Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 111

#111.

The MOST members looked bright as they stepped onto the stage.

They were in good spirits, and more than anything, they were excited about their first overseas performance.

The white tweed jackets the members wore sparkled under the lights.

Cheers erupted from the audience as the members appeared.

However, the enthusiasm was noticeably different from what they were used to in Korean concert halls.

‘It’s the first performance, after all…….’

It was their first performance in Japan.

It was only natural that their recognition was lower than in Korea.

‘All we can do is work hard from now on.’

Dojae thought as he took a step forward.

First, they had to give a simple greeting.

The members stood next to the MC on stage and bowed as they had practiced, as they always did.

“We are MOST!”

The members, having raised their heads, turned their gaze to the fans gathered on one side of the audience.

Although there were fewer than in Korea, there were quite a few fans who enthusiastically welcomed MOST, waving various cheering items with the members’ names on them.

The members looked at them with sparkling eyes.

Even though they had somewhat realized that they had fans in Japan at the airport, it was still surprising to see them here.

There were also fans holding the official light stick of BEST, MOST’s fan club.

Seeing the ‘M’-shaped ‘Best Bong’ [a light stick shaped like an ‘M’, representing the group’s name] with its subtle mix of white and pink light in this NFK Hall made them feel even more delighted.

“(That’s a very energetic greeting! Please give us a brief introduction of the group.)”

“Please briefly introduce the group.”

The interpreter standing on the far left translated the MC’s words to the members.

Kijun introduced MOST to the audience in Japanese, which he had diligently memorized from the time they departed from Korea until just before they stepped onto the stage.

“(Hello. We are MOST, a six-member idol group from Korea. Today, we will be performing the OST from the drama and our first full-length album title track, .)”

It was Kijun, as expected.

Kijun completed the introduction flawlessly, as if he were reciting rap lyrics.

Although his pronunciation wasn’t quite that of a native speaker, it was evident that he had put in the effort to mimic the intonation, just like when he memorized songs and raps.

Thanks to this, as soon as Kijun mentioned , the entire audience stirred.

Following Kijun, the members introduced themselves one by one with simple Japanese greetings and their names in Korean.

Every time a member said their name, a murmur of excitement rippled through the audience.

“(Nice to meet you! I’m Woocheol!) I’m in charge of vocals and being the mood maker in MOST!”

Especially when Woocheol greeted, not only the fans who came to see MOST but also others in the audience reacted strongly.

This was because Woocheol’s face, which was zoomed in on the large monitor screen, resembled the popular actor Kageyama Taku, and he looked even more handsome in person.

“(Oh! That member is Woocheol! He’s so handsome!)”

“(Woocheol-sang [Mr. Woocheol]. What should I do…. He’s too handsome!)”

“(His personality seems good too! He’s charming?)”

In fact, Kageyama Taku had a handsome, mixed-race appearance, coupled with a shy and introverted image.

Woocheol had a much healthier and brighter image than him, so his charm was definitely different.

Woocheol’s fans in Japan were also initially interested in him because of his resemblance to Kageyama Taku, but eventually, they fell for Woocheol’s own charms.

Feeling a little proud of the stirring audience, Woocheol didn’t forget to wave.

Woocheol was often considered part of the ‘MoBiSam’ line [a visual ranking within the group] within MOST in Korea and often heard that he was handsome.

However, the reaction from Japanese fans was enough to uplift Woocheol even more.

What a thrill it was to be called handsome, especially in a foreign country.

It was even more so when he thought that he had contributed a little to making this Japanese performance happen.

“(I enjoyed that drama too! I’m surprised that the owner of the sweet voice in the song is such a handsome young man!)”

The members smiled shyly as the interpreter conveyed the MC’s playful remark.

Every time the members smiled, large fans with the members’ faces on them shook wildly in the audience.

“(I heard this is your first performance in Japan. I’d like to hear your thoughts on it.)”

“They’re curious about your thoughts on your first performance in Japan.”

The interpreter conveyed the meaning as concisely as possible.

Generally, these kinds of comments were handled by the leader, Kijun, as well as Dojae and Heungmin.

Kijun naturally passed the microphone to Dojae.

Then, the MC added with a sly expression.

“(It would be even better if you could answer this in Japanese.)”

It was a subtle but confident request, implying that since they came to perform in Japan, they must have prepared some Japanese, that they must know how to speak it.

Of course, that’s why Kijun had prepared at least the introduction in Japanese.

As a foreign singer performing in another country, he thought that level of preparation was a matter of sincerity.

But it wasn’t anything more than that.

At least, that’s what Dojae thought.

When he visited Japan as an event from the Daehan Empire [a historical Korean empire], all the emperors and royals used their native language.

The royals studied foreign languages for convenient communication when they went to that country, to avoid being ignored at least, and to prepare for misunderstandings during the interpretation process.

As someone representing the empire, there was no need to converse in a foreign language.

‘I’m not a royal now…. But still.’

Even in this case, Dojae thought that as long as they showed courtesy, it was enough, since they were invited as singers from Korea for the Korea-Japan cultural exchange concert.

Dojae wanted it to be even more evident that they were Korean singers.

