Chapter 17
The matchup this time was both guys. Team A, Jung Min-soo. Team B, Park Jin-ho. A battle between men. Honestly, it felt subtly tough. The core of this program was finding something I can do but my opponent can't. But guys are generally less sensitive to shame than girls. Plus, we'd already experienced getting naked yesterday, so if someone steels themselves to endure the humiliation once, they could pull off most commands. In that sense, the one receiving the command might actually have the advantage. You could just grit your teeth and do whatever.
Since they were the same gender, they decided command rights with rock-paper-scissors. The two