Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 161

#161.

***

The members only knew that Do-jae’s mother couldn’t attend the concert due to a sudden, unspecified matter.

So, they readily accepted Do-jae’s explanation that he would have dinner with his mother separately, without any suspicion.

“She must be disappointed she missed the concert. Tell her to come tomorrow if she feels up to it.”

“That’s right. Have a good time with your mother!”

After the members saw him off, Do-jae went directly to the hospital.

He planned to make his move when the members were having dinner and returning to the office.

‘I’m relieved she doesn’t seem seriously injured. But we need to keep a close watch…’

Hye-kyung felt bad that Do-jae was visiting her after an exhausting concert, but Do-jae felt much better seeing her in person and confirming she was alright.

Team Leader Kim Seok-cheol had made all the arrangements in advance, so a caregiver was already in the hospital room.

Do-jae thanked Team Leader Kim Seok-cheol again for taking such meticulous care of Hye-kyung, who was all alone.

Then, he went to the office and reviewed the day’s performance with the members.

Planning Team 2 was monitoring press releases and fan community reactions online, even though it was the weekend.

“The reaction is definitely positive!”

“They’re saying it doesn’t feel like a first concert. The stage quality is so high… Of course, I expected them to be better than average, but it’s still like, ‘As expected!'”

“The fans seem very satisfied with the setlist. Many of their favorite B-side tracks [lesser-known songs not released as singles] were performed… The stage composition wasn’t boring, and the stage time was evenly distributed among the members. The fans are really happy.”

“It seems like the things we focused on really resonated.”

Deputy Manager Lee Jung-yeon and Team Leader Jung Hee-young relayed external feedback.

The members’ faces lit up at the positive evaluation.

“The reporters and critics we invited today also released brief self-assessments, saying, ‘I came expecting a visually dazzling stage, but my ears were treated instead.'”

“That’s a good thing, right?”

Woo-cheol tilted his head, looking puzzled.

“They thought we were a team with strong stage presence, so they focused on that aspect… They said that not only did we meet that expectation, but the individual abilities of the members were also maximized.”

“Oh…”

“They were surprised by the growth in the members’ skills, both vocal and rap, which they hadn’t seen on music shows.”

The planning intention of this concert was accurately understood.

When planning the concert, the members and the company had many concerns.

In particular, the members were most concerned about ‘what to show the fans who came to the concert hall.’

The concert was a performance with a completely different meaning from music broadcasts, various event stages, or award ceremony stages.

To make the performance more meaningful, it was necessary to more clearly define which aspects to focus on.

Trying to catch two or three rabbits at once, as the saying goes, could result in missing even one.

The synchronized choreography-focused stages were something they had always done and would continue to do.

The large-scale, flashy performances focused on stage equipment were also possible at award ceremony stages and were more meaningful when shown briefly and intensely.

So, what they chose was to showcase the individual abilities that had been difficult to display until now.

They thought it would be more meaningful because it was a concert with fans who knew the members inside and out and had watched their growth more closely than anyone else.

That’s how they created the setlist, arranged the songs, and designed the stage.

Thanks to this, the members were able to put more effort into developing their abilities as if they had received a challenge, and Do-jae was also able to try a vocal style that brought out his individuality in songs like 〈Umbrella Shade〉.

Of course, it wasn’t as if they didn’t pay attention to the stage equipment or failed to properly showcase group performances, so it seemed like it became an even better performance.

“That’s good.”

Do-jae nodded in satisfaction.

He was pleased that the planning intention was accurately understood and that the fans, whom he wanted to satisfy more than anyone else, seemed happy.

If the overall concept and stage composition were all fine…

It was time to talk about the details.

“Wasn’t the sound system not properly adjusted during the opening? I felt like it was adjusted halfway through 〈Dynamic〉.”

As they delved into the specifics of the stage, Ki-joon immediately spoke up, his tone sharp.

The director in charge of the performance checked the cue sheet and replied.

“We’ll pay more attention during rehearsal so that it’s adjusted correctly from the beginning tomorrow.”

“Yes, please.”

After Ki-joon replied, Heung-min spoke up.

“I felt like the formation was less synchronized than usual during 〈Dynamic〉…”

The Yangmal trainer [dance instructor], who had been monitoring the concert on screen, nodded with a slightly surprised look.

“I was going to talk about that part, but Heung-min, you’ve improved a lot?!”

“Ah. I can tell right away.”

“I think I was too excited from the beginning. I’ll try to match it better tomorrow.”

Louis quickly admitted his mistake.

Louis was as confident in dancing as Heung-min, so he knew exactly what he had done wrong.

“Yes. I know how you feel, but don’t get too carried away at the start. I’ve told you several times that you’ll get tired later. Today was okay because you were caught up in the first performance… But it’s not a performance that ends in one day.”

The Yangmal trainer emphasized this point even more because it wasn’t just the end of the two-day concert in Seoul, but the start of a nationwide tour.

“Yes.”

Woo-cheol, who was almost exhausted at the end of today’s performance, replied with great sympathy.

