Prince from another dimension becomes an Idol chapter 17

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Territorial Behavior

The actions of those who have settled in first looking down on those who come in later.

Even in the Korean Empire, and even within its palace, territorial behavior existed.

‘Of course, there was no one who treated me that way.’

It was common for those from families who had served in the palace for generations to look down on newly appointed officials.

‘Resolving that has been a long-standing task of the modern Imperial Family.’

Dojae had personally witnessed palace officials sending new officials on the same errands multiple times to harass them.

Of course, that was just a small part of it; some new officials even missed out on promotion opportunities.

Having frequently seen this in the palace and knowing that such territorial behavior was widespread in both the Korean Empire and modern Korea, Dojae was somewhat prepared for it.

He thought he might face territorial behavior when he joined the new group, Kingdom.

‘But the members seemed to welcome me, perhaps because they were desperate for new members…’

Yet, it seemed there was still someone who displayed such behavior.

Dojae silently watched Kyuseong doing the dishes in the kitchen while resting his chin on the living room table.

It was after a simple lunch with the remaining members, as Louis and Woochul, both minors, had gone to school.

Heungmin and Kijoon had gone to their rooms to rest, leaving only Kyuseong, who was on dish duty, and Dojae, who was watching him.

Kyuseong was the quietest and kindest member among them.

‘But he doesn’t like me.’

Last night.

Kyuseong suddenly declared, “I don’t like you,” as if making a proclamation, and then went back to bed before Dojae could respond.

Even after over five minutes of being stared at by Dojae, he continued to lie there, as if it wasn’t hot.

His behavior was more fitting for a ten-year-old than a twenty-year-old.

Instead of probing further, Dojae kindly turned off the light for him.

It wasn’t out of pity for Kyuseong or because Dojae was particularly kind.

‘It’s refreshing to be disliked.’

He was just bewildered and intrigued.

In fact, this kind of treatment was a first for Dojae.

‘Why does he dislike me? It must be territorial behavior. Otherwise…’

Unconsciously, Dojae thought like someone with a princely attitude.

Not because he was arrogant, but because he truly was a prince.

And Dojae, though not as popular as the crown prince, was still quite liked both in the palace and in the empire.

Sensing Dojae’s intense gaze, Kyuseong turned around briefly while washing the dishes.

As soon as their eyes met, Kyuseong quickly turned back, clearly uncomfortable.

Not knowing how to handle this first-time experience, Dojae decided to wait and hope that Kyuseong’s feelings would change.

“Hmm…”

“Is there a problem?”

Kijoon asked from behind, having come out of his room.

“Oh, no. I was just about to come see you.”

“Me?”

“Yes, about the song revisions.”

Kijoon, who had come to the kitchen for water, sat down at the living room table.

“Did you think of something good?”

He spoke in a lethargic tone, not expecting much but unable to hide his hope.

After all, he had been struggling with it for a while.

“Yes.”

After Kyuseong had fallen asleep, Dojae spent the early morning in the dark, repeatedly listening to Kijoon’s song.

He kept feeling uneasy about the progression of the interlude.

“I thought about why that part kept bothering me… I think it’s because it’s too heavy.”

“Too heavy?”

Dojae nodded.

“But if we try to balance it with the rest of the song…”

“The interlude is just an interlude. It doesn’t have to have the same weight as the main part of the song.”

“Too heavy all the time… Is that it?”

While speaking, Kijoon fell into thought, rubbing his chin.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Dojae asked for permission and brought his laptop from his room.

He wanted to demonstrate the method he had found.

‘It was a bit of a hassle because the programs are different from those in the Korean Empire…’

Kang Dojae had no knowledge of composing, so he had to search the internet for each program.

Fortunately, the usage was similar to what he knew from the Korean Empire.

‘Otherwise, I might have stayed up all night.’

“How about replacing the mechanical sound you used here with… a piano performance?”
Dojae explained after turning on his laptop.

He alternated between Kijoon’s original version and his own piano version for comparison.

Deep in thought, Kijoon furrowed his brow even more.

By then, Kyuseong, having finished the dishes, and Heungmin, drawn by the music, had gathered around the living room table.

“What do you think? I feel it’s a bit better.”

Dojae asked cautiously.

No matter how much he studied or boasted of his talent, the song belonged to Kijoon.

If Kijoon said no, then it was a no.

“Still, I hope it can help.”

The thought of this song being on the team’s debut album, which was also Dojae’s album, filled him with enthusiasm.

“Play the interlude part you made again.”

At Kijoon’s request, Dojae pressed the space bar, and the interlude mixed with the piano flowed out.

The previously dull part had become much smoother.

“……”

Meanwhile, an ambiguous exchange of glances occurred between Heungmin and Kyuseong.

Their looks were filled with both surprise and concern.

It was clear. Dojae’s version was better.

After hearing Dojae’s version, they finally realized the issues with the previous version.

