Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 28

#28.

“Aaaagh!”

As he stood up, Woo-cheol staggered as if an electric shock ran through his leg.

Do-jae smiled and held Woo-cheol’s hand even tighter as he almost fell.

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

“Yes. Hyung [older brother or male friend].”

***

“Hey! You! Where did you go…?”

Heung-min, who was yelling at Woo-cheol as he entered the waiting room with Do-jae, stopped.

He had been wandering around the hallway for a while and had come to the waiting room after receiving a call that Woo-cheol had been found.

“Hey…. Park Woo-cheol. How much I…. Haa.”

Heung-min, who was about to get angry, saw Woo-cheol’s disheveled state and couldn’t close his mouth, almost sobbing as if he was overwhelmed.

He was angry at his cherished younger brother’s irresponsible behavior, but he also wondered what had driven him to run away.

Seeing his appearance, it was clear that he had been crying a lot, and he felt sorry for him.

“Woo-cheol. Are you okay?”

“Hyung! Where did you go…?”

Gyu-sung and Louis cautiously asked Woo-cheol.

Woo-cheol looked at the members who were looking at him with concern and steeled his heart once more.

A moment ago, right after going up on stage for the first time, he couldn’t see anything.

For Woo-cheol, who was about to make his debut, the stage felt too high.

He felt like he would fall off at any moment if he danced there.

He had calmed down a bit after crying for a while, and Do-jae’s words, who seemed calm in any situation, gave him great strength.

Now he could see the members standing next to him.

“I’m sorry…. I apologize.”

Woo-cheol sincerely apologized to the members and the staff who had suffered because of him.

“…I think I was crazy because I was so nervous.”

Then, he forced a smile to ease the heavy atmosphere.

Team Leader Kim Seok-cheol, who was on the side, sighed softly and said.

“It’s okay. You’re…. here now, that’s enough.”

“I’m sorry, Team Leader Kim.”

“Woo-cheol, is there anything hurting? Can you go on stage?”

Woo-cheol nodded at Team Leader Jung Hee-young’s question.

For Team Leader Jung Hee-young, who had imagined the worst-case scenario, from publishing an article saying that Woo-cheol couldn’t go on stage due to health problems to Woo-cheol never coming back, it was a great relief.

“But I didn’t rehearse…. Will it be okay?”

“Just do what you’ve been doing. Just like you practiced.”

Trainer Yang-mal patted Woo-cheol’s back.

Only Louis and Gyu-sung had finished full styling, so the stylists busily moved again to style the remaining members.

In particular, Woo-cheol had to start his makeup from scratch, so the 담당 [in charge] stylist was anxious.

“Woo-cheol, let’s get your makeup redone first!”

Amidst the hustle and bustle, Heung-min said a word to Woo-cheol.

“If something like this happens again, you’re going to get beat up!”

“I’m sorry. Hyung…….”

Woo-cheol, who knew that Heung-min, who he bickered with every day, would have been looking for him more than anyone else, obediently apologized and hugged Heung-min.

“Ugh. Why are you being so cheesy? Just do well on stage.”

“Okay, okay.”

Woo-cheol followed behind Heung-min, who pretended to scratch his arms, saying he was getting goosebumps.

Ki-joon shook his head, watching the two of them.

Like Heung-min, Ki-joon was worried and angry because of the missing Woo-cheol, but in the end, he was relieved to see Woo-cheol return.

He knew the burden Woo-cheol felt.

If he hadn’t been so distracted by Woo-cheol, Ki-joon might have been extremely nervous and at a loss, as well.

As the oldest hyung [older brother or male friend] and leader, he felt the burden, and he was also the composer who was about to release the song.

Ki-joon glanced at Do-jae, who had a calm expression.

He had always thought of him as a reliable younger brother, but he shone even more on a day like today.

‘I felt it during the rehearsal earlier…. I’m glad Do-jae is here.’

He was almost the only member who wasn’t nervous.

After thinking for a moment, Ki-joon greeted Do-jae.

“Do-jae, good job.”

It was amazing that he found Woo-cheol, but it was even more amazing that he brought Woo-cheol back in good condition, who clearly wasn’t okay.

Do-jae smiled lightly at Ki-joon’s greeting.

Shortly after.

“Okay, MOST members, everyone standby!”

A staff member’s booming voice echoed in the waiting room.

It was time to go on stage for their debut.

***

Thump, thump, thump―

The MOST logo appeared on the large screen with a low reverberation like beating a drum.

“…….”

“…….”

As the lights in the venue went out completely, signaling the start of the performance, the noisy interior calmed down.

The venue was filled with about 500 people.

Half were 관계자 [people involved/stakeholders] and invited reporters, and half were real audience members who had been recruited after the teaser was released.

Rather than being fans of MOST, they were simply audience members.

Most of them were curious about what kind of group MOST was and what kind of performance they would show.

Therefore, no one was enthusiastically cheering.

Instead, a tense atmosphere flowed.

The members, who took their places on the darkened stage, felt the silence in the venue with their whole bodies.

It was the most 떨리고 [nerve-wracking] and fearful moment just before the lights turned on.

Many things would happen from the next moment.

They could meet their own and others’ expectations, or they could disappoint them.

They could feel defeated because no one paid attention to their debut stage, or they could become stars in the sky with miraculous popularity.

‘Ah…….’

Do-jae swallowed hard.

He had already experienced a miracle, an unknown force of destiny.

Because he was standing on the stage he had always only looked at.

‘Even beyond dimensions.’

Whatever the result, he would do his best at this moment.

He would enjoy the fun on stage to the fullest.

