Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 80

#80.

“What…….”

Do-jae tilted his head.

He couldn’t quite grasp what kind of offer would be made only to him.

‘Judging by what he said about the advertisement, it wouldn’t be a bad offer…’

He couldn’t figure out why a troubled look had flashed across her face.

“Well, we received an offer for you to appear in a drama,” Team Leader Jung Hee-young said directly.

Do-jae’s eyes widened.

“A drama?”

“Yeah. It’s not a huge role, just the female lead’s younger brother… Actually, it’s quite a significant and good role for a rookie actor. It seems like there’s a decent amount of screen time, too.”

“I see.”

“You had such great visuals in the advertisement. So, they became interested and contacted us first.”

Do-jae listened to the explanation quietly, adding appropriate interjections.

He wasn’t sure how to react exactly.

‘A drama appearance… I’ve never even thought about it.’

Since the Daehan Empire [Korea’s former name], Do-jae’s dream was only to be a singer.

Do-jae, who wanted to become a ‘singing singer,’ became an idol because Kang Do-jae of South Korea was an idol trainee.

Thanks to that, Lee Do-jae also got to dance, something he had never done before.

Of course, he liked dancing.

It was awkward at first, but thanks to the memories remaining in Kang Do-jae’s body, he was soon able to learn the dances, and now he could do as well as the old Kang Do-jae.

It was quite enjoyable to dance as well as sing on stage.

He even liked the job of being an idol itself.

Starting with dancing in sync with others, there was music and a stage that could be called a team, not just himself alone.

Through that stage, he gained enthusiastic fans….

It was also fun to receive the support of fans and take on new challenges one by one.

‘Advertising was also part of that.’

Showing fans a new side of himself and imagining the 모습 [image/appearance] they would like made everything easy.

‘Even so… those were all things I did as a singer and as MOST [the group’s name].’

Acting under his own name was a completely different story.

It was no different from becoming a ‘rookie actor,’ as Team Leader Jung Hee-young had casually mentioned.

“Ah. The work is called , written by the writer who wrote … It will air at the end of this year or early next year.”

“I think I’ve heard of it.”

“If I had told Louis, he would have known right away! did quite well. So, this work is also quite anticipated.”

Do-jae nodded quietly.

“You weren’t preparing to be an actor, so it might be sudden… but these things don’t happen when you decide to, but when opportunities come like this, you take them.”

“Yes. If I had thought about being an actor… it seems like a good opportunity.”

It was difficult for an actor to become a singer, but singers often challenged themselves in acting.

Cindy, whom he had met as a candidate for first place a while ago, was such a person.

A few textbook-like existences who were excellent as actors and did not forget their duty as singers.

Do-jae wanted to think flexibly.

Just like he had dreamed only of singing but now danced and performed on stage.

He didn’t know what new things he would do.

It was also a characteristic of idols to be active in various fields, not just singing.

From radio DJs to MCs [Masters of Ceremony], models, and actors….

The range of activities was definitely wide.

“And you’ve taken acting lessons a few times.”

The company also knew that in the future, the members would be active in various fields.

They also wanted that.

That’s why they provided various lessons to the members.

Acting was naturally included here.

“Thanks to that, it helped me with acting in music videos and advertisements.”

“Thanks to that! It’s innate! Ki-jun and Heung-min also took lessons.”

Team Leader Jung Hee-young teased Ki-jun and Heung-min in a playful tone.

“That’s true.”

Do-jae easily agreed.

Even if there were Ki-jun and Heung-min, he wouldn’t have been able to refute it.

Especially Heung-min, who was subtly making a name for himself as ‘발연기 헌뻡남 [Heungmin, the king of terrible acting].’

“Anyway. How about it? Do you want to try it? You’ll have to go through a simple audition, but it’s just a formality, and if you say you’ll do it, the atmosphere is almost okay… I don’t think you, Do-jae, if you prepare, won’t be able to handle this much acting.”

Do-jae, who seemed to be thinking for a moment, opened his mouth.

“What does Team Leader think? Would it be good to do it?”

At Do-jae’s question, Team Leader Jung Hee-young chose her words carefully.

“Um… First of all, the company thinks that your own opinion is the most important.”

“Yes.”

“There are pros and cons to both doing it and not doing it, so it’s hard to say for sure.”

“I think Team Leader’s opinion is also important.”

It was a statement that he respected her opinion as an expert.

Team Leader Jung Hee-young smiled slightly and replied.

“From an individual perspective, it’s a really good opportunity. Even if you weren’t planning on going into acting… it’s different from doing it once and not doing it. Dramas are definitely good for getting your face and name out there.”

“Yes…….”

“However, the problem is that it can affect the team’s schedule. Of course, if you adjust it well, there might not be any problems.”

However, even if they started filming during the break, it seemed like it would somehow affect the preparation for the next album.

Anyway, Do-jae had released two albums, so he could gauge that much.

“Also, this might not be a problem because it’s you, Do-jae… but since you never know what can happen, let me mention it… the team atmosphere might change.”

“The atmosphere changes…….”

“It’s still early in the group’s activities, so the team image hasn’t been firmly established. But if one of the members stands out as an actor, the overall atmosphere within the team or among the fans can be shaken.”

So-called ‘actor disease’ [becoming arrogant or self-important after gaining fame as an actor].

However, it was hard to imagine Do-jae getting actor disease, so Team Leader Jung Hee-young said several times, “I really don’t think this is a problem to worry about.”

