Prince from another dimension becomes an Idol chapter 38

There was no one in the store’s backyard, which was being used as a parking lot.

Dojae checked the messages he exchanged with his mother during lunch today.

Since coming to Korea, he had been in constant contact with her, and now he felt a motherly affection for her. Of course, he felt guilty towards her, who believed he was her biological son.

‘Would Her Majesty the Empress be upset if she knew?’

The Empress loved her children too, but there were limits. Unlike Kang Dojae’s mother, she did not express her love openly, nor was she as generous as a mother should be towards her child. From a child’s perspective, it was inevitably a lacking affection.

‘I wonder if Kang Dojae is living peacefully.’

It was a day of immense joy for Dojae. He couldn’t help but think of Kang Dojae, who had been sharing the same dream with him.

‘If Kang Dojae were here right now… he would surely be as happy as I am.’

He couldn’t help but think that way. Of course, today’s achievement was due to Dojae’s choices, not Kang Dojae’s.

Just as he had found a different happiness through his new life, he hoped that ‘Kang Dojae’ had found happiness there as well. Though they were swept up in the unavoidable whirlpool of fate, he hoped that, like him, he had seized the opportunity instead of becoming ruined.

With these thoughts, Dojae pressed the call button. It was a relief that he could at least make Kang Dojae’s biological mother happy.

“Mom.”

-Dojae! Oh my, is it okay for you to be on the phone?

“Yes.”

-What a wonderful news. Congratulations on getting first place, Dojae! My son.

“Thank you.”

-No, I should be the one thanking you. You’ve grown up so well, even though I couldn’t do much for you. I’m so grateful.

Hearing her voice filled with emotion made him feel choked up. It was something he had always wanted to hear from the Emperor and the Empress.

Dojae gripped his phone tightly.

“I’ll do even better and make you proud.”

-No, I’m already more than happy enough. I’m so happy.

“……”

-Are you eating well? I saw you on TV, and your face looks brighter.

“Of course. I’m here to eat now.”

-Really? Then you should eat quickly!

“Yes, I’ll call you again. Make sure you eat well too, Mom.”

-Hoho. I will. Take care, my son!

It was the first time he had heard her laugh since he met Hyekyung. It seemed her laughter came naturally as her situation improved and she found hope in her only son.

‘Thank goodness.’

With a satisfied heart, Dojae headed back into the restaurant.

***

While he was on the phone, the meat must have been served, as smoke was rising from the table.

“Dojae, where did you go? Hurry and eat.”

Kyuseong said to Dojae, as if he had been waiting.

“Uh… sure.”

Dojae sat down and picked up his chopsticks, looking around. The staff were still lively, but the mood among the members was strangely subdued. Especially Louis, who had been excited just moments ago, now had a gloomy expression.

“Is something wrong?”

Dojae asked while picking up a piece of grilled ribs. Despite the situation, the ribs melted sweetly in his mouth.

‘It’s not as good as the ribs I had in the Empire, but this place is definitely a good restaurant.’

Just as Dojae was thinking this, Kyuseong answered in a quiet voice.

“Well… there’s a strange article.”

Kyuseong handed his phone to Dojae, displaying a list of news articles. There were more articles about their first place on Showvick than usual. It wasn’t just because a rookie group had taken first place in two weeks.

[Debut Week 2: MOST Takes First Place on Showvick!]
[New Star MOST, First Place on Cable Music Show!]
[MOST First Place, “Thank you!” (Photo)]
[Faster Growth than Big Boys, MOST Takes First Place!]

Dojae frowned slightly at this part. It was clearly a provocative article.

But the real issue wasn’t this article.

[Showvick MOST First Place, Senior Group Candiz’s Attitude Controversy]
[First Place Candidates Candiz Show Open Displeasure After Losing to MOST (Photo)]
[Candiz Furious? Angry at MOST’s First Place]

“What’s going on…?”

Confused, Dojae clicked on the article to read it. The article included photos of Candiz members’ expressions captured at every second as MOST was announced as the first place. While MOST members were celebrating, two Candiz members were shown frowning.

“…Candiz members Miso and Areum are under controversy for expressing dissatisfaction with MOST’s first place……”

As Dojae read through the article, he became more perplexed.

‘Am I remembering wrong?’

On stage, MOST had received congratulations from other singers, including the Candiz members. Among them, Miso and Areum, the members in question, had certainly congratulated Dojae with smiles.

The comments under the article were just as bewildering.

-Candiz’s attitude, what’s up with that?
-Don’t generalize, Miso and Areum are always rude despite being pretty.
-Areum isn’t even pretty.
-But she sings well.
-Being pretty and singing well doesn’t excuse bad attitude.
-Let’s not bash Candiz too much, they might feel bad. lol
-Yeah, our country demands too much pretense.
-Rooting for Miso and Areum!! They seem honest and genuine without pretense^^
-Are you kidding? Even so, basic manners are necessary.
-Rude Miso, I knew it.
-I always knew something would happen with them.
-Even if juniors got first place, this is not acceptable.
– (((((Miso))))) (((((Areum))))) Don’t be fooled by the journalist’s captures! The video shows they genuinely congratulated MOST!
-That’s just pretense lol
-They probably failed to manage their expressions for a moment, their company should train them better.
-How can they not manage their expressions after years in the industry?
-I liked Candiz because they seemed nice, but I’m very disappointed now.
-Poor MOST guysㅜㅜ they didn’t even get properly congratulated.
-You’re not even a MOST fan.

