Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 198

#198.

Kingdom’s agency released a statement declaring the dating rumors baseless and threatening strong legal action against those spreading false information.

The reaction was exactly as expected.

-So, are they denying it so vehemently because it’s really not true?

-Nooooㅠㅠ

-Just a denial is enough, huh?

-Quick responseㅋㅋ

-Of courseㅋㅋ Most of their income is from Kingdom these daysㅋㅋ

-Must be hard to admit.

-Met for a commercial shoot? Why don’t they say which commercial it is?

-Isn’t the advertiser just being used as an excuse for dating?ㅋㅋ

-They denied it so quickly, it probably isn’t true.

-I thought it was strange. Kang Do-jae is so successful right now, why would he date someone with a ten-year age gap?

-Jin Ha-ru is successful too, though?

-Kang Do-jae is too good for her.

-Ugh, the comparison is disgusting.

-Is it that disgusting? I’m just saying what I think.

-Yeah, Kang Do-jae fans, just believe what you want to believe~

-It doesn’t make sense that they were doing that in the middle of Gangnam [a wealthy district in Seoul] in broad daylight.

-They’re denying it even though a kissing photo came out.

-The reporter probably just made it upㅋㅋ

-If it’s true, Kang Do-jae must be so upsetㅠㅠ

-There’s a manager in the back of the photo, so believe it. The people who believe this dating rumor are the ones believing what they want to believe.

-What’s real? Can I still have Kang Do-jae?

-Considering Kang Do-jae’s personality, it’s hard to believe..ㅋㅋ

-Has Jin Ha-ru’s side released a statement?

-No.

-Not yet.

-Looks like they haven’t coordinated their storiesㅋ

The comments spreading the scandal as confirmed fact decreased, and reactions calling the article ridiculous began to appear.

The fans, who had been cautiously observing, actively posted comments supporting the company’s denial.

However, the seed of doubt didn’t easily disappear, thanks to the cleverly taken photos.

It seemed things would end in a찝찝 [kkip-kkip, meaning unpleasantly unresolved] manner, with everyone believing what they wanted to believe.

***

The next day.

Do-jae, the protagonist of the previous night’s commotion, woke up at dawn as usual.

He was always the first to rise among the members. After a shower, he started waking the others.

“Ugh. Chicken…….”

Gyu-sung seemed to be dreaming about eating chicken, struggling to wake up more than usual.

“Gyu-sung-ah. Wake up. Just bear with it for today and tomorrow, and you can eat chicken.”

“Ugh?”

“We have to eat chicken.”

“Umm…. Huh?! Chicken?!”

Gyu-sung’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up.

Still half-asleep, he blinked and stared at Do-jae.

He’d clearly only registered Do-jae saying, “We have to eat chicken” at the end.

“If we just hang in there until tomorrow, the promotional activities will be over, so let’s eat chicken at the wrap party.”

“Oh? Oh…. We should…….”

Gyu-sung, belatedly coming to his senses, looked embarrassed and climbed out of bed.

“Wash up and come out quickly. We have to go to the salon.”

“Ah, okay.”

Gyu-sung staggered towards the bathroom.

It was obvious the members’ physical strength was nearing its limit as the end of their promotional period approached.

As Gyu-sung entered the bathroom and the other members began to stir, Jung Gil-ju, their manager, opened the dorm door to check on them.

“You’re here, hyung [older brother or male friend],”

“Oh, yeah. Do-jae, did you sleep well?”

Jung Gil-ju asked with a worried tone, studying Do-jae’s face.

Seeing Do-jae’s perpetually clear complexion, even in the morning, made him feel a bit ‘현타’ [hyeonta, a feeling of disillusionment or existential crisis] as a fellow human being.

“Yes. I slept well.”

At Do-jae’s answer, Jung Gil-ju smiled lightly, relieved that his worries were unfounded.

Within the group, and even within the company, Do-jae was known as the ‘king of mental management.’

The marketing department had even suggested Do-jae write a self-help book about mental resilience.

This incident was something Do-jae truly had reason to feel wronged about.

He was being criticized for something he didn’t do, and even had to hear that people were disappointed in him.

The reason this happened was simply because Do-jae was famous, popular, and good for so-called ‘어그로’ [eogeuro, attracting attention, often in a negative way, like clickbait].

That was it.

However, instead of feeling wronged, Do-jae was worried about whether he would damage MOST’s image.

Next, he was worried about the fans who were hurt by the untrue article.

And then, he was worried about Jin Ha-ru, the other person involved in the scandal.

“Have you been in contact with writer Jin?”

Do-jae immediately asked Jung Gil-ju about Jin Ha-ru’s situation.

Do-jae had fans who believed in him as much as those who claimed to be disappointed, but Jin Ha-ru didn’t have that kind of support.

The criticism towards Jin Ha-ru was more visceral than that directed at Do-jae, and even bordered on sexual harassment.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ve been in contact. I think Team Leader Jung talked to her.”

“That’s a relief. It seems like she’d be more nervous since it’s her first time dealing with something like this…….”

Jung Gil-ju waved his hand.

“You’ve met her more than once or twice, don’t you know writer Jin pretty well?”

“Yes?”

“She said she was excited because it was her first time getting this much attention?”

“Ah, I thought she might think that way, but…….”

“Is it because she’s an artist? Anyway, she’s unique. She was more worried about you. She said you were being misunderstood because of her.”

