Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 149

#149.

“I thought you might need it.”

Dojae answered calmly.

“What? Why would I need that?”

“You need it in times like these.”

“I guess so….”

Heungmin mumbled, looking a bit dazed.

Louie stared at the envelope in Dojae’s hand with a slightly frightened expression.

Dojae simply tore open the small, finger-sized envelope and inserted a needle into the needle holder.

It was a sterilized, disposable needle.

“You… you know how to do acupuncture?”

Kijun asked, blinking in surprise.

Dojae nodded lightly.

“I’ve learned it on and off since I was young. It’s a hassle to bother people over minor things… That’s why I avoid going to the hospital….”

In truth, it was uncomfortable to have the royal physicians come and examine him even if he just felt a little unwell.

The physicians were always anxious about Dojae getting sick.

The same went for Chief Kim and the palace staff beside him.

‘When I got older, it was somewhat resolved by agreeing to take medicine… But when I was young, it was difficult to have my way.’

It wasn’t just the physicians who came; everything was reported to the Emperor and Empress.

It was only natural to inform parents when their child wasn’t feeling well.

However, young Dojae felt a bit resentful towards his father and mother, who didn’t come to see him even after knowing this.

Moreover, sometimes he would get scolded for not taking proper care of himself.

As a child, Dojae had a sensitive disposition and often suffered from indigestion or headaches….

Anyway, with so many things making him uncomfortable, Dojae chose to take care of his own body.

That’s why he learned simple acupressure and acupuncture.

‘Looking back, I’ve been quite strong-willed since I was young.’

Dojae complimented himself… but in reality, he might have been a rather stubborn and headstrong teenager.

“Still… I learned properly from a famous person, so you don’t have to worry. This much is fine.”

Of course, the famous person here wasn’t just any ordinary doctor.

It was the best physician in the Korean Empire, who had mastered both Western and Eastern medicine and resided in the palace, responsible for the health of the royal family.

“Who did you learn from?”

“Did you learn from Heo Jun [a legendary Korean physician]?”

“Did you read the Dongui Bogam [a classic text on Korean medicine]?”

“No… Is hyung [older brother/male friend] a reincarnation of Heo Jun?!!”

Dojae felt a momentary lapse in concentration from the flood of questions from Heungmin and Woocheol.

Of course, it wasn’t acupuncture that required great concentration.

Dojae stepped in because it was a spot where even if he placed the needle slightly wrong, it wouldn’t cause much of a problem.

It was Kijun who stopped the fussing duo.

“Be quiet.”

Heungmin and Woocheol immediately shut their mouths.

Of course, Kijun was also amazed.

Louie, who had seemed scared, was now looking at Dojae with awe, his hands clasped together.

Thinking that things had become more burdensome than he had anticipated, Dojae grabbed Gyuseong’s arm.

Gyuseong completely trusted Dojae and entrusted his body to him.

He also felt that it would be amazing if he actually got better.

“It will sting a little.”

“Ooh!!! Like a doctor!!!”

“Dr. Kang!”

Woocheol and Louie.

Suppressing the urge to pinch his two younger brothers, Dojae placed the needle in Gyuseong’s ear.

***

Shortly after.

Whether it was the effect of the needle, the placebo effect…

Or perhaps it was Gyuseong’s will to eat ramen.

Gyuseong’s stomachache was completely gone.

And Gyuseong quickly cooked a new cup of ramen and ate it deliciously.

“Dojae can even do acupuncture?!”

On the way back to the dorm, enjoying the short but sweet break, Jung Gilju asked in surprise after hearing the story.

“Why not?! Gyuseong hyung is completely healed, you know. Right?!”

“…That’s right.”

“Wow. Is there anything Dojae can’t do? At this rate, he might even become a member of the National Assembly.”

At Jung Gilju’s words, the members laughed, saying it didn’t seem impossible.

‘A member of the Imperial Family can’t become a member of the National Assembly….’

Only Dojae, who came from the Korean Empire, blankly stared at the dark road, lost in thought.

***

The next day, MOST won first place on a music show again.

And along with the news of their first place win, joyful news was delivered to Gyuseong, who had been active on 〈Jo Jungyeol’s Music Talk〉.

“Is it real?”

Gyuseong asked back, as if he couldn’t believe Jung Gilju’s words.

Jung Gilju chuckled.

“Yeah, it’s real.”

“No way….”

Woocheol and Dojae rejoiced on Gyuseong’s behalf, who couldn’t easily accept the reality.

“Hyung, congratulations! This is a huge deal! A huge opportunity!”

“Gyuseong-ah. That’s great! Congratulations.”

The members each offered words of congratulations.

There was also someone who couldn’t easily offer congratulations.

It was Heungmin.

Heungmin was as stunned as Gyuseong, who had received the offer.

He was so, so (multiplied by a hundred) envious.

It wasn’t that his stomach hurt.

After all, Heungmin couldn’t sing like Gyuseong.

He was just envious.

It was definitely a good thing.

It was much better for Gyuseong to do it than for this opportunity to go to another male singer.

Having finished thinking that far, Heungmin soon congratulated Gyuseong with a bright face.

Of course, he was envious solely because of his fanboy heart, not for any other reason.

“Working with Jo Yuri sunbaenim [senior/respected colleague]….”

Gyuseong murmured in a dreamy voice.

Jo Yuri was now a solo artist in an unrivaled position as a singer.

She topped the music charts every time she released a song, so now the focus was less on whether her next song would do well and more on what kind of attempts she would make and what genre of music she would pursue.

“She apparently thought very highly of you from the start. She said she had been thinking of making the offer since 〈Ma day is coming〉.”

