Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 47

#47.

[The Origin Achieves No. 1 with Digital Single Release]

[HOH’s Popularity Continues? …New Rising Star The Origin’s Successful Comeback]

[The Origin VS MOST, The Origin Wins the Rookie Battle!]

[Special Rookie, The Origin! Outpaces Chaser MOST..]

Most articles celebrated The Origin’s rapid rise to number one upon their comeback.

Since they debuted around the same time and were both contenders for the top spot, many articles drew comparisons between MOST and The Origin.

It was clear that the headlines were sensationalized, conveniently overlooking the fact that MOST was at a disadvantage due to the timing of their release.

MOST couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

But the reality was undeniable.

The Origin had claimed first place yesterday, while MOST secured second.

This was despite the perception that The Origin’s earlier release—a week prior—was a deliberate attempt by New Entertainment to overshadow MOST, who had extended their promotional period.

New Entertainment was proving to be adept at media manipulation.

[ The Origin, Excellent Performance but Stage Below Expectations]

Amidst the flood of articles praising The Origin’s victory, one stood out with a dissenting opinion.

Perhaps it was the sheer volume of positive coverage that made this particular article so intriguing.

It felt more provocative than the pieces focusing on the rivalry with MOST, and it quickly climbed to the top of the entertainment news charts.

“Wow. Is this reporter trying to start a fight?” Woochul muttered in surprise.

Gijun, who was reading the article alongside him, explained, “They’re known for publishing brutally honest reviews, consequences be damned.”

“Ah. Seriously? A place like that exists?”

“It’s an online news outlet that spun off from a major newspaper specifically to allow for unfiltered commentary.”

“Oh…….”

Woochul nodded, and he and Heungmin continued reading.

The article’s central argument was that The Origin’s stage presence felt insincere.

“So, it’s criticizing them for relying too heavily on pre-recorded audio [AR, All Recorded, refers to pre-recorded vocals layered over live performances],” Woochul summarized.

“Yeah…. They did use quite a bit of AR.”

“The article says it felt too insincere. It’s not that they *have* to sing live, but compared to other singers who clearly put in the effort to prepare live performances… apparently, The Origin hasn’t delivered a truly live stage yet? So, the reviewer claims they haven’t proven their skills at all… and even though they weren’t singing live, their performance wasn’t particularly impressive…….”

“That’s harsh,” Gyuseong muttered, surprised, as Woochul finished his summary.

Regardless of personal feelings towards The Origin, the suggestion that their stage presence lacked sincerity would sting.

“Hyung. We won’t hear things like that, right? Probably…….”

“That’s right…….”

Woochul responded, sensing Gyuseong’s unease.

Heungmin nodded in agreement.

The two glanced at Gijun, who was staring intently at his phone with a cold expression.

As long as they had ‘Gijun with impossibly high standards,’ there was no chance of an insincere stage.

Gyuseong quickly understood and muttered, “That’s true.”

-Did The Origin forget to pay this reporter?

-They don’t *have* to sing live, but it’s a shame they didn’t? ㅋㅋ What’s shameful about it when they aren’t obligated to? Sounds like nitpicking ㅋㅋ And The Origin *did* sing live ㅋㅋ Just because the AR was a little loud, you can’t tell if it’s live or not?

-You don’t know anything..

-Even if *you* know something, this expert knows better. This person isn’t just a reporter, but a famous pop culture critic, dude.

-Be quiet, you’re embarrassing yourself.

-Honestly, The Origin’s stage *was* insincere. If you watch MOST’s performance from the same day, it’s a completely different level.

-MOST is great live. It was nice to see them working hard until the end yesterday.

-MOST seems to work hard, and The Origin seems relatively relaxed. I guess it’s different when you’re from a big company.. Both are hardworking rookies, but is it okay to tear down one side like this?

-Is this reporter a MOST fan who wrote the review while crying because they didn’t get first place?

-Honestly, MOST should have won yesterday.

-If they won, they won. Why are you saying they *should* have won? ㅉㅉ MOST fans should be ashamed.

