19
Chapter 19 The Seed of a Broadcast Monster
The certainty that he could keep trying for twenty years until he succeeded.
The certainty that after twenty years, he could live the rest of his life doing nothing.
Those two certainties made Do Minho fearless.
“Question fifteen.”
Still, no one challenges something with the intention of failing.
Yet Minho could remain this bold because his thirty-three years of life, filled with failure and hesitation, had now
become a perfect second chance.
However, the Quiz 5000 production team was no pushover either.
“This is a fill-in-the-blank question. Please listen carefully and state A, B, C, and D in order.”
Until now, each question had only one answer. But the final round required four.
“A is a disease caused by a lack of insulin. B removed the pancreas of C to induce A, then administered insulin
extracted from another animal to treat it. Later, thanks to D discovering the sequence of amino acids, chemical
synthesis and mass production became possible, allowing A to be treated.”
‘Got it.’
Minho clenched his fist slightly, a smile tugging at his lips.
“You seem confident. Do you know this one as well?”
“Yes.”
‘He’s incredible.’
Even more nervous than Minho, Joo Youngmin smiled widely.
“Then please give your answer.”
“A is diabetes, B is Frederick Banting, C is a dog, and D is Frederick Sanger.”
‘I may have worked in battery development, but I studied biochemistry thoroughly in college.’
Minho was certain.
“This is the final question. Please think carefully once more.”
Though outwardly neutral, Joo Youngmin couldn’t hide his concern.
“Could C be more specifically a beagle rather than just a dog?”
“Well…”
Joo Youngmin blinked rapidly and glanced toward the staff.
The production team exchanged uneasy looks.
“Can we contact the advisors?”
They hadn’t created the question themselves, but sourced it from experts.
“But dog should be correct, right?”
“The advisors say beagle.”
“But wasn’t it more than just beagles used in the experiments?”
“I’m not sure…”
Beagle was a subset, while dog was the broader category.
“But Minho seems so confident… and it’s not like he doesn’t know what a beagle is…”
No one dared speak without certainty.
‘This is why live broadcasts are terrifying.’
Even PD Park felt the weight.
“Call them quickly!”
Just then, a man from the contestant waiting area stood up.
“Dog is correct. Banting initially used beagles, but they were only part of many test subjects.”
‘Who is that?’
The man was a doctor.
“That’s right. Banting removed the pancreas from several dogs to induce diabetes. After many failed attempts, he
eventually succeeded with another subject and developed the treatment.”
‘What is this kid?’
Minho continued calmly.
“And Banting received the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Sanger also contributed to mass production and won two Nobel Prizes
in Chemistry. But honestly, Banting deserved another. He sold the insulin patent for just $1.50 so patients could afford
it. Doesn’t that deserve a Peace Prize?”
‘He’s unbelievable.’
Even the doctor shook his head in admiration.
“Finally… we have the first winner of Quiz 5000!”
Joo Youngmin announced it loudly.
“Waaah!”
The audience rose to their feet.
“This is huge.”
“…Yeah.”
Even PD Park nodded in acknowledgment.
“But the real story starts now.”
Everyone watching thought the same.
I wish my child could grow up like that.
I wish I had a child like that.
I want to become like that.
And the one who could best use this moment was PD Kang Jiseop.
“Minho, you’ve won fifty million won. What will you do with it?”
“I’ll leave it to the production team.”
“…Pardon?”
“Please donate it to those in need.”
Everyone was stunned.
“I can live happily without it.”
“But…”
“Someone else might not be able to live without it.”
Joo Youngmin glanced at Director Lee Seunghun.
But Director Lee remained expressionless.
Some applauded silently.
Others laughed in disbelief.
“He really is a genius.”
“He understands broadcasting too.”
“If things go well, fifty million is nothing.”
A normal winner would end with the prize money.
But Minho was different.
“Will people believe this?”
“Whether they do or not, it’ll be huge.”
“He’ll need a chance to explain himself.”
“Do you think you’ll get that chance?”
“Those who’ve done it before get the opportunity.”
“Well, that depends.”
“But he’s right in front of me now.”
“What?”
“I said, he’s right here.”
Kang Jiseop stood up.
“And he probably wants to say it himself.”
“That he was an orphan?”
“Exactly.”
“And you think he’ll choose you?”
“To him, I’m the one who gave someone like him a chance.”
“…We’ll see.”
“Doesn’t matter. I’m making a documentary with him.”
---
“Minho, congratulations!”
After filming, the staff gathered around him.
“But during the test, you struggled with science.”
“I wanted them to give more science questions.”
‘I lost…’
“Change your pattern. If you give humanities questions to science students and vice versa, someone like me will catch
on.”
“We’ll try. But seriously, what are you?”
“An elementary schooler.”
“Ha, yeah right.”
“And maybe remove sports questions.”
“Why?”
“They feel too predictable.”
“Are you calling us sloppy?”
“No, no, I wouldn’t say that.”
“Be honest.”
“Anyway, please make sure the donation is handled well.”
‘We can’t beat him.’
The staff laughed.
“Director, would you like to join us for a meal?”
“I’m sorry. We have to return. He has school tomorrow.”
“Ah, of course.”
“Thank you for keeping your promise.”
“We didn’t need to mention anything.”
This broadcast had been perfect for everyone.
“Excuse me.”
Then Kang Jiseop approached.
“May I give you a ride home?”
“No.”
Director Lee pulled Minho closer and left quickly.
‘As expected, not easy.’
Kang watched them go.
“Tough luck?”
“Stars are always hard to cast.”
“Then help me out. How do I convince him?”
“We got played ourselves. How would we know?”
“Still, tell me something.”
“He clearly enjoys being on broadcast.”
“…Really?”
“Look.”
Kang picked up a small notebook from the floor.
“Interesting.”
It read Bucket List, along with Minho’s name.
“Looks like I need to go on a trip.”