Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 131

#131.

“What?”

Jung Gil-joo tilted his head, puzzled.

MOST’s performance was supposed to be the highlight of the day, the grand finale.

The audience was eager for the show to continue without delay.

Do Jae, too, felt it was a shame to end the performance so abruptly.

***

The next song was 〈Dynamic〉.

Though it was their debut song from two years ago, they chose it because its message was positive and seemed perfect for a university performance.

While not as popular as 〈Yours〉, its familiarity also influenced the decision.

As the members took their positions, cheers erupted from the crowd.

The audience had been unsure if the performance would resume due to the heavy rain.

“Kyaaaa!”

“Let’s go!!”

The fans were ecstatic, and even the students, already drenched, shouted with youthful enthusiasm.

However, only Ki Joon had a microphone. As the members formed their positions, he spoke into it.

“Our next song is our debut track, 〈Dynamic〉. Due to the circumstances, we will be performing with complete lip-sync. We appreciate your understanding.”

It was Do Jae’s suggestion.

Continuing the show was important, but safety was paramount.

‘We always perform as if it’s the last time… but it’s not *really* the last time.’

Do Jae wanted to ensure minimal risk while still delivering a performance.

While the members could manage slips and falls, they couldn’t control the risk of electric shock.

That’s why he suggested lip-syncing without microphones.

“Whew!”

“It’s okay! It’s okay!”

There was some concern that it might seem insincere, but given the weather, the audience was simply thrilled they were back on stage.

Hearing the cheers, Do Jae briefly took the microphone from Ki Joon.

His leather clothes, soaked silver hair, and striking blue eyes made him look otherworldly – not a prince, but an alien from the future.

His appearance was strikingly handsome.

“Thank you for staying with us at today’s performance.”

His tone and the weight of his words, however, were princely.

The audience was captivated by his earnest voice.

“…He’s so freaking handsome, seriously.”

Gratitude was what the viewers wanted to express.

The other members also made heart shapes with their hands and waved, expressing their thanks.

Soon, the intro of 〈Dynamic〉 blasted from the speakers.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

Fans who had joined during the 〈Yours〉 era rarely had the chance to see 〈Dynamic〉 performed live.

The fans on one side of the audience couldn’t contain their excitement and screamed.

The mix of piano and electronic sounds amplified the concert’s energy.

-Open your eyes and see this world, where we are together

“Kyaaaak!”

“Waaaaaaa!”

-Things that are freezing and things that are melting

Between the colors that arise and the colors that set

-I hear a voice dreaming

The members moved in perfect synchronization.

At the same time, their movements were freer than during 〈Remember〉.

The choreography allowed for more individual expression, and the lack of singing gave them more freedom.

-We spread our wings freely

-This is, This is!

-This is the dynamic world-!

As they launched into the chorus, the energized audience began to sing along.

“This is the dynamic world!”

“Dynamic world!”

Thanks to the city promotion video, the chorus was widely known.

A unified voice shouted “dynamic world!”

The concert hall rumbled and echoed.

The members beamed, feeding off the enthusiastic response.

Even though they couldn’t see clearly, they were exhilarated.

The drizzle could be calming, but being soaked in the rain sometimes brought a unique, uninhibited excitement.

Both the members and the audience were clearly caught up in the moment.

“Scream!”

“Waaaaaaaaak!”

Even without a microphone, Heungmin’s voice rang out.

At his command, the audience roared.

The excitement rivaled that of a rock festival.

As they entered the second verse, the members broke from synchronized choreography.

The members energized the stage, jumping to the beat and connecting with the audience.

“This is the dynamic world!”

The members shouted the final verse together.

The audience joined in.

“Haa.”

“Ha, Love you so much!”

“Thank you!”

Even though the microphones wouldn’t reach the back, the members shouted with all their might.

The members, with their makeup smeared and their clothes and hair disheveled, couldn’t stop smiling.

“Encore! Encore!”

“MOST! MOST!”

As if the excitement hadn’t faded, the audience chanted for an encore.

But it was truly time to go.

The members, retreating into the tent, looked back at the concert hall with a hint of sadness.

It was clear this would be a particularly memorable performance.

***

〈MOST Burns Passion at University Entrance Ceremony Performance!〉

〈MOST’s Performance Strong Even in the Rain. Saenal University “So Grateful for Creating Memories for Students”〉

〈MOST Sincere About Performances, Performance in the Rain Becomes a Hot Topic〉

The fans’ prediction of a ‘legendary’ performance proved accurate.

The Saenal University entrance ceremony performance quickly went viral, fueled by high-quality fan-taken [직캠s – short for “direct camera,” referring to amateur recordings of performances] and stage videos.

The reaction was huge.

The unwavering choreography and impressive live skills were widely praised.

Many comments included ‘ㄷㄷㄷ’ [an internet slang expression similar to “wow” or “amazing”] acknowledging the quality despite the cheap amplifiers.

The 〈Dynamic〉 performance, continued with lip-sync, also garnered attention.

-I should have been there

-헐 [Korean slang for “OMG”] Isn’t the stage slippery? Everyone can’t even open their eyes properly

-It rained so much that day; they did an outdoor stage;

-Visuals what?ㅠrㅠㅠㅠ [Korean slang expressing strong emotion, often used to express being overwhelmed by visuals]

-It’s like a festival, I’m excited tooㅋㅋ ㅋ ㅋ ㅋ [Korean laughter notation]

-Ah, it looks so goodㅠㅠ Let me join! Let me join!

