Prince From Another Dimension Becomes An Idol [EN]: Chapter 84

#84.

***

“Do you really think this will work?”

Dojae nodded at Woochul’s question.

“It doesn’t seem like the problem is with your posture. How about practicing making eye contact comfortably first?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

Dojae suggested that Kijun and Woochul gradually increase the time they spend making eye contact, starting with 5 seconds, then 10 seconds, and finally 30 seconds.

He reasoned that they needed to be comfortable looking at each other before they could smile while one of them was being carried on the other’s back.

Because it was Dojae speaking, they trusted him, and his explanation made sense.

Since they didn’t have any other ideas, Kijun and Woochul stood facing each other in the middle of the practice room, just as Dojae had suggested.

They had to resolve this issue, or it could ruin the entire atmosphere.

“But.”

Kijun, who had been looking down at the floor, raised his eyes and spoke.

All the members, including Heungmin, Kyuseong, and Louie, were still there, surrounding them.

“Are you all just going to watch like this? Can’t you leave just Dojae here and go? It’s making me uncomfortable.”

“That’s right! We’re not zoo monkeys!”

Heungmin laughed at Woochul’s agreement.

“Now that you mention it, you do look a bit like a monkey.”

“Hyung [older brother or male friend] looks more like one. I’m a handsome monkey, and you’re an ugly one.”

“I’m a human, though?”

It was childishness that would make even elementary school students cry.

Kijun shook his head at the two of them.

“Woochul, just look at Kijun hyung the same way you glare at Heungmin hyung.”

At Dojae’s words, Woochul refocused and met Kijun’s gaze.

The situation of two adult men standing face to face was awkward to watch.

“We’ll be performing in front of a lot of fans on stage anyway, so we should be fine with just us, right?”

Because Heungmin added that, Kijun didn’t press the members to return to the dorm.

“Let’s start with 5 seconds. Don’t break eye contact and try to smile as much as possible.”

Kijun and Woochul nodded at Dojae’s words.

“Start!”

Dojae announced the start and calmly counted to 5.

As Dojae instructed, Woochul stared intently into Kijun’s eyes as if he were having a staring contest.

Kijun was looking at Woochul’s eyes, but he wasn’t really seeing them.

He tried to think about other things in his head.

Otherwise, he felt like he would want to look away immediately.

“…3, 2, 1!”

“Haa…”

“Hoo…”

As soon as the 5 seconds were up, sighs burst from the mouths of the two men, who had been holding their breath.

It was a frighteningly awkward 5 seconds.

It felt like 5 minutes, not 5 seconds.

“I didn’t know… you two were really that awkward.”

It was Kyuseong’s quiet but accurate and powerful assessment.

“I know, right? I didn’t realize because we’re always together.”

“But why did they have to become a pair? Is this Yangmal ssaem’s [teacher] big picture?!”

Heungmin and Louie continued.

Of course, Yangmal didn’t have any other intentions when he gave the pair choreography to the two of them.

He just paired them up considering their movements, strength, and weight.

“Smiling is still too much for now… Anyway, let’s try 10 seconds this time.”

After saying that, Dojae started counting again.

“Hey! Don’t break eye contact!”

“Kijun hyung, look at Woochul properly.”

Heungmin and Kyuseong carefully monitored the two of them.

“The first person to look away loses.”

Dojae also said in a stern voice.

Looking at each other for 10 seconds was definitely more difficult than 5 seconds.

Despite Dojae’s words, Woochul’s eyes dropped.

“Is it that hard?”

As if teasing the two of them, Heungmin muttered and made eye contact with Louie next to him, then counted on his own.

It wasn’t exactly comfortable since they didn’t usually stare into each other’s eyes.

“It’s a little embarrassing, but it’s okay?”

That was all.

It wasn’t something they couldn’t do if they put their minds to it.

Louie also said with a smile.

Smiling was even easier.

It was because they burst out laughing from the awkwardness.

“Heungmin hyung, now that I look closely, you have a lot of eyebrows?”

“You don’t have a single pore on your skin. Ah… I’m jealous.”

It seemed that the reason they couldn’t make eye contact was definitely because of Kijun and Woochul’s (more awkward than the members realized) relationship.

‘Hmm… what should I do?’

Dojae pondered for a moment.

Honestly, Dojae found it more difficult not to look at the other person directly.

No matter how difficult or awkward the person was.

Even someone he disliked.

The Emperor should never look away first.

The other person had to be the one to look away.

‘Looking down is only possible when meeting His Majesty the Emperor.’

The reason Dojae was particularly good at making eye contact with fans and staring intently at the camera lens was also thanks to that ingrained habit.

“Um… it might be even more awkward if you just stand still. How about you two have a conversation for 1 minute? Comfortably.”

“That’s a good idea!”

Louie immediately clapped his hands, saying it was a good idea.

Kijun coldly retorted.

“Why did it suddenly become 1 minute?”

Heungmin ignored Kijun’s objection and chimed in.

“Ah, that’s great! Since we’re doing this, you two should hold hands and talk. Didn’t we used to have a game like that?”

“Of course.”

Kyuseong quietly replied.

Recently, videos of old TV shows that had been re-edited were popular on Mytube [Korean equivalent of Youtube].

It was a game where you had to answer “Of course” to any question the other person asked.

The corners of Kyuseong’s lips crept up.

It seemed like it would be fun.

“Hey, what…!”

“That sounds fun!”

Because Louie shouted loudly, Kijun couldn’t object this time either.