Do-jae resolved.

팟! The lights turned on with a loud noise.

When the bright lights turned on, the stage below was 오히려 [rather] dark and invisible.

Only the laptop lights turned on by reporters flickered.

―쿵, 쿵!

The first track of MOST’s first debut album, ‘intro,’ flowed from the large speakers.

At the same time, the six members, who were standing in a row behind Louis, who was at the front, began to dance, stretching out their arms.

The intro was a song consisting only of magnificent and cheerful beats without lyrics.

Since it was the first stage that had to capture attention, trainer and choreographer Yang-mal put his heart and soul into the intro’s choreography.

Since there was no separate song, the difficulty of the choreography was very high.

Even in one hand gesture, there was a set angle.

The members tried to match their breathing so that even the sound of stomping their feet would be at the same moment.

Each person’s level of dancing was different, but they moved as if they were one body.

‘Now is the time.’

Do-jae knelt down in the correct position. And he checked on Woo-cheol.

Fortunately, Woo-cheol was also in the right place.

It was hard to believe that he was the same member who had been trembling and running away just a few hours ago, as he was immersed in the stage.

It was also choreography that didn’t allow him to think about anything else.

Turning to the side, he saw Louis stomping his feet powerfully.

It was the part he had practiced the most, and it was also the part he was worried about.

탁, Louis, who stomped his feet, stepped on the backs of Do-jae and Woo-cheol, who were kneeling, and jumped up, tumbling in the air.

Louis’s hair, dyed blonde, fluttered.

“Wow―!”

“Ooh.”

Those who were watching the stage intently cheered at the acrobatic choreography.

During the short 60 seconds, the members moved in an orderly manner.

쾅!

The intro stage ended with a sound like something hitting the ground.

60 seconds.

It was a short stage, but sweat was pouring down the members’ bodies like torrential rain after finishing the stage.

It was 60 seconds of tension and best effort.

While the members stopped in formation, the lights went out again.

It was the same darkness, but it was a different atmosphere from the blackout a moment ago.

The changed atmosphere and the heated air could be felt on the skin.

‘Yang-mal 선생 [teacher/master] definitely planned the strategy well.’

The difficult choreography was hard to practice, but it was good for attracting people’s attention.

While the members caught their breath, a pre-prepared VCR video was played.

―KI JUN!

―MIN!

It was a short video introducing each member.

―DO JAE!

Listening to the recorded voice actor calling his name, Do-jae prepared for the next stage.

***

The next stage was the title song stage.

딱, 딱, 딱, 딱. The prelude to flowed with the sound of drumsticks hitting each other.

With the cheerful sound, the atmosphere quickly heated up.

Ki-joon, who was already holding a hand microphone, started rapping to the exact rhythm.

As it was a song by Director Lee Jung-yeop, who boasted excellent popularity, the rap was not too fast, and it was at a speed that anyone could follow.

Heung-min continued rapping after Ki-joon as if he was having a conversation.

The movements of the two people who had successfully finished their parts were light.

Gyu-sung stepped forward and showed off his attractive 음색 [tone/timbre].

―There, if you look at me, everyone will be surprised.

The six members continued to change formations while continuing the song.

The members who assisted from behind did their best even in unseen places.

―Different, different!

It was the part that came out in the teaser.

As it reached the addictive chorus, the sound of humming was heard from the audience.

―I am different, too!

The stage of was finished with each member taking a pose.

Louder cheers were heard from the audience than during the first stage.

Next was .

The choreography was a little easier and freer, but it was also a very 부담스러운 [burdensome/challenging] song for the members singing the song.

Do-jae 곱씹었다 [repeated/pondered] the lyrics of in his head.

The piano performance, which was the prelude to , flowed.

Do-jae changed his expression.

Even at that moment, the camera with the red light on was diligently broadcasting MOST’s debut stage.

***

After all the stages were over, a brief Q&A session with reporters followed.

Since they were set questions, the members took turns giving the answers they had memorized.

“Please give us a lot of love!”

With the youngest member Louis’s 애교 [cutesy/charming] -filled comments, MOST, who had successfully completed their debut showcase, came down from the stage.

The members’ expressions as they came to the waiting room were half-넋이 빠져 [out of it/dazed].

“Haa…….”

“Good job, everyone!”

“Good work!!!”

“Good job!”

The staff’s greetings continued towards the hardworking members.

“…Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

The members mechanically bowed and greeted the staff who had worked hard with them.

And they greeted each other as well.

“Good job.”

When Do-jae said to Louis, who was standing in front of him, Louis turned around and grabbed Do-jae’s arm.

“How, how! Oh my gosh! I…. I’m going crazy. Isn’t my heart going to break like this? So crazy!”

Louis’s face, who was spitting out words at random, was covered in sweat.

철푸덕 [thud]. Gyu-sung was seen lying down on the waiting room sofa as if collapsing.

“I can’t believe it.”

Ki-joon said in a calm tone.

Do-jae agreed with that statement.

It was truly unbelievable.

The hot lights, the hundreds of eyes looking at him.

None of it was believable.

The members felt that the atmosphere at the scene was 괜찮았다 [okay/decent]. 좋았다 [good].

However, the reaction of the broadcast was more important.

Because that would be the real reaction of the public.

“Aaaagh. How’s the reaction, huh? We didn’t 망한 [fail/flop], did we?”

Woo-cheol grabbed Team Leader Jung Hee-young and asked.

Team Leader Jung Hee-young, who had been checking the internet reaction in real-time with Deputy Lee Jung-yeon, was frozen with her phone in her hand.

“You guys…….”