Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 108

#108.

Moreover, this was a time when K-Pop fandom was exploding worldwide.

You’d often see comments in English and other languages from all corners of the globe on MOST Channel’s videos.

Even without dedicated overseas performances or promotions, gaining popularity in Korea naturally led to recognition among international K-Pop fans.

This was why Kingdom wasn’t in a rush to expand overseas.

The strategy was simple: strengthen the Korean fanbase, and the international fans would follow.

Still, they were ready to jump on any opportunity that presented itself.

Even with that in mind, the sheer number of Japanese comments today felt odd.

It seemed like they were popping up even more frequently than Korean comments.

It wasn’t just a feeling.

“Could it be? Those Japanese tourists who mistook me for a Japanese actor became my fans!” Woo-cheol wondered aloud, a realization dawning on him.

Louis jumped in, “Oh, you might be right!”

Gyu-sung, ever the pragmatist, voiced his doubt, “There were *that* many tourists…?”

Woo-cheol shook his head, keeping his mouth shut for a moment as he considered.

“Maybe they spread rumors or something?”

“Ah? Could that be it!” Louis exclaimed.

Woo-cheol and Louis were getting excited again, voices filled with hope as they exclaimed, “Ooh, that’s it!”

Gyu-sung, having risen from his seat, decided to find a definitive answer.

“Do-jae, come here for a sec.”

At Gyu-sung’s summons, Do-jae, already changed out of his stage clothes, emerged into the living room.

“Ah, that’s right! Do-jae *hyung* [older brother/male friend] is fluent in Japanese, so he can read them!” Woo-cheol and Louis exclaimed, belatedly realizing.

“What’s up?” Do-jae asked.

“Take a look at this. There are tons of comments in Japanese.”

Do-jae listened to Gyu-sung and approached the monitor to examine the comments.

After a moment of scrutiny, Do-jae spoke, “Looks like people who watched are leaving comments.”

It made sense, considering it was the show where they sang the OST [Original Soundtrack].

Hope and disappointment flickered across Woo-cheol and Louis’s faces.

Woo-cheol looked deflated, while Louis bubbled with excitement.

“Wow! Is the drama popular in Japan too? Did they watch it on Netflix?”

Netflix’s slogan, ‘Anytime, Anywhere,’ encompassed the entire world.

“So, they’re not *our* fans, just drama fans?” Gyu-sung asked.

Do-jae shook his head. “I don’t think it’s that simple.”

With a hopeful heart, Do-jae navigated to the MOST channel and clicked on the most recently uploaded video.

Then, he checked the latest comments.

“Wow! There are a lot of Japanese comments here too?!” Louis shouted, his voice brimming with excitement.

Woo-cheol’s eyes widened.

“It looks like a lot of people discovered us through the OST and became fans after watching our other videos,” Do-jae explained.

The members stared at the monitor, amazed.

One of the most popular videos on the MOST MyTube channel was the one of Woo-cheol kneeling and crying at the awards ceremony after their first win.

The video, which combined Woo-cheol’s emotional breakdown with behind-the-scenes footage from the waiting room, had gained significant traction.

As Do-jae clicked on that video, Woo-cheol groaned, “Why *that* one again…” clearly embarrassed.

However, Do-jae was interested in the comments.

Upon opening the latest comments, he found a significant number of Japanese comments alongside the new Korean fans and Woo-cheol’s loyal followers who were watching it for the umpteenth time.

“A lot of Japanese fans are saying Woo-cheol is cute. There’s even a comment saying he looks like Kageyama Taku!”

“Oh! Really?!” Woo-cheol asked, his face lighting up. Do-jae chuckled and nodded.

“What’s going on?” Ki-joon and Heung-min, ready to head out, inquired as they entered the living room.

Woo-cheol, beaming with pride, explained that MOST seemed to have gained Japanese fans thanks to .

“That’s amazing,” Ki-joon commented.

