Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 239

#239.

– His visuals are attacking me from his very first appearance.

– He’s a perfect fit for the role of the prince, isn’t he?

– I can see why he was cast…

– Prince Do-jae is now official.

– Lee Yu-hoon♥♥♥♥♥

– What? Already liking the male lead.

– Huh??? Should I go to Gyeongbokgung Palace [a major palace in Seoul] right now???

– Wow… his voice is so good. Is it because he’s a good singer?

– Oh my godㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– OMG, does that mean the 3rd prince is inheriting the throne now?ㅋㅋㅋ

– The second prince is running awayㅋㅋ

– Thank youㅋㅋ

– Kang Do-jae is doing a good job acting?

– Oh, he has good chemistry with the eunuch.

– Is the male lead from an idol group? I don’t know much about idols, so I thought he was a rookie actor.

– Yes, MOST.

– He’s from a top singer group, but he’s going to win the acting award too.

– So much excitement in the first episode.

– It’s worth getting excited about. It’s better than expectedㅇㅇ

– Wow, the people who criticized him without even watching his acting must be embarrassed.

– Yeah, you have to watch a drama before you criticize it.

– Seriously so good.

– Ah, Chae-hee is here! Seol Chae-hee is so pretty.

– Sung Joo-yeon has gotten even prettier. Her acting skills have been solid since she was a child actor, so what more is there to say?

– So fun.

– Oh, the prince’s college life.

– This is more romantic comedy than I thought. It’s cute.

– It’s childish. I don’t know why Sung Joo-yeon chose this.

– Seeing good-looking people together is such a treat for the eyes.

– I want to be an imperial citizen too~ Please change my ID!!!

– Did the staff member who filmed the hidden camera on set quit?

– Yes, Sung Joo-yeon even sued them.

– I hope it does well since they worked so hard on it.

– Judging from the current reaction, it looks like it will.

– I, Court Lady Kim, hereby withdraw my full support for Kang Do-jae. I withdraw my support and from this moment on, I will become one with Kang Do-jae, and any attack on Kang Do-jae will be considered an attack on me.

– What about Yu-hoon… That’s too bad…

– What? Is Yu-hoon already in love with Chae-hee?

– He fell in love at first sightㅋㅋㅋ

– His facial expressions are goodㅠㅠ

– I think his acting tone is awkward, but there are a lot of compliments? Is it because he has a lot of fans?

– Are all these comments written by fans?ㅋㅋ

– It’s a matter of personal taste.

– It’s not awkward at all;

– OMG, Lee Yu-hoon is even sexy.

– Did anyone see our prince’s abs when he was changing clothes?

– He’s really making people act disrespectfully.

– Ugh… what? Is it already 30 minutes? So fun.

– What did I do for 30 minutes??? Time flies.

– Ah!!!

– OMG

– Yu-hoonㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

– Ah, there are so many things you have to give up to inherit the throne… That’s why he ran away.

– Kang Do-jae can do emotional acting too?

– Oh, Princeㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

…The real-time reactions to the first episode of were explosive.

There were occasional reactions saying it was childish or that the acting was bad, but overall, it could be summed up as ‘rave reviews.’

Regular drama fans, not just Do-jae’s fans, were going wild, saying that a heart-fluttering drama had finally appeared.

As soon as the first episode ended, everything from Do-jae’s first appearance to the scene where Do-jae and Sung Joo-yeon first meet, the close-up of Do-jae’s face in the middle of the palace, and the scene where Do-jae and Sung Joo-yeon stand side by side by the pond were made into GIFs and uploaded.

Even Do-jae’s wet appearance in the trailer, wearing a white shirt and falling into the pond, became a GIF.

The phrase ‘visual party’ was perfect.

Do-jae and Sung Joo-yeon are both top-tier visuals in Korea, and the background is beautiful, so every scene was ‘good to make into a GIF.’

But since it was even an ‘acting party,’ it would have been stranger if the reaction wasn’t good.

Even fans who hadn’t watched the first episode started to take an interest in the updated GIFs and short video clips and the positive reactions.

Thanks to this, the viewership ratings rose sharply.

Episode 1 viewership rating: 9.3%

Episode 2 viewership rating: 10.1%

To exceed 10% viewership ratings in just two episodes was amazing, considering that it is difficult for even terrestrial dramas [free-to-air broadcast dramas] to exceed 10% these days.

The target audience, the 2049 viewership rating [viewership among 20 to 49 year olds], was also very high.

Do-jae himself had a fandom across various age groups, and the 3040 generation, who had loved the original were all falling in love with .

The broadcaster’s MyTube views proved that teenagers also responded positively to the new world and the exciting romance.

Thanks to the momentum from the beginning, the popularity of grew with each episode.

Episode 4 caused an explosive reaction, and from episode 5, an amazing viewership rating of 14% was achieved.

There was even talk that they might be able to reach 20%.

***

“Yeah, Rui. What should I buy?”

– I want pizza bread! Just a moment. Oh, the hyungs [older brothers/male seniors] said they don’t care, so hyung [term used by younger males to address older males] can pick whatever you want.

“Okay. I got it…….”

– Ahhh! Wait a minute!

“Yeah.”

– Ah. They said to buy a lot.

“Okay….”