In the end, Woochul and Kijun couldn’t resist the members’ urging and even held hands and made eye contact.

Kijun and Woochul were dumbfounded as to why the choreography practice had turned into this, but the atmosphere quickly flowed in this direction.

The cause was that the two of them had taken up practice time in the first place.

Dojae announced the start once again.

The start was Kijun.

“…You ate lunch, right?”

“Of course.”

“Wow, no fun!”

It was too easy a question for Woochul to answer.

Louie immediately shouted ‘no fun,’ and Heungmin also booed.

“Why… it’s true, though. I asked a question.”

“That’s right. Try to do it comfortably like that.”

Dojae also thought it was a ‘no fun’ question that deviated from the purpose of this game, but what was important today was for the two of them to look at each other naturally.

“Hyung, you ate kimchi stew today, right?”

“Of course. Um… practice was hard today, right?”

“Of course. You know it’s because of hyung, right?”

Woochul asked jokingly.

Kijun answered without batting an eye.

“Of course. You know I had a hard time because of you too, right?”

It was definitely because they were talking that the two of them were looking at each other more and more comfortably.

“Of course. Um… I had a hard time because of you in the past too, right?”

In fact, there was a reason why the two of them had no choice but to be awkward.

The time when a one-year age difference could feel significant, during their high school years.

Even before the team MOST was formed, Kijun was the oldest among the trainees, and Woochul was a trainee who had been quite the troublemaker since he first entered the agency.

Naturally, Kijun often scolded Woochul.

So Woochul found Kijun, who was over twenty, too distant and scary.

Kijun, for his part, had no choice but to treat Woochul, who was still young and cunning but showed potential, more strictly.

Then, the fact that Heemin not only ran away from practice but ran away from the team altogether changed the two of them.

Kijun took a step back, worried that Woochul would become like Heemin, and tried not to get involved in Woochul’s affairs as much as possible.

Woochul matured.

Kijun had even collapsed from exhaustion while struggling alone under pressure, so as a younger brother, it was difficult to even think about trying to skip practice.

After Dojae and Louie joined and their debut was decided, they naturally became more focused on practice.

It was good for everyone, but Kijun and Woochul became more distant than when they were constantly scolding and being scolded.

There was no problem as a team.

Even if they didn’t express it separately, Kijun cherished Woochul, and Woochul thought of Kijun as a great leader and hyung.

He wasn’t as scary as before either.

However, it was inevitably awkward when it was just the two of them.

It was because of their unspoken apologies to each other.

“Of course.”

Whether he had scolded him too much.

Whether he had caused him too much trouble.

At Kijun’s answer, Woochul stiffened slightly even though he was the one who had asked.

He still felt sorry.

“You know you’re doing well these days, right?”

At the words that followed, the corners of Woochul’s lips lifted slightly.

Kijun’s sincerity was conveyed.

“Of course.”

Woochul shrugged his shoulders as he answered, making Kijun chuckle.

“You know I was able to debut because of hyung, right?”

At Woochul’s following question, Kijun’s eyes widened slightly.

A warm smile spread across Heungmin and Kyuseong’s lips.

There was a reason why the hyungs liked Woochul, even though he grumbled every time and was always playful.

Woochul definitely didn’t have any rough edges.

Even though he hated being scolded, he knew how to distinguish whether it was concern for him or just dislike, and he accepted it properly.

He knew how to be grateful and how to grow.

“Of course.”

A smile spread across Kijun’s lips.

The two of them were never the type to have serious, cheesy conversations.

In the meantime, much more than 1 minute had passed.

Dojae praised the two of them, who had become noticeably more natural than before.

“You did well. That’s how you do it.”

Woochul, with a proud expression, went even further and said.

“Should we try doing it while carrying each other on our backs right away, hyung?!”

However, Kijun was dazed by the realization that came late.

What had he done, even holding hands with Woochul….

The result was good, but the embarrassment didn’t disappear.

“No. That’s for later.”

“Whyyy, hyung! Carry me, carry me!”

In the belated realization, there was also the realization that if he became too close with Woochul, he would end up suffering like Heungmin.

“Ah. This method is good? Is there anyone else who’s awkward with each other? If we become awkward, we’re going straight to ‘Of course’!”

Heungmin, who wasn’t awkward with any of the members, shouted excitedly.

At that moment, Kyuseong’s face stiffened slightly.

Kijun and Kyuseong’s eyes met briefly.

Honestly, Kijun and Kyuseong were the same in that they didn’t have any personal interactions.

Of course, there was no particular reason.

It was just that neither of them was talkative.

However, they could easily become the target of Heungmin’s ‘awkward relationship.’

The two of them closed their mouths as if they had planned it and quickly cleaned up.

***

Once the choreography was finalized, the preparation for the follow-up song was completed in the blink of an eye.

There were no worries because they had performed the choreography without any problems even at the music video shooting site.

Backstage at the music show before their first performance.

The members gathered together and listened carefully to Kijun’s words.

“You know we’re only promoting for 2 weeks, right? We’re not doing many music shows either… Let’s do our best in every performance.”

No matter what reason he gave, it always came down to doing their best.

However, it was something that they couldn’t emphasize enough every day, so the members nodded seriously.

“Let’s do well today too.”

“Yes!”

With Louie’s energetic shout, the members began to prepare.

Louie, Kyuseong, and Woochul changed their clothes, and Kijun had a brief conversation with Team Leader Kim Seokchul.

And Heungmin took something out of his belongings bag with a determined expression.