Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 41

#41.

“…It wouldn’t work, would it?”

“No. Of course, it wouldn’t.”

Team Leader Kim Seok-cheol’s voice was firm as he answered.

“Heungmin.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“It’s not about worrying about your image, but you don’t want to do this for personal reasons, is that right?”

“…I’m sorry.”

It was an admission.

‘Personal reasons?’

Question marks floated above the heads of the shocked members.

It seemed to be a story only Kim Seok-cheol and Heungmin knew.

“MOST is a team. I believe we’ve agreed since our trainee days not to take actions that harm the team for personal reasons.”

It was a point Heungmin had emphasized to his younger members several times himself.

Heungmin, who was about to betray his own words, hung his head low.

He was ashamed to face Kim Seok-cheol and the members.

“I’m sorry. I have nothing to say.”

He also felt sorry that the atmosphere had dampened because of him when everyone else was excited.

But when he heard that the city hall had proposed a promotional video model offer, his head became complicated, making it difficult to think straight.

“Heungmin.”

Kim Seok-cheol softened his voice and called Heungmin again.

“Bringing personal matters into the team isn’t a good thing, but… I actually think this is a good opportunity.”

“Team Leader……”

Heungmin trailed off, lowering his gaze.

Kim Seok-cheol didn’t add anything further and explained.

“The city hall’s model recruitment was delayed, so the filming schedule is tight. Once the schedule is set within a few days, I’ll let you know immediately.”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

“Yes!”

The members answered hastily.

“Then go back and get some rest today and prepare for tomorrow’s schedule.”

Kim Seok-cheol looked around at the members as he stood up.

The members rose from their seats and greeted Kim Seok-cheol.

Heungmin, who hadn’t answered clearly until the end, also stood up awkwardly and bowed his head.

***

Some time later.

MOST won first place again on .

It was a cable broadcast, but they had won first place for two weeks in a row.

Moreover, they also took first place on another cable broadcasting station.

The members were overjoyed.

Even on public broadcast, their ranking had risen to 5th place.

“Ugh, I feel so good!!!”

“Oh, yeah!”

The youngest members, having just finished the ending stage, ran around the waiting room, drenched in sweat.

There was a reason why the two of them were feeling particularly good.

Thanks to the agency’s consideration, Woocheol and Louis’s parents had come to see the performance in person.

Kijun’s parents lived in the countryside and couldn’t come up, and Kyuseong and Heungmin’s parents were busy with work.

‘It would have been nice if my mother had come too.’

Dojae thought, recalling the bright faces of the parents who had visited the waiting room before the stage.

The sight of the members’ parents, who had worked hard together, being happy was touching in another way, as much as winning first place.

‘She said it was difficult to adjust her schedule, so it couldn’t be helped, but…….’

At Dojae’s call, his mother also seemed very sorry.

‘I hope there will be another opportunity in the future.’

Thinking that, Dojae looked at Woocheol and Louis with a satisfied expression.

“What on earth are you guys doing?”

Kijun said to the two who were taking ‘selfies’ together in a strange pose, holding the trophy.

“We’re making a heart, a heart!”

“We’re going to upload a picture of just the two of us on Twitter today.”

“I know you’re drawing a heart, but can’t you be a little more normal…….”

Kijun was about to say, but he stopped himself.

It was chaotic, but it wasn’t a big problem.

He knew that fans liked the unique actions of the younger members.

“Just don’t drop the trophy.”

“Yes, sir!”

It was Kijun who cherished the trophy more than anyone else.

Louis, who knew that Kijun cleaned the first-place trophy in the living room display case whenever he had time, answered energetically.

Selfies had to be taken before changing out of the stage costumes into casual clothes, so the other members were also hurrying to take selfies.

Jeong Gilju entered the waiting room and told the members the news.

“Hey guys. The city hall video shoot that Team Leader Kim mentioned last time has been scheduled.”

