Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 150

“I’ll be back.”

Gyu-sung said, leaving the waiting room for the rehearsal.

After Gyu-sung left, the members shared the drinks thoughtfully prepared by Joo Yuri, easing their unnecessary tension.

“Thanks to Gyu-sung hyung [older brother or male friend], we get to come to Joo Yuri sunbae’s [senior] new song showcase.”

Woo-cheol chuckled, sucking on his triple-shot Americano with a straw.

Despite his personality, which might suggest he only likes sweet things, Woo-cheol was actually a triple-shot Americano enthusiast.

It seemed like he needed a triple shot to feel the caffeine kick.

However, to Louis, who was enjoying a caramel latte with plenty of whipped cream, it looked like poison.

Louis slightly frowned, feeling the bitterness in his mouth, and quickly drank his caramel latte to sweeten his palate.

“Gyu-sung hyung, doesn’t he seem nervous?”

“Of course, he would be. He’s performing on stage with Yuri sunbae. It must be different from recording, right?”

At Heung-min’s response, Woo-cheol, Louis, and Ki-joon turned their heads.

“Yuri sunbae?!”

Woo-cheol asked back with a face full of laughter.

“When did she go from sunbaenim [honorific for senior] to Yuri sunbae?”

“Ahem, ahem. We’re the same age. She told me to be comfortable.”

Heung-min said, clearing his throat for no reason.

His ears were red with embarrassment.

“Wow, hyung… Why are you so embarrassed? It’s just that since you worked on a song with Gyu-sung hyung, she’s trying to make you comfortable, isn’t she, Yuri noona [older sister or female friend]?”

“What? Yuri noona?! How can you call a sunbae that… !”

“She said it’s okay to call her noona…”

Louis’s words made Heung-min speechless.

Woo-cheol and Louis couldn’t hold back their laughter and burst out laughing.

They knew that Heung-min was excited, feeling like he had become friends with Joo Yuri.

But the other younger members had dropped ‘sunbae’ and were calling her ‘noona.’

“Ah… Right. You guys are Kim Louis and Park Woo-cheol.”

Heung-min said, trying not to show his disappointed expression.

When it came to sociability, regardless of age or gender, it was Kim Louis, and Woo-cheol was not far behind.

“I thought she would be difficult to approach because she’s such a senior and so famous… But her personality is angelic!”

“There’s a reason why successful people are successful!”

Woo-cheol and Louis chattered excitedly.

Heung-min felt like he had lost to his younger brothers, but he tried to comfort himself, thinking, ‘It’s different with younger brothers who are the same age as me.’

At that moment, Ki-joon, who had been quiet, agreed with Woo-cheol and Louis.

“Yeah, Yuri has a good personality.”

“····!”

Heung-min’s eyes widened at the sight of Ki-joon, who was usually shy around strangers, calling Joo Yuri comfortably.

In any other case, Ki-joon wouldn’t have been able to easily call a senior by their first name, even if they told him to be comfortable.

However, as they talked about working on the song, they realized that their musical tastes were similar, and they became friends.

Moreover, Joo Yuri readily introduced a singer-songwriter who was personally close to her to Ki-joon.

Ki-joon had little interaction with other artists besides Director Lee Jung-yeop and Do-jae, and the composers who worked with him on the MOST album.

However, after talking with Joo Yuri, he began to think that he should actively interact with external artists as well.

He felt like his perspective was broadening.

Whatever Ki-joon’s situation was, Heung-min, who had been a long-time fan of Joo Yuri, felt like he was about to write a post starting with, ‘My world has collapsed…’ if things went on like this.

It was then, as Woo-cheol and Louis, as well as Ki-joon, were holding back their laughter, that Do-jae, who had gone out with Jung Gil-joo for a while, came back into the waiting room.

“It seems like the rehearsals outside are almost done?”

At Jung Gil-joo’s words, the members checked the time.

It was not long before 6 p.m., the start time of the performance.

“But… Heung-min hyung, is something wrong?”

When Do-jae asked, Heung-min answered in a small voice, “No,” and finished the latte he was holding.

His back looked somehow bitter.

“Hyung, drink this.”

Louis handed Do-jae the Americano that was left for him.

Do-jae tilted his head and accepted the drink.

***

10 minutes before the show started.

The members headed to the invitation seats.

In the invitation seats, there were celebrities who were friends with Joo Yuri, and staff members they had seen fleetingly in the broadcasting industry.

Because Joo Yuri was active not only as a singer but also as an actress, there were many people from the drama and film industries.

As the members sat down, the middle-aged woman next to them looked at MOST with a bright face.

“Oh my! I’m a fan! Nice to meet you!”

Although they couldn’t tell who she was right away, the members greeted her first.

It was Louis and Jung Gil-joo, who were fans of dramas, who recognized her.

“Writer Yoon Hye-ran?!”

She was a drama writer who was so well-known that her face was known because she had so many hits.

She was a writer who had greatly contributed to Joo Yuri’s rise to fame as an actress.

Next to her was PD [Production Director] Park Jung-do.

Park Jung-do also greeted the members, recognizing them.

His eyes, which examined the members one by one, were quite sharp.

The members were bewildered by the atmosphere in which the officials greeted them first and welcomed them.

“…Was ‘Looking Into Each Other’s Eyes’ the second song?”

At Ki-joon’s question, Do-jae nodded and quietly looked at the still-empty stage.

Joo Yuri was scheduled to sing a total of five songs at today’s showcase.

All of them were new songs from Joo Yuri’s sixth album and third mini-album, .

