PRINCE FROM ANOTHER DIMENSION BECOMES AN IDOL

chapter 7

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Though no one asked him to, Louis, who had broken away from the agency, clung to Dojae, insisting that he take him along wherever he went, clearly anxious about the future.

Dojae managed to peel him off with a promise to contact him soon.

"Make sure you call, okay? You have to, bro!"

Despite only having met today, Louis acted as if they were blood brothers, his tone full of earnestness.

'He's acting more familiar to me than I am with my own brother.'

The Imperial siblings weren't on bad terms. However, their relationship prioritized formalities, so they were never truly close. This was true with any family member in the Imperial household.

So, having Louis cling to him and call him "bro" felt quite awkward for Dojae.

It also made him feel the reality of not being a member of the Imperial Family anymore.

'It's not a bad feeling, though.'

Dojae allowed a small smile to creep onto his lips as he headed towards his destination.

The place he arrived at by subway was Anguk Station on Line 3.

On a weekday afternoon, Anguk Station was relatively quiet. Dojae sensed a familiar presence and turned his head. In the distance, he could see the stone wall leading to Gyeongbokgung Palace.

"Ah..."

Dojae paused for a moment, looking up at the side of Geunjeongjeon, which loomed above.

It felt unreal that this was the place where he had been born and raised.

Gyeongbokgung Palace in South Korea had been rebuilt during the time of Heungseon Daewongun, so the materials and colors were subtly different from those of the Gyeongbokgung Palace of the Korean Empire.

Still, the atmosphere was unmistakably that of the 'Gyeongbokgung Palace' of the Lee Dynasty.

'Though I'm no longer Lee.'

Kang Dojae.

Dojae reminded himself of the name of his new body once more.

The reason he came to Insadong, passing through Anguk Station, was none other than to find money.

'Sunghwan won't stay quiet.'

His mother was likely to lose her job. It was also uncomfortable knowing that his mother worked in a building owned by Sunghwan's family.

They would need money until she found a new job.

Besides, the Kang family definitely needed money. 'With no money, Kang Dojae couldn't escape bullying and was pushed to the brink.'

The only one earning a proper income was his mother, who worked as a cleaner.

After paying the rent and repaying the debt left by his father, there was barely any money left for basic living expenses.

Buying a single chicken was a luxury for them.

For the past three years, Kang Dojae had relied on school meals for lunch and meals provided by the agency for dinner.

After becoming an adult, he also worked part-time jobs to cover living expenses.

But recently, he had to quit all his part- time jobs to prepare for an evaluation just before his debut.

Kang Dojae had endured, thinking he just needed to hold on a little longer. Shaking his head, Dojae opened the door of a shabby shop that caught his eye.