“(I’m sorry. I only know how to say greetings in Japanese, and I’m more comfortable with Korean.)”

The members, who knew Dojae’s Japanese skills well, looked at Dojae with shining eyes, then tilted their heads in confusion.

However, Dojae said a simple word of understanding in Japanese and then continued his thoughts in Korean, looking back and forth between the stage and the interpreter.

“I’m very happy to meet Japanese fans. I’m nervous, but I’ll repay you with a great performance as much as you’ve invited us.”

The audience was already mesmerized by Dojae’s soft voice, which alternated between Japanese and Korean.

On top of that, his neat and impressive face, which was zoomed in, was too big of a bonus to ignore.

With a smile, Dojae added a neat yet confident smile.

Perhaps because of his luxurious-looking outfit, Dojae looked more dignified today.

His organized comments, expressions, and gestures made him look like a prince who had really come to do ‘cultural exchange’.

“(Ah, what a voice!)”

“(Dojae-sang [Mr. Dojae]. He’s so handsome in person as expected.)”

“(He’s too handsome. Why is he so handsome! He’s like a prince!)”

“(And even his voice is good.)”

Exclamations poured out from everywhere.

As the interpreter translated Dojae’s words, the MC replied, “I see. I’m looking forward to it.”

There was nothing more he could say since Dojae had stated he couldn’t speak Japanese.

“(Then let’s enjoy MOST’s performance!)”

With those words, the MC and the interpreter went down the stage in turn.

As the lights dimmed, the atmosphere in the concert hall changed.

The audience, who would be seeing MOST’s performance with their own eyes for the first time, were also nervous and full of anticipation, just like the members.

Feeling the changed atmosphere, the members took their places on the stage.

***

The prelude began with a mysterious sound effect mixed with the feeling of sunlight pouring down, accompanied by the stage lights.

In time with the prelude, the members spun around once in their places and struck cute poses as if doing a wave.

Even if they didn’t know MOST, there were quite a few audience members who knew the OST of .

There was an immediate reaction from the audience.

Cheers erupted, and some were already swaying their shoulders and nodding their heads from side to side to the cheerful melody.

—You may not know, but it started then.

The first verse was Woocheol’s.

As Woocheol, standing in the center, stepped forward and sang, the cheers rose a little more.

Woocheol, who had gained confidence, winked and pointed his finger as if pointing to the audience, and the audience immediately went wild.

—Your eyes are more desperate to me than the sunlight

—All the darkness inside me disappears when I meet you

Dojae and Gyuseong’s parts followed.

The two people who came to the front of the stage stepped to the right and left, lightly dancing.

was relatively easy compared to other songs.

To the members, this level of choreography was close to rhythmic exercise.

Thanks to this, the members, who were already strong in live performances, were showing an even more flawless and stable live performance.

—Take me, to that place, my love grows endlessly

After Heungmin and Kijun’s short rap parts, it was time for the chorus.

—Bring me down, to your side.

After Rui’s beautiful voice echoed, a cheer flowed out from the audience during the brief gap until Gyuseong’s next part.

“Nae Gyeoteuro [To my side]! MOST!”

Rui, who was singing and moving to the side, and Gyuseong, who was about to sing his part, were surprised.

All the members dancing in the back couldn’t help but be surprised.

—Sunshine on me

“Sunshine! MOST!”

The cheering continued after Gyuseong’s part.

Other people in the audience also looked surprised by the passionate cheering.

was not an active song, so there was no separate cheering method for the song.

Therefore, Japanese fans prepared a separate cheering method for today’s performance.

That’s why the members couldn’t help but be more surprised and touched.

The members dancing put even more strength into their bodies.

As they entered the interlude, the members’ names were called out one by one.

“Yoon Kijeun! Lee Heungmin! Kim Gyuseong! Kang Dojae! Park Woocheol! Kim Rui!”

Since the pronunciations were unfamiliar, there was a slightly clumsy feeling, but it was a cheer that clearly identified whose name it was.

A bright smile bloomed on the members’ faces.

The members who smiled brightly and performed happily were like sunshine.

It was already the last part.

As in the beginning, they continued the movements one by one as if riding a wave.

Dojae, who had been standing on the far left, came to the front of the stage and sang the last verse.

—Sunshine on me.

Dojae’s face, winking along with his sweet voice, was shown on the screen.

Many of those in the audience who were looking at the screen blushed.

It was clearly a cute wink towards the fans.

But because Dojae was a rare handsome man, or because of the unique atmosphere Dojae had, Dojae’s wink was….

It was even somewhat sexy.

The screen, which had been showing Dojae’s close-up shot, naturally switched to a full shot, showing all the members.

The members struck a pose as if they had been waiting and sent finger hearts [a gesture of making a heart shape with one’s fingers].

The stage lights slowly dimmed.

The audience was still intoxicated with the cheerful atmosphere of , but the members had to prepare for the next song.

As soon as darkness fell completely on the stage, the members quickly took off the tweed jackets they were wearing.

Staff members busily picked up the jackets placed on one side of the stage.

Dojae quickly received the instrument.

The next stage was .

***