“Oh. When is it?!”

Woocheol, who was taking selfies in a frenzy, asked.

Dojae and Kyuseong, who were standing side by side, naturally turned their gaze to Heungmin.

Heungmin, who had been taking pictures with finger hearts just a moment ago, was frozen in that position.

No one had talked to Heungmin about the city hall promotional video since that day.

Even when Woocheol asked why he didn’t want to film the video, Heungmin would just get annoyed and tell him not to bother him, without giving a clear answer.

“Tomorrow!”

“Wow. That’s fast.”

“They’re in a hurry, and our schedule is only free tomorrow.”

The members, except for Heungmin, nodded at Jeong Gilju’s explanation.

“The concept isn’t too difficult, and I’ll send you the filming script in a message, so everyone should familiarize themselves with it.”

“…Script?”

Kyuseong’s eyes shook greatly at the word script.

Jeong Gilju reassured Kyuseong.

“There’s hardly a line each. It’s mostly filming in front of historical sites. Just think of it as the album introduction you guys memorize and say.”

“Ah. That’s a relief.”

Kyuseong quickly smiled in relief, but Heungmin didn’t.

“Heungmin, are you… okay? I don’t know what it is, but Team Leader Kim told me to take good care of you. He’s going with you tomorrow, but…….”

Kim Seok-cheol was away for the day due to a meeting with the city hall.

If it were the usual Heungmin, he would have smiled as if to say not to worry, but not today.

“He definitely seems off.”

Jeong Gilju looked surprised, seeing Heungmin with his mouth tightly shut.

The members also exchanged glances.

“Hyung [older brother or male friend], he really doesn’t want to do this.”

“What’s there to dislike about this?”

Louis and Woocheol muttered while Heungmin was changing his clothes.

“Heungmin hyung…. will he be okay?”

Kyuseong also cautiously asked Dojae, looking worried.

Looking at the back of Heungmin’s head sticking out above the makeshift partition, Dojae vaguely replied.

“He’ll be okay.”

In any case, Heungmin was a professional who had debuted after a long trainee period.

A professional has to do things they don’t want to do.

There was no way Heungmin didn’t know that.

‘I don’t know why he doesn’t want to do it, though.’

Dojae turned his head again and changed his own clothes.

***

The production scale was small, and the appearance fee was only enough to cover expenses, so the filming day was only one day.

On the other hand, the filming itself was an outdoor shoot with three location changes, so the members had to move early in the morning.

They must have been very tired from having a music show the day before, but the members were energetic.

Throughout the move, Kijun was humming without realizing it, and the younger members were talking in louder voices than usual.

“A suit…. The outfit is good! I was worried they would tell me to wear a hanbok [traditional Korean clothing].”

“Dojae hyung would have looked good in a hanbok, though.”

“Yeah. Louis, you would have looked like a foreigner on a Chuseok [Korean Thanksgiving] special.”

“Ah. Hyung, I’m a real Korean.”

In any case, it was the first time they were becoming models representing something.

It was another opportunity to realize that they had become singers and entertainers.

“Did everyone memorize their lines?”

“Yes, Team Leader.”

Dojae answered Kim Seok-cheol’s question.

“Heungmin hyung, who said he didn’t want to film, was memorizing it all yesterday! It’s only two lines!”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

Woocheol chuckled.

Normally, he would have said something to stop him from being cheeky, but Heungmin just glared at Woocheol a little.

Kim Seok-cheol seemed relieved at Woocheol’s words.

“If you go straight to the filming location, the person in charge will be there. Just do as you always do.”

As Kim Seok-cheol finished speaking, the car soon arrived in a quiet forest.

It was Seooreung, the first filming location.

***

“Wow! I’ve heard a lot about you! Nice to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you. We’re the filming team that will be filming today.”

“I’m Kim Jihye, in charge of city hall public relations.”