-I’m not a MOST fan; I’m an Infinite Boys fan; I’m just giving an objective opinion.

-Why is MOST suddenly being dragged into this when they were just minding their own business?

-The crime of being good at live performances.

The comments section was a chaotic mess.

An article like this would certainly take the shine off their first-place victory.

Especially since it was their comeback stage.

The live performance controversy could potentially dog them throughout their entire promotional period.

It was an article that barely mentioned MOST, yet MOST was a frequent topic in the comments.

It seemed the two groups were solidifying their positions as rivals, both in the public eye and within the industry.

“I just hope our fans don’t get stressed out over nothing,” Louie muttered, looking displeased.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

“What? Is the delivery here already? That’s super fast. I thought it would take at least an hour.”

“Didn’t you select the ‘leave it at the door’ option? You’ll wake up Dojae.”

“That’s weird? I’m sure I checked it?”

As Woochul hurried to the door, Gijun and Heungmin got up and headed towards the dining table.

Louie and Gyuseong also followed Woochul to retrieve the food.

“Huh?”

“Team Leader?”

Standing at the door was none other than Team Leader Kim Seokcheol.

At the same moment, Dojae emerged from his room.

“You’re here, Team Leader.”

“Seriously. Hyung was already awake?”

“I just got a call saying Team Leader was on his way.”

As he spoke, Dojae’s eyes still looked heavy with sleep.

“Hyung. You must have slept well. You’ve got a bird’s nest going on up there…….”

*Even with bedhead, he’s still handsome*, Woochul thought to himself.

“I’m sorry for waking you up, Dojae. I assumed everyone would still be asleep, but I figured Dojae might be awake…….”

Team Leader Kim Seokcheol greeted them with an apologetic expression.

Dojae shook his head.

“It’s okay. Please come in.”

“Ah! That’s right. Team Leader, come in. What brings you here so suddenly?”

***

“I really wanted to let you all rest today if possible, but I’m sorry, everyone,” Team Leader Kim Seokcheol said, after settling into a seat in the living room, apologizing once again.

“It’s okay, Team Leader. But what’s going on……?” Gijun asked cautiously.

Normally, Team Leader Kim Seokcheol oversaw the members’ schedules, general well-being, and even dorm life.

However, since Jung Gilju had joined as their manager, Team Leader Kim Seokcheol hadn’t visited the dorm in person.

“Gilju is on vacation today, so I thought it would be best for me to stop by and talk to you on my way home from work.”

“Ah…….”

“Judging by his social media, Gilju hyung seems really excited to be back in his hometown! I guess he’s happy without us……,” Louie said in a sentimental tone, prompting a light chuckle from Team Leader Kim Seokcheol.

He then looked around at the members and said,

“I’m sorry to bring this up right away when you were supposed to be resting…….”

“Do we have a schedule?”

“That’s right.”

Heungmin laughed at Team Leader Kim Seokcheol’s response.

“We’re rookies, so we have to do it if there’s a schedule, whether it’s during our promotional period or not!”

“Wow. Hyung, you were so cool just now!”

“He’s gotten a taste of popularity. The sweet, sweet taste of popularity.”

Louie and Woochul reacted to Heungmin’s enthusiastic and responsible remarks.

Gyuseong was looking at Team Leader Kim Seokcheol with slightly touched eyes.

A manager who apologizes for scheduling work during their break.

Gyuseong, who had many trainee friends from other agencies through his vocal academy, knew how rare it was to receive such consideration from the company, especially from the management team leader.

Dojae, who had already fixed his hair, chimed in, echoing Heungmin’s sentiment.

“We’re okay, so please feel free to tell us.”

“We’ve received a guest invitation from .”

” ?!!”

is a KVS weekend entertainment program that consistently ranks among the top three domestic variety shows.

It was a national entertainment program and was so popular that it continued as a seasonal program.

While Season 1 boasted viewership ratings close to 50%, Season 2’s ratings fell short of expectations, but Season 3 was successfully recapturing the fame of Season 1.

