Prince from another dimension becomes an Idol chapter 19

His tone was quite cautious.

As he had said, Dojae had only been living in the dormitory for two days now.

But to request a meeting already?

It was only natural to be worried.

Dojae quickly responded so he wouldn’t be misunderstood.

“It’s nothing serious, I was told to speak with the manager about any issues with the dormitory or communal living.”

“Yes, that’s correct. Is there something bothering you?”

‘Your Highness, is there something bothering you?’

The voice of Chamberlain Kim, who had been with him until not too long ago, overlapped with his current manager’s voice.

In fact, their voices were quite similar.

There were many similarities between the current manager and Chamberlain Kim he had known, including the meticulous appearance, always donning a black suit despite the company’s casual dress code.

Suddenly, Dojae wondered how things were going in the Korean Empire.

He missed the people there.

From Chamberlain Kim, who diligently attended to him, to his strict father and mother, and his siblings who, despite being formal and reserved, ensured he didn’t go astray.

Although he had grown tired of palace life and enjoyed the freedom in South Korea, he couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Dojae hurriedly continued speaking.

“…It’s not a big deal.”

Actually, it was a significant issue for Dojae, but he didn’t want to come off as too picky.

It was clear that the other members didn’t think much of it and were managing to endure, unlike him.

But what could he do?

He had lived as a prince for twenty years.

Dojae felt he was adapting quite well to a normal person’s life, but there were minimum standards he couldn’t compromise on.

“I’m concerned about the cleanliness of the dormitory and wanted to discuss it.”

“……”

“Environmental conditions can affect health, after all.”

He had thought about cleaning himself, but it was impractical.

Cleaning up all the mess would take an enormous amount of time, which he simply didn’t have.

“By cleanliness… you mean it’s dirty?”

Manager Kim Seokchul , who initially didn’t quite grasp what Dojae was saying, asked again.

Dojae nodded seriously.

“Yes, it’s very dirty.”

Kim Seokchul also took Dojae’s resolute words seriously.

“Well, with the increasing practice hours, they probably didn’t have time to clean….”

Of course, the unspoken words between the ellipses were ‘they wouldn’t have cleaned even if they had time.’

“Anyway, with more people now, there must be more stuff too.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

After quickly calculating, Manager Kim proposed a solution.

“I’ll arrange for the housekeeper who comes once a week to come three times a week. That should improve things significantly.”

Given that Vice President Jung Hyeongseok had openly said he wouldn’t spare any investment, they could afford the increased cost.

“Will that be sufficient?”

“Yes, absolutely. That will work. As expected of Cham… Manager Kim.”

Dojae responded satisfactorily, as it seemed like the best realistic solution.

The fleeting look in Kim Seokchul’s eyes seemed to question how Dojae knew to call him ‘Manager Kim.’

“And one more thing. I have another suggestion.”

“Go ahead.”

Fortunately, Manager Kim Seokchul was willing to listen.

***

After finishing a brief but substantial meeting with Manager Kim Seokchul, Dojae returned, and practice resumed immediately.

As a result, Kyuseong lost the chance to talk to Dojae and wandered around.

“Kyuseong! Why are you so unfocused all of a sudden? Are you out of energy?”

“No…”

Kyuseong replied, lowering his head, causing the trainer to shake his head.

Though Kyuseong wasn’t an exceptional dancer, he wasn’t one to slack off, and his expression clearly showed something was wrong.

The trainer, knowing about Kijoon’s recent collapse, didn’t press further and concluded the practice.

“Make sure you pull yourself together tomorrow!”

Kyuseong replied blankly, “Yes.”

With that, the practice ended, and the members wiped their sweat and headed back to the dormitory one by one.

“…So, it was a misunderstanding. He seems really sorry….”

On the way back to the dormitory, Louis explained the situation to Dojae.

“So that’s what happened.”

Dojae nodded, finally understanding.

It was evident that Kyuseong felt guilty.

Earlier, when he had confronted Dojae, he looked completely dejected now.

His face was so downcast it created an illusion that his bangs, which had fallen to his eyes, had now reached his chin.

‘He’s worried.’

Dojae thought as he waited for his turn in the bathroom in the dormitory.

From the practice room until now, Kyuseong had been watching him, looking for a chance to apologize.

He was clearly so sorry that he couldn’t bring himself to properly apologize.

Even though Dojae’s intuition was sharp, it didn’t take much to figure this out.

It was obvious to anyone.

Kyuseong looked as despondent as a ghost by the well, with a gloomy atmosphere.

“Hmm.”

Dojae sighed softly while Kyuseong was away taking a shower.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t upset about Kyuseong’s sudden outburst and questioning during the break earlier.

Despite learning the Confucian classics and the way of a gentleman from a young age, he couldn’t always act as one.

‘If I were the real Kang Dojae, I might have been hurt.’

However, he wasn’t so upset that he started to dislike Kyuseong.

‘It was refreshing, actually.’

