Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 58

Idol of a Different Dimension – Episode 58 (58/246)

#58.

The members, having asked for the staff’s understanding, stealthily entered the emptied audience seats in the darkness.

They realized that more people recognized them than they had thought after their last visit to the hospital.

Because of that, all the members were dressed in inconspicuous black clothes.

Woochul was especially thoroughly lectured by Heungmin and Gijun.

It was a stern warning that if he acted like an ‘attention seeker’ again, like he did at the hospital, he wouldn’t be allowed out of the dorm, for vacations, or anything.

“No, hyung [older brother or male friend]. I have some sense, so I won’t do it again……”

Woochul also admitted his mistake that day, so he obediently accepted his hyungs’ warnings.

That day, Woochul was so amazed and delighted that people recognized him that he hummed as if he wanted everyone to hear.

He didn’t forget to sway his body slightly and add some dance moves.

Because he attracted attention like that, the number of people who recognized him increased exponentially, and he had to be trapped in the crowd until he got into the elevator.

“Uh… the songs we’ve prepared today are……”

Meanwhile, Gyuseong, who was holding the microphone, briefly introduced today’s performance.

The members were excited at the thought of surprising Dojae and Gyuseong, who would never have dreamed that they would come to visit, and sat down.

“Two songs. The first song is the theme song of Moonlight Bakery.”

“Wow!”

“Moonlight Bakery! I want to sing it too!”

Moonlight Bakery was a popular animation among lower elementary school students.

Reflecting this, the eyes of the children who didn’t recognize MOST sparkled enormously at the mention of singing the Moonlight Bakery song.

When the reaction was good, Louis nudged Heungmin and said proudly.

“I recommended the song, I did!”

Heungmin praised Louis, who was as excited as an elementary school student, saying he did a good job.

“Yeah, yeah. Good job. I can’t pat your butt because you’re sitting down.”

“Hyeong [older brother or male friend].”

In the meantime, Gyuseong introduced another song.

“The second song is an acoustic version of our MOST song, … uh, so it’s an arrangement for piano version.”

Gijun and Heungmin looked surprised at Gyuseong’s words.

It was because they didn’t know they would prepare so much.

Woochul said as if asking what they were surprised about.

“You guys saw those hyungs [older brother or male friend] going to the practice room every day and not coming back to the dorm.”

“I guess……”

“Then please enjoy.”

Gyuseong bowed his head again politely.

Dojae, who was sitting at the piano, also finished preparing and placed his hands on the keyboard.

Gyuseong and Dojae exchanged glances as if coordinating the start.

It wasn’t a big stage, nor was it an official stage, but it was their first performance together, so they were subtly nervous.

Still, they wanted to do their best for the excited children.

One, two, three.

After counting to three in his mind, Dojae began to play the keyboard.

The children’s shoulders shook wildly at the cheerful and lively accompaniment.

Following the short accompaniment, the children also hummed along as Gyuseong’s song began.

―Strawberry pastry

Blueberry macaron

Chiffon cake with plenty of whipped cream-!

It was lyrics that made your mouth water.

The children were simply excited, but the adults were impressed.

The members also stuck out their tongues at Gyuseong’s clean singing skills.

“How can Gyuseong sing even cartoon theme songs so well?”

“I know, right? It’s totally high quality?”

Even though he simplified his technique to capture the feeling of the song, his tone was so good.

The auditorium felt like it was a real ‘Moonlight Bakery’.

Dojae’s accompaniment, which filled the song without any gaps by moving his fingers quickly at high notes, also contributed to the excitement.

―A feeling of walking on fluffy clouds

Even when you want to cry? Even when it’s hard!

Find Moonlight Bakery!

As the song escalated, the children’s voices grew louder.

“Find it-!”

The shrill voice of a child who was clearly tone-deaf was mixed in, but no one cared and sang along.

One or two of the young children got up from their seats and imitated the main character of Moonlight Bakery.

The parents smiled at the sight of their children enjoying themselves.

For this moment, they felt like ordinary parents of young children, not guardians of patients.

It wasn’t just the audience who was excited.

Gyuseong and Dojae on stage were also genuinely happy, and the corners of their mouths gradually rose.

No matter what song it is, no matter who it is, seeing people enjoying their songs and performances was incredibly joyful.

“Bon appétit!”

“Bon appétit-!”

“Bon appétit-!”

The last lyric, ‘Bon appétit [French for “Enjoy your meal”]’, burst out of everyone’s mouths, young and old.

Ding-!

And the last key that Dojae pressed clearly ended the song.

Applause erupted from everywhere.

Gyuseong bowed his head diligently towards the audience.

“Thank you. Thank you. I think there will be many people who don’t know the next song, so……”

It was when Gyuseong added with an embarrassed expression.

“I know it! I know I’m Different!”

Hayul, who was in the middle of the audience, shouted.

Gyuseong smiled when he found Hayul.

“Me too!”

“I know it too!”

As if not wanting to lose to Hayul’s shout, some children raised their hands and announced that they knew the song .

Laughter erupted in the auditorium at the sight of such children.

“Ah. Many of you know it. That’s a relief. Then I’ll start.”

Gyuseong announced the start of the second and last song in a shy voice.

After making eye contact with Gyuseong one more time.

Dojae took a small breath and started playing.

“Uh……”

Not long after the performance started, Gijun’s small eyes widened.

was a dance song that six people danced to together, and there were quite a few rap parts.

How could they fill such a song with only one vocalist and piano accompaniment?

He was puzzled when he heard that they were performing .

He couldn’t grasp the direction of the arrangement either.

But after listening to the intro that was playing, it was an unnecessary worry.

‘They changed the direction completely!’

He thought that the acoustic arrangement would be cheerful since it was a dance song, but it wasn’t.

Dojae reinterpreted into a lyrical and emotional song.

“Wow. Is this our song?”

Woochul blinked his eyes quickly.

An entirely different song was born, so much so that even the members were bewildered.

But it was definitely .

It was only unfamiliar at first, but soon it was a familiar progression that they could sing along to.

The popular melody of was intact.

―I’m different. In a world that flows the same-

The first verse of , arranged by Dojae, was the bridge part of the original song.

Gyuseong’s jazzy vocals came in through the gaps in the accompaniment.

Soon, the empty accompaniment was filled and Gyuseong’s song continued.

“Amazing.”

Gijun finally let out an exclamation.

Gyuseong’s tone was unique, so it could feel overwhelming when he sang a song alone completely.

Of course, Gyuseong sang the previous cartoon theme song without force, but this time it wasn’t like that.

Instead, the piano performance perfectly controlled the dynamics to avoid giving a burdensome feeling while preserving all of Gyuseong’s tone and technique.

―Even if I’m different from others, I’m special

People focused on Gyuseong’s voice, which was literally a feast for the ears.

Even in the midst of that, the piano performance harmonized with the song so well.

Even if you arrange with the same chords, the atmosphere of the song changes completely depending on how you use the detailed notes and how you ride the rhythm.

Without missing the main melody, it is varied in a unique way, and the overall tempo of the song is slowed down, but it progresses rhythmically without being boring.

It was a meticulous and sincere arrangement.

It was also an arrangement that revealed Dojae’s sincere and affectionate tendencies.

As the song progressed, Gijun’s admiration also increased.

‘It’s easy to listen to while preserving the colorful vocal characteristics.’

Thanks to this, there was also the advantage of clearly hearing the lyrics.

―Still happy

It felt like a message being delivered one-on-one, not just flowing out.

Even those who didn’t know the lyrics slowly savored the lyrics.

―I’m different, and you.

As they entered the repeated chorus, some people began to hum along to the song.

Some people closed their eyes as if trying to appreciate it a little more deeply.

What surprised Gijun more than anything else was that the song itself was as beautiful as a painting.

The clear piano melody created by each and every note knocked on his heart.

The song ended with a fast and flashy final performance.

It was a stage with a long lingering feeling.

Applause erupted belatedly from the audience.

The parents shared their impressions with each other.

“The young man sings really well. I can see why he’s popular.”

“The song is really good too, isn’t it? Not distracting.”

“I agree.”

And although they didn’t say it separately, everyone felt a lump in their chest.

He wondered if this was what it felt like to be comforted by a song.

It was the same for the children.

Even young children who didn’t know all the meanings of the lyrics knew that it was a good song to listen to.

“Thank you!”

“Thank you.”

Dojae and Gyuseong, who got up from the piano, greeted together and went down the stage.

Until then, the applause continued.

And at that moment, while applauding on the stage as well, Gijun barely managed to resist the urge to kick out of the audience and go out.

‘Yes, this is it!’

It was as if he had found the answer to the problem that had been bothering Gijun since the end of last year when he was preparing for the awards ceremony.

***

Kingdom Entertainment small conference room.

Team Leader Jung Heeyeong and Deputy Lee Jeongyeon, who were sitting face to face, had quite dark expressions.

Since MOST’s debut, the faces of the two key members of Planning Team 2 had never been so dark.

That’s because MOST’s success exceeded expectations at the same time as their debut, so they were tired but still smiling.

“Deputy Lee… you received your bonus well, right?”

“Ah. Yes… of course.”

Team Leader Jung Heeyeong tried to relieve her mood by recalling the year-end bonus she received thanks to MOST.

In March, they were planning to reorganize Planning Team 2 by adding more members and renegotiating their annual salary contracts.

“Right. The kids might be able to get paid from the next album if they do well.”

As soon as the activity ended, they received quite a few offers for advertising models and event invitations.

She felt good when she thought about that.

The problem was elsewhere.

“But really… no one has contacted you?”

“Yes.”

Deputy Lee Jeongyeon nodded weakly at Team Leader Jung Heeyeong’s words.

There was a saying that stars are not stars because they are high, but because there are as many as stars in the sky.

So, no matter how popular a star is, they are easily forgotten if they don’t appear on TV.

Moreover, MOST was a rookie.

Even though it was an inactive period, at least one or two members had to go on TV and constantly show their faces.

But last year, they, the rookie who received the most attention, did not receive any invitations from any entertainment programs.

Even though Kingdom didn’t have much influence on broadcasting stations, it was too much.

“Then all the reality shows we proposed were rejected.”

“Yes. The response is that the schedules are all full, so it won’t work.”

“Aish. What’s full? When did we propose it?”

“…I know.”

The two people’s sighs deepened.

No matter how short the gap between the next album is, the question of how to spend the hiatus is an important issue.

Especially when they need to solidify the fandom they have gathered like now.

“I’m really going crazy.”

She couldn’t shake the thought that there seemed to be interference from other parties.

If so, appearing on TV was really out of the question.

“Um… then, Team Leader. How about this?”

When Team Leader Jung Heeyeong was muttering curses inwardly, Deputy Lee Jeongyeon carefully brought up the topic.

“What is it?