Prince from another dimension becomes an Idol chapter 14

Someone hastily turned on the conference room lights, and another person checked the condition of Kijoon, who had collapsed on the floor.

Fortunately, he had fallen from the chair in such a way that he hadn’t hit his head.

“Hyung, what happened? Why is Kijoon hyung like this?”

Woochul, who had witnessed Kijoon collapse right next to him, sounded like he was on the verge of tears.

Despite his brash talk, he was just a high school student unaccustomed to such situations.

Louis, pale, also looked down at Kijoon.

Kijoon lay motionless on the floor.

His face was deathly pale, but he was definitely still breathing.

“Oh, man. This guy, again…?”

Heungmin muttered, his voice a mix of worry and irritation.

Woochul, shocked, asked, “Again? What do you mean again?”

“He collapsed once before when you were at your parents’ house.”

“Why? Is he sick?”

“No, from not sleeping.”

“What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What’s the point of telling you? You’d just worry.”

Woochul looked at Heungmin resentfully.

Dojae, who had been listening to the conversation, let his mouth fall open slightly.

‘Collapsing from lack of sleep?’

Dojae had experienced something similar.

It was when he first started dreaming of becoming a singer.

Dojae, obsessed with a foreign singer, spent days memorizing and practicing his songs.

His intense focus and drive to master something once he fixated on it was in full force.

During the day, he fulfilled his duties as a prince, leaving the night for listening to and practicing songs.

In doing so, Dojae forgot to sleep.

At best, he got two to three hours a night.

Eventually, Dojae, who had been catching short naps, collapsed while heading to practice polo.

Fortunately, he collapsed before mounting his horse, but the aftermath was anything but fortunate.

As a Prince, collapsing from sleep deprivation led to harsh reprimands for neglecting both filial piety and loyalty.

‘To collapse from sleep deprivation means he must have gone without sleep for quite a while.’

Dojae looked at Kijoon with pity.

As the employee shook him, Kijoon thankfully began to move.

“Hyung!”

“Kijoon, are you okay?”

“Uh… what…?”

Still dazed, Kijoon frowned and mumbled.

Then, as he noticed the dozens of eyes watching him, he quickly snapped to attention and stood up.

“I’m sorry! I haven’t been getting enough sleep…”

“Not just a little.”

As someone grumbled from behind, Kijoon weakly glared at Heungmin.

Heungmin fell silent, but Team Leader Jung Heeyoung spoke up.

“Yes, this is the second time already… How much sleep have you been missing? Let’s get you to the hospital right away.”

“No, really, I’m fine. I just dozed off for a moment. Everyone’s waiting… I’m sorry for delaying the meeting.”

Kijoon tried to smooth things over.

However, the atmosphere in the conference room, which had already been shaken once, remained heavy.

Kijoon, feeling awkward, looked towards Louis and Dojae.

“There are people I need to greet. Everyone’s here for an important meeting. Let’s continue the meeting first; I can go to the hospital afterward.”

“Later you’ll just say you don’t have time and not go.”

Heungmin added another jab.

‘If he’s not sleeping because of practice, not because he can’t sleep…’

It concluded that his lack of sleep was related to his impending debut.

Heungmin’s attitude, despite seeming annoyed, showed how much he cared for Kijoon.

Dojae, clicking his tongue inwardly, stepped forward.

“It’s fine. There will be plenty of time for introductions later. It’s more important to go to the hospital and check on your health.”

Dojae’s polite yet firm tone left Kijoon momentarily at a loss for words, mumbling, “Well, that…”

Kijoon glanced at the Vice President, seemingly seeking approval to end the meeting without ruining it.

The Vice President, who had momentarily been surprised by Kijoon’s collapse, now wore his usual stern expression.

The Vice President called out to Team Leader Jung in a strict voice.

“Team Leader Jung.”

“Yes, Vice President.”

Team Leader Jung responded with a tense voice.

Jung Hyeongseok, Vice President of Kingdom Entertainment.

Since the founder stepped down from management a few years ago, he had been the de facto boss of Kingdom Entertainment.

Known for his fair handling of matters and quick decision-making, he had built Kingdom Entertainment into a small but solid agency in a short time.

As someone who held all the decision-making power, naturally, all the employees and trainees had no choice but to be mindful of him.

His lack of facial expression and stern demeanor only added to this.

‘Even if he had a more relaxed personality, people would still be mindful.’

In the tense atmosphere, Dojae briefly reflected.

No matter how approachable Dojae tried to be, the palace staff always found him intimidating.

Given his position, it was inevitable.

Dojae hoped that Vice President Jung Hyeongseok, despite his stern appearance, was a flexible superior.

Fortunately, Jung Hyeongseok was not far from Dojae’s hope.

“The meeting can end here.”

Jung Hyeongseok made a quick decision.

“We’ve been discussing these matters continually, and today’s meeting was just to share our goals. The main point I wanted to convey is that the company will spare no expense for the next group, so please continue to work hard.”

Jung Hyeongseok’s charisma was undeniable.

His gaze shifted to Kijoon.

“Kijoon, I’ve heard you’re having a hard time with the debut song preparations.”