They all marveled at the unexpected impact of .

***

It wasn’t just something to be amazed by and then forgotten.

December 31st.

The MOST members, having successfully completed the MVS awards ceremony, spent New Year’s Day, January 1st, at the dorm, just like the previous year.

The younger members enthusiastically suggested a trip to a nearby mountain to watch the sunrise, but it was a non-starter.

Having returned to the dorm around three in the morning, waking up before sunrise was simply impossible.

Louis and Woo-cheol, the very ones who had proposed watching the sunrise, were the most deeply asleep.

Even Do-jae, who usually woke up early, was out cold.

“Ah… I woke up and January 1st is almost over,” Heung-min sighed.

“I know, right,” Gyu-sung agreed, the two of them sitting at the table with puffy eyes.

The members gradually woke up in the late afternoon and ordered food for delivery.

They felt like they’d fall asleep again as soon as they finished eating.

It was the aftermath of the year-end awards ceremony.

While other singers felt the strain, MOST inevitably experienced it more intensely.

They had prepared all four stages from scratch, including three awards ceremonies and a special performance.

Even with basic choreography to start from, the physical toll was considerable.

“I’m exhausted, but I’m glad we won a lot of awards yesterday,” Gyu-sung said.

Heung-min smiled faintly as he stirred his kimchi fried rice (which was now cold because Woo-cheol and Ki-joon had ordered it an hour ago).

“True.”

Yesterday, MOST had won three awards at the MVS Awards.

They took home the Main Award, the OST Special Award, and the Millennium Performance Award.

The Millennium Performance Award held special significance, as it was chosen directly by renowned choreographers.

At yesterday’s awards ceremony, The Origin only received one Main Award.

Even after receiving it, Yoo Myung-woo was forced to deliver a speech of self-reflection instead of an acceptance speech.

A dancer filled the spot where Hwang Joo-ho should have been on stage.

It was a textbook example of how one person’s mistake can inevitably damage the entire team’s atmosphere.

“No practice for a while, so I need to rest and build up my stamina,” Heung-min declared.

Gyu-sung, scooping up a large spoonful of fried rice, asked, “*Hyung*, haven’t you checked your phone?”

“Why?”

“We have to go to Japan next week.”

“Huh? Japan?”

“Yeah. To perform. So, we’ll probably start practicing again the day after tomorrow.”

He had been planning to lie in his room and play games for at least a week.

After that, he would go out and meet friends for another week…

Of course, he’d have to visit the studio or practice room from time to time.

The sound of Heung-min’s New Year’s plans collapsing echoed in his mind.

Heung-min frantically checked his phone messages.

The messages exchanged in the group chat on January 1st, while Heung-min was asleep, read as follows:

MyKimSeokCheolTeamLeader | [Everyone is probably still sleeping, but good morning. Happy New Year!

I’m letting you know in advance that we will be departing for Tokyo on the morning of January 10th. We have been invited to the Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Concert. The invitation came somewhat suddenly.] (5 hours ago)

CoolYoungerBrotherKangDoJae | [Thank you for the good news to start the new year! Happy New Year to you too, Team Leader. See you soon.] (4 hours ago)

EmperorYoungerBrotherLouis | [헐!! [Korean slang for “OMG!”]]

[Could it be because of Hello Autumn that we’re going?!!] (3 hours ago)

MyKimSeokCheolTeamLeader | [Our group’s popularity in Japan is considerable. More than I thought.] (3 hours ago)

JustKiJoonHyung | [If it’s a concert… how long is the stage time? When will we start practicing?] (3 hours ago)

MyKimSeokCheolTeamLeader | [Still, rest until the day after tomorrow, and I’ll explain in detail when you come to the office.] (3 hours ago)

JustKiJoonHyung | [Yes, thank you] (3 hours ago)

“Wow. A concert? In Tokyo? Are we really popular enough in Japan to be invited to something like this?” Heung-min exclaimed, forgetting all about his ruined vacation plans.

