Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 115

#115.

***

The MVS Special Idol Athletics Championships.

Also known as the ‘Idol Athletics Championship,’ it was a holiday special entertainment program where idols from all agencies gathered to compete in various athletic events, just as the name suggests.

It was similar to award ceremonies in that many idols and their fans attended.

However, the criteria for inviting performers were less strict than award ceremonies, so rookies or those with declining popularity could also participate.

It was a good opportunity for them to gain exposure by competing with popular idols.

Of course, it wasn’t usually easy to stand out among nearly a hundred participants.

Screen time was ultimately distributed based on popularity or the PD’s [Production Director’s] discretion, and because there were so many people, it was common to be completely edited out even after participating in a game.

Considering the long recording and waiting times that required staying up all day, it wasn’t an entertainment program that one could be entirely happy about appearing on.

Moreover, since it was an athletic competition, there was a risk of injury.

Still, an opportunity was an opportunity.

Even though they knew they would only get a few seconds of screen time after all that hard work, there was a one in a hundred chance of becoming a trending topic.

Regardless of viewership ratings, MVS’s entertainment department heavily promoted it as a program that could ‘gather so many idols,’ so once an invitation came in, it was impossible to refuse.

Unless there was a reason that the MVS higher-ups could understand, or unless one wanted to be on bad terms with MVS.

“Ah…. I don’t really like this. The kids only suffer, and the screen time will be another disaster. It was good that we didn’t appear last year…. Although we couldn’t appear on other entertainment shows either.”

“Because the timing overlapped with Big Boyz’s overseas concert. There’s no way they would only invite our kids when Big Boyz can’t come.”

“That’s right.”

“It’s better this way. Our kids have some popularity now, so wouldn’t they give us some screen time?”

“But screen time only comes if you do well in the games……”

A large gymnasium in Ilsan.

Seonmi and Heera, sitting in the audience overlooking the large stadium where the ‘Idol Athletics Championship’ would take place, yawned and continued to talk.

MOST’s fan seats were on the east side of the second floor.

Thanks to their success in the comment-based first-come-first-served event held on the fan cafe [online fan community] a few days ago, the two were able to sit in the front even on the second floor.

Although the idols in the stadium were so small that they looked like little toys, it was all the same.

They had been attending since the opening ceremony, which started a little after 9 a.m., and when they saw the members wearing sky-blue tracksuits during the opening ceremony, they were incredibly happy, but as time passed, they couldn’t help but feel restless and bored.

“Ah, I wish the kids would come out again soon.”

“First, we need to eat lunch. We’ve been stuck here for three hours already.”

The games that MOST members would participate in were all in the afternoon, and the members who had been waiting while cheering for Big Boyz’s games had briefly entered the waiting room.

It was almost lunchtime, so they were also hungry.

“Okay, focus! We have a brief announcement!”

At that moment, the fan manager appeared, and the fan seats buzzed.

“You all know that it’s almost lunchtime, right?”

“Yes!”

There were quite a few middle and high school student fans since it was during vacation.

Among them, fans with little experience in public broadcasts answered the fan manager’s words diligently, like a choir.

Older (a little worn out) fans didn’t answer and just blankly listened to what the fan manager was saying.

Some even picked at their ears, thinking that they would only list things that weren’t allowed and try to crack down.

However, words that made even those fans open their eyes wide and straighten their posture flowed from the fan manager’s mouth.

“The members will come here to hand out lunch boxes!”

“Aaaah!”

“Heol! [OMG!]”

“…Ah. Heol. 대박 [Daebak – jackpot/awesome].”

Exclamations, almost screams, erupted from here and there.

“The members know that you fans are having a hard time…. They wanted to do something for you, so the company prepared the lunch boxes.”

“Waaaah!”

“Ah. They’re really our kids.”

“Crazy, crazy.”

Since the recording time was so long, it wasn’t just the singers who were having a hard time.

Of course, even though it was nice to be able to see their beloved singers all day, the fans also had to endure a long day, sacrificing their freedom of movement.

Because of this, as the ‘Idol Athletics Championship’ continued year after year, there were cases where the performers would thank the fans by giving out lunch boxes or gifts.

But even so, not all performers did that.

Even if they gave out lunch boxes, it was really rare for them to come and hand them out in person like this.

“You all know that our MOST members really care about their fans, right?”

“Yes!”

“Yes, yes, yes!”

“We’re letting them come up to the fan seats with good intentions, so nothing should happen, right? It’s already noisy these days because of sasaengs [obsessive fans].”

“Yes.”

When the topic of sasaengs came up, people whispered and cursed at the sasaengs.

After the performance in Japan, posts were uploaded on MOST’s fan cafe and Kingdom Entertainment’s official Twitter, stating that MOST members were suffering from sasaeng fans and were hurt by their excessive behavior.

The fact that there were even fans who came to the hotel in Japan was widely known.

Not just one or two viewers heard the sound of knocking on the door through the live broadcast.

The MOST fan community, which had been suspecting them of being sasaeng fans even before the announcement was posted, was in an uproar when they confirmed the facts.

It was too much for anyone to accept.

The fact that these sasaengs were openly cursing at the members spread, and the fans were so upset that they were almost bedridden.

The members wanted to hear only pretty words, but they were being cursed at to their faces.

Just as Dojae’s ‘bathrobe 착샷 [chakshot – snapshot]’ became a hot topic, the excessive sasaeng fans caused public outrage.

The intimacy of the ‘hotel’ space, more than the ‘dorm,’ added to the shock.

Thanks to this, the flames of ‘down with sasaengs’ blazed fiercely.

Of course, that didn’t mean that the sasaengs, who had been running wild without regard for reality, disappeared…….

Still, since there was even talk of suing and the atmosphere was so ominous, there was a high possibility that they would lie low for the time being.

“Please maintain order so that the members don’t have anything upsetting happen today. If there’s even a small accident today, there won’t be another opportunity like this next time. Do you understand?”

“Yes……”

Normally, they would have clicked their tongues, saying that the fan manager was only saying annoying things, but this time, the fans nodded, agreeing that everything he said was right.

“Don’t take pictures with your cell phones, and definitely no flash! The Idol Athletics Championship itself prohibits it, so please keep that in mind! The members will get criticized. Don’t stand up and sit straight in your seats.”

As soon as the fan seats were organized, the members, starting with Gijun, came up one by one from the entrance of the stairs.

“Kyaaaaak!”

“Kyaak!”

“Quiet, quiet. Be quiet!”

The young fans, who reflexively screamed at the fan manager’s strict voice, covered their mouths.

They were too busy watching the members, who were approaching the fan seats without taking their eyes off them for even 0.1 seconds, even with half of their faces covered.

“Don’t stand up! People in the back can’t see.”

The fan manager, Jeong Gilju, and Kingdom staff quickly organized the fans.

Some fans almost made mistakes because they were too eager, but overall, the order was well maintained.

“Aaaak.”

“Ah, damn. They’re too handsome.”

Heera and Seonmi were just as excited inside.

Seonmi had already seen the members and Dojae up close several times, but she was newly amazed every time she saw them.

She couldn’t tell whether Dojae was getting more handsome or whether Seonmi’s heart was growing bigger.

Seonmi, who knew that Dojae remembered her face, wanted to let him know that she had come here somehow…….

But she couldn’t be that forward, so she held back.

The members, standing in a row in the front, counted one, two, three together and bowed deeply.

“We are MOST, here to be the best!”

“Waaaaaaak!”

“Kyaaa.”

Cheers and applause mixed together.

It was closer than on stage.

Everyone was mesmerized, capturing the members’ appearances in their eyes with expressions of not knowing what to do.

Fans on both sides and above were also busy watching MOST, who had come to the fan seats.

Half of them were envious, and half of them were admiring the appearance of the MOST members they saw up close.

“Our BESTs [MOST’s fandom name] must have had a hard time since morning!”

“No!”

“It’s okay!”

In response to Louie’s question, the fans answered no from here and there, even drawing an ‘X’ with their arms.

The fan who had been complaining that it was a waste of time just a little while ago shouted,