Prince from another dimension becomes an Idol chapter 79

“What? What do you mean by that?”

Heungmin, who had been warming up at the back of the waiting room, approached and asked.

Dojae was reading a recently received message.

It was a message left by Manager Kim Seokchul in the group chat with the members.

“We’ve just signed a new advertisement model contract. It’s for ‘Star Chicken,’ and this time it includes TV commercials, not just internet ads.”

Reading the message in a flat tone as if he were Kim Seokchul himself, Dojae lowered his phone and checked the reactions of the members.

“Ugh! Hyung, it’s not about eating more chicken right now!”

Woochul, who had been complaining about the smell of garlic a moment ago, raised his voice loudly.

“No… Manager sent a message saying, ‘You guys can eat as much chicken as you want now.’”

Despite Dojae’s words, the members were more focused on becoming advertisement models than on the chicken.

“Wow… an advertisement.”

Kyuseong, unable to hide his excitement, murmured.

‘They were singing about not being able to eat chicken every day… I guess advertisements come first after all.’

Dojae swallowed his laughter internally.

He was also happy about the advertisement offer.

“What’s this? You guys became models for Star Chicken?”

“That’s amazing! Congratulations!”

The stylists, who were organizing the outfits, came over to offer their congratulations.

Louis, excited, grabbed Woochul’s hand and spun around the waiting room.

“Ha… how noisy.”

Though he made a comment, Kijoon did not actively try to stop the two.

The slight twitch at the corner of Kijoon’s mouth indicated he was also in a good mood.

There was a reason the members were so happy, even though it wasn’t their first time becoming advertisement models.

After their debut album did quite well and they won the Rookie of the Year award, the members of MOST became models for a clothing brand and a small cosmetics brand.

However, they had only taken photos for magazines, internet banners, and event pages.

This was the first time they would become proper TV commercial models.

And it was for a chicken advertisement, typically reserved for top celebrities.

Star Chicken was one of the top five brands in the industry.

“You guys heard…”

As Jung Giljoo burst into the waiting room, he grinned widely.

It was clear he had heard the news.

“Hyung, hyung! Are we really going to shoot a TV commercial for Star Chicken?”

“When is the shoot?”

“How long is the contract period?”

“Do we get to sing a jingle?”

Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, Jung Giljoo let out a groan.

“Guys, hold on! Let me catch my breath.”

At Jung Giljoo’s words, the members gave him about five seconds to catch his breath.

Then, five seconds later, they resumed their questions.

Jung Giljoo, looking a bit incredulous, began answering them one by one.

“The shoot is in two weeks. The contract is for six months, but it might be extended depending on the response. You’ll sing the jingle for the ad, and your faces will be on the packaging. There might even be some merchandise.”

The members listened intently to the series of explanations.

“First place again, and now a chicken ad model…”

Jung Giljoo looked at the members with pride.

Although he hadn’t been with them since before they became MOST, like Manager Kim Seokchul, he had watched over them for over a year and had grown attached.

As the members were kind and hardworking, their success felt like his own and made him proud.

There was a sense of professional fulfillment he hadn’t felt while managing other celebrities.

“Congratulations!”

“Thank you!”

Louis excitedly responded to Jung Giljoo’s congratulations.

“Since we have something to celebrate, let’s put extra effort into today’s performance.”

At his words, the members nodded.

The only problem was that they were so happy, they wondered if they could capture the mood of [Yours] properly…

But that was all.

Of course, once they stepped onto the stage and the intro of [Yours] began, the members immersed themselves in the performance with an intense focus.

On good days and bad days alike.

They always delivered the best performance.

That’s why they practiced every day and would continue to do so.

*

A while later.

The members gathered in the meeting room received the storyboard from Manager Kim Seokchul.

The joy of becoming models for Star Chicken was short-lived.

Looking at the storyboard, the members wondered if they were really shooting a chicken advertisement.

“This…”

Heungmin rubbed his eyes and looked at the storyboard again.

“This is ridiculous. How could…”

Struggling to find the words, Heungmin stuttered while Kijoon let out a deep sigh beside him.

Louis and Kyuseong, who were slightly better off, looked around at the remaining members.

However, “better off” was a relative term; neither felt confident about shooting the ad as per the storyboard.

“…Is this style really popular in Korea?”

Dojae unintentionally voiced his thoughts.

Though he quickly collected himself, he was still a bit taken aback.

“Is it really popular? Are you sure?”

Woochul stared intently at Manager Kim Seokchul.

“Honestly, isn’t this a bit outdated?”

“That’s why it’s funny.”

Manager Kim Seokchul’s nonchalant response left the members in stunned silence.

“Really? Is this meant to be funny?”

When Woochul asked, Kim Seokchul averted his gaze and said, “Well…”

“Ah… If this commercial airs, my friends are going to make fun of me so much.”

Woochul clutched his head.

Kijoon’s eyes wavered as he thought about how his sisters would react.

At that moment, Team Leader Jung Heeyoung entered the meeting room.

“Have you all checked the storyboard? Isn’t it great?”

“Team Leadeeer.”

Woochul whined, making Jung Heeyoung laugh out loud.

“Why are you guys acting like this? Huh? This is from a top-notch ad agency, and it’s really good! It’ll be a hit on TV.”

“Is it a famous advertising company?”

Team leader Jung Heeyoung nodded slightly at Dojae’s question.

“You all know it, right? The one where actress Song Jihyun played ten different roles by herself…”

“The juice commercial?!”

Heungmin recognized it immediately and answered.

It was a famous advertisement that everyone else knew as well.

It was because Song Jihyun became a hot topic for perfectly playing all ten roles herself.

Thinking about the juice commercial, they could roughly grasp the atmosphere of the storyboard.

The overall content was silly, but each moment could be charming…

“But I don’t think we can act like that.”

It was as Kijoon said.

What made Song Jihyun impressive was that she performed ‘silly’ acting really well.

Considering the acting skills of MOST’s members, it was impossible for them to exude the same charm as Song Jihyun.

The fact that the content was silly was one thing, but the main reason the members froze upon seeing the storyboard was this.

They could barely manage facial expressions for their music videos, but now they had to act with lines…

It was naturally a hopeless situation.

“At least Dojae…”

Kyuseong sighed and spoke his true feelings.

To be honest, Dojae was the only member who could act among them.

But it wasn’t possible for Dojae to play six roles by himself.

“I thought we’d just be eating chicken and saying it’s delicious.”

Heungmin, who was ready to do that level of acting, was taken aback as team leader Jung Heeyoung shook her head vigorously.

“No, that won’t do! Since we’re shooting a commercial, it should become a hot topic, gain popularity, and lead to a contract renewal!”

The members awkwardly smiled at the ambitious words of team leader Jung Heeyoung.

They seemed to be feeling a mix of expectations, excitement, and pressure about their first TV commercial.

Team leader Jung Heeyoung shifted her tone and spoke realistically.

“Honestly, it’s okay if you can’t do it well. If you can’t do it, it’ll be funny in its own way.”

“…Will our image be okay?”

They were worried about looking too ridiculous.

When Kijoon asked seriously, team leader Jung Heeyoung answered with confidence.

“Of course. You’ll be funny but definitely cool. Don’t be so scared and just do your best.”

Since they weren’t in a position to ask for the storyboard to be changed for their first TV commercial and team leader Jung Heeyoung said it was okay, they thought it might be alright.

And there was one thing the members were really good at.

Doing their best.

*

The morning of the commercial shoot.

After finishing their basic makeup and hair, MOST members headed to a studio in Gyeonggi-do for the shoot.

The streets where cherry blossoms were starting to fall were perfect for listening to [Yours].

Coincidentally, [Yours] was playing in a shop with its door open.

“It’s perfect weather for a trip.”

Enjoying the warm spring breeze and the sound of the song coming through the half-open car window, Dojae muttered with a relaxed heart.

He couldn’t have felt more at ease.

The song was steadily holding first place for three consecutive weeks.

Ironically, despite the controversy over manipulation, the song hadn’t fallen in the rankings and had firmly settled in third place.

Although Infinite Boy was set to make a new comeback next week, meaning they would likely give up the top spot on music shows, it was widely expected that the song would stay on the charts longer than anticipated.

The achievement for their first full-length album was more than enough.

“Ugh. I feel like I’m going to throw up.”

“Hyung! No! Not in the car!”

“Hey. Park Woochul. Stop overreacting.”

“Hyung, you look like you’re going to throw up too. Am I wrong?!”

“Exactly. So stop, or I really will throw up.”

“Guys. Can you stop talking about throwing up?”

Of course, the only one feeling peaceful was Dojae, who was already mentally prepared.

The members were restless the entire way to the filming location.

Despite having practiced quite diligently and learning to do something that could be called ‘acting,’ they were still uneasy.

“…Byul-ah. Didn’t you bring your textbook? Do you want to share mine?”

Kyuseong, sitting in the farthest corner, quietly recited his lines.

Kyuseong’s role definitely suited his image.

Quiet and calm, it felt similar to his actual school days.

It was clear that the advertiser and the ad agency had thoroughly researched the MOST members.

The concept for this commercial for Star Chicken was about the six members flirting with a fictional character named Byul Byul, whose name means “Star.”

Each member took on the role of a high school student with a different image and charm.

Even that was already a challenge for the members, but they weren’t just any ordinary high school students.

They were modeled after the protagonists of popular internet novels from the late 90s.

As a result, the commercial lines were all things they couldn’t say without cringing.

At least Kyuseong’s lines as the model student class president were straightforward.

But even next to Kyuseong’s lines, there were smiley face emoticons like ‘^^…’ written.

Moreover, the characters’ images didn’t always match the actual members.

In reality, Dojae was originally gentle and proper, but in the storyboard, his lines included grumpy emoticons like ‘-_-^’.

‘Even in the music video roles… Do I have a hidden bad boy inside?’

Well, thinking back, he was treated like a troublemaker in the royal family.

Dojae, feeling people’s perceptions were sharp, looked out the window again.

In truth, there was one slightly awkward part for Dojae as well, though it wasn’t really a worry.

‘I’ve never even considered a kiss…’