Chapter 237: Our Neighborhood Study King (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 237: Our Neighborhood Study King (3)
“Since this is a surprise question, there will be no penalty for the survivors if you get it wrong. However, for every person who gets it right, we will revive ten eliminated contestants!”
“Ten people?!”
The crowd buzzed at the unprecedented offer. I had no idea what kind of question they were planning to throw at us.
If it was science, I figured Lee Cheong-hyeon could handle it somehow. If it was social studies, I was prepared to rack my brain to cover it. Since only the two of us were left, it would be a bit humiliating if we both got it wrong.
“Here comes the question!”
Up until now, the questions had been read by a narrator, but this time, the MC pointed toward the prompter in front. The screen lit up brightly, revealing a math problem.
[In a coordinate plane, let P, Q, and R be points moving along the three sides AB, BC, and CA of triangle ABC with an area of 27, respectively...]
“Gasp.”
Sighs and groans erupted from all directions. The note at the bottom indicating it was a past CSAT question from 20XX seemed to add even more pressure.
‘I think I can solve it... but can Lee Cheong-hyeon?’
I had no intention of bragging about how smart I was just because I had lived nine years longer than these kids. That would just be cheating.
My only goal was to make everyone scream, “Look at Spark’s resident genius, Lee Cheong-hyeon!”
I was debating which would be better for the team: getting it wrong and being accused of lying about my Grade 1 math score as Kim Peps, or getting it right and stealing the spotlight that should go to Lee Cheong-hyeon. Just then, the silhouette next to me moved. Lee Cheong-hyeon was furrowing his brows, scribbling something down.
I couldn't see from this distance, but if he could even write out half the equation, that would be a win. Or, he could just write something funny to get some screen time.
Well, he’s doing his part now without being told. Relieved, I focused on solving the problem myself.
“The question was quite difficult, wasn't it?”
“Yes!”
The idols answered loudly, their voices thick with resentment. The MC let out a bright laugh.
“The production team was too much. It’s a holiday, yet they have no heart, right?”
This would be the perfect moment to cut to the staff and add a caption like ‘The Cruel Production Team.’ As expected of a veteran MC, he knew exactly how to work the room.
“But we still have a job to do! Let’s check the answers. Please lift your boards!”
There were more tearful apologies than usual on the answer boards.
Some wrote things like, “Sorry, [Name]! T_T,” dedicated to their already eliminated teammates, while others had desperately written down their own birthdays in a fit of resignation.
Among them, someone had written the same answer as me.
It was Yeo Seong-chan from Berion!
“Seong-chan, your board is very clean. Did you actually solve it?”
“I heard that the answer to subjective math questions is usually either 0 or 1, so I just guessed one of them!”
There certainly was a joke like that.
However, as far as I remembered, that rarely applied to the actual CSAT. This could only be described as pure luck.
While the MC checked the rows from the back, I checked the board Lee Cheong-hyeon was holding.
I was momentarily stunned. His answer was the same as mine. Even more impressive, the entire equation was written out correctly on his board.
‘How did you solve it?’
When I mouthed the question, Lee Cheong-hyeon simply gave me a silent smirk.
The truth behind his miraculous problem-solving was revealed during his interview with the MC.
“My mom and dad invested a lot in my education. I think the results are finally shining through!”
They’re shining a bit too much, kid. You’re only a sophomore in high school. You could go take the CSAT right now.
Still, I decided to take it as a win since it allowed Lee Cheong-hyeon to fully display his intellectual side.
Thanks to the power of Spark’s two math giants and Berion, a whopping thirty people were revived, pushing the loser's redemption round further back.
In the midst of that chaos, I saw it clearly: the contrasting expressions of the staff, whose faces grew weary at the realization that filming would be extended, and the PD, who looked delighted to have secured enough broadcast footage.
After the survivors’ salvation card was activated, a short break was given. While Lee Cheong-hyeon and I were using wet wipes to clean the scuff marks from our seats, the Berion members approached us.
