Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 105

#105.

A luxury bar in Yeoksam-dong, Gangnam, Seoul.

It’s a regular haunt for the members of The Origin from New Entertainment, who debuted two years ago.

Zeus (real name: Eom Seung-dae) was the first member to visit this place.

However, another member visits just as often, practically living there.

It is Hwang Ju-ho, who ‘discovered’ the luxury bar through a member’s introduction.

(Photo of Hwang Ju-ho’s personal car parked behind the W bar building)

W luxury bar is known for being expensive and ‘anything goes,’ even by Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul] room salon standards.

This makes it an unhealthy place for a young, 22-year-old idol to frequent.

(Photo of Hwang Ju-ho’s back entering the W bar building entrance)

What drew him here?

Even during promotional activities, Hwang Ju-ho visited room salons relentlessly.

Female employee A said this:

“He comes all the time. Sometimes I think he’s practically staff? Usually, it’s actors who become regulars, not idols. We’re happy to make money, but I wonder how the fans who spend money on him feel?”

Some fans already suspected.

The fans who followed him closely struggled to keep Hwang Ju-ho’s ‘secret hobby’ under wraps.

If rumors spread, the group’s image would be tarnished.

However, that didn’t seem to concern Hwang Ju-ho.

Female employee B’s testimony:

“He’s obsessed with alcohol and women. He’s even said he doesn’t really want to be a singer.”

Some speculate that discord within the group drove Hwang Ju-ho to frequent room salons.

He constantly complains about his colleagues.

Still, he’s well-regarded among the female employees.

He’s generous and a big spender.

The real trouble started after the SVS [a music festival] stage on the 18th.

Even that day, Hwang Ju-ho, showing no signs of fatigue, visited the nearby B bar.

He seemed a far cry from his listless stage presence.

Hwang Ju-ho, who entered the bar at 2 a.m., emerged around 5 a.m., as the sun was rising.

(Photo of the B luxury bar building with a motel)

(Photo of Hwang Ju-ho coming out of the B luxury bar with a flushed face)

His face was visibly flushed from alcohol.

Nevertheless, he confidently slid into the driver’s seat of his car.

He drove like that for 15 minutes.

Hwang Ju-ho’s car, swerving precariously on the road, eventually arrived at The Origin’s Cheongdam-dong dorm.

Whether he was drunk is unconfirmed, but he was undoubtedly lucky.

(Photo of Hwang Ju-ho’s profile entering the dorm)

He’s an adult male.

He’s free to do as he pleases.

However, we question whether an idol, who is supposed to inspire dreams and hopes in young girls, is living too recklessly.

(Daily Peace) Reporter Eo Woo-jin, Reporter Gam Mi-young

Photo provided by: Reporter Jung Min-ho, Reporter Yoon Tae-ho

***

Hwang Ju-ho appeared in real-time search rankings for the first time since his debut.

The Origin and W room salon were trending together.

The public cursed after reading the article, but the visit to the luxury bar itself didn’t draw overwhelming criticism.

Many pointed fingers, calling him young and disgustingly lewd, but others defended him, arguing that he was an adult male and entitled to visit such places.

What sparked greater public outrage was the drunk driving.

Some were furious, calling drunk driving attempted murder, while others suggested he should enlist in the army immediately.

However, Hwang Ju-ho’s article was merely a half-day’s worth of gossip for the general public.

Ironically, this was partly because he wasn’t a celebrity who usually garnered much attention.

It was The Origin’s fandom that was thrown into complete turmoil.

The atmosphere was already volatile, with fan pages shutting down one after another the day before.

Most fans only understood why the fan page admins had closed their doors after seeing the article.

“Didn’t something happen recently at the N-Pe awards ceremony because of the acceptance speech?”

“I think it was because he didn’t thank the fans? Ah! Also, Hwang Ju-ho looking sullen next to him was a bit controversial.”

Today was the day of the MVS Drama Awards ceremony.

Some reporters were waiting in front of the broadcasting station to photograph the actors arriving.

Among them, reporters K and S discussed the Daily Peace article that had been released that day.

It was their job, but both were genuinely interested in the entertainment industry, which is why they became entertainment reporters.

As a result, they were up-to-date on most celebrity-related news, whether it involved singers or actors.

“Wasn’t there some controversy at the SVS awards ceremony too? It must be a mess over there.”

“Ah, that. Stage time and order… I guess New Entertainment got their way again. So, even those old issues are being dredged up and rehashed.”

“Ah. But couldn’t New Entertainment block the article? Or did they try and fail?”

“I heard from a Daily Peace reporter that they published it without even notifying New Entertainment.”

“Wow. Without warning? Why? Did they think there was no room for negotiation?”

“I heard that one of the New Entertainment executives made a harsh remark to a Daily Peace reporter once. They’re also working on a bigger story, but for now, they sent a warning with this.”

“Wow… This is a warning? There’s something bigger?”

“That’s right. Anyway, they’re extremely dedicated. I don’t think I could cover something like that.”

“Me neither. Let’s just take pictures here. Less suffering, less earning.”

The two reporters shared a hollow laugh.

“But what will happen to Hwang Ju-ho? I don’t think he ever had that many fans to begin with. It looks like even the ones he had are about to jump ship.”

“Well, nothing illegal has been confirmed yet… Won’t he just issue a statement saying he’s reflecting on his actions?”

“Another handwritten apology will be uploaded. The Origin has completely damaged the group’s image.”

“How did he end up in a place like that already? Ugh, I really hate it. But I think they have problems beyond just Hwang Ju-ho.”

“Really?”

“Yes. The discord mentioned in the article seems to be real too…”

It was as the reporters were clicking their tongues that a black van arrived in front of the broadcasting station.

