From Thug to Idol: Transmigrating to a Survival Show-Novel

June arrived at the restaurant that Haruto owned, feeling wary about somebody recognizing him.

However, as he arrived, he saw that the restaurant was completely empty.

June frowned in confusion.

Was his business not doing well?

"June!" Haruto exclaimed from the bar, so June quickly greeted him with a small wave.

Haruto wheeled himself to the table that his workers had prepared and gestured for June to sit in front of him.

June pursed his lips as he looked around the restaurant.

"You can take off your mask," Haruto said. "I closed the entire restaurant for this particular meeting."

June's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"You shouldn't have. You could have just vacated it for two hours," June said.

Haruto shook his head. "Anything for my dearest friend. Moreover, the business is doing very well. It needs a break so that the other competition can thrive."

June chuckled in amusement. It seemed like Haruto was really doing much better than he had expected.

"Marcus, you could leave," Haruto sternly said, so his butler quickly followed.

Marcus didn't leave the restaurant, but he situated himself in the kitchen, providing the two best friends to talk privately.

"Haruki wanted to cwithso he could see you, but I told him no," Haruto chuckled. "It seems like my twin brother misses you."

June shook his head. "We'll meet in a work schedule soon," he said.

"Well, he'll be glad to hear it," Haruto said.

Just then, an array of dishes was wheeled over to where they were, ranging from plump seafood to expensive-looking beef.

June shook his head.

"You really shouldn't have prepared so much."

"I know," Haruto smiled. "But it's been a long while since we've met personally. You're a very busy person, so I'm assuming that it's going to be a while until we meet again."

June nodded. "This week might be the longest break that I'll have for the rest of the year."

Haruto hummed in acknowledgment.

"Well, did you chere to talk about what happened yesterday night?"

"Oh, but you set the date before yesterday night even happened," Haruto muttered as soon as he realized it.

June frowned in confusion.

"Yesterday night?" he asked.

Haruto's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Oh, are you not aware of what happened?" he asked.

June shook his head.

"I guess Minjun didn't tell you, huh?"

June's frown deepened. "Did something happen to Minjun?"

"Yes," Haruto responded. "Well, technically—no. He didn't get hurt or anything like that. However, two individuals who have been notorious blackmailers in the black market attempted to break into the house he was staying in."

"However, the kid must have done something to lure them away."

"What?" June muttered. "Why didn't he tellabout this?"

"However, you do not need to worry. Marcus' friends cto finish the job. They left them very injured so that they wouldn't be able to do any tedious tasks for a year, at most."

Despite Haruto's assurance, June's frown remained.

He was worried about Minjun's safety.

"Well, do you know why they decided to break into Minjun's temporary home?" June asked.

"There isn't a definitive explanation," Haruto answered. "They didn't give anything away, but I'm assuming it's an inside job. There must be people behind what they are doing."

June pursed his lips. He already had a clue on who it might be, and it set his heart ablaze.

He couldn't believe that Lin Zhi and Laohu would stoop this low, but then again, they were the lowest scum on earth.

So, June shouldn't be too surprised.

"Do you wantto look into it?" Haruto asked.

June nodded. "Yes, please. I already have a hunch about who it is, but I need your help suppressing them."

Haruto frowned in confusion. "How cyou already know these people?"

June sighed as he looked into Haruto's eyes.

"It's actually why I cto see you today," he answered.

Haruto nodded and gestured for him to go on.

"The briefcase," June said, causing Haruto's expression to harden.

"You're still on about this?" Haruto sighed, removing his glasses so he could massage his temples.

"Yes," June said. "I believe it contains something important."

"I know that," Haruto answered. "Why would CEO Kim Young Do of Phoenix even send out desperate trainees to China just to retrieve it if it wasn't important?"

"I also believe that I have it," June continued, causing his eyes to widen.

June looked at him with narrowed eyes. "I thought you already knew that I had it."

Haruto let out a deep breath.

"I had a hunch," he said. "However, I never really knew if you were serious or not."

"Or....have you been hiding it all along?"

June shook his head. "No...wait, yes. I mean—I don't know."

"Huh?" Haruto asked in confusion.

June sighed and gathered his thoughts before speaking once again.

"That night—when we watched that man die—I believe I already had the briefcase."

Haruto looked at him in disbelief.

"H—how?" he stammered.

"Someone gave it to me," June continued. "It was to save the man's life. Mei—I mean, someone didn't want it to fall into the hands of someone evil. So, she decided to give it to me—one who wasn't desperate for its contents."

Haruto paused for a while, trying to piece the puzzle together.

"So, what you're saying is—you accompaniedto China back then so you could 'supposedly' ensure my safety."

"No," June shook his head. "I was trying to stop you. I had a bad feeling that they weren't going to fulfill their promises even if you did retrieve the briefcase."

"Yeah, that," Haruto said. "You weren't planning on taking it at all. However, someone cup to you and gave you the briefcase," he continued.

June nodded as he listened to Haruto narrate the story.

"You hid it before meetingin the warehouse, but then we encountered the murder of a man."

June nodded once again.

"You didn't tell anyone about the briefcase's whereabouts, and you took it back to Korea and hid it from the higher-ups."

"Yes," June said. "You got it exactly right."

Haruto gasped and looked at him with wide eyes.

"So, what you're saying is that you're the only person who knows where the briefcase is?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying," June said, suddenly feeling the weight on his shoulders.

"The people who are trying to harm Minjun are also trying to get a hold of the briefcase," June said. "So, they're doing everything they can to accomplish that."

"How do they even know that you were the one who hid it?" Haruto asked, confused.

"It's a long story," June said. "However, what's important is that I retrieve it, find out what's inside, and use that information to my advantage."

"Well, you're the only one who can answer that," Haruto said.

"Where is the briefcase?" he asked.

June bit his lips before he responded.

"I don't know."