Analysts attributed this resurgence to the reduced number of guest appearances, which had been a point of criticism during Season 2.

As a result, even agencies or stars with established reputations found it difficult to secure a spot on for promotional purposes.

The Origin, who had already made appearances on all the major public broadcast variety shows, was no exception.

For MOST, a rookie idol group, even a single minute on would be a dream come true.

If it was , Team Leader Kim Seokcheol would have gladly skipped his 퇴근 [toe-geun, leaving work] and visited the dorm.

“Why us on there……?” Gijun asked, bewildered.

Team Leader Kim Seokcheol added an explanation.

“But only two members can appear.”

The members, who had been pleasantly surprised, stiffened for a moment and exchanged glances.

***

Strictly speaking, only one member’s appearance was truly up for grabs.

Because the other spot was already decided.

“Dojae hyung. You need to move your feet a bit more smoothly there.”

“Um…. Like this?”

“Ah. That’s not it…. If you do it slowly, like *thiiiiis*……,” Louie demonstrated slowly for Dojae, who was still struggling to grasp the movement, the floor of the practice room creaking beneath their feet.

Dojae, who had been watching Louie’s feet intently, tried the step again.

“Oh, that’s right! I knew hyung had a good learning ability.”

“I’m still lacking a lot.”

“No way! Compared to when we first started learning the intro, your speed at picking up choreography seems to have doubled.”

Dojae smiled quietly at Louie’s generous praise.

Dojae’s current dancing skills were a testament to the effort ‘Kang Dojae’ had invested in his body, combined with Dojae’s relentless practice.

It still wasn’t on par with his singing ability, but it had surpassed the average dancing skills of most idols.

“Louie. What’s the movement here?” Gyuseong, who had been practicing alone while watching himself in the mirror, approached Louie to ask about a particular step.

It had been four days since they wrapped up promotions for their debut album.

The members were now preparing for their upcoming awards ceremony performance after a brief respite.

It was their first awards ceremony stage since their debut.

Regardless of whether they won an award, they were determined to deliver an unforgettable performance.

Many singers weren’t even invited to the awards ceremony, so being invited and having the opportunity to perform on stage was a significant achievement in itself.

“No, hyung! That’s not it!” Heungmin’s voice, scolding Gijun, echoed loudly in the practice room.

“You need to put more power into it.”

“…I’ll try again,” Gijun responded, accepting Heungmin’s instruction with a slightly sulky expression, but as if he couldn’t refuse.

It was a rare moment where Heungmin, who was usually on the receiving end of Gijun’s nagging about music production or everyday matters, could raise his voice.

They were all intensely focused on mastering the choreography for the awards ceremony, taught by their choreographer, Trainer Socks.

“Let’s take a break for a while! Please!” Woochul shouted, his stamina rapidly depleting.

Gijun checked the time and nodded, as if he couldn’t argue.

They had been practicing the choreography for well over an hour.

“Let’s rest for ten minutes and then get back to it,” Gijun announced, prompting Woochul to collapse onto his back.

“Hey, will you even be able to film then?” Heungmin asked, leaning against Woochul’s body.

is a real variety program where they go camping, as the title suggests, and it was known for being a variety show that requires a lot of physical endurance.

Woochul took a deep breath and looked dumbfounded.

“What are you talking about? My stamina is better than hyung’s.”

Since that was undeniably true, Heungmin chuckled and turned his gaze to Dojae.

Dojae was drinking water while mentally rehearsing the part Louie had taught him.

Woochul and Dojae.

The two were scheduled to film their episode tomorrow.

Heungmin looked back and forth between the two and asked,

“You’re filming tomorrow. Do you think you’ll both do well?”

“We have to do well,” Dojae replied, wiping the water from his mouth.

They were appearing in a role to perform one mission, but it was MOST’s first public broadcast variety show appearance.

They needed to make the most of this opportunity.

“Yeah. You’ll do well. I’m just worried Woochul will cause some kind of disaster,” Heungmin said, feigning concern for Woochul rather than Dojae.