First of all, the popularity of the drama in Japan was far greater than the members had imagined.

As Louis had guessed, it had gained immense popularity while being broadcast on Netflix, consistently holding the top spot, even surpassing Japanese dramas.

The number of Japanese tourists visiting the drama’s filming locations had surged, and there was a craze for imitating scenes from the drama. The hairband worn by Kang Ji-hyun was selling like hotcakes.

While it was popular in Korea as well, it was almost a cultural phenomenon in Japan.

Thanks to this, Park Seung-ho and Kang Ji-hyun had established themselves as Hallyu [Korean Wave] actors and were planning to hold Japanese fan meetings soon.

The OSTs were also incredibly popular, and MOST benefited the most.

Not only did they sing the most popular OST, but drama fans who listened to the music watched their videos and seemed to fall in love with MOST.

More than the members expected, and with greater intensity.

Enough to warrant a sudden invitation to a concert like this.

As Woo-cheol had confidently predicted, his resemblance to Kageyama Taku was also a major factor.

The fact that a member of MOST looked like Kageyama Taku was a much more well-known rumor in Japan than in Korea.

“We’re really…” Heung-min muttered, rereading the messages and checking the details of the Korea-Japan Cultural Exchange Concert, which was in its third year.

“Is there someone among us who’s been having exceptionally good luck since last year?” He wondered.

It was a reasonable thought, considering the magazine spread out on the table featured New Year’s horoscopes by zodiac sign.

However, Gyu-sung, being Catholic, simply laughed at Heung-min’s suggestion.

Whether it was divine intervention or pure coincidence, good news had indeed arrived with the new year.

***

Some time later.

The members were heading abroad for the first time since their trip to the Philippines.

Now, all the members had overseas travel experience.

Moreover, this time they were traveling with an ‘invitation’ to a concert.

The members straightened their shoulders, puffed out their chests, and headed to the airport with confident and proud hearts.

“I wonder if our fans will really be at the airport?”

“Gil-joo *hyung* said they would be. He told us to stay focused,” Heung-min replied to Woo-cheol’s question.

Inside the van.

Jung Gil-joo had explained that since this was MOST’s first official overseas schedule, after focusing on domestic activities, fans who had figured out their flight schedule would likely be waiting at the airport.

“Hehe. Fans are there,” Woo-cheol chuckled, unable to contain his excitement.

Jung Gil-joo had cautioned them to stay focused to avoid any accidents due to the potential chaos, but for Woo-cheol and the other members, it was simply thrilling.

Not long ago, they had envied other idols whose airport photos were widely circulated.

Even though it was a private schedule, MOST’s departure photos from the Philippines were practically nonexistent.

“Get ready to get off. Kim Team Leader and I will follow closely,” Kim Seok-cheol announced.

“Yes, sir!” the members replied in unison.

Even as they responded, they checked their reflections in the car windows and hand mirrors.

They meticulously adjusted their clothing.

They were finally about to showcase their ‘airport fashion’.

The door slid open, and the members stepped out of the van one by one.

The staff needed to unload the luggage, so they couldn’t park the car directly in front of the airport.

The members stood at the crosswalk leading from the parking lot to the airport entrance.

The moment they appeared, fans scattered in front of the entrance surged forward.

Click, click. Chwaaaaaar-. Charrararararak-.

The members couldn’t even make out the faces of the fans gathered at the airport.

Dozens of cameras were trained on them.

They had expected fans, but they were still taken aback.

The sheer number was overwhelming.

The members masked their surprise and walked as naturally as possible.

Kim Seok-cheol Team Leader firmly held back the fans attempting to approach them.

“Heung-min *oppa* [term used by younger females to address older males]! Over here!”

“Gyu-sung-ah!”

“Hey, don’t push!”

“Hey, get out of the way!”

“Kyaaak!”

“Mommy!”

That’s when it happened.

A fan had fallen.