“Yo, geniuses!”
“Hello, seniors.”
“What’s with the formality, I-wol? Why are you acting so stiff all of a sudden?”
“I’m a man who keeps a clear line between public and private matters.”
Yeo Seong-chan looked hurt. He looked like he might cry if I joked one more time, so I immediately told him I was kidding.
“Does Spark get some kind of idol tutoring? There’s nothing you guys can’t do.”
If such tutoring existed, Spark wouldn't have disbanded in that state in the past.
“Yeon-gyu, were you revived too?”
“Yeah. I was banking on the redemption round, but I never thought I’d get help from Yeo Seong-chan.”
“See? There’s no friend like me, right?”
Yeo Seong-chan winked at Moon Yeon-gyu. Moon Yeon-gyu looked disgusted, but Yeo Seong-chan’s advances didn't stop.
Watching this, Lee Cheong-hyeon asked Berion, “Are you guys all speaking casually now?”
“Huh? Yeah. We all dropped the formalities during Idol Dynasty Annals,” Yeo Seong-chan replied.
Lee Cheong-hyeon looked at me with an incredulous expression.
“Wow, hyung, you’re really too much.”
“What?”
“Seong-bin and Kang Gyeon still use honorifics with you, but is it okay to give special treatment only to seniors from other groups? Aren't you being a bit too respectful only to them?”
“Is that how it was?!”
“That’s fake news. Spark aims to be an equal group without a hierarchy.”
“But Seong-bin is so polite to you,” Moon Yeon-gyu pointed out.
That’s... because he’s a special case.
“We were already speaking casually during the Idol Unity Sports Day. Were you not there?”
“Cheong-hyeon was too busy participating in his first-ever billiards match to pay attention to things like that!”
Then, Lee Cheong-hyeon started making a fuss about me discriminating against my own members—the kind of talk that could cause a misunderstanding if the wrong person heard it.
I was the one who told them to speak casually in the first place, but they were the ones who refused! Why are you blaming me?!
“Then do you want to speak casually with us too, Cheong-hyeon? There’s not much of an age gap anyway!”
“Is that okay? Is it really alright for you to bestow such grace upon me?”
And so, Lee Cheong-hyeon successfully managed to drop the formalities with Berion. I don't know why he had to pick a fight with me if that was his goal all along.
“Oh, by the way, tell Hee-rang I enjoyed the pear and bellflower root sticks. They were delicious.”
“Why don't you tell him yourself? He’d like it more if you contacted him directly. I heard you guys exchanged numbers.”
“Spark hasn't been allowed personal phones yet. I’m worried I won't be able to reply in time.”
“Ah... they’re so conservative over there.”
This time, Yeo Seong-chan said something that could cause trouble if overheard. Moon Yeon-gyu, who was standing next to him, hurriedly covered his mouth.
I stepped out of the filming set for a moment to throw away the wet wipes I used to clean the floor.
I had stayed by Lee Cheong-hyeon’s side because I was worried about him, but fortunately, Berion showed up at the right time. So, I left him in the care of Moon Yeon-gyu and Yeo Seong-chan and stepped out.
‘Now, where is the trash can...’
I hummed to myself as I looked around, but a trash can was nowhere to be found.
It’s a problem when trash cans aren't where they should be. I even went to the area with the vending machines, but the machines were out of order, and the trash cans were taped shut.
As I walked aimlessly with the wet wipes, a trash can finally came into view. I almost ran toward it like a desert wanderer who had found an oasis. I didn't actually run, since running indoors is prohibited, but I walked very briskly.
As I walked, my mind filled with the thought of finally discarding the wipes, I heard a voice leaking out from a phone booth that wasn't fully closed.
There’s always someone who doesn't close the phone booth door all the way. Maybe the door was just stiff.
Eavesdropping on others' conversations is against common sense, and since my goal was the trash can, I tried to pass by smoothly...