Then she added.

“Honestly, there’s no right answer. It’s clear that appearing in a drama would be good for raising not only your awareness but also the team’s.”

“Yes…….”

“That’s why I want to leave it up to your choice even more. Since there’s no right answer, it’s right for you to do what you want.”

In other places, the company would have decided in the direction they wanted.

They would not have even conveyed the offer to Do-jae, or they would have instructed Do-jae to do the drama.

But Kingdom was not like that.

Under the clear belief that the company was a place to support artists, they wanted to respect the artist’s opinion the most.

That was because they thought it was a way for the artist and the company to be together for a long time without any friction.

Since the company’s decisions were not always right anyway, the small and large opportunity costs resulting from the artist’s choice were worth bearing.

“Did I just make it more confusing… and not help with the decision at all?”

At Team Leader Jung Hee-young’s question, Do-jae shook his head.

“No. Thank you for organizing the things I need to think about.”

“Then, I guess you’ll need some time to decide?”

“Yes. Until when do I have to answer?”

“The sooner the better. But you have about 1 or 2 weeks. Think about it slowly and tell me.”

“Yes. Team Leader. Thank you.”

“No, I’m the one who’s grateful. Always.”

Team Leader Jung Hee-young said sincerely.

It was MOST who had picked each member with her own hands.

After a long wait, they recruited Do-jae and Louis, and the two were proving that the wait was not in vain.

All the members were like that, but Do-jae, in particular, was an indispensable 존재 [existence] to MOST, both externally and internally.

‘For such a kid to be so sincere. What kind of blessing is this.’

Team Leader Jung Hee-young saw Do-jae off with a heart as if she was offering a prayer of thanks to the sky.

“Contact Kim Team Leader when you decide.”

“Yes. Then I’ll excuse myself.”

“Ah…. Uh-huh. Okay. Go carefully.”

There were times when Do-jae seemed to be from Cheonghak-dong [a traditional village], not Seoul.

***

The drama offer came to Do-jae when MOST was just finishing up their activities.

MOST, who had been active for a little over a month, immediately began preparing for their follow-up song.

They had been in first place on music shows for 4 weeks in a row, and even after finishing their activities, their song was still in the top 50 on the music charts.

On top of that, an advertisement 터져 [hit big] at the end of their activities, so there was nothing more to wish for.

‘I hope they like the follow-up song too.’

Do-jae, who was sitting in front of the computer on his day off, suddenly thought.

Recent follow-up song activities were more like fan service than expecting good results.

As such, he hoped that the fans would like the follow-up song.

Of course, the members seemed quite tired because they had to prepare for the follow-up song as soon as the title song activities were over….

“Haaahm.”

Turning around at the sound of a loud yawn from behind, he saw Gyu-sung wriggling in the blanket and stretching.

Checking the time on his phone, Gyu-sung rubbed his eyes and made a surprised voice.

“Is it already this time?”

“You went to sleep without eating. You must be very hungry.”

It was 3 p.m.

Yesterday, they all listened to the new follow-up song together and distributed the parts.

It was a day off given before the full-scale preparation for the follow-up song.

The members, who would normally be busy going out to play, chose to sleep in the dorm because the fatigue accumulated during the activities was considerable.

“I guess so… I’m hungry. Has everyone eaten?”

“Yeah. We ate lunch together earlier, and Louis and Heung-min are sleeping again. Ki-jun and Woo-cheol seem to have gone out for a while.”

At Do-jae’s explanation, Gyu-sung said he would have to grab something to eat by himself, so he removed the blanket and came down from the bunk bed.

Gyu-sung, who glanced at the monitor screen, exclaimed.

“You’re working hard on 곡 [songs] these days.”

“I find it quite interesting to try this and that.”

While working on the 편곡 [arrangement] of , Do-jae became interested in 곡 [song] work as much as singing.

Moreover, he learned a lot from Ki-jun and Director Lee Jung-yeop while working, and he also gained confidence.

It was an opportunity to try composing more diverse styles, even if it was a short 1 or 2 minute 곡 [song].

‘As I work freely, it seems like an unexpected genre suits me….’

Naturally, he gained new 깨달음 [realizations/insights] as well.

It was becoming more and more fun to 접하고 [encounter/engage with] and produce music in various genres and routes.

“I should practice the guitar more too.”

Gyu-sung muttered awkwardly and went out of the room to eat a late lunch.

Do-jae transferred the ideas he had 떠올려 [recalled/thought of] and memoed on his phone to the computer.

Various thoughts came and went while waiting.

‘Anyway… I have to make a decision quickly.’

Now that they were about to start preparing for the follow-up song in earnest, he wanted to make a decision about appearing in the drama before that.

Do-jae, who was 괜히 [unnecessarily/aimlessly] moving the mouse, looked at his face reflected on the monitor.

He definitely felt more handsome than when he first came from the Daehan Empire.

‘I wasn’t a bad face originally, but.’

It wasn’t arrogance, but an objective fact.

The 3rd 황자 [Prince] should have been an actor….

Even during his 황자 [Prince] days, he had already heard such regrettable sounds several times.

Of course, he heard the 궁인 [court ladies] muttering among themselves.

‘Yes, I should do that.’

It was when Do-jae had made up his mind.

Woo-cheol’s voice rang out loudly from outside the room.

“Hyungs [older brothers/male friends]! Do-jae hyung! Come out. 대박 소시이이익 [Big news]!”