In front of the historical site they had come to for the first time, the MOST members bowed deeply to the people in charge.

“And this is our Section Chief Lee! You know him well, right?”

The MOST members, who were being introduced to Kim Jihye, the person in charge and planner of the promotional video, by Section Chief Lee, who appeared to be in his late 50s, froze for a moment.

She asked if they knew him well, but no one knew Section Chief Lee.

“…Ahem.”

Section Chief Lee cleared his throat, showing embarrassment.

Dojae’s eyes flashed sharply for a moment.

‘Something…….’

It was when Dojae was looking towards Heungmin.

At the same time, Heungmin’s name came out of Section Chief Lee’s mouth.

“It’s been a while, and you’re not even greeting me properly, Lee Heungmin.”

“……!”

The members looked at Heungmin with surprised eyes.

It was as if they were asking how he knew him.

‘Could it be his father?’

Dojae thought immediately.

His wrinkles were deep, making it confusing, but his drooping eyes without double eyelids were quite similar.

The question soon became a fact.

“You don’t even contact home once.”

“You said to cut ties…….”

Heungmin retorted bluntly at Section Chief Lee’s words.

The members, who realized he was Heungmin’s father, quickly greeted him once more.

“Oh, hello!”

“Hello, Father.”

“I’ve heard a lot…. about you.”

Woocheol was flustered and couldn’t control his expression.

Heungmin’s attitude, which had been going on for several days, was immediately understood.

No one knew that Heungmin’s father was a city hall employee, but everyone knew that Heungmin was on bad terms with his father.

Section Chief Lee, who was still an ‘old-fashioned person,’ was furious when Heungmin said he would become a singer.

‘If you’re going to live as you please, get out of the house! I won’t be your parent!’

Heungmin, who was stubborn, left the house that day.

And he started his trainee life in a studio near the company.

For a while, his mother sent him pocket money, but that was soon cut off by his father.

Thanks to that, Heungmin had to work part-time while enduring a tough trainee life to cover his living expenses.

‘He said he suffered quite a bit until he became a debut member and lived in the dorm.’

Dojae recalled a story Heungmin had told him one day when they were practicing late.

He spent a year working a night shift at a convenience store, eating expired triangle kimbap [Korean convenience store snack].

His feelings towards his father couldn’t have been good.

“I was having a hard time finding a suitable promotional video model…. I don’t know how great it is that Section Chief Lee’s son’s group is modeling for us.”

Kim Jihye quickly stepped in as the atmosphere was getting heavy.

Heungmin also made an effort to smile, showing courtesy to Kim Jihye, not his father.

“When Section Chief first mentioned it, I wondered how he knew a group that had debuted for less than two days, but I really didn’t know it was his son who had debuted.”

“Ah…….”

Heungmin responded awkwardly.

Section Chief Lee also looked away.

“To be honest, we didn’t have a budget, so all the dance singers who fit the concept didn’t want to do it…. It was really a concern.”

Kim Jihye honestly revealed the situation that she had already told Team Leader Kim Seok-cheol.

It was an incident that occurred because things went wrong when establishing the budget.

They had bought a lot of billboards to play the promotional video, but the model fee was insufficient.

It wasn’t even a provincial level, it was a city hall promotional video, and it didn’t make money, so most singers declined.

They were about to call an unknown dance team to film the video.

“I don’t know how fortunate it is to have found such a perfect model thanks to Section Chief!”

Kim Jihye said, as if she was sincerely happy.

‘I wondered why they contacted us as soon as it became a hot topic…. They were talking about it from the beginning.’

Dojae quickly grasped the situation.

From MOST’s perspective, it was a good thing in many ways, even if it didn’t make money.

‘Team Leader Kim probably even thought about improving their father-son relationship…….’

Looking back and forth at Heungmin and Section Chief Lee, who had turned their heads to each other, Dojae hoped that the end of the father and son would be different from his own.

‘Because I completely ruined it.’