They often got called ‘tone-deaf’ by Kijoon, but it was more about Kijoon’s high standards than their actual lack of skill.

Heungmin looked at Dojae with admiring eyes.

The talented individual who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere had undoubtedly solved the problem that had been troubling Kijoon overnight.

Though that in itself was an issue…

Heungmin’s gaze shifted to Kijoon.

‘Surely, his pride isn’t hurt, right?’

It was a spontaneous thought.

Of course, Kijoon wasn’t the type to be that petty.

Still, it’s human nature to feel a blow to one’s pride when something you’ve been struggling with for days is solved in an instant by someone else.

Kijoon remained silent for a while, lost in thought.

“Play it one more time.”

After listening to Dojae’s version of the song once more without saying a word, Kijoon let out a long sigh.

Was his pride hurt after all?

Or was it that Kijoon still wasn’t satisfied with it, contrary to what Dojae thought?

Everyone waited for Kijoon to say something.

“Kang Dojae.”

With a quiet voice, Kijoon called Dojae’s name, then sighed again and ran his hand through his bangs repeatedly, speaking in an agitated manner.

“This is it! This is it… Ah, thank you, Dojae. Thank you.”

A spark returned to Kijoon’s eyes, which had seemed lifeless before.

Though his eyes were small, and his pupils weren’t very visible, it was clear they were now shining.

“Now I can finish this song with peace of mind.”

Kijoon muttered as if he had been revived.

Rather than being hurt, his attitude was one of gratitude towards a benefactor.

Given that Kijoon had been struggling with it for nights on end, it was an understandable reaction.

‘No wonder he asked us to listen to it.’

On top of that, Heemin had announced his intention to leave the company, which put even more pressure on Kijoon to focus on the song.

As the oldest, he felt guilty for not looking after Heemin enough, even if he didn’t show it.

Heungmin smiled slightly.

Seeing Kijoon smile for the first time in a while made Heungmin happy too.

Dojae’s smile also slowly spread across his face.

He was glad to have contributed to the team and to realize that his solo efforts had not been in vain.

“Why didn’t I think of this…”

“It’s common to get stuck when you’re too deep into your own creation.”

Dojae responded to Kijoon’s muttering.

Having studied music on his own without much guidance from others, Dojae understood this well.

Kijoon, who also worked on his songs alone until completion, agreed with Dojae’s words.

“By the way, Dojae, did you study composition somewhere? How skilled are you?”

“I’m self-taught… I’ve composed just one or two songs.”

“Really? You seem quite talented, though. I’ll speak to the company about getting you proper training… Ah, I don’t mean to burden you when practice is already tough.”

“No, not at all. I’d love to study more. I want to learn more.”

Dojae’s enthusiastic response brought a satisfied smile to Kijoon’s face.

Having another person in the team who could compose would certainly be helpful.

“Alright. We should finish this song quickly and present it to the director.”

After thanking Dojae once more, Kijoon went back to his room.

He probably wouldn’t come out until the afternoon practice session.

“Wow, that’s impressive. Great job.”

Dojae smiled lightly at Heungmin’s compliment.

Kyuseong looked at Dojae with a confused expression before quickly retreating to his room.

Watching the closed door, Dojae thought quietly.

‘Turning his back on me… interesting.’

***

As the grueling dance training continued, evening had long since passed.

The late dinner time wasn’t particularly enjoyable either.

This was because high-calorie foods were restricted on weekdays.

The members sat around in the practice room, chewing on dry chicken breasts.

“Let’s do it once more after eating this, then we can go home.”

“Just once more? You mean once more turns into twice, then three times, right, hyung?!”

At Kijoon’s words, Woochul grumbled.

On a different day, Heungmin might have stopped Woochul, but today he didn’t, given Kijoon’s good mood.

Everyone knew that “once more” could turn into ten more times.

Meanwhile, Louis asked Dojae.

“Hyung, I heard before practice that you nailed it! Awesome.”

“Not really…”

Dojae responded lightly and took a bite of the chicken breast.

‘It’s definitely dry. Eating this is quite a challenge…’

But he didn’t feel like he was going to choke.

That was enough.

Noticing that Dojae frowned while chewing the chicken breast, Louis stood up.

“I’ll get some water!”

Dojae habitually nodded but then stopped.

“No, I’ll…”

Since Louis wasn’t a subordinate, there was no need for him to fetch water for Dojae, even as a gesture of kindness from a younger member to an older one.

Just as Dojae was about to stop him, he felt a piercing gaze.

Kyuseong was glaring at him.

‘No way…’

As Dojae began to suspect, Kyuseong sharply pointed at him.

“You!”

The sudden shout from Kyuseong drew everyone’s attention to him.

“I can’t take it anymore. Speak up before I do.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The reason you left New Entertainment.”

At that moment, Louis’s expression turned dark.

Because of this, Kyuseong thought, “As expected.”

But then…