“Even the Vice President knows about that…”

“I should have been more attentive. That’s my oversight. When I said we’d spare no expense, I meant it especially for you all, who will be the core of Kingdom.”

His expression and tone remained stern, but his words were considerate.

Jung Hyeongseok quickly instructed Manager Kim Seokcheol to take Kijoon to the hospital.

“Team Leader Jung, Manager Kim, everything else is fine, but please make sure to take care of their health.”

Both managers nodded immediately.

“Let’s get going.”

“Yes…”

“Manager Kim, please make sure they get a thorough check-up. If necessary, have him hospitalized so he can rest properly.”

“Understood. I’ll do that.”

Manager Kim Seokchul responded calmly to Team Leader Jung Heeyoung’s request.

As Manager Kim led Kijoon out, the chaotic atmosphere in the meeting room finally settled.

***

After everyone had left, only Dojae and Louis remained in the meeting room to receive further instructions about their future tasks.

While Team Leader Jung Heeyoung stepped out to take a phone call, Louis asked worriedly,

“Hyung, are we going to be okay?”

“…?”

“I mean, should I not be happy that I got a spot? How much practice do we have to do for one person to emigrate and another to collapse?”

Louis seemed genuinely frightened by the events that had unfolded on their first day at the company.

“Isn’t this place really hell? I should have known when they said, ‘Welcome to hell!'”

Just an hour ago, Louis had been saying how lucky he felt.

Dojae shook his head.

“Louis, calm down for now.”

“I’m too scared! Aren’t you, hyung? How much practice are we supposed to do?”

“Practice… well, the more, the better.”

Louis was momentarily speechless at Dojae’s textbook answer.

However, Dojae was sincere.

During his time as a prince, Dojae had excelled in various fields not only because of his talent but also due to his countless efforts and practice.

He understood the power of hard work and practice well.

‘After all, Kang Dojae also got selected for the debut team through his efforts…’

So, he felt somewhat reassured by the fact that there would be a lot of practice.

In fact, unlike New Entertainment, he had been concerned about the midsize agency.

Apathy due to settling for the present.

Defeatism, thinking they could never be number one.

Complacency, thinking it was enough to do just okay.

He had worried that these attitudes might be pervasive, but Kingdom Entertainment’s goals were grand and clear, even if others might see them as unrealistic.

The members were also working hard in line with the company’s goals.

‘Of course, they shouldn’t overdo it to the point of getting sick…’

Seeing Dojae’s serious expression, Louis seemed to ponder for a moment before finally agreeing.

“Well, practicing a lot will improve our skills quickly. But… I do hope they let us sleep.”

It was at that moment when Louis was mumbling to himself.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. It’s really hectic today.”

Team Leader Jung Heeyoung returned with an awkward smile.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Oh… thanks for understanding.”

Thinking how mature he was for someone who looked twenty but acted like forty, Team Leader Jung sat down.

“Kijoon’s situation must have been quite a shock, right?”

Louis didn’t hide his concern and nodded quickly.

“As you probably saw in the profile, Kijoon handles not only the rap but also the composition for the team. He’s been up several nights because he’s working on a song for the debut album… It’s been tough.”

“It must be a lot of pressure.”

Dojae asked in a low voice.

“Naturally. It’s really getting close to debut time.”

Dojae nodded at Manager Jeong’s response.

His heart felt heavy, realizing there were many others who were as desperate, if not more, to achieve their dream of becoming singers.

“You both must feel the pressure too, suddenly being so close to debuting here, but please do your best.”

“…”

“Let’s do our best together.”

“Yes.”

“Yes!”

With clenched fists, Dojae and Louis responded one after the other.

Seeing their determined answers, Manager Jeong smiled and handed them their practice schedules.

“You can commute from home for the first month to adjust, but… you can also stay at the dorm. It’s right next to the company.”

“I’ll stay at the dorm.”

“Me too. Me too.”

Without even pausing to breathe, the two responded after seeing the practice schedule.

It was clear that commuting from home wouldn’t allow them to handle the intense practice schedule.

***

The very next day.

Dojae packed his things and arrived at the dorm.

He had planned to meet Louis at the dorm.

As Team Leader Jung had said, the dorm was right next to Kingdom Entertainment’s office, on the top floor of a building.

“Excuse me.”

Dojae politely announced himself to no one in particular as he entered the door code at the dorm entrance.

The code was given to him by Assistant Manager Lee Jungyeon, who mentioned that the members wouldn’t be at the dorm since it was a holiday.

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

After entering the code and opening the dorm door, he unexpectedly found the members gathered in the middle of the living room.

They were so focused on something that they didn’t notice Dojae’s arrival.

“This is great, right? What could be wrong with it? Do you know, hyung?”

“I don’t either. It’s just good, but he stayed up all night trying to fix it and then collapsed…”

“Anyway, Kijoon hyung is such a perfectionist.”

“How can we understand the mind of a genius?”

Amid their noisy chatter, a melody without lyrics was playing in the background.

Even without the lyrics, Dojae could tell it was a good song, just as the members had said.

Finding no chance to interrupt, Dojae stood awkwardly at the entrance, listening to the song and thinking,

‘There might be a way I can help.’

After a moment of contemplation, Dojae neatly took off his shoes by the shoe rack and stepped inside the house.