“This isn't what we agreed on. Why are you asking questions that weren't in the prep material?”
...But I heard something I couldn't possibly ignore. And in a voice that was all too familiar.
Perhaps sensing someone nearby, Song Min-il’s voice dropped. It sounded like the phone booth door was pulled shut from the inside.
But the thing is, unless those office phone booths are really expensive, the soundproofing isn't actually that great.
“And my seat is too far back. I can't stand out at all!”
I can hear everything...
More than anything, he really wanted to stand out. No wonder the MC always started his rounds from the back. It seemed even those details had been discussed beforehand.
Intending to subtly let him know that the soundproofing wasn't working, I walked down the hallway, intentionally muttering to myself.
“Geez, there isn't a single trash can on this floor.”
At the same time, Song Min-il’s voice, which had been trailing behind me, stopped.
I’m just a junior idol with no power, so it doesn't matter if I hear it, but what would he do if a senior or an industry insider heard him? If you’re a celebrity, you should be more careful.
Fortunately, I was able to throw away the wet wipes before my fingertips got too wrinkled. When I walked back, the phone booth was empty.
‘Is his goal to take first place?’
If MYTH had handed him a 'masterpiece'—something beyond the study guide the station gave to all the contestants—it wouldn't be impossible.
If the questions on-site hadn't been so difficult, and if there hadn't been the variable of so many contestants failing and requiring extra questions, Song Min-il might have stayed in until the end...
‘Wait, then shouldn't he have avoided getting eliminated in the middle?’
Exactly. Even though the premise itself was cheating, if he had the test paper in advance, all he had to do was memorize it.
Did he seriously fail in the middle because he couldn't even memorize that? And then he blames the production team because he has no other excuse? And the PD ran a surprise game just to save Song Min-il?
Even Gu Ja-han, who was terrible at memorizing scripts, never cursed at the writer for giving him too many lines. He just took the heat for making too many NGs.
My heart aches for the MYTH employees who have to push a guy like that just because he’s popular. I’m so glad Spark doesn't have anyone like him.
‘That aside...’
It’s a bit irritating to think he came here after receiving private lessons. Lee Cheong-hyeon is competing fairly with his own brain. I’m also working my old brain as hard as I can.
You shouldn't make fools out of people who are actually trying.
I approached Lee Cheong-hyeon, who was hanging out with Berion as if they were one group.
This time, I pulled him into a reverse hug, ruffled his hair aggressively, and whispered in his ear.
“Lee Cheong-hyeon.”
“Yes.”
Sensing the strange atmosphere, he immediately switched into serious mode.
“Looking at the difficulty of today’s quiz, if you use your full brain power, what rank do you think you can reach?”
“What am I, an AI robot? You want me to calibrate my knowledge application?”
“You’re already calibrating your broadcast image to some extent.”
Since we didn't know which camera might be catching us, we were both smiling, but our tone was as serious as could be.
“Why all of a sudden?” Cheong-hyeon asked.
“Let’s just say my heart is twisted after witnessing some foul play.”
“Oho.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon nodded. Then he looked at me and asked, “When you say 'full power,' exactly what level are we talking about?”
“How about a 'one-stroke' performance that guarantees you'll be the center of attention?”
I meant he should stop pretending to listen carefully until the end and just write down the answer he’d already come up with in three seconds.
Understanding my intent, he thought for a moment before giving his answer.
“As long as it’s not another CSAT question like before, I’ll take second.”
“You solved the CSAT question just fine. Why aren't you confident about first?”
“Because there are always variables in this world.”
Lee Cheong-hyeon doesn't make mistakes when it comes to calculations. And I trusted his abilities.
“Once recording resumes, show them what you know. Let’s show everyone how smart our youngest member is.”
At my words, Lee Cheong-hyeon flashed a devious smile. If anyone had seen us, they would have thought we were plotting something truly sinister.