Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 204

#204.

***

―Stopped at the station called you

―The star you looked back on, the star that swallowed me!

―Wavering, crumbling

―We continue!

―MOST MUST GO ON!!! (GO ON!)

Bangkok Impact Arena.

The setlist from [their previous concert] was a time of the most intense and powerful performances.

The MOST members danced with all their might, as if they didn’t care whether they swayed or crumbled, just like Do-jae’s part in the lyrics.

Throughout the venue, MOST’s LED fanlights changed from white to red to blue, shining beautifully.

“Kyaaak!!!!!”

Another roar erupted at Heung-min’s dance break, with electronic sounds mixed into the song’s sound.

Across the sea. Though their lives and languages were different, the cheers of the fans enjoying the stage were all the same.

A roar that shook the eardrums and made the heart pound.

It felt like being thrown into a pit of fire, making me breathless and hot, but at the same time, it felt like energy was boiling over inside me.

Heung-min moved his body powerfully, yet focused his attention to the tips of his fingers to create beautiful dance lines.

Heung-min’s body, jumping and leaping, seemed lighter than ever.

..That evening.

The members, having finished their performance, were monitoring [reviewing footage] by watching the full-version video of the performance, which the company had filmed.

In Thailand, everyone was using separate rooms with single beds, but Ki-joon was in a suite.

This was because Ki-joon was working on a song, and also for when all the members gathered to prepare or monitor like this.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], yesterday was amazing here.”

“Totally, totally! Fantastic!”

Just then, the dance break scene from yesterday’s performance was playing.

Heung-min looked proud at the praise from his two younger brothers.

Indeed, Heung-min was in particularly good condition today.

Thanks to that, during the dance break time, he truly showed what it meant to play with rhythm, and literally ‘tore up the stage’.

It felt like Heung-min’s strength, his powerful yet delicate dance skills, had reached their peak.

It was only natural that huge cheers poured out every time Heung-min moved his body to the finely divided rhythm.

“Ah, I got even more hyped up because the audience reaction was so good yesterday.”

The members all nodded at Heung-min’s words.

They had felt it even during the national tour in Korea, but the more they performed, the more important the condition of the audience was, as much as their own condition.

Of course, each individual audience member would have wanted to see MOST’s performance more than anything, having bought expensive tickets to come to the venue.

However, strangely enough, the overall atmosphere of the audience changed with each performance.

It felt like there were days when more passionate and responsive audiences gathered.

And the members on stage couldn’t help but ride that audience atmosphere.

“Right. The atmosphere at yesterday’s performance was really good.”

Lui and Woo-cheol nodded at Kyu-sung’s words.

Thanks to that, Kyu-sung’s ad-libs exploded today.

Woo-cheol, who was so absorbed in Kyu-sung’s ad-libs that he briefly mistook himself for being as skilled as Kyu-sung, barely avoided a vocal break while changing the note, quickly continued Heung-min’s story.

“Anyway, Heung-min hyung’s dance break fancam [fan-recorded video] from today is up! It hasn’t been updated for long, but it keeps trending on MyTube [parody of YouTube]!”

At Woo-cheol’s words, Heung-min’s lips, which were already raised, went up endlessly.

At this rate, dimples that didn’t even exist would appear.

The other members were happy because Heung-min was in a good mood, and they laughed.

“Wouldn’t it be nice if it was like this every day?”

Ki-joon also said something that sounded blunt, like a jab if you listened closely, but was ultimately praise.

“But looking at it like this…….”

Then, as the leader, he continued with a cold assessment of today’s performance.

“You can definitely see that your stamina has dropped.”

Ki-joon was right.

It hadn’t been long since they finished their activities, and they had come to Thailand after performing in Japan and Indonesia.

Inevitably, the members were bound to be tired.

As a result, it was becoming increasingly noticeable that they were getting tired easily during performances.

“Oh, the formation is a little messed up here.”

Lui immediately found a mistake in [the video of their performance].

The moment one member, whose stamina had dropped, was even slightly late on the beat, the ‘knife-like precision’ collapsed in an instant.

“Let’s pay attention and distribute our stamina even during performances.”

The members nodded at Ki-joon’s words.

It was because they never neglected to monitor like this that they were members who could always give the best performances, in the eyes of the fans.

‘I should order some Gongjindan [traditional Korean medicine] as soon as I get back to Korea.’

Do-jae thought as he listened to the conversation.

It was clear that his stamina would be even lower by the time he returned to Korea.

“Haa…. But the performances are good, but I want to go back to Korea now. It’s frustrating just being in the hotel like this…….”

Woo-cheol said with a sigh.

Even if they went back to Korea, they would still be going back and forth between the practice room and the dorm, but being in the country and staying overseas was more physically and mentally draining.

So, it was true that they felt like their stamina was being depleted faster.

Most Korean restaurants were doing well [in Thailand], so they were eating as if they were in Korea, which wasn’t much different.

Temperature, humidity, language, and atmosphere must have also had an effect.

“I don’t know how seniors who do world tours longer than us do it.”

“I know…….”

Kyu-sung also muttered as if he was amazed at Woo-cheol’s words.

“But when you go on stage, it’s so thrilling that you forget everything.”

Then Heung-min said.

“Well, I want to keep performing…. I’m addicted to concerts~!”

Woo-cheol playfully followed the trend and agreed with Heung-min.

They wanted to keep performing, but they also wanted to go back to Korea…. It was just a complaint that the members could make to each other.

“Ah! Hyung, hyung! Instead of that, shall we go outside?! Thailand is better at night!”

“Go out?!”

