Prince from another dimension becomes an Idol chapter 72

“Is this for real?”

Heungmin was still in shock, and Woochul, unable to contain his frustration, sprang up from his standing chair.

“Hurry up and tell us!”

The other members laughed at Woochul’s antics, but they were just as anxious. Fans were busy checking the rankings on music sites and signaling the results with their fingers.

Shouts of “…it’s number one!” echoed from various directions.

However, it was chaotic and hard to decipher, as many fans held up just one finger.

Dojae looked at Heungmin with an expectant expression.

‘The staff wouldn’t have come all the way up here to tell us if it wasn’t good news…. But it can’t be number one.’

If it were 100th place, they wouldn’t have bothered to inform them since it would be worse than their last album. So, it had to be…

“Tenth place! Is it true? Are we really tenth?”

Heungmin’s excited voice echoed loudly.

The fans simultaneously shouted, “Yes!”

The members froze, unable to react.

“Re-Really?”

“Really? What a surprise!”

It was truly an unbelievable ranking.

Woochul and Louis finally responded. Kyuseong bit his lower lip emotionally, and Kijoon briefly bowed his head.

“Hey! You’re not going to cry again, are you, Kijoon hyung? Fans, you might not know, but even though Kijoon hyung looks a bit cold, he’s actually very warm…”

“He’s a crybaby!”

Heungmin teased, and Woochul jumped in.

Laughter erupted from the audience.

The fans knew that Kijoon, who seemed so stoic, had once shed tears during an award speech. They liked this unexpected side of him.

“I’m not going to cry, everyone.”

Kijoon lifted his head and quickly explained, then expressed his gratitude.

“Really… I never expected this ranking… Thank you.”

“Yes, we were unsure how you’d receive this new style. We’re really grateful!”

“You’re the best! Thank you, BEST! So much!”

Heungmin and Woochul each chimed in.

Louis adjusted his microphone and spoke.

“We worked really hard on this album. Not that we’re asking you to acknowledge our effort! When we debuted, we were more eager to just debut quickly… But this time, it was different.”

“That’s right. Because you were waiting for us.”

Dojae added to Louis’s words.

Louis quickly nodded and continued.

“So we tried harder, and now we see these results… It’s just the beginning! But it feels great! Love you, BEST!”

As Louis hurriedly wrapped up and blew a kiss, the fans cheered, understanding his sentiment perfectly.

Dojae, smiling quietly, continued.

“We hoped this album wouldn’t disappoint those who waited and that it could bring you some small joy in your lives… But it seems we’ve received the gift instead.”

“…”

“Thank you so much.”

Dojae stood up and bowed respectfully to the fans.

Kyuseong, who had been silent, also stood up and joined Dojae in bowing.

“Thank you! Truly…”

Following Kyuseong’s lead, the other members stood and bowed with Dojae.

No matter how they expressed it, their feelings were united.

The members were genuinely grateful to their fans.

They knew that from the moment their music was released, fans were streaming it non-stop to boost its ranking, whether they could attend the fan meeting or not.

Of course, reaching the top ten wasn’t solely due to the fans’ efforts.

Non-fans also clicked on MOST’s music featured on the main page after its release, liked it, and kept listening to it.

But it wasn’t just the streaming that they were thankful for.

Their fans had eagerly awaited and anticipated their new album, even though they were just rookie artists who debuted last year with only one single album.

As Louis and Dojae said, MOST could give their best in making good music thanks to their fans’ support.

There was every reason to credit the fans for their success.

And the fans perfectly understood the members’ feelings.

“…Ah, our oppas are so kind.”

“Totally.”

The fans in the audience felt emotional because the ones they poured their love into were sincerely grateful.

*

MOST continued their performance with additional tracks from their new album, including “Give Me, Give You,” “Confession,” and “Be Amazing.”

Although the songs were just released, the fans cheered their hearts out.

The first fan meeting of MOST concluded with an encore performance of “Dynamic.”

The members greeted the staff as they entered the backstage.

“Great job!”

“Well done!”

“Thank you for your hard work!”

The usual greetings felt more heartfelt this time.

From the reaction to their debut performance to the good news they received midway, it had been an immensely enjoyable hour and a half.

They wished it could go on forever.

As Team Leader Jung Heeyoung appeared, Heungmin quickly greeted her.

“Thank you so much, Team Leader. Really…”

It was gratitude for the good ranking of their music.

Heungmin knew that albums weren’t just made by songwriters, lyricists, and singers.

The planning, scheduling, production, and promotion efforts of the planning team 2 staff were crucial for such results.

“Thank you! I’m the one who should be thankful. Everyone worked so hard.”

Team Leader Jung Heeyoung responded with a proud smile.

Woochul turned to Assistant Manager Lee Jungyeon, who was smiling next to Team Leader Jung.

“Assistant Manager! Our ‘RIMORA’ is getting a good response, and it looks like it’s ranked high on the charts!”

“The company has invested a lot, but more importantly, the song is really good,” said Assistant Manager Lee Jungyeon humbly, looking shy.

Woochul then turned to Dojae and Kijoon, saying, “It’s true. It’s thanks to the director and you guys for doing such a great job on the song!”

“To think we have another genius composer on our team!” Heungmin added dramatically.

Dojae shook his head. “I only did the arrangement.”

Kijoon immediately chimed in, “The atmosphere we have now is largely because of you.”

Dojae didn’t argue further and cooled his flushed face with a cold towel. The members, unabashed in their self-praise, enjoyed the celebratory mood.

It was the first day their song had been released.

Normally, Manager Seokchul would have warned them not to get too excited since it was too early to declare success.

However, this time, he stayed silent, allowing the members to fully enjoy their moment.

“A top 10 debut on the music charts… It’s definitely impressive,” he thought. It was a remarkable start by any standard.

*

The music video, released at midnight, was also drawing a lot of attention. It featured four distinct settings: a vast, open field, a hill, a cramped bathroom, and a desolate room with just a single desk.

Despite the contrasting locations, the cohesive color grading with a dark reddish hue brought them together.

The neon and pastel colors mixed in a unique way, capturing the restless energy of youth and giving the video a ‘hip’ feel, which resonated well even internationally.

It quickly became a popular aesthetic on various image-sharing sites.

This success was attributed to the visual director of Planning Team 2, who had recommended a talented new director for the music video.

With the positive reception of the video, Woochul, Louis, and Kyuseong were too excited to sleep, constantly refreshing the music charts. It was already 1 AM.

“Aren’t you guys going to sleep?” Heungmin asked, having just finished his shower, seeing the three crowded in the living room checking reactions.

“We’ll sleep soon. Dojae and Kijoon aren’t back yet either,” Kyuseong replied.

“Nice excuse, Kyuseong!”

Heungmin teased with a laugh, making Kyuseong smile sheepishly.

Considering the upcoming performance, they knew they should rest, but they couldn’t resist checking the real-time comments and rankings.

“So, where are we now?” Heungmin asked, also curious.

“We’re at 9th place!” Woochul responded proudly.

“What?! We climbed up? We were down to 12th earlier. Is it because of the music video?” Heungmin speculated.

“It could go up more by dawn. Fan-driven idol groups usually dominate late at night,” Woochul, knowledgeable from his internet habits, explained. Heungmin responded with an impressed “Oh.”

“Still, you need to sleep for tomorrow’s performance…” Heungmin, feeling a sense of responsibility as the oldest present, advised.

Just then, the door opened, and Kijoon and Dojae walked in.

“You guys are back. Great job, you must be tired,” Heungmin greeted.

“Hey guys! Guess what? We’re at 9th place!” Woochul and Louis exclaimed in excitement.

Kijoon and Dojae, taking off their shoes, looked pleasantly surprised. Dojae asked, “9th place?”

“Yes!” Louis shouted enthusiastically.

Smiles spread across Kijoon and Dojae’s faces. It was news that made all the hard work worthwhile.

Their decision to release a powerful yet darkly emotional song that suited the season had clearly paid off.

*

The atmosphere at the second fan meeting the next day was truly festive. Fans had memorized the entire lyrics and fan chants of [Yours] overnight, singing along loudly.

―my everything is yours!

―is yours!

―is yours!

Although the song’s ranking dropped slightly by morning, it had peaked at 6th place overnight.

The music video’s views were still climbing, and the feedback was overwhelmingly positive.

Various online communities were buzzing about the high quality of the new MOST album.

Fan-captured videos and photos from the first fan meeting further fueled the excitement.

There was talk of a ‘rediscovery of Kang Dojae.’

– He’s insanely sexy ㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– What’s with those chest muscles through his shirt???
– I always knew he had a good physique, but he’s really solid.
– His arms when he plays the piano, wow!
– His gaze is so sexy.
– Those fierce eyes, amazing ㄷㄷ
– I thought he was a model student, but now… the top bully? -_-;;
– Crazy guyㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
– Sometimes I shed tears.. Dojae, you’re a treasure..
– King Dojae, please take me ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ
– I didn’t know he was so amazing.
– So handsome ㅠㅠ He can sing, dance, and he’s got the looks, this man has it all…

By that evening, [Yours] had impressively settled at 6th place on the daily charts.

The members hugged each other, shouting in joy. Dojae was just as happy, but suddenly, a sense of unease crept in.

‘Everything is going so well…’

Something didn’t feel right.