The comments were flooded with criticisms of Candiz members.

The senior group, who had been nominated alongside them, was taking a lot of heat, and as a result, even the members of MOST felt downcast.

“Woochul just found out about it… The other table doesn’t seem to have seen the article yet, and Manager Kim stepped out after getting a call from Team Leader Jung,” Kyuseong explained.

Dojae nodded in acknowledgment.

Heungmin and Woochul took turns trying to comfort Louis.

“Louis, I know it’s upsetting, but let’s eat first.”

“Yeah, it’s not even true… The article is just malicious. The agency will handle it soon.”

Louis, who had been looking downcast, finally lifted his head.

“Really? It’s not even true! The Candiz seniors have been so kind to us.”

“Exactly. If it were me, I’d call the reporter right away out of sheer frustration!”

“The article will be taken down soon, right?”

“Of course. I guess I’m too addicted to the internet… If I’d checked an hour later, it would’ve been gone by then,” Woochul said, trying to reassure him.

Louis picked up his chopsticks quickly so the older members wouldn’t worry too much.

***

After the meal.

The car carrying the members headed to the dorm.

Dojae, sitting quietly in the back seat, searched for the article again.

Unfortunately, the article hadn’t been taken down and was even featured on the main portal site.

To make matters worse, the backlash had spilled over to MOST.

– What’s wrong with Candiz this year? They’re getting all sorts of flak because of some unknown rookie.
– Honestly, who is MOST? It’s no wonder Candiz can’t understand them winning.
– For real.
– Big Boys were doing well, did they bribe the producer for Kingdom too?
– How did MOST even get first place? If it were me, I couldn’t keep a straight face either, lol.
– Why drag MOST into this all of a sudden?
– Isn’t it your fans’ fault for maliciously capturing and spreading it?
– MOST fans don’t care about Candiz members, they’re busy celebrating the win.
– This is all because some unknown rookie won… It’s chaos.
– I don’t even like MOST’s name, yet they got first place.
– Candiz look pathetic because undeserving rookies got first place.
– Candiz were rude, but MOST is getting all the hate.
– Seriously, shifting the focus like pros.
– Why isn’t MOST deserving? Their music chart rankings are good enough.

It was a complete mess.

The controversy over Candiz’ expressions had somehow turned into a debate about MOST’s qualifications for first place.

There was even an article titled, “Rookie MOST’s First Place, Candiz Fans Question Ranking Method.”

“The trend isn’t good,” Dojae assessed calmly.

Living as royalty and living as an idol shared one commonality: being in the public eye.

The Imperial Family’s PR department monitored public reactions online and offline daily, responding swiftly to any negative issues.

The public judged based on the overall trend rather than specific details.

“In this case, it’s the same. If the controversy remained as it was, it would’ve only been a problem for Candiz… Someone has shifted the narrative to make it seem like our first place is the issue.”

It could’ve been a Candiz fan or someone who saw MOST as an eyesore.

As the narrative changed, the trolls quickly jumped on the bandwagon.

The crucial issue was that their first place might be tainted if this wasn’t handled properly.

Dojae’s brow furrowed slightly.

Meanwhile, the car entered the company’s underground parking lot.

Since there wasn’t much space in front of the dorm and it was just a short walk away, Jung Giljoo parked the car here.

“Guys, we’re here,” Jung Giljoo said, pulling the handbrake.

“Why aren’t you getting out…?”

“They’re all asleep,” Dojae responded quickly as Jung Giljoo turned to look at the unresponsive members.

Everyone except Dojae had fallen asleep almost as soon as they got in the car.

Given the early start and the tension all day, along with full stomachs, it was no wonder they were exhausted.

“Guys! Wake up. Go to the dorm and sleep.”

“Mmm…”

At Jung Giljoo’s shout, the members stirred and woke up.

Dojae gently woke up Kyuseong next to him and opened the car door.

While the members were getting out of the car, Dojae approached Manager Kim Seokchul , who had gotten out first.

“Excuse me, Manager.”

Kim Seokchul was exchanging messages with a stern expression.

He turned at Dojae’s call.

“Yes, Dojae.”

“I checked the reactions on the way here, and it seems worse than expected.”

“…You mean about Candiz?”

“Yes.”

After observing Dojae’s expression, Kim Seokchul nodded slightly.

“Can I ask what the company plans to do about this?”

Kim Seokchul paused, choosing his words carefully.

“The issue lies with Candiz. The trend is tricky… Responding might just prolong the controversy.”

He meant that it could make things worse.

He was right.

“Did Candiz’ side make any requests?”

“Well… They wanted to take a picture together at the next music show, but we declined. Taking a photo after the incident would just fan the flames.”

“….”

“Unless there’s another solution, staying quiet is the best course for now.”

Technically, he could have said that the company would handle it and told Dojae not to worry.

However, Kim Seokchul gave a detailed explanation, respecting Dojae’s role as an involved artist.

“It’s unfortunate, but there doesn’t seem to be another way.”

Seeing Dojae’s deep concern, Kim Seokchul added.

“If it were just Candiz’ issue, I would have just regretted it and moved on. But not anymore.”

He didn’t want their first-place image to be marred by controversy.

No, it didn’t have to be.

There was a solution.

Dojae quickly called out to Louis, who was getting out of the car.