Prince from another dimension becomes an Idol chapter 25

Having finished their preparations, Heungmin and Louis came out of the waiting room to get a sense of the atmosphere.

But something felt off.

It had been 30 minutes past the originally scheduled shoot time of 5 a.m., and the director was nowhere to be found.

“When exactly is he arriving?”

“I’m sorry. He said he’s running a bit late because of traffic.”

In response to Team Leader Jung Heeyoung’s pointed question, the assistant director answered awkwardly.

“The director lives in Ilsan. It’s just around the corner. How is it possible that the road to Paju is blocked at this hour? We all came from Gangnam and didn’t hit any traffic.”

Sighing softly, Team Leader Jung Heeyoung asked again in a low voice.

“Did he actually leave?”

“Yes. He said he’s just about to leave…”

The assistant director, realizing he couldn’t hide it any longer, admitted the truth awkwardly.

Team Leader Jung Heeyoung was dumbfounded but couldn’t continue pressing the poor assistant director, so she fell silent.

“We’ve already set up the set according to the storyboard, so we can start shooting as soon as the director arrives. We won’t be too delayed… Please don’t worry.”

The assistant director, feeling he had gone too far, tried to reassure Team Leader Jung Heeyoung.

Nodding, Team Leader Jung Heeyoung thought to herself.

‘This is what it’s like to be a rookie with no power. It’s frustrating.’

Hong Jonghoon, who was in charge of MOST’s music video, was one of the most renowned directors in the country.

He was known for his flashy and distinctive music videos, having come from abroad.

Many artists wanted to work with him, and his high standards were well-known.

‘He recently shot a video for a new idol group and said he wouldn’t do it for a while… He’s really doing as he pleases.’

But this wasn’t something she could simply endure.

Given the contract, Vice President Jung Hyungseok had personally persuaded Director Hong and even offered him a higher fee.

‘If he doesn’t perform properly, there will be trouble.’

She was willing to tolerate the tardiness, but if his attitude or the result was poor, she was ready for a confrontation.

As Team Leader Jung Heeyoung gritted her teeth, Louis approached and asked.

“Can we shoot our music video?”

“Of course! The director will be here soon.”

Team Leader Jung Heeyoung immediately relaxed her expression and reassured Louis.

Then, looking back and forth between Louis and Heungmin, she clapped her hands.

“But you guys look great in your outfits! Louis, as a student, it suits you well… And Heungmin, you look quite the part too.”

“Aw, Team Leader, that’s harsh. I only graduated a little while ago.”

Heungmin retorted playfully.

The concept for the music video they were shooting today, “I Am Different,” was a free-spirited student.

So, the two were wearing black school uniforms modified to fit their styles.

“Then we’ll wait in the waiting room.”

“Let Kim Team Leader know that we might have to wait a bit longer.”

“Got it.”

—

The members waited in the waiting room for over an hour for Director Hong Jonghoon to arrive.

It was enough time for the excitement and nerves about their first music video shoot to wane.

Having prepared since dawn, they were sleepy, but they couldn’t risk swelling faces by napping.

“The director is here!”

The staff’s voice made the members, who had been yawning from boredom, jump to their feet.

“Let’s go.”

Manager Kim Seokchul led the members to the set.

The set was arranged like a classroom after school, fitting the concept.

Spotting Director Hong Jonghoon checking the camera with his hands in his pockets, the members greeted him enthusiastically.

“Hello, Director!”

“Hello!”

“Yeah, alright. We’ll start right away, so go stand over there.”

Arriving late, Director Hong Jonghoon greeted them half-heartedly, without a word of apology, and pointed to the desks.

The members hurried to the desks and began to loosen up.

“The assistant director should have explained the storyboard to you already. We’ll start from the first segment.”

“Yes!”

“Yes!”

Despite the director’s lackluster explanation, the members responded energetically.

‘They seem more enthusiastic than the ones from New Entertainment. But what’s the use of enthusiasm without skill.’

There was a reason Director Hong had declared he wouldn’t shoot any more music videos for rookie idol groups for a while.

It was because of a recent experience shooting a music video for a new idol group from New Entertainment.

‘I didn’t expect their skills to be so terrible just because they were rookies. They couldn’t even hit a single angle right. Only the one who seemed to be the leader was decent.’

Just thinking about that day annoyed him.

The shoot had dragged on tediously long, and the post-production was grueling, trying to cover up their lack of skill.

Despite his passionate direction, they couldn’t meet his expectations.

Their reactions were mechanical at best.

‘If the kids from New Entertainment, known for their extensive trainee pool, were that bad, the skills of kids from a mid-tier agency like Kingdom are obvious.’

Ultimately, he took the job for the money and the song.

The song was quite good.

While he knew he had to do his best as a professional, he couldn’t help but feel utterly unmotivated.

‘I wonder how many NG cuts there will be today.’

Sighing, Director Hong sat down in front of the camera.

“Get the music ready.”

“Yes, Director.”

At Director Hong’s command, the assistant director hurriedly signaled the sound staff.

Soon, the song “I Am Different,” which the MOST members had recorded a week ago, began to play.

The members started moving around the classroom, dancing in line with the concept.

“Hmm…”

Director Hong Jonghoon let out a dissatisfied groan, resting his chin in his hand.

“Let’s go again.”

“…”

“Again!”

“…”

“One more time.”

For some reason, Director Hong kept making them repeat just the first section over and over.

Having already danced the same moves several times, the members were confused about what to do.

He only said to go again, without giving any specific directions, so the members just kept repeating the same moves.

“That’s not it.”

Director Hong clicked his tongue, stopping the music once more.

Team Leader Jung Heeyoung, standing next to him, frowned.

Although it was the first shoot and there was some stiffness, the choreography wasn’t wrong.

‘If something’s not right, he should explain it to us.’

Without proper explanations, the members were just being made to struggle.

“Maybe they haven’t warmed up enough yet.”

“What have they been doing all this time if they’re not warmed up?”

At his sarcastic tone, Team Leader Jung clenched her teeth.

Both songs had been entrusted to Director Hong for consistency, even though they had different concepts.

She wanted to handle this as smoothly as possible.

“Director, these kids are working hard. Please guide them well.”

“They just need to do well.”

Just as Team Leader Jung was about to say something, unable to hold back any longer, Dojae approached with large strides from outside the set.

“Director.”

“What is it?”

Director Hong was momentarily taken aback by Dojae’s sudden action.

He looked Dojae up and down, thinking to himself.

‘Who is this? Did we have a member like this? He’s quite handsome.’

Although he’d received all the photos and choreography videos, he hadn’t paid close attention, so Dojae’s face felt unfamiliar.

“Since it’s their first time in front of the camera, they seem quite lacking.”

“Well, it’s fortunate that you realize that…”

“We would appreciate it if you could guide us on what exactly is lacking. We worry that your temper might be upset otherwise.”

His tone was so respectful it almost seemed sarcastic.

‘Was he a student council president or something?’

Maybe it was because he was wearing a school uniform, but he gave off that impression.

Of course, his outfit, with the collar open enough to show his collarbones, made him look like a problematic student, but his demeanor suggested otherwise.

Director Hong felt both annoyed and embarrassed.

He wasn’t so petty as to snub someone who approached him respectfully, even if they were much younger.

“I’m not sure if saying it will help… Everyone seems stiff compared to the music.”

“Yes.”

“…This blonde kid is too conscious of the camera. He needs to be more natural here.”

“Louis, come over and listen to the director.”

Dojae called out to Louis, who quickly ran over.

Unbeknownst to himself, Director Hong started giving friendly directions to each member who felt awkward in front of the camera.

His years of accumulated expertise flowed effortlessly.

There was a reason he had become the top director in the industry.

“Thank you, Director. We’ll do our best.”

“…Alright. Well, listening doesn’t always fix things, but…”

Although he continued to speak with some doubt, Director Hong’s sternness had softened.

Soon, the music for the first section started again.

The members moved according to Director Hong’s directions.

Knowing exactly what he wanted made it easier to follow.

‘They were talented from the start.’

Team Leader Jung smiled proudly.

Seeing their immediate improvement after just one direction, Director Hong adjusted his posture.

He had known from the start that they were a well-practiced group.

Their precise execution of even the finger movements in the choreography was proof.

The issue had been with their expressions and how they looked at the camera, but they understood his instructions well.

‘…They’re better than I thought.’

When he focused on the camera monitor, Dojae caught his eye again.

‘What is this? This is more impressive than I expected…’

He had thought Dojae was handsome when he approached earlier, but seeing him up close, he realized he was something special.

‘He’s incredible!’

There was an aura about him that Director Hong hadn’t seen in recent projects.

He zoomed in on Dojae’s face, almost mesmerized.

Dojae’s dark eyes sparkled, reflecting the light.

‘There’s something different about him. Different.’

It was like the title of the song. Dojae’s eyes were unlike those of an ordinary young Korean man.

They seemed to belong to someone from another world.

‘I almost missed out.’

He was grateful he hadn’t let his prejudice make him overlook such a talent.

‘Someone should have told me about a member like this! How was I supposed to know just from the choreography videos?’

Feeling embarrassed about his earlier attitude, Director Hong muttered to himself.

‘I’ve been taking out my frustrations on the wrong people.’

Deciding he needed to apologize later, Director Hong focused on the shoot for now.

‘These eyes… I need to capture them perfectly!’

Holding his breath, he poured his energy into the camera work.

***

Contrary to initial concerns, the music video shoot for “I’m Different” wrapped up in a warm, even heated, atmosphere.

Thanks to Director Hong’s sudden change in attitude, spurred on by Team Leader Jung’s anger at his previous laidback behavior, the shoot was a success.

By the end of shooting not only “I’m Different” but also “Dynamic,” Director Hong had become a fan himself.

“If they perform on stage like this, it’s going to be a huge hit… Team Leader Jung, please make sure to send me a copy when the album comes out. I’m a fan of MOST now. And don’t forget to get it signed.”

To show he was serious, Director Hong even posted a review of the shoot on his blog.

They were working on the music video for the idol group MOST.

Since the group had no flaws in appearance, skill, or mindset, it seemed that as long as he did a good job in post-production, the result would be outstanding.

Hong Jonghoon’s blog was primarily followed by aspiring music video directors and industry insiders. Therefore, its public influence was not significant.

However, it could leave a good impression on future collaborators and provided some promotional effect due to its exposure on the internet.

‘Above all… it feels good.’

Dojae shared the contents of Hong Jonghoon’s blog with the members.

“Wow. Doesn’t this mean our music video is going to be a huge hit?!”

The members heightened their expectations for the music video and intensified their preparations for their debut.

Before they knew it, August was coming to an end.

“Korea’s summer feels longer and hotter than in the Korean Empire.”

After practice, Dojae muttered to himself as he tightly tied his sneakers, preparing for a run.

He had just stepped out of the building, heading towards the Han River, when a black shadow with a clenched fist suddenly attacked him.