Prince from another dimension becomes an Idol chapter 13

Louis was genuinely impressed by the loud sound created when a palm struck the back of a head.

Dojae was beyond shocked and almost in disbelief.

‘Hitting someone on the back of the head…’

In Dojae’s world, or more specifically in the Korean Empire, such an act was possible, but it was absolutely unthinkable in the palace where Dojae lived.

It wasn’t just that no one dared to lay a hand on the Imperial Family.

Even the Emperor used a rod, not his bare hands, to discipline his children.

Of course, the rod was a last resort, used only when kneeling or copying the Analects of Confucius didn’t work.

Parents never laid hands on their children, so naturally, siblings wouldn’t either.

‘I’ve heard that ordinary people sometimes hit each other with fists among siblings or friends when they’re young.’

Seeing it in real life instead of on TV was a first for him.

It was truly a fresh shock.

At the same time, he was worried.

‘Is this Woochul person being bullied like Kang Dojae was?’

If that was the case, it was troubling.

Especially if the violence was being done openly in front of others…

“Ah! Damn it! Hyung! Why’d you hit me?”

‘Guess not.’

It didn’t seem like a one-sided bullying situation.

If it were, Woochul wouldn’t be yelling back at his aggressor with such a loud voice.

“This guy is talking nonsense in front of the assistant manager… I’m sorry.”

“No, no, it’s okay.”

Assistant Manager Lee Jungyeon looked a bit flustered in front of Dojae and Louis, but seemed accustomed to the situation and wasn’t very surprised.

However, she added with concern,

“But before debuting… it might be good to fix this. No matter how close you are, it doesn’t look good.”

“Yes. I’m sorry. I’ll be careful. I just lost my temper… Ah, but why did you say such weird things?”

Fortunately, he apologized for his actions (though not to the person he hit) and showed remorse.

Nothing can justify violence, but honestly, Woochul had indeed said something bizarre upon first meeting them.

“It’s all my fault! Huh?! Isn’t it hell?! You’ve been dragging me through hell all day. And not even feeding me.”

“Is the practice room hell? What about the sandwich you ate earlier?”

“That’s bread. And how much more do we have to practice? We’re already set to debut, why do we need to do this much?”

“Because we’re set to debut, we need to practice this much.”

“That’s why Heemin ran away to America…”

“You little…!”

The two of them bickered loudly, seeming to forget about Dojae and Louis.

From their conversation, it seemed Woochul indeed had the kind of personality that might earn him a thump on the head.

Manager Lee finally intervened to stop them.

“Calm down, both of you… At least introduce Heungmin first…”

“Oh, I’m sorry you had to see that from the start… Hello, I’m Lee Heungmin.”

Heungmin scratched the back of his head as he greeted them.

He looked a bit more embarrassed when he mentioned his name.

It was understandable, considering he shared his name with a famous South Korean soccer player.

Louis, standing next to Dojae, reacted immediately to Heungmin’s name with an “Oh!”.

Dojae felt relieved by Heungmin’s demeanor.

There was no sign of the common territorial attitude.

He was as honest and straightforward as his hot-tempered nature suggested.

Another relief was that he now clearly understood why there was a vacancy in the team, from Heungmin and Woochul’s conversation.

‘I was a bit worried about that… So it was really because he emigrated. It seems he couldn’t handle the practice load…’

Dojae became curious about the extent of their practice routine.

‘If they practice that much, their skills must be impressive.’

This was a new environment and new individuals that were not in ‘Kang Dojae’s’ memories.

He was a trainee in South Korea, not a prince of the Korean Empire.

Curiosity about these new experiences arose.

“Come to think of it, everyone is one year apart. Heungmin is twenty-one, Dojae is twenty, Woochul is nineteen, and Louis is eighteen…”

After roughly introducing their names, Assistant Manager Lee Jungyeon gave their ages in turn.

“Louis… eighteen…”

“Ah! Why are you murmuring, hyung?”

Louis, eighteen years old.

Upon hearing Louis’s name, Heungmin murmured, recalling someone who came to mind instantly.

“Nice to meet you! Hyungs! By the way, I’m fully Korean.”

Louis, with his friendly nature, immediately called them hyung to prevent any potential misunderstandings.

Only then did Heungmin’s face clear up as his curiosity was satisfied.

Meanwhile, Woochul was staring intently at Dojae.

Perhaps aware that Dojae was a year older, Woochul spoke uncharacteristically cautiously.

“But this person…”

Dojae looked down at Woochul, unsure what he was trying to say.

‘Amidst all the chaos, looking closely…’

“You’re handsome…”

“You’re handsome.”

The simultaneous remark from both of them quickly filled the hallway with silence.

Feeling embarrassed, Woochul scratched the back of his head first.

“Both of you just now, that’s… well. Is it that handsome people recognize each other?”

Heungmin tried to choose his words carefully, but what he initially meant was probably ‘annoying’.

That was the situation.

Dojae and Woochul.

Both were indeed handsome.

Although Louis also had good looks, he was more pretty than handsome, resembling a beautiful boy.

In contrast, Dojae and Woochul had faces that were commonly described as ‘handsome,’ but their atmospheres were completely different.

Dojae’s face had a neat and tidy impression, while Woochul’s was bold and distinct.

If Dojae was winter, Woochul was summer.

Of course, to Heungmin, who had a nearly average face covered up with fashion sense, they both were just impressively handsome faces.

“It’s really fortunate.”

