Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 116

#116.

A short while later.

Dojae and Woocheol took their positions on the track, ready to run.

Belonging to Group B, the two easily passed the preliminary round, where they had to be among the top three out of eight.

With Dojae and Woocheol taking first and second place respectively, cheers erupted from the MOST fan section.

However, it wasn’t enough to break the ‘Idol Athletic Championship’ record, so their performance in the preliminary round would likely be edited down to a short clip on the broadcast.

It was more important to perform well in the semi-finals and finals, which would be held an hour later.

Even so, they had run their best, so it was inevitable that they were exhausted.

“Hah… Hah…”

“Wow. Woocheol, you’re faster than I thought! Unbelievable!”

“I know, right? Good job.”

Lui and Gyuseong complimented Woocheol, who was catching his breath.

Considering his previous athletic abilities, the members had naturally expected Dojae to come in first.

Heungmin handed Dojae water as he quenched his thirst.

“Good job. If you run a little faster, you might even win?”

After Dojae thanked him, he looked at the electronic scoreboard displaying the competition schedule.

Next up was the preliminary round for archery.

Dojae and Lui were scheduled to participate in the individual archery competition.

Dojae’s eyes sparkled with excitement.

‘Archery, huh?’

Unlike the short-distance running, where he couldn’t gauge the skills of others and there were many hidden talents, archery was the event Dojae was truly aiming to win.

He had learned archery as a child, but it was also something he did every day during his wandering days in Cheongju, after losing his dream, to clear his mind.

He was quite talented at it.

Although it couldn’t compare to his talent in the arts, he was always ahead of his peers.

If that was the case in the Imperial Palace, then among idols….

No further explanation was needed.

The archery bow and arrows, slightly different from what he used in the palace, were unfamiliar, but it was nothing compared to the modern idols who had never held a bow before.

‘Still, last year’s champion, Jigu, is a threat…’

The member named ‘Jigu’ from the group ‘The Bliss’ was, in Dojae’s eyes, no ordinary archer.

Whether he had a natural talent or not, he had scored 10 points multiple times and won the championship last year, despite picking up a bow for the first time.

‘He was practicing hard too.’

Dojae thought, recalling what he had seen during practice a few days ago.

Since it was an unfamiliar event, the Idol Athletic Championship had hired an actual archery coach to provide practice opportunities for the participating athletes.

It wasn’t extensive training; it was more about teaching the participants how to hold and shoot the bow to prevent injuries.

That’s when he saw Jigu.

The Bliss wasn’t a very popular group.

Just as their second album was gaining traction, one of the members got caught up in a dating scandal, and their poor response caused their fanbase to dwindle.

The Idol Athletic Championship was an opportunity that came when they were trying to make a comeback with their third album.

Thanks to Jigu’s unexpected performance and victory in archery, they gained attention and recognition.

As a result, the response to their third album was quite positive.

The atmosphere within the fandom was improving with the influx of new fans.

So, it was only natural that they would aim for a second consecutive win.

There were rumors that he had received lessons from an archery gold medalist, in addition to the practice provided by the Idol Athletic Championship.

‘Still, I have to give it a try.’

The person who taught Dojae archery wasn’t a gold medalist, but….

He was someone with considerable knowledge of archery.

‘It’s one of the few things His Majesty personally taught me.’

Dojae recalled his stern father.

Dojae and his father were descendants of Yi Seong-gye (though in a different dimension), who were said to have hit pine cones from 70 paces away.

“Hyung! Let’s go quickly!”

“Okay.”

At Lui’s call, Dojae headed to where the archery competition was in full swing.

***

Lui was in the 5th round, and Dojae was in the 6th round.

Lui’s opponent was Upside’s youngest member, Eun Sang.

As they were quite close, Lui and Eun Sang created a comical situation, sending each other messages like ‘I’ll be watching you’ and confidently declaring that they would win, as if they were filming a sitcom.

The MCs [Masters of Ceremony] in the commentary box watched the two and commented, “Is it because they’re both the youngest members of their teams? They’re so cute.”

“Indeed. Let’s see if their skills are as cute as they are.”

As the MC said that, Lui and Eun Sang’s match began.

“Kim Lui, fighting! Remember your past life! In a place like the Palace of Versailles…. But wait. Did French people even shoot arrows?”

Even as he listened to Woocheol’s random words of encouragement, Lui wore a serious expression.

He looked quite determined.

He seemed a bit nervous at first glance, but Dojae didn’t pay much attention.

“Yes! Lui! His posture is really good! Just looking at his posture, it seems like he’ll hit the target. He’s taking a deep breath. He’s shooting!”

In the preliminary round, the athletes would shoot a total of 4 arrows.

Lui went to his position, took his stance, and his mouth formed a serious shape as he drew the bow.

Those watching held their breath so as not to disturb his concentration.

The members also clenched their fists, sending only encouraging thoughts to Lui.

Whoosh— The arrow Lui shot flew towards the target.

And thud.

“Ah! What is this!”

“Oh. It seems like Lui’s hand lost strength right before shooting.”

A sigh escaped from the commentary box.

The arrow that didn’t even hit the target and fell to the ground looked pathetic.

“Huh. Did Lui make a mistake? It’s okay, Kim Lui!”

“Lui…. That’s not his real skill, is it?”

Woocheol cheered for Lui in a daze, and Gijun looked at Dojae with a worried expression.

Gyuseong and Heungmin also stared intently at Dojae.

