Brainy Idol Shocks Problematic Human

Suhyeon arrived at the TVM studio, got his makeup done, and then stayed put in the car to keep the other performers from spotting him as this week's guest. While waiting for recording time inside the vehicle—careful not to get caught even for lunch, which he scarfed down from a simple lunchbox—he replayed the conversation he'd had with the BBG members back at the practice room before heading out.

"Something feels off right now, doesn't it? Kevin said you came up with the initial concepts for London Night With You and Suddenly Love Mode and wrote the lyrics based on those. So why are the titles changed to those corny Korean versions—Night in London With You and Sudden Love Mode—and the lyricist credit isn't even you? From what I vaguely recall, the lyricist was someone totally different."

"I did write them as rough drafts at first... but it wasn't entirely my work. Park Team Leader, who handles AR, rewrote all the lyrics into Korean just a few days before recording. He changed a ton of the content too... And when we recorded, they just plugged in whatever name they wanted for the lyricist."

"AR—that's gotta be the Audio & Recording team, right? What you're describing is straight-up theft. You and the other members just let that slide?"

Marvin, who'd been listening in, shot Suhyeon an aggrieved look and protested.

"You didn't say anything back then either, Suhyeon! So why are you calling us out now...? And it was right after debut—we didn't wanna rock the boat with the company, so everyone just let it go..."

"Hmm. Yeah... Sorry about that. I wasn't paying attention to that level of detail back then. From now on, if anything unfair like that happens, come straight to me. Got it? What's the point of having a leader if you don't use him? If any of you run into something similar, tell me right away. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Understood?"

All the members nodded and chorused their agreement.

Suhyeon snapped out of the memory and sank deep into thought.

The kids are young and powerless, and there are full-grown adults in the company ripping them off. How do I deal with these day robbers? I'm already swamped just handling my own stuff, and now the workload keeps piling up... But I can't ignore my members' issues. Which scheme would work best here?

While Suhyeon brooded, time slipped by, and recording time arrived.

Problematic Human was a show under the banner of "It's the Brain-Sexy Era Now," meaning people with sexy brains are the real beauties. It invited a guest each week to tackle quizzes alongside one MC and five male panelists. The problems weren't simple general knowledge trivia—they demanded creativity, quick thinking, computational skills, logic, and spatial perception, earning the show a notorious reputation for difficulty. Plenty of celebrities had appeared only to fail every single question, sitting there peeling tangerines until the end, which made many stars wary of the embarrassment.

MC Jeon Hanmu, a former KBC announcer, wielded his signature sharp wit and playful jabs to soften the quiz show's stiffness, making it fun and accessible for viewers. The fixed panel included singer Park Jeong from Clock B, Lee Jang-un from Pepe Stone, actors Kim Ji-seong and Ha Seok-jeong, and American Taylor from Abnormal Summit.

It was that kind of program—all male panels, male MC, even the main PD was a guy.

Soon, Problematic Human recording kicked off. Studio music swelled, and spotlights zeroed in on the guest entrance. The door finally swung open, and Suhyeon stepped out sheepishly in blue jeans and a white tee. His tall frame, youthful handsome face, and college-kid vibe drew cheers from the female staffers seated nearby.

But once the veiled guest was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠revealed as Suhyeon, every male panelist slumped with a collective sigh of defeat.

A bit of commotion rippled through the studio before MC Jeon Hanmu kicked off the intro.

"Yes, today's guest is from a group with a super unique name—a male! Idol group, that is. In an era overflowing with girl! Idol groups. From BBG, which is nearing its third anniversary since debut and where he currently serves as leader—Suhyeon. You're so famous, no extra intro needed. Hello, Suhyeon?"

"Yes. Hello. Nice to meet you. I'm ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Suhyeon, leader of BBG."

To ease his nerves now that recording had started, Jeon Hanmu tossed him a question.

"BBG is such a unique name, right? Short for British Boys Group. Fans even translate it to Korean as 'British Boys Unit' or shorten it to 'EngBoy Unit.' Uniquely, all six members have names ending in '-bin,' so there must be tons of episodes tied to the name."