“Wow. Since then!”

Woocheol exclaimed in amazement.

〈Ma day is coming〉 was the song that Sprint featured in during 〈THIS IS HIPHOP〉, which reached number one on the music charts.

“Well, Gyuseong was already doing well back then.”

Heungmin muttered approvingly.

“Come to think of it, there’s a bit of a connection! Back then! Gyuseong hyung gave Jo Yuri sunbae a rose at the awards ceremony!”

At Louie’s shout, Gyuseong tilted his head, saying, “Oh, did I?”

After retracing his memories, he vaguely remembered it.

At the time, he was nervous and disoriented because it was an awards ceremony.

“I was envious back then too.”

It was Heungmin who accurately remembered that event.

“Heungmin hyung must be envious.”

Woocheol started up as if to tease Heungmin.

However, Heungmin, who had already sorted out his thoughts, firmly defended against Woocheol’s teasing.

“No. Of course, I’m envious, but it’s okay. You’re going to take me to the recording studio… right?”

Heungmin asked, widening his eyes.

Louie and Woocheol burst into laughter, and Gyuseong looked flustered.

“I’d like to, but… is that possible?”

Jung Gilju said with a smile that it might be nice for all the members to go together to support him during the recording.

“I’ll look into it later.”

“Okay….”

It was Heungmin who answered.

Jung Gilju continued.

“She already has a song she wants to request. We naturally agreed, so they sent us the song.”

“Then… can we listen to it right now?”

“Yep.”

The members sat in a row in front of the practice room mirror and listened to the guide version of Jo Yuri’s new song that Jung Gilju played.

As the cheerful intro flowed out, Woocheol and Louie shrugged their shoulders.

“It already sounds good?”

“Fantastic!”

It wasn’t just empty hype.

From the intro, they strongly felt that it would be a ‘good song.’

‘It’s different from her recent fresh and unconventional style. This song feels more like her older songs.’

Dojae thought while listening to the song.

At the same time, he sincerely admired the artist Jo Yuri.

‘She really knows the public well.’

She was very good at walking the tightrope between artistry and popularity.

She wasn’t getting bogged down in the word ‘art’ while claiming to go her own way, nor was she losing her own color by chasing only popularity.

‘It’s really rare to be able to catch both rabbits [achieve two difficult goals simultaneously]. Amazing….’

It was an admirable aspect.

The bright and cheerful song felt as if stardust was falling just by listening to it.

If you imagined Jo Yuri’s comfortable and clear voice singing this song, it felt even more sparkling.

‘This part is the part that Gyuseong will sing.’

Dojae felt that he knew even more why Jo Yuri had chosen Gyuseong as her partner.

‘She properly grasped Gyuseong’s true worth.’

It would be a really good opportunity for Gyuseong.

Not only would he make his name known, but it was also a type of song that would be difficult to include in a MOST album.

‘It’s perfect for highlighting Gyuseong’s voice.’

Dojae raised the corners of his lips as if he could picture the two of them on stage.

“Wow! The song is really good! Hyung, it’s going to be a hit!”

Woocheol exclaimed excitedly.

“But the amount… This isn’t just a feature, is it?”

At Heungmin’s question, Jung Gilju nodded.

“Oh, it’s a duet.”

“Jackpot.”

“But Gyuseong hyung really has to do this. A man singing these high notes… Only Gyuseong hyung can do it?!”

“It’s not that much….”

Gyuseong shook his head.

However, Gyuseong’s eyes were already sparkling with anticipation.

Gyuseong was clearly aware that it was an opportunity.

“I’ll let you know again when the recording schedule is set.”

“Yes….”

“Then practice hard! I’ll come pick you up later.”

The members nodded at Jung Gilju’s words as he left.

Even though all the activity schedules except for one remaining broadcast tomorrow were over, there was a reason why the members were holed up in the practice room.

“Okay, let’s practice from the intro again.”

At Kijun’s strict voice, Woocheol sighed while sticking to the mirror.

Even so, he got up before anyone could say anything.

What was waiting for the members was none other than their first solo concert.

It was a bit late.

However, they had postponed it until now because they wanted to gain meaningful popularity and fill the setlist with their own songs before holding a concert.

Thanks to that, this concert was their first concert and a nationwide tour concert.

After pressing the camera recording button, the members took their positions.

“I’ll start!”

Louie, who was closest to the remote control, shouted.

When he pressed the remote control, 〈Intro〉 began to play.

The sound of the members’ footsteps, who had instantly changed their expressions, loudly echoed in the practice room.

Squeak, squeak.

The sound of sneakers rubbing against the floor was rough.

***

One month later.

As planned, New Entertainment released D-Origin’s Japanese full album in Japan.

From the time of the Hwang Juho controversy, they had been planning to end the controversy in this way and resume group activities.

However, in the meantime, a controversy broke out that seemed impossible to recover from….

Nevertheless, New Entertainment pushed ahead with their Japanese activities.

They couldn’t cancel the contracted items, and they had the naive thought that it would be okay since it wasn’t domestic activity.

However, New Entertainment’s trickery ended before they could even properly confirm the results.

This was because the title song of the Japanese album caused another uproar due to plagiarism.

Japanese fans also reacted negatively, saying that they were ignoring Japan.

The composer of the song was Bear Jung.

***

And at the time when D-Origin was being criticized on the internet to the point where they could never show their faces again due to the plagiarism controversy.

Gyuseong was taking a deep breath.

“Do well!”

The faces of the cheering members were also slightly flushed.

Today was the first performance of Jo Yuri and Gyuseong’s new song, 〈Looking into Each Other’s Eyes〉.