– Gyu-sung hyung said to tell you to buy as if 16 people are eating, not 6.

“…Okay.”

Do-jae, who had finished the call with Rui, opened the bakery door with light steps.

Do-jae was on his way back to the dorm after running, and he stopped by because the members said they wanted to eat bread as a snack.

A cheerful bell rang, and the employee’s voice echoed, “Welcome.”

The store was quite spacious, and about three customers were choosing bread.

Do-jae quietly started putting bread on the tray.

‘Pizza bread, huh…….’

First, he put in the pizza bread that Rui had mentioned, and then he put in sausage bread and sandwiches next to it.

He knew that if he bought a lot without counting, the members would eat it all up within a day.

Do-jae, who was putting in tarts and castella [a type of sponge cake] in order, paused for a moment.

Because his face was on the corner of his favorite red bean bread and fresh cream bread.

‘Ah. It was here.’

He just stopped by a bakery on the way, but when he thought about it, it was a bakery that sponsored .

He was glad it wasn’t a competitor.

‘Even if I’m not advertising it… the drama is still airing.’

At that time, other customers started choosing bread from that corner before Do-jae could.

Do-jae put other bread on the tray and waited for the customers to pass.

“Ah! I have to buy fresh cream bread! That’s why I came here.”

“You don’t even like fresh cream.”

“I don’t know. It looks delicious.”

“Why? Because it’s soft and sweet… just like you?”

Do-jae flinched.

‘This bread… it’s soft and sweet, just like me? (Takes a bite) Mmm… it’s delicious?’

It was Do-jae’s line in the drama.

It was also a scene from the legendary 4th episode.

Do-jae delivered the cheesy lines so casually and naturally.

Do-jae, who was already good at this kind of line thanks to the Byeolbyeol Chicken commercial acting, was already good at this type of lines.

Because of this, viewers were shocked and liked the PPL [product placement] scene very much.

It was a cheesy line that gave them goosebumps, but the reason why it became a hot topic was that it was convincing when Do-jae said it.

The scene was consumed as a meme called ‘Fresh Cream Prince’ and was even cited as a famous line from .

Thanks to this, the bakery that put in the fresh cream bread PPL was seeing the PPL effect.

The sales of fresh cream bread were also enormous.

“OMG, crazy!

“Ugh. It’s so cheesy. It was good when our prince did it.”

“To be honest, it was a bit much even when the prince did it.”

“But he eats it so deliciously that I want to eat it too.”

“Ah, there’s an ad here too! Oh my gosh. He’s so handsome!”

The customers, not knowing that Do-jae was nearby, continued their conversation while giggling, perhaps because he was wearing a hat.

Watching the customers pick up fresh cream bread and head to the checkout, Do-jae felt embarrassed and proud at the same time.

Just in time, the OST [original soundtrack] of was playing in the bakery.

It was a cheerful song sung by MOST.

That’s when Do-jae, who had picked out all the bread, was standing at the checkout.

“Oh my gosh. L, Lee Yu-hoon?!!”

The clerk who was calculating muttered in surprise.

Do-jae bowed to the clerk who recognized him.

After the drama became popular, Do-jae realized that the number of people who recognized him had increased significantly.

He was already famous enough, but it was different from when he was in MOST.

In the past, most of the people who spoke to Do-jae were enthusiastic fans, but now, even passersby recognized Do-jae and spoke to him.

‘So this is what it’s like to have your face become more well-known.’

As Do-jae smiled familiarly, the clerk blushed and covered her mouth with her hand.

“I’m such a big fan! I’m enjoying the drama.”

“Thank you.”

To Do-jae, who answered kindly, the clerk didn’t know what to do, but she showed her thorough professionalism and put the enormous amount of bread in a bag.

“Wh, what! Kang Do-jae! It’s Kang Do-jae!”

“OMG. Prince?!!”

“What. He’s like a real prince…….”

“Can’t we take a picture?”

“Should I get an autograph?”

“Ah, I don’t know…. What should I do!”

“He’s so handsome.”

“Wow, he’s really buying fresh cream bread!”

Meanwhile, Do-jae heard other customers whispering as they recognized him.

Hearing the word ‘Prince,’ he felt like he had returned to the Korean Empire [the drama’s setting].

Do-jae was used to ignoring those voices.

“Sh, should I put it in a bag for you?”

“Yes, please.”

“Yes. Yes!”

Do-jae helped the clerk put the bread in the bag.

Since there was so much, it seemed like it would take a long time to do it alone.

The customers’ eyes sparkled at Do-jae’s gentle appearance.

The real Do-jae… was the prince himself, even though he was wearing sportswear, and they just felt like they had entered the drama.

“Goodbye.”

“Goodbye!!!”

The clerk also greeted the customer loudly as he left with both hands full and said goodbye politely.

As soon as he left, she blamed herself for not getting an autograph…

And that afternoon, a photo of Do-jae buying fresh cream bread from the drama was posted on an online community, and it goes without saying that the sales of fresh cream bread rose once again.

And a few months later, MOST became the main model for the bakery…….

***

After eating bread, Do-jae and the members went to the recording studio.

MOST’s album release was just around the corner.

Although the drama was still airing, Do-jae, who had finished filming with pre-production, began preparing for the album in earnest.