At Jung Gil-ju’s words, Do-jae forced a smile.

Do-jae was a ‘public figure’ in the truest sense of the word.

Therefore, he knew he could be criticized at any time for things he didn’t do.

The love he received from the public was heavy and scary because the greater the love, the greater the backlash when the public turned away.

Do-jae was human, so it wasn’t that he didn’t feel wronged, but he believed it was something he had to endure as a public figure.

Since they had released a statement saying it was groundless, there was nothing more he could do for those who misunderstood him…….

‘The truth will always be revealed.’

He just endured it, thinking that if he continued to act truthfully, the misunderstanding would eventually be resolved.

He hoped the misunderstanding would be cleared up quickly so the members and fans wouldn’t be hurt.

“She said she felt like she shouldn’t have asked you to have coffee.”

“Ah, it’s not something to think about that way.”

“That’s right…. The problem is the reporter who followed you and invaded your privacy, and even wrote a novel.”

“Yes. That’s right.”

“Anyway, Team Leader Jung said everything went well, so don’t worry anymore.”

*Don’t worry*, Do-jae tilted his head, trying to grasp the exact meaning.

“If the article about writer Jin comes out right away this morning, the misunderstanding will be resolved.”

After saying that, Jung Gil-ju checked the time and urged the members to hurry.

***

[(Exclusive) Jin Ha-ru, “Kang Do-jae is not my lover, revealing my real 10-year-younger boyfriend!”]

After finishing hair and makeup at the salon, on the way to the broadcasting station, the members were able to read the article released by Jin Ha-ru’s side in the van.

“Wow…. Writer Jin is revealing her boyfriend!”

“That’s cool. He really is 10 years younger.”

Woo-cheol and Heung-min were impressed as they looked at the article.

Jin Ha-ru’s article included a friendly selfie taken with her Italian boyfriend.

‘She probably didn’t want to reveal her boyfriend’s face…….’

Do-jae thought, looking at the photo.

It was clear that Jin Ha-ru’s side had taken a strong stance to prevent any further speculation.

Even for Jin Ha-ru, it wouldn’t have been easy to reveal a photo of her boyfriend, who wasn’t a celebrity.

However, she did it not only for Do-jae, but also for her relationship.

She didn’t want Do-jae to be misunderstood as her lover when she had a boyfriend.

“Now all the comments suspecting the two of you have completely disappeared.”

“They’re saying writer Jin is amazing.”

“There are a lot of insults towards the reporter too…….”

The members couldn’t hide their bitterness as they watched the comments that had completely reversed course.

It was natural they felt bitter that a new issue, whether a misunderstanding or the truth, would soon be on the main page of every portal site.

Even Do-jae, who was always above reproach, had been showered with criticism for one article, and they didn’t know when something like this would happen again.

That’s the fate of a celebrity, but…….

It was a relief that things were resolved, but the van was filled with a heavy silence as everyone became pensive.

-This is also suspiciousㅡㅡ

Ki-jun, skimming through the comments, frowned at one that still insisted on believing what they wanted to believe, even after the situation had been clarified.

He quietly pressed the ‘dislike’ button.

With that, the one-day happening came to an end, and the promotional activities were truly coming to a successful conclusion.

***

On Monday, when MOST’s promotional schedule was completely finished,

Before the fans could even lament the end of the activities, Do-jae’s new commercial was airing on TV.

It was *that* commercial, the one that had become the keyword for Do-jae and Jin Ha-ru’s scandal.

“Is our oppa [term of endearment for an older brother or male celebrity] filming a cell phone commercial right now?!”

The fans were speechless when the commercial, which had been kept completely under wraps, was revealed.

The commercial was for a cell phone from the most successful conglomerate in Korea.

Do-jae on TV was showing off a different charm from his stage persona, captivating viewers in a short 60 seconds.

The commercial’s content was as follows:

Do-jae, wearing a white shirt and a blue suit, walks through the city with a cell phone in his hand.

He’s recording the city in a video.

The first scene shows Jin Ha-ru editing a photo using the pen function on her cell phone.

Do-jae, having recorded that, continues to walk, and the popular rapper ‘Tae-ri’ makes eye contact with him while talking on the phone.

Do-jae smiles as he captures Tae-ri in the camera.

As Do-jae’s smiling face is zoomed in and the screen changes, the world’s best gamer ‘Reiker’ is shown playing a mobile game on his cell phone.

Do-jae, having filmed the hottest figures who have reached the top in their respective fields, shakes his cell phone at the end and says:

―The surest way to get the best, UNIVERSE 10.

It was a soft yet clear voice.

Even the English pronunciation of ‘Universe 10’ at the end was perfect.

The wink he gave while holding the cell phone perfectly matched the expression that his handsomeness was ‘excessive’.

After the commercial was released, the MOST fandom was turned upside down in a good way.

MOST was enjoying peak popularity this year, but it was especially meaningful that Do-jae filmed a cell phone commercial with Jin Ha-ru, Tae-ri, and Reiker.

Do-jae’s face would be 걸리게 [geollige, prominently displayed] on TV and all over the country.

The fans couldn’t help but be moved by the symbolism.

However, it was too early to celebrate.

Another commercial was scheduled to be 송출 [songchul, broadcast] in addition to the cell phone commercial.

And that was a group commercial featuring all the MOST members.

***