"Yes, plenty. Mostly that it's corny. Haha. And since it sounds like 'BBQ chicken,' rumor has it chicken sales spike nationwide whenever we appear on TV. Our members all end in 'bin,' which sounds like 'bean' in English, so fans call us the Six Beans or Bean Six... Back when Six Dragons and Na-rsha was super popular, there were tons of parodies like 'Bean Six and Na-rsha.' And the funniest bean-related episode in my book was..."

"What was the funniest?"

"We attended an awards show last year. It was formal, so we all suited up in black..."

"And?"

"One comment on a news article with our photoshoot pic said... 'Six Beans in black suits look just like black soybeans.' The guy even attached a pic of black soybean banchan. Stuck with me. Now we avoid all-black outfits as a group."

"Black soybeans, the beloved side dish... Haha. Netizens have killer senses of humor. But I haven't heard much about you being book-smart in the industry. Alright, to show viewers how well you did in school, shall we reveal your report card?"

Jeon Hanmu peeled back the prepared panel, revealing Suhyeon's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠enlarged school report card. He scanned it briefly, eyes widening in dismay as he groaned.

"Hmm... This is... pretty rough. Even if I try to spin it... Suhyeon, with grades like this—mostly G's with a few A's—you must've hesitated big-time to come on our show. You know what kind of program this is, right?"

Time to start the scripted act nice and slow.

Suhyeon smiled leisurely at Jeon Hanmu's question.

"Haha, of course I knew. I went through a rebellious phase in school—lots of wandering off track. So my grades are as bad as they look. Plenty of viewers watching now probably struggled with studies too, never finding the fun in it."

Suhyeon paused, staring straight through the camera filming him, enunciating each word deliberately.

"On behalf of everyone who had a school life like that, I'm here to prove loud and clear that happiness isn't ranked by grades—and being smart isn't determined by simple A-B-C-D-F marks from school."

Hit 'em hard early, and viewers who relate will get even more hyped later.

His declaration—like a military strategist's battle vow—wrapped up, and Hwang PD, the show's producer, chimed in with flushed cheeks.

"Normally, with grades like yours, we wouldn't invite you as a guest—image considerations and all. But someone from your agency, YK, who I know well, strongly recommended you. Said you're the only person he's met worldwide he'd dare call a genius."

Suhyeon gave a wry smile at the PD's words.

Park Siljang's really going all out. Not his fight, but he's swinging wild.

"Genius, huh? Sounds like the person you mentioned is our company's Park Dongju manager... He's a big exaggerator on the regular—we call him 'Park Bluff-ju' behind his back. Looks like you got played, PD."

"Is that so? So we put a condition on him. If you're recommending so confidently... If Suhyeon doesn't take first place, have your agency send the guest we want next time."

Jeon Hanmu, who'd been meh about Suhyeon's appearance, perked up.

"Oh? And?"

"If Suhyeon doesn't get first today, next week YK sends either actress Kim So-hee or singer Haiyu."

The unexpected bombshell from the PD ignited the studio—screams erupted everywhere.

Once the studio calmed a bit, Hwang PD continued.

"The recommender confirmed yesterday. If Suhyeon doesn't win first, he'll make one of them appear no matter what. So today, everyone—keep Suhyeon from first. I wanna solve problems with one of them here too."

Jeon Hanmu replied excitedly.

"Don't worry. Saw his report card—we won't lose. Confident. Hurry up with problems so we can record with Haiyu next week."

"Panelists, quiet down. Shut it. PD, problems please."

"Five problems today. Types: 1) Dying Message 2) Musical 3) Sudoku 4) Hidden Picture 5) Puzzle Assembly. First up: Dying Message."

Moments later, a massive monitor in front of the performers displayed the title and problem in sequence. Jeon Hanmu began reading.

Suhyeon scanned the dying message and thought,

Hmm. This one's too easy.

Before Jeon Hanmu finished the options, Suhyeon shot up his hand.

"Answer!"

His lightning-fast call stunned the studio—gasps exploded everywhere.

Regaining composure, Jeon Hanmu spoke in a slightly tense tone.

"Suhyeon, that was insanely quick. Who do you think the culprit is?"

In a firm voice, Suhyeon declared,

"The culprit is..."