Dojae found it intriguing that someone openly disliked him and showed it.

He wasn’t being bullied or anything.

Besides, knowing the full story, he understood why Kyuseong might dislike him.

‘It would’ve been better if he had known more about me, but if he mistook me for Sunghwan…’

Dojae shuddered slightly at the thought.

Anyway, Dojae was fine.

‘Kyuseong seemed to want to apologize… I think I should wait and make things right.’

With that thought, Dojae’s lips unexpectedly curled into a smile.

To think they had a little misunderstanding, argued, and resolved it with an apology.

‘We’re like friends.’

It was a refreshing realization that they were truly equals.

Of course, in the Korean Empire, he had also socialized with Imperial Family relatives and government officials’ children, calling them friends.

But there was always an underlying issue with calling them true friends.

First of all, princes and princesses had different duties and responsibilities compared to other high-ranking officials’ children, leaving them no time to hang out freely like others.

Most of the meetings were like official events held in the palace.

In reality, most relationships were entangled with official and political ties.

So it was hard to tell if someone genuinely liked him or was just trying to get closer for family gains.

‘But now, that’s not the case.’

Everyone could be honest with him and was honest.

Dojae smiled again but quickly cleared his throat, trying to calm down.

‘Since Kyuseong is so restless and sorry, I can’t be lost in my thoughts.’

He was half-aware that he had been thinking about something else.

Coming out of the bathroom, Kyuseong was drying his hair, struggling to find the right moment to talk to Dojae.

Now, the other members were also subtly paying attention, wondering when Kyuseong would apologize to Dojae.

Dojae, pretending to be indifferent, looked at the TV screen in the living room while waiting for Kyuseong.

But soon, drowsiness took over.

Today’s practice had been exhausting.

Eventually, Dojae stood up and spoke to Kyuseong, who was sitting on the sofa.

But Kyuseong spoke first.

“Uh… Dojae… I’m sorry.”

“…Alright.”

In the kitchen, where Heungmin and Woochul were drinking water, and Kijoon, who just came out of the bathroom, as well as Louis sitting next to Dojae, all froze as if time had stopped.

They hadn’t expected Dojae to reject the apology so bluntly.

Of course, Kyuseong was the most shocked.

“No, that’s not… I mean.”

Dojae was flustered and tried to fix the situation.

He meant to say, ‘The apology is accepted.’

It was just unfortunate timing.

But it seemed Kyuseong didn’t hear him anymore and lowered his head.

“I’m sorry. Even if it was a misunderstanding, I really have no excuse. It’s natural that you don’t forgive me…”

“No, really, that’s not it. It’s a misunderstanding. I meant the apology is accepted.”

Flustered, Dojae reverted to his princely tone from his past.

“Well, I didn’t expect to be forgiven in a day anyway… If you allow it, I’ll slowly make it up to you. Even if you’re disappointed in me, I hope you don’t leave the team… Maybe it’s my greed…”

Suddenly, Kyuseong, who usually didn’t talk much, was speaking fluently, looking like he might cry.

Making a subject, no, a friend cry wasn’t something Dojae intended.

This wasn’t.

“No, listen to me. I’m saying you don’t need to apologize anymore!”

Desperate, Dojae finally spoke in the same tone as Heungmin or Woochul.

When Dojae’s voice rose, Kyuseong blinked in surprise.

Dojae was just as bewildered.

In the palace, he had never raised his voice like this.

Dojae calmly explained again.

It seemed the relaxed atmosphere of this place had even made Dojae let his guard down.

“I’ll accept your apology because you need to take responsibility. But you don’t need to slowly make it up to me. It wasn’t that big of a deal.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I’m just glad the misunderstanding was cleared up quickly.”

Dojae was relieved that Kyuseong’s dislike lasted only two days.

“I’m really sorry.”

“As long as you know I’m different from those ruffians.”

Dojae returned to his polite tone.

Finally, the atmosphere in the dorm became much more comfortable.

Though Kyuseong still seemed a bit cautious, he found no trace of resentment in Dojae and felt relieved.

***

A few days later.

Dojae walked to the practice room with a lighter step than usual.

“Today might be a bit better.”

Though he believed that the more practice, the better, reality was quite different.

With daily repetitive dance practices, Dojae’s shoulders were covered with patches like the other members.

But today was different, and Dojae had a reason to be hopeful.

“It’s our first vocal lesson in a week.”

Today, a new vocal trainer was coming in place of the previous one who was on maternity leave.

Dojae, who was much more confident in singing than dancing, was looking forward to it.

The other members, also curious about the new vocal trainer, walked to the practice room faster than usual.

“Ah. I hope they’re not stricter than Ms. Yang.”

As Woochul sighed, thinking about their dedicated dance trainer.

Dojae’s steps suddenly halted in front of the practice room’s glass door.

“Oh my.”

It was a different kind of shock than meeting Chamberlain Kim, or rather, Manager Kim Seokchul.

Quickly gathering his wits, Dojae pushed open the glass door.