“It’s frustrating just being in the hotel!”

At Lui’s suggestion, Woo-cheol’s eyes widened with excitement.

Ki-joon frowned and muttered, “I told you to manage your stamina…….”

“Why? It’s not like resting at the hotel will restore our stamina, it might be that we’re losing stamina because we’re only going to the venue and then the hotel~!”

Ki-joon closed his mouth at Lui’s fairly logical rebuttal.

Anyway, Ki-joon was planning to stay in his room and finish the work he hadn’t been able to do yesterday.

“Where are you going if you go?”

At Heung-min’s question, Lui seemed to think for a moment before answering.

“Massage! Let’s go get a massage! Thailand is all about massage! That would also fit the purpose of replenishing our stamina!”

At Lui’s words, Woo-cheol immediately reacted, saying, “Oh, why is Kim Lui so smart today?!”

However, Heung-min quickly lost interest.

He had received massages in Korea before, but he was too embarrassed to have someone else touch his body.

It didn’t feel like it was relieving his body that much either.

“Let’s get a massage and buy something to eat at the night market! We have time until our afternoon flight tomorrow anyway! It’ll be fun!”

Kyu-sung reacted to Lui’s continued suggestion.

Of course, he was clearly reacting more to the ‘night market food’ than the massage.

When even Kyu-sung started to speak in an excited voice, Ki-joon reluctantly allowed the members to go out.

“Don’t go just the two of you, go with Gil-joo hyung [older brother/male friend]. And don’t come back too late.”

“We will.”

Ki-joon nodded at Kyu-sung’s calm answer.

If only the two younger brothers went, he would be anxious even with Jung Gil-joo (he tended to think they needed 1:1 marking), but he was relieved that Kyu-sung was going.

“Do-jae, aren’t you going?”

When Ki-joon asked Do-jae, Do-jae chuckled.

It was because he had figured out that Ki-joon wanted to send one more chaperone.

“I’ll go with you, then.”

***

So, the four people, excluding Ki-joon and Heung-min, went to the massage parlor with Jung Gil-joo.

Woo-cheol, who was a member of various online communities, had searched the communities and booked the massage parlor that was said to be the best.

It was even better because it wasn’t far from the hotel.

It was a place that gave off a fairly luxurious atmosphere, even among the many massage parlors.

The staff handed the members clothes to change into in a very friendly tone.

“But this is my first time getting a massage…. What about you guys?”

Everyone looked at Woo-cheol as if they were surprised at Woo-cheol’s words.

“So you said you’d come even though you’ve never had one before?”

“I just wanted to go out…….”

Kyu-sung chuckled briefly at Woo-cheol’s answer.

Everyone except Woo-cheol had experience with massages, so they all changed their clothes naturally.

‘Of course, this is my first time coming to a private massage parlor, whether in Korea or abroad…….’

Do-jae had always received massages from experts stationed in the palace.

However, it didn’t seem like it would be much different except for the difference in facilities.

Jung Gil-joo said he would only get a simple foot massage, so Woo-cheol, Do-jae, Kyu-sung, and Lui split into pairs and went into the rooms.

Inside the room, which was decorated in a unique Thai atmosphere, the smell of aroma oil and incense mixed together.

“Do I just have to lie down? Everyone else was lying down…….”

Woo-cheol asked with a very awkward face, looking around the room hesitantly.

Do-jae answered with a serious face.

“No. You have to sit on your knees.”

“Huh?”

“That’s the etiquette. You kneel and greet the masseuses when they come in before receiving the massage.”

He thought something was strange, but because it was Do-jae, Woo-cheol knelt down without suspicion.

Do-jae also knelt down next to him, suppressing a laugh.

Soon, the masseuses came in and looked bewildered.

This was because they had already explained in English to change clothes and lie down.

Of course, Do-jae had heard that explanation, and Woo-cheol had roughly understood it, but…….

Unaware of the bewildered masseuses, Woo-cheol bowed.

The masseuses thought they were strange young men and asked in clumsy Korean, “Aren’t you going to lie down?!”

Woo-cheol looked a little surprised and quickly lay down on the mat.

“Tell me if it hurts.”

The masseuse said that and started the massage…. Woo-cheol looked at the ceiling and said.

“Hyung…. You were teasing me, weren’t you.”

“Yeah.”

The answer was so clean that Woo-cheol was speechless for a moment.

It was even more shocking that Do-jae had played such a silly prank.

However, before he could say anything to Do-jae, Woo-cheol screamed.

“Ah!”

It was when the masseuse lightly pressed on Woo-cheol’s calf.

“Why are you doing this?”

The masseuse asked in a more embarrassed tone.

Woo-cheol’s screams continued.

He screamed because it was too ticklish when they did his feet, he screamed in surprise when they stepped on his back, and he almost fainted when they sat him up and turned his neck…….

Do-jae enjoyed Woo-cheol’s screams as a pleasant radio and comfortably closed his eyes, enjoying the massage he was getting for the first time in a while.

It was definitely a rougher service than the massages he had received in the palace, but it wasn’t bad to get a massage after a long time.

‘It feels like the fatigue from the performance is flying away…….’

“Ugh! Wh, why are you suddenly stepping on me?!”

‘My muscles were a little tight, but it feels good…….’

“Ah! Gently! Gently!”

***

Incheon Airport.

It was the day the members, who had finished their Asian tour, were returning.

Fans who had found out the flight number were crowded at the airport, wanting to see the members’ faces after a long time.

And after a while.

“Oh! They’re here!”

The members were coming out of the departure hall with tired faces, pushing large suitcases one by one.