Ignoring whatever Heungmin was saying, Woochul muttered.

Not understanding the connection between being handsome and fortunate, Dojae tilted his head in confusion, prompting Woochul to explain.

“Thanks to you two, our team’s average face score will go up.”

“Hey, you jerk!”

“What, what! I’m just speaking the truth. Honestly, apart from me, everyone’s so-”

Seeming like he wanted to hit Woochul, Heungmin’s hand twitched.

“Anyway, now Kijoon hyung won’t have to worry as much…”

Woochul’s mumbling grew quieter, seemingly aware of Heungmin’s presence.

Because of that, after “anyway,” his words became inaudible.

Seizing the moment, Assistant Manager Lee Jungyeon led the four of them.

“I think that’s enough for the office tour… You two were heading to the meeting room, right? Let’s continue our discussion there.”

“Yes!”

Heungmin replied immediately and walked toward the meeting room with Woochul.

They seemed to be good at following instructions.

Woochul and Heungmin.

Though they both seemed bold, it wasn’t too surprising considering their youthful energy.

In contrast, Dojae’s overly refined demeanor was likely due to his upbringing as a Imperial.

‘Actually, their straightforward and candid nature makes them easier to deal with.’

Unlike the menacing and sinister vibe of people like Sunghwan and Yoo Myeongwoo, they had none of that.

Though initially startled by their intense first impression, Dojae found himself forming a positive opinion as he headed to the meeting room with Louis.

***

Arriving a bit early, the meeting room was in disarray.

“Oh? You’re all here together?”

“Hello, Team Leader!”

“Hello!”

Team Leader Jung Heeyoung greeted Assistant Manager Lee Jungyeon and the four of them with wide eyes.

“We met in the hallway.”

When Assistant Manager Lee explained, Team Leader Jung nodded and arranged the seating.

“Everyone, please sit in a row over there. The meeting will start as soon as the Vice President arrives.”

Dojae, Louis, Heungmin, and Woochul sat in a row on the left side of the large round table.

On the left would sit the trainees who were to become a team, and on the opposite side, the Vice President and other Kingdom staff.

The purpose of the meeting was straightforward.

Louis and Dojae would be given a one-month grace period, but since all six future team members were present, they would discuss the upcoming schedule and plans.

“…Hello.”

As they waited for everyone to gather, someone entered through the door.

“Kyuseong hyung, hurry over here. Sit here.”

Woochul welcomed him, pointing to an empty chair.

There were two empty chairs on the left.

Assistant Manager Lee, who had been observing, introduced Kyuseong to Dojae and Louis.

His name was Kim Kyuseong.

He was the same age as Dojae, twenty.

Following him, Manager Kim Seokchul, leader of the management team, and the Vice President entered, filling the room.

“Heungmin, is Kijoon not here yet?”

Team Leader Jung, who had been addressing Dojae and Louis formally, asked Heungmin in a familiar tone.

“Uh… yeah. Why isn’t he here yet?”

Five minutes past the scheduled meeting time, one trainee was still missing.

Douk glanced at the remaining empty seat.

“Isn’t he still in the studio? Should I go get him?”

“No, he’ll probably be here soon. If not, I’ll ask Assistant Manager Lee to find him.”

“Okay.”

Woochul answered obediently.

With the seat left empty, Team Leader Jung Heeyoung began the presentation.

Due to an important investment meeting afterward, they couldn’t delay the meeting.

The lights in the meeting room dimmed, and the screen lit up.

“The next group is scheduled to debut in October next year. As an idol company, Kingdom Entertainment aims for this group to establish a strong presence and become a global group, not just a domestic one.”

Team Leader Jung Heeyoung’s clear voice resonated through the meeting room.

Listening to her, Dojae focused on the screen displaying the PPT.

Kingdom Entertainment, debut, final goal, global group…

These words were neatly diagrammed.

Having only known life within the confines of the Imperial duties, the concepts of a group or team were entirely new to Dojae.

His eyes shone deeply as he focused on the screen.

His heart raced.

“As an internal matter, our first goal is to position ourselves as the rival group to the new group’s debut in August next year.”

This was an unexpected goal for Dojae.

However, for Kingdom Entertainment, eager to experience success through Big Boys and aim for a global group, it was a natural ambition to challenge the rookie groups from the top three agencies.

‘A suitable goal for me.’

Dojae pondered quietly.

As Team Leader Jung conveyed the goal, she proceeded to display the profiles of the six members who would form the next group.

Reading through each profile, Dojae quietly smiled.

The profiles were impressive enough to understand why they faced difficulties in member selection and set high goals.

Following Louis, Dojae’s profile appeared on the screen last.

[Kang Dojae (20)

183cm

Vocal

Fluent in English, Japanese, Chinese, French, Russian

Can play piano and guitar….]

As the profile showcasing Dojae’s diverse talents appeared, the other trainees watching showed surprised expressions.

“Wow, he’s not just good-looking.”

Woochul muttered in a low voice, and Louis, sitting next to him, shrugged his shoulders proudly.

Knock, knock.

With a soft knock, light seeped through the meeting room door.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

The owner of the empty seat entered, bowing deeply with a quiet voice.

“Why are you so late, hyung? Come sit here.”

“Well, there was an issue with the work-”

Just as Kijoon responded to Heungmin’s comment and moved to sit down, a dull thud and a scream echoed.

“Hyung!”

In an instant, the meeting room turned chaotic.

Kijoon had collapsed to the floor, unconscious.