-Youth! Refreshing! All these words are MOST’s

-I’m going to enter Saenal University!

-As a Gyeonggi-do person, I can’t stand Dynamic! [Gyeonggi-do is a province in South Korea]

-Dynamic is 인정 [Korean slang for “acknowledged” or “agreed”]

The MOST in the video truly embodied ‘enjoying the stage.’

The excited voices of the audience in the video heightened the sense of realism.

The flood of positive student reviews further fueled the buzz.

While it might not have been a major performance for MOST, their dedication and hard work, even in bad weather, left a lasting impression.

Their handsome looks and stage presence only amplified the effect.

As a result, many students became new fans.

The buzz in online communities soon led to news articles, which in turn generated even more buzz…

Surprisingly, shortly after the online frenzy, 〈Dynamic〉 re-entered the music charts, breaking into the top 100.

“Wow… Is this the famous 역주행 [yeokjuhaeng – a song climbing back up the charts after its initial release]?!”

“The number of video views was very unusual…”

The members gathered in the practice room before recording 〈Jo Jung-yeol’s Music Talk〉 and discussed the phenomenon.

〈Dynamic〉 had actually performed well on the charts during its initial promotion [활동 – hwaldong – promotional period].

MOST wasn’t a household name, but they were a newly debuted group.

It was a testament to the power of a good song, regardless of the artist.

“It’s really amazing.”

Gyu-sung smiled, clearly pleased.

The members checked the clock on the practice room wall.

“Is the recording taking longer than expected?”

“I know. I think it’s almost over…”

Woo-cheol answered Heung-min’s question.

“Achoo!”

Louie sneezed.

He had caught a slight cold after the rainy performance and had been sneezing intermittently.

Gyu-sung looked at Louie with concern.

“Did you take your medicine?”

“Yes. Now I don’t have a runny nose, just occasional sneezing. My body condition is completely Good! My mood is Good!”

“Seeing that you’re the only one with a cold… I don’t think your stamina is very high? You should take some 보약 [boyak – traditional Korean herbal medicine/tonic]…”

“Ah, Hyung [older brother or male friend] Gyusung. Isn’t that a bit much?”

Woo-cheol dismissed Gyu-sung’s worries, saying it wasn’t that serious.

He then turned to Louie.

“I think there’s still time before the hyungs [older brothers/male friends] get here. Go back to the 숙소 [sukso – dorm/accommodation] and rest for a while.”

“There’s no need to do that…”

“Listen to me, Kim Louie.”

“Yeah, Louie.”

“Kim Louie, go to the 숙소 [sukso – dorm/accommodation]!”

Faced with the hyungs’ [older brothers/male friends] insistence, Louie reluctantly got up.

It felt like they would have him hospitalized if he refused.

Louie headed to the studio with a sofa bed instead of the 숙소 [sukso – dorm/accommodation] at that time.

Ki-joon and Do-jae were still recording 〈1 vs. 99〉.

“Okay! Then the 8th question. Now, out of the 99 participants, there are only 5 left.”

Inside the tense studio.

Do-jae stood in the center with the male announcer, the MC of 〈1 vs. 99〉.

For today’s recording, Do-jae was a challenger, while Ki-joon was one of the 99 participants.

Ki-joon had already achieved his goal of ‘quietly dropping out just enough not to be embarrassed.’

He answered the basic common sense question number 1 and the slightly harder question number 2.

Ki-joon was eliminated on question number 3, along with many other participants.

‘I’m glad the number 2 question was movie-related.’

I wouldn’t call myself a cinephile, but I watch movies when I’m resting, and a related question came up, so I was able to answer it.

Thanks to that, I was able to naturally do an interview about how I got it right.

‘But what the hell is Do-jae doing…’

Because the seats were turned off upon elimination, Ki-joon’s seat was dark.

In the darkness, Ki-joon stared at Do-jae.

He always admired his younger brother, but today he was even more impressed.

‘Where is Goethe’s birthplace… What is the magnitude that represents the brightness of a star… What technique was Michelangelo’s 〈The Creation of Adam〉 painted with… What is a scholar who lived in seclusion without holding office called in Chinese characters…’ [These are examples of the types of questions asked on the show]

He knew things I didn’t even know *why* I knew.

He wasn’t even guessing.

He just knew everything.

‘I knew he read a lot of books. It’s not just common sense. At this rate…’

He even recited related knowledge, impressing the announcer.

Many of the participants, intellectuals from various fields, seemed surprised.

‘Was he actually a talent who was too good to be a singer?’

Not to belittle singers… but there was an extraordinary quality in Do-jae that suggested he would have excelled in any field he chose.

Do-jae’s eyes, his hair toned down and dressed neatly to match the professional setting, shone brightly.

“Challenger Kang Do-jae’s performance is truly amazing. He possesses as much knowledge as anyone I’ve ever seen among the 출연자들 [chulyeonjadeul – participants/guests].”

“…I’m embarrassed.”

Do-jae smiled modestly.

At his unique, charming smile, a strange exclamation of ‘훠어’ [a sound of admiration or being flustered] came from the female participants and staff.

The announcer burst into laughter.

“It’s clear that the admiration flowing into the studio every time you speak isn’t just because you’re answering the questions well.”

Do-jae’s lips curved upward.

The announcer, building tension by promoting Do-jae as if this would be the last question, began to read the next question.

“Next is a history-related question!”