, the idol who trended simply by existing, and standing alongside him was the rookie idol Mei.

The two of them had been linked before. Their resemblance and chemistry off-stage sparked endless speculation. To some, they seemed like siblings, bound by their uncanny similarities. To most, though, they felt like a couple-especially since they looked alike.

You know that saying that lovers who look alike will stay together forever?

However, under the stage lights, along with the haunting notes of the song, all speculation fell silent.

Mei began the first verse, trembling slightly at the starting note.

"You're born into this earth to love.

But no one tells you how it ends-

With silence where your voice once was,

And memories sharper than time."

The lyrics were vague, abstract even-lines about love and separation that left room for interpretation. Mei didn't look at June, her gaze focused somewhere beyond the crowd.

June let out a small smile.

It was as if she had forgotten about everything they'd practiced. Yet, somehow, June knew it would complement the performance well.

June followed, his voice soft yet powerful, making the audience lean in closer. He, too, avoided her gaze, his eyes cast downward.

"Is this how love goes?

The sound of your laugh still lingers,

But your touch is only a shadow.

I reach for you, but you're not there."

- This is already the best stage of the night.

- I didn't know Mei could sing this well.

- It's not even the technicalities. They're singing with their hearts. I think that's the most important feature of the song.

And then came the chorus.

The music remained soft, but June's and Mei's voices hit the audience like a bus.

The two turned to face each other, their eyes locking for the first time. The moment sent shivers through everyone watching. Their voices rose in harmony, blending together perfectly.

"What is the greatest love?

Is it holding on when you've let go,

Or letting go while holding on?

Is it living while you're dying inside?"

Mei Ling's hand rose to her chest, her fingers curling into the fabric of her dress. Her face twisted into an expression of pain, her lips trembling as she sang.

It wasn't planned, but the audience couldn't tell. To them, it was all part of the performance, proving her ability to showcase the song's emotion to the fullest.

June noticed, his brow furrowing slightly as he continued to sing. But rather than breaking the moment, it merely fueled him. His voice grew richer, giving the song even more depth than before.

"I still feel you in the quiet moments-

The brush of wind, the smell of rain.

It's cruel how the world keeps spinning

When mine has stopped."

At that moment, as Mei's head began to ache, she remembered the man in her dreams. The memories were more vivid now, but she still couldn't see his face. She still didn't know what the greatest love was, but if you were to ask her, then the man in her dreams would be the closest to reaching that stage.

"What is the greatest love?

Is it the vows we never finished,

The song we never danced to?

Is it the promise I keep to never forget you?"

On the other hand, June thought about everything he had endured to reach this stage- everything he had sacrificed. The late nights, the bruises, always feeling on edge.

There were moments of doubt when he wondered if it was all worth it. He had downplayed it for so long, brushing off the hardships as just part of his job in White Tiger. But now, under the spotlight, it all came flooding back.

"You once said, "I'd die for you."

But I didn't know love would ask it.

I didn't know goodbye could be so final,

Or that my heart could break so quietly.

"I'll miss you in every life,"

I whisper to the night.

Because even now, even here,

You feel so near."

And yet, through it all, there had been love. The kind that asked for sacrifices but gave back tenfold in meaning. He poured all of that into the song, making the lyrics feel less like words and more like a memory.

"Is this what we say to the greatest love?

A love that lingers, even in death,

A love that never fades,

But never truly heals.

And when my time comes, Will you be there?

Will you reach out to me

As I reach for you now?"

The audience began to feel it, too.

In the crowd, siblings turned to each other, their petty squabbles forgotten as they shared a smile. Mothers leaned over to kiss their daughters on the cheeks. Fathers reached out to pat

their sons on the back.

It was strange.

This was, after all, a song written for lovers separated by death-a funeral song heavy with grief. And yet, in June's and Mei's hands, it became something else entirely.

The song wasn't about loss anymore. It was about connection, about the bonds that endure even in the face of hardship. It was about love in all its forms-familial, romantic, platonic. It was about finding warmth in the coldest moments and holding on to it tightly.

"All I can say is this:

Thank you.

For a love that remains,

Even when you cannot."

By the time the final chorus hit, the audience was fully immersed. Tears glistened in the eyes

of many while others simply sat in stunned silence, their hearts too full for words.

"What is the greatest love?

Is it holding on when you've let go,

Or letting go while holding on?

Is it living while you're dying inside?"

On stage, June and Mei Ling stood close as they delivered the song's final, powerful note.

"Thank you.

For the greatest love-

A love I'll carry,

Until I see you again."

As the music faded, the stadium fell into silence. For a moment, the entire crowd had paused,

holding their breaths. And then, the applause began-slow at first, before growing into

something deafening.

The crowd was on its feet, their cheers echoing through the venue.

June glanced at Mei Ling, a small, almost smile tugging at the corner of his lips. She looked

back at him, her own smile genuine.

June felt like he had gone full circle.

The person whom he became an idol for was on the stage with him, and they had just sang

together.

However, at that moment, he wasn't an idol for her anymore.

He was an idol for the other person on the stage-him.

And that was his greatest love.