‘Looking Into Each Other’s Eyes,’ which Gyu-sung worked on, was the third track on the album and also a pre-release song for this album.

Because of this, the music video and song were released yesterday evening, and they immediately topped the music charts upon release.

‘Since the reaction is already good… I’m glad that there won’t be that kind of pressure.’

Do-jae thought.

Of course, even so, performing a duet at a senior singer’s showcase would be a huge burden…

Gyu-sung had already achieved number one on the music charts for the second time with a collaboration with fellow singers since .

It could be said that it was only two songs, but in reality, reaching number one on the music charts was not an easy task.

It had also happened within a year.

Although there was the halo of the program at the time of , and the halo of top singer Joo Yuri this time, the fact that Gyu-sung’s name was on the number one song did not change.

Furthermore, Gyu-sung’s part in both songs was substantial.

Already, in some places, the title of ‘best music partner’ was being attached to Gyu-sung’s name.

‘If he just performs as well as he can at today’s performance…’

It was Joo Yuri’s new song release stage, which had garnered a lot of attention.

If he did well on today’s stage, it was clear that it would be an opportunity for Gyu-sung, who had begun to shine, to take off completely.

It was then, as the members, including Do-jae, were waiting for the performance with anticipation.

As the performance time approached, the audience suddenly went dark.

“Waaaaaaah!!”

At the same time, the voices of Joo Yuri’s excited fans shook the concert hall.

MOST, who were usually accustomed to the cheers of women, looked back at the audience, where the voices of men and women were mixed, with a strange feeling.

When the stage lights came on and Joo Yuri stepped onto the center of the stage, the cheers grew even louder.

***

After the first song performance.

There was a brief blackout.

MOST was watching the performance with excitement, as they had seen other singers’ stages on music shows or awards ceremonies, but this was the first time they had seen another singer’s full-fledged performance like this.

The way the experienced Joo Yuri dominated the stage alone was a great example for the MOST members, who were preparing for their first concert.

“It’s a given that she sings well… But her energy is amazing.”

“I know.”

At Do-jae’s words, Ki-joon nodded as if the first song had been impressive.

Shortly after.

The intro to the second song, ‘Looking Into Each Other’s Eyes,’ began.

The atmosphere had risen, and perhaps because it was a pre-release song, the reaction was definitely better than the first song.

The members also looked up at the stage with trembling hearts.

“Wow!”

Woo-cheol exclaimed, looking at Joo Yuri, who appeared first.

Joo Yuri, wearing a mini dress with a light pink hue, was very beautiful.

However, they couldn’t help but exclaim once more as they saw Gyu-sung, who appeared next to her.

“Gyu-sung hyung!”

“He looks quite decent when he’s dressed up like that?”

Louis and Heung-min exclaimed in turn.

The suit, which matched Joo Yuri’s color, suited him quite well.

The new light brown hair also seemed to enhance Gyu-sung’s soft image.

“Waaaaaaah!!”

The voices of Gyu-sung’s fans, who had gathered in one place, rang out loudly.

Gyu-sung, who was holding the microphone and was nervous, looked at them and smiled quietly.

-I know everything, you looking at me
You know it too, me towards you

When Joo Yuri started singing after the intro, the fans held their breath and focused on the song.

-The reason I can’t bear to look is because I’m shy
My heart is beating so fast it’s strange
As much as your footsteps running towards me

Her clear yet solid voice filled the concert hall.

The atmosphere completely changed with just the first verse.

‘Looking Into Each Other’s Eyes’ was about two people who liked each other but couldn’t approach each other, gaining courage and reaching out to each other.

Overall, it was a fast-tempo and cheerful song, but the minor melody that mixed in when the key changed made the song’s atmosphere diverse.

Joo Yuri naturally turned her gaze towards Gyu-sung.

Gyu-sung looked at Joo Yuri and prepared to match her breath.

-The moment our eyes meet
A miracle will happen
-All the scenery recedes
Only we become clear

Gyu-sung’s unique tone intertwined with Joo Yuri’s delicate and soft tone, adding strength to the song.

“Wow, chills…”

Woo-cheol stroked his arm.

It was a voice that made his ears feel ecstatic enough to make his fine hairs stand on end.

-I’ll be able to laugh when I want to cry
-There will be more times when I want to laugh, yes, courage-!

As Joo Yuri raised her pitch, Gyu-sung’s pitch also rose.

The two were smiling and singing towards the stage, but the members couldn’t smile at all.

They might have just thought it was good when they heard it on the recording.

However, seeing the two of them comfortably singing these high notes live made them feel in awe as fellow singers.

The second verse started from Gyu-sung’s point of view.

-The only person I want to talk to is you
The only person I want to whisper love to is us
We’ll be perfect for each other

Gyu-sung’s tone, which was strong in high notes, was now solidly complete even in the low range.

The singing voice, mixed with air due to his unique breathing, gave the feeling of whispering love right next to him.

‘He’s improved again since last time.’

Do-jae immediately noticed that his skills had improved more than during ‘Jo Jung-yeol’s Music Talk.’

Gyu-sung’s continued development was a huge stimulus for Do-jae, who formed one axis of MOST’s vocals along with Gyu-sung.

And also Joo Yuri’s song, which extracted a huge amount of sound from her small frame.

-The moment our eyes meet
A miracle will happen
-The road I walked alone disappears, we
If we’re always together
-I’ll come closer
-I’ll come even closer
-I’ll be brave, I won’t let you go

With the effect of falling petals, the stage had reached its climax.

At that moment, Do-jae clenched his fist tightly.