“When transitioning from 〈We Must Go〉 to 〈Out of Sight〉, how about lengthening the intro a bit more? After all, that part has four songs with intense choreography in a row… It seems like many members are having a hard time. It feels like the impact of the appearance is also decreasing because it continues for too long.”

The members nodded at Do-jae’s suggestion.

It was difficult even when practicing, but the physical exertion on stage was beyond imagination.

“I think about 8 seconds is possible…”

Ki-joon said after quickly considering the matter.

It seemed like a short time, but even 8 seconds more would be enough for the members to catch their breath one more time.

“It’ll be difficult for tomorrow’s performance, but let’s do that from the next performance onwards.”

The members nodded in agreement as the performance director also approved.

The Yangmal trainer, who was in charge of choreography, also reacted positively to the idea.

After that, detailed and diverse feedback on the performance continued, paying attention to even the smallest expressions.

After sharing opinions enthusiastically and reflecting as much as possible, it was already almost 11 p.m. when they left the office.

Even that was a quick finish, considering tomorrow’s performance.

“Ugh!”

Woo-cheol stretched greatly as he headed to the dorm.

His muscles ached here and there, but he didn’t feel bad.

“I wish tomorrow would come quickly again!”

Woo-cheol’s expression was bright as he shouted.

Louis also shouted loudly, “Me too!”

The other members smiled faintly at the two of them.

***

After showering, the members shared the patches that Jung Gil-joo had distributed and went to their respective rooms to rest.

Gyu-sung, who was lying on the bed, was listening to the MRs [music recorded] for the concert in order on his phone when he fell asleep before the third song, 〈Before Sunrise〉, was even over.

“He must have been really tired…”

Do-jae, who found Gyu-sung asleep, quietly took out Gyu-sung’s earphones.

Then Gyu-sung tossed and turned.

Do-jae froze for a moment, and after confirming that Gyu-sung hadn’t woken up, he carefully left the room.

It was because he was hungry since he had skipped dinner.

It felt like there was a constant smell of food coming from somewhere, even though there shouldn’t be anyone in the living room.

‘I did eat bread in the car on the way here… But I feel like it’s not enough because of the amount of activity.’

Do-jae was about to enter the kitchen, thinking that he should at least satisfy his hunger with the salad that the members had bought because they were on a diet right before the concert.

“…Hyung? [Older brother/male friend]”

Ki-joon was in the kitchen, which he thought was empty.

“Oh, Do-jae.”

“I thought you were sleeping.”

“…Did you perhaps come out because you were hungry?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

Do-jae said, looking at the things Ki-joon had put on the table.

It was a pot and a thermal lunch box.

“What’s all this?”

“I heard everything from Gil-joo hyung earlier. Your mother is hospitalized.”

“Ah…”

Ki-joon had been worried about Do-jae seeming to go to the hospital, so he had asked Jung Gil-joo separately.

“I also heard that you asked him to keep it a secret because you didn’t want us to worry. Why are you like this…”

Ki-joon swallowed the rest of his words.

It wasn’t that he was trying to scold him, but he spoke in a scolding tone because he was upset.

“It’s a problem that you’re too good at handling everything on your own.”

“Hyung…”

Do-jae couldn’t continue speaking because he knew how Ki-joon felt and was grateful and sorry.

Of course, Ki-joon didn’t want to burden Do-jae, who already had a lot to worry about, so he quickly relaxed his expression and asked.

“Is your mother okay?”

“Yes. She wasn’t seriously injured.”

“Okay… You didn’t eat dinner and went to the hospital, right? Eat some of this if you’re hungry.”

What Ki-joon was making was dried pollack porridge.

It wouldn’t be a burden on his stomach, and it seemed like it would give him much more energy than a salad.

“Are you doing this now because of me?”

“No.”

Ki-joon replied bluntly.

Even so, he scooped porridge into a bowl.

Do-jae smiled and sat down at the table.

“I thought it would be good to take it to my mother.”

“Ah…”

Do-jae was moved once again by Ki-joon’s unexpected consideration.

“Thank you. Hyung… I didn’t even think about it.”

To make food himself.

It was a method that Do-jae, who was not used to taking care of others ‘directly,’ even if he did take care of them, would have found difficult to think of.

“Hyung, you must be tired too…”

“I’m not going to sleep yet anyway… It makes me feel better to cook than to use my phone.”

Ki-joon avoided Do-jae’s touched eyes as if he was embarrassed and put the porridge in a thermos.

“I think I can send this by quick service tomorrow.”

“Hyung… Thank you so much. Even this much…”

“What do you mean, even this much? Your parents are sick. What would you have done if our parents were sick?”

Do-jae would have packed a lot of fruit baskets and gone to visit the hospital. It would have been difficult for him to stay still.

Of course, he knew that all the members felt that way, so he didn’t want to let them know…

“Still, I don’t think I could cook porridge myself.”

“That’s because you’re not good at cooking.”

If there was one area where Do-jae had no talent, it would be ‘cooking.’

But he had an amazing talent for ‘tasting.’