Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 76

#76.

The members of MOST standing next to them, as well as the other singers who had gathered to share in the award acceptance speech, were flustered and buzzing with confusion.

The broadcast was still ongoing.

The cameramen, unsure of what to capture, were also flustered, and the broadcast screen switched between close-up shots and wide shots.

Of course, the MOST members themselves were the most embarrassed.

Heungmin and Dojae, who were standing on either side of Woocheol, quickly bent down to check on him.

Woocheol was kneeling on the floor, which was messy with confetti, and crying with his head bowed.

“Hngh…”

“Hey, you…!”

Heungmin swallowed all sorts of mixed exclamations (both positive and negative) that were bursting out.

It was a relief that there wasn’t something physically wrong with him.

Dojae carefully but firmly held onto Woocheol’s shaking shoulders.

Supported by Heungmin and Dojae, Woocheol struggled to his feet.

And barely managed to continue his acceptance speech.

“Thank you so much, and everyone, thank you… Hngh…”

His face clearly showed what it meant to shed tears and snot.

His handsome face was completely distorted.

Woocheol’s appearance, crying like an eleven-year-old child rather than a twenty-one-year-old, was both comical and somewhat heartbreaking.

Stepping aside, Woocheol rubbed his face roughly with the back of his hand holding the trophy to wipe away the tears.

Heungmin and Gyuseong comforted Woocheol.

Since someone had to take charge, Dojae took the microphone.

“Winning first place is always joyful, but today is especially joyful, and we are so grateful. Always crying and laughing together… We dedicate all this glory to our fans who have believed in us and supported us.”

After finishing his greetings, Dojae bowed deeply.

Louis and Gijun, followed by Gyuseong and Heungmin, also bowed their heads.

“Don’t cry!”

“Don’t cry!”

The fans raised their voices in support of Woocheol, who was still out of his mind and crying.

Soon, the intro of their song began to play, so the MCs and other singers congratulated MOST once more and went off the stage.

Leaving behind Woocheol, who still had tears in his eyes, the members hugged each other.

“Park Woocheol. Stop crying, you.”

“Hyeong [older brother or male friend]. Don’t cry. It’s a happy day! Smile!”

They told him not to cry, but the members knew better than anyone why Woocheol was crying.

It had been two days since the article about the manipulation of the music charts was published.

It was a long and arduous two days for the members.

They had to endure criticism without any fault of their own, and it was unclear whether things would be resolved well.

Apart from the resolution, the fact that they had to go through such controversy was painful.

It was unfair to be criticized without reason, but it was also upsetting to see the fans trying to prove that the controversy was not true while dealing with those who were pointing fingers at MOST.

‘Woocheol is secretly soft-hearted, so he must have been more concerned…’

Dojae thought, patting Woocheol’s shoulder again.

Moreover, Woocheol was the member who most actively used the internet.

Woocheol would have seen even the malicious comments or fans’ stories that the other members hadn’t yet seen, so he could have been relatively more mentally distressed.

Woocheol bit his lip tightly at the comforting words from the members.

“Sorry…”

Dojae’s prediction was also correct; Woocheol kept feeling guilty that he had briefly suspected whether their song was really manipulated when the controversy arose.

Seeing the fans believing in them more firmly than he did, he felt both happy and sorry.

“There’s no need to be sorry for crying.”

Gijun dismissed it and said that they should do the encore stage properly now.

Woocheol quickly nodded his head.

The members stood in a row and greeted the fans once more before continuing the encore stage.

-My everything is yours-

The members sang louder as they enjoyed the song they sang with the fans.

***

After the music show, the members, who had finished their late-night radio schedule, visited a ginseng chicken soup restaurant near the broadcasting station.

It was Jeong Gilju’s recommended menu—to eat healthy food and gain strength since they had suffered both physically and mentally.

“Oh. There’s no one here. Good.”

It was a 24-hour place, but it was an ambiguous time, so there were no customers in the store.

Jeong Gilju took the lead and entered the store, and the members followed behind.

Honestly, as a manager, Jeong Gilju had also suffered physically and mentally along with the members.

He wanted to ‘heal’ himself as well as the members by tearing apart the soft chicken in the hot soup.

He wanted to have a bottle of soju [Korean distilled spirit], but he couldn’t because he was driving.

“Hyung [term used to address an older brother or male friend]. Can we have one ginseng chicken soup per person?”

“Can we order the special size?”

Jeong Gilju nodded at the members’ questions; they had been starving all evening.

Normally, he wouldn’t allow them to eat too much late-night food because of the next day’s schedule, but today was a special day.

When they ordered seven special ginseng chicken soups, the lady who came to take the order looked embarrassed.

“Oh my. What should I do? We don’t have many ingredients left now… It will take 30 minutes to boil it again.”

Jeong Gilju asked for the members’ opinions.

Either way, it would take that long to find another 24-hour restaurant.

It was nice to be able to stay here comfortably because there were no customers.

“We’ll wait. Instead, please cook it more deliciously, boss!”

The lady smiled at Jeong Gilju’s smooth talk and said she understood.

The members sat comfortably and waited for the ginseng chicken soup, each doing their own thing on their phones or chatting.

However, 30 minutes was longer than expected.

Louis, who was bored and looking around, saw the printout on the restaurant wall, and his eyes lit up.

“Hyungs! Shall we do that?”

Gijun frowned as soon as he saw the printout that Louis was pointing to.

He asked Louis back as if he couldn’t believe it.

“Are you serious?”

“It looks fun! And we get a discount. If hyungs don’t want to do it, I’ll do it alone!”

It was when Louis was about to call the lady.

Gyuseong stepped up to help.

“I want to try it too.”