“Who is it?”

The reporters, who were scattered in groups of three or five and chatting, grabbed their cameras and perked up.

Soon, the van stopped, and handsome young men emerged in a row.

It was MOST, who were there to perform a special stage.

“Oh oh!”

“Please look over here!”

“Over here!”

“Oppa [term used by females to refer to older male],!”

“Luiyaaa!”

The sound of camera shutters firing in rapid succession was deafening.

MOST’s fans were also mixed in with the reporters.

However, it was impossible to distinguish reporters from fans just by looking at the cameras.

The MOST members made sure to acknowledge the cameras even as they hurried towards the entrance.

They were smiling, but they also seemed slightly excited to be invited to the drama awards ceremony instead of a music awards show.

The fans relentlessly captured even the backs of the members waving their hands and turning around on camera.

“Wow. Just now…”

“Is that Kang Do-jae? He’s so handsome.”

“Senior, you think so too, right?”

“Yeah. Kim, do you like him too? There’s been a lot of buzz about him lately. It’s understandable. He wouldn’t look out of place even among actors.”

“Of course.”

“He’s an idol, so he waves his hand too. That’s nice. I wish the actors would do that too.”

Their conversation about the MOST members, who had passed by in an instant, was brief.

Another van arrived soon after.

The reporters fell silent again and raised their cameras.

***

At that time.

The atmosphere in the New Entertainment office was, of course, chaotic.

The fans were fighting amongst themselves, declaring support for either 5 members or 4 members.

SNS posts and fan cafe posts demanding Hwang Ju-ho’s withdrawal for damaging the group’s image flooded in.

There was also criticism of Zeus because Zeus was mentioned in the article as well.

Although a minority, some argued that Hwang Ju-ho or Zeus were simply unlucky to have been caught in a bar that everyone frequents, and that they should be forgiven if they showed remorse.

Regardless, the fans were demanding that New Entertainment release a statement quickly, whether it be an explanation or an apology.

The staff were discussing damage control, and The Origin members were essentially confined to their dorm.

The atmosphere in the dorm was tense.

Although it wasn’t usually a harmonious environment, Yoo Myung-woo, who typically retreated to his own room, was sitting in the middle of the living room sofa.

At least in The Origin’s world, Yoo Myung-woo was the king.

The company’s official stance was still undecided, but Yoo Myung-woo’s position was clear.

“Hwang Ju-ho. Leave the group.”

“M-Myungwoo…”

Park Jin-hyuk reacted awkwardly.

Hwang Ju-ho bit his lip tightly, remaining silent.

“You don’t have any skills, and you’ve been acting hopeless anyway. You’re ruining the group’s image like this.”

Hwang Ju-ho felt wronged.

Since his debut, Hwang Ju-ho had never had a significant part.

He became a debut member because he possessed some talent.

Hwang Ju-ho’s dream of being a singer wasn’t a life where he couldn’t do anything on stage and was lucky to be caught on camera for a few seconds.

The same was true when he appeared on variety shows.

Yoo Myung-woo subtly excluded Hwang Ju-ho, leading to his scenes often being completely edited out, which naturally made him the member with the least presence and fewest fans in the group.

The fans assumed that Hwang Ju-ho was edited out because he had a quiet personality and lacked ambition.

He didn’t just feel insecure as a singer.

In the waiting room and the dorm, Hwang Ju-ho became invisible whenever he was around Yoo Myung-woo.

Yoo Myung-woo had disliked Hwang Ju-ho even before their debut.

Until then, their relationship had been normal.

He had simply catered to Yoo Myung-woo’s tastes and tried to appease him.

It all changed when the debut title song was released, and they received the choreography.

One of the movements centered on Yoo Myung-woo felt awkward.

So, he cautiously suggested to the choreographer that he, not Yoo Myung-woo, would be a better fit for the center of that movement.

It wasn’t because he craved the spotlight, but because the line looked genuinely strange.

‘But that story got back to Yoo Myung-woo.’

Immediately afterward, Hwang Ju-ho’s part was reassigned to Chae-hyun.

The line was also adjusted as Hwang Ju-ho had suggested, and Chae-hyun took the center position for that movement.

‘It’s been like that ever since. That bastard has hated me ever since I said that.’

What if he hadn’t spoken up?

He regretted it deeply right after his debut.

‘No. After Kang Do-jae left, he just needed someone to bully. I became that person. A piece of trash who can’t stand unless he’s stepping on someone.’

The other members were used to it and stood by, just as he used to do.

After realizing there was no solution, Hwang Ju-ho gave up on many things.

That’s why he turned to bars.

When he went there, the employees treated Hwang Ju-ho with affection.

Even though he knew it was all destroying him.

Even though he knew that no explanation could excuse his behavior…

Regardless of how it started, Hwang Ju-ho himself chose the path to self-destruction.

Only that decision couldn’t be undone.

“Why are you deciding whether I leave?”

“Then how are you going to take responsibility for this? Huh? Shouldn’t you be the first to step forward, kneel down in front of us now, and say that you’re going to leave?”

“……”

Hwang Ju-ho clenched his fist, his hand trembling.

Park Jin-hyuk intervened at the crucial moment.

“Ju-ho. First, apologize to Myung-woo… This time, you’re the one who messed up.”

He knew why Hwang Ju-ho was so embittered.

Park Jin-hyuk was once again a bystander, trying to alleviate his guilt in this way.

Yoo Myung-woo shook his head at the two of them as if it were a joke.

The company’s decision regarding Hwang Ju-ho was made that afternoon.

The verdict was that immediate withdrawal was too drastic.