Dojae avoided their gaze.

Dojae knew Lui’s skills from practicing with him.

It wasn’t a skill that could be improved with practice.

It seemed like he lacked strength in his arms and back when drawing the bow.

Team leader Kim Seokcheol and Jung Gilju were also aware of this.

Yet, the reason they didn’t replace the player was….

The arrow shot by Upside’s Eun Sang landed on 6 points.

It wasn’t a high score, but considering Lui’s score of 0, it wasn’t a bad start.

“Wahahaha!”

“Ah! We’ve been tricked again. We were all fooled. What is this…….”

“His posture and expression are no less than a medalist. Haha. Amazing!”

It was when Lui shot his second arrow.

A mix of pitying groans and laughter erupted simultaneously.

As the commentator said, his posture and expression made it seem like he would score a ‘ten’ any second.

But this time again, Lui’s arrow fell to the ground.

“Ah, MOST’s Lui. That’s his second miss already. A miss! At this point, we should consider it his skill, not a mistake, right?”

“Yes, it seems so.”

“But even after missing the target twice…. Look at that unwavering expression! Is he just shameless? Haha!”

Even one of the veteran MCs [Master of Ceremonies] clicked his tongue, looking at Lui.

Lui didn’t seem discouraged, nor did he awkwardly smile to gloss over his mistakes.

Without showing any signs of intimidation, he confidently straightened his shoulders like someone who had just hit a ten, preparing for his next turn.

That audacity…….

It was quite an amusing scene for entertainment purposes.

Lui’s scores were miserable, barely hitting 5 points with his third arrow and 1 point with his fourth.

However, like the archers seen in the Olympics, Lui’s face remained serious.

‘He was like that during practice too.’

It seemed like where the arrow landed wasn’t important.

Lui was intoxicated with ‘himself shooting the bow.’

‘He’s so engrossed. It would have been nice if the arrow had hit the center…….’

Some things just can’t be done, even with the best effort.

Those who watched the match laughed at Lui, so it seemed like enough.

Isn’t this an entertainment program where making people laugh is more important than winning?

The MOST members, including Dojae, decided to think that way.

***

“Ah. The next turn is also MOST. The one currently recording the lowest score is a MOST member. I wonder how this member will do.”

Sixth round.

It was a match between Dojae and Yoon Junghoon from the group ‘Illusion.’

Illusion was a rare idol band group that had secured a decent fanbase.

In particular, Yoon Junghoon, as the group’s vocalist, had the largest number of fans.

When Dojae and Yoon Junghoon appeared simultaneously, quite a loud cheer erupted from the fan seats.

Unlike Dojae, who waved to the fans with a serious face like an athlete competing in the Olympics and picked up his bow, Yoon Junghoon seemed to have a playful personality, making a V sign towards the camera with a smiling face.

“Dojae hyung [older brother or male friend]…. will do well, right?”

“I heard he’s good…….”

Gyuseong trailed off as he replied to Woocheol.

They had always trusted Dojae, but since Lui had looked just as serious as Dojae a moment ago, they couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy.

“Hyung is really good. Perfect!”

At Lui’s words, Heungmin also expressed strong faith, saying, “If Dojae can’t do well, who can?”

“I guess so.”

Woocheol soon agreed.

Dojae stretched his shoulders and warmed up lightly.

“Illusion’s Yoon Junghoon is up for his first shot.”

As the time started counting down, Yoon Junghoon shot his first arrow.

“Seven!”

It was 7 points.

A decent start.

Attention turned to the next shooter, Dojae.

Dojae stood with his legs shoulder-width apart and took his stance.

When shooting archery at the palace, the surroundings were quiet.

But the arena was filled with all sorts of minor noises that disturbed his focus.

“Hoo.”

Dojae took a deep breath and focused his gaze.

“Wow. Kang Dojae’s posture alone is pro-level.”

“Did this team just practice their posture?”

“According to the player information, his posture was good from the beginning of practice. I wonder what his actual skills are like……!”

The commentary box continued to downplay expectations for Dojae’s skills.

After all, if he did well, the surprise would be doubled, and if he really didn’t, they could tie him in with Lui for entertainment purposes.

Still, the members and fans hoped Dojae would do well.

Even though it was entertainment, the fun could be found in their faces anyway.

Thwack, whoosh—!

The moment the members and fans focused on Dojae with tension.

Dojae drew back the bowstring and released it with a thwack.

Then, the arrow quickly cut through the air.

“Eight!”

It was 8 points.

The members cheered and smiled brightly.

“Yeah, as expected of Dojae hyung!”

“8 points on the first shot! Let’s keep going like this!”

Dojae relaxed a little and smiled at the members’ cheers.

The commentary box also said that Dojae seemed different from Lui and decided to watch him a little more.

Yoon Junghoon then shot another 7 points.

And then.

Dojae’s arrow hit the 10-point mark.

“Yiaaaaa!”

“Kyaa.”

“Wow. Amazing.”

Cheers erupted from everywhere.

Even among the idols who were gathered and watching, surprised voices came out.

They couldn’t help but widen their eyes and focus on Dojae’s archery.

Yoon Junghoon had bad luck with the draw.

7-7-8-8. If he had faced someone else, he might have been able to play the next game.

However, Dojae recorded 8-10-9-10.

The arena was buzzing with the emergence of a new archery powerhouse.

Ji-gu had already hit 8-9-9-10 in the first round.

The two faced off shortly after.