Dojae was also curious because it was his first time doing something like this.

“Well. I’m bored, so I’ll do it too.”

When Woocheol stepped up, it seemed like everyone had to do it.

Gijun and Heungmin expressed their intention to participate with a sigh, as if they couldn’t help it.

Jeong Gilju smiled, thinking that they were fun kids, and said that he had to drive, so he would pass.

“What does driving have to do with this?”

Jeong Gilju pretended not to hear Heungmin’s words and answered the phone that was ringing.

It was Jeong Gilju’s girlfriend, whom he hadn’t seen for days.

As he went out to answer the phone, Jeong Gilju called the lady and told her the members’ intentions.

「If you’re bored while waiting, peel garlic

10 won discount per piece

-24 Hour Best Health Ginseng Chicken Soup-」

There was a phrase written in blue letters on the restaurant wall.

***

The lady, who brought a basket of garlic soaked in water, looked suspicious.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen young people peeling garlic. Do you even know how to peel it?”

The owners put it up for fun because it was hard to peel garlic, but surprisingly, there were customers who said they would do it.

However, it was literally the first time that young men with soft, downy hair had stepped up to do it.

Louis, who had stepped up with great enthusiasm, blinked silently with his eyes wide open.

Louis habitually looked at Dojae.

Because he’s a hyung who’s good at everything…

That was his intention, but Dojae had lived in the palace.

He had no idea how to peel garlic.

“I’ll teach you.”

“Oh. Do you know how, student?”

“Yes.”

It was Gijun who answered with a tired look.

The lady nodded and went back to the kitchen.

Gijun familiarly held a knife and grabbed the garlic, saying.

“Do it like this.”

Gijun cut off the end of the garlic with a knife and peeled the skin one by one.

The skin, which didn’t seem to peel off easily, quickly peeled off and revealed a smooth clove.

The members all watched Gijun’s skillful hand movements with surprised eyes.

“I’ve known hyung for years… It’s the first time I’ve known that you can peel garlic.”

“What’s so special about this.”

Gijun replied in an absurd way to Heungmin’s words.

“No, hyung. You look too skilled with the knife? Could it be that you know how to cook…?”

Woocheol hesitated, saying as if he had seen something scary, and Gijun glared at him.

“I know. Of course.”

“Wow…”

“Hyung! I’ve never seen you boil ramen once!”

Woocheol and Heungmin said, filled with a sense of betrayal.

The other members were also shocked, though to varying degrees.

They had never seen him turn on the gas stove in the kitchen, so they naturally thought that he didn’t know how to cook, let alone use a knife.

“That’s just because I’m too lazy to do it.”

“When did you learn this?”

“Don’t you guys do this at home?”

In fact, Gijun was the youngest of two daughters and one son and spent his school days suffering from all sorts of housework in the midst of his strong-willed sisters.

When he was very young, he even cried while empathizing with Cinderella.

In fact, one of the 100 reasons why he became a trainee was that he could live in a dorm.

Gijun, who remembered the calls from his sisters telling him to come home and grill some beef to celebrate his first place, didn’t want to think about it anymore and cut off the conversation.

He didn’t want to let his younger siblings, who were quite afraid of him and looked up to him in their own way, know this fact.

“Peel the garlic quickly. Louis, you said you’d do it. You peel the most.”

“Oops… Yes. If I do it like this, like this, right?”

The members, including Louis, hurriedly picked up the knives.

Gyuseong and Woocheol, who were uncomfortable with the knife, peeled the skin one by one with their hands.

“Ah. It’s so spicy.”

Dojae stared at Woocheol, who was frowning at the tingling sensation.

“Woocheol.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t cry again.”

“Ah… I won’t cry.”

It was a topic he was trying to avoid because he was too embarrassed, but Dojae brought it up.

As soon as the story came out, the members started teasing Woocheol like crazy.

“Woocheol. You’re a celebrity now, so you have to manage your image while crying. Huh? Did you see the captures? I can’t live.”

“Yeah. Woocheol… Kneeling down when you won first place was a bit…”

“Ah. Are you going to be like this too, Gyuseong hyung?”

Gyuseong burst out laughing when Woocheol got angry.

“Hyung. But the fans really like it. It’s touching. You already know that your crying *움짤 [gif]* is going around everywhere, right?”

“Kim Louis…”

“Gijun hyung. Woocheol took the crybaby title now. Treat your successor well.”

Heungmin was the most excited to tease Woocheol.

Gijun, who was peeling garlic with a stiff face, smiled.

“Still, it’s a relief that things worked out…”

The members, who had become quiet for a moment, nodded their heads in unison.

Thanks to that, the members were able to sit here and laugh and chat.

After a while.

Jeong Gilju, who had finished his phone call and returned, smiled as he watched the members peeling garlic and chatting.

Click. He didn’t forget to take a picture because it looked so good.

***

Maybe it was because there were so many people.

Maybe it was because Gijun’s hands were so fast.

The members peeled twenty cloves of garlic in a short time and were able to get a 200 won discount.

It was a bonus to hear the lady thank them.

The next day.

“I still feel like I smell it.”

Sniffing, Woocheol frowned as he put the tip of his finger to his nose.

Woocheol was exaggerating, saying that he had barely peeled one clove of garlic by himself and that the smell didn’t go away.

Gijun, who was changing his clothes, snorted as if it was funny.

“But the ginseng chicken soup was really delicious yesterday. Right? I think we can do better on stage today!”

Gyuseong nodded at Louis’s words.

Whether it was true that the lady had added more medicinal herbs, he definitely felt energized.

At that time, Dojae, who was checking a message on his phone, said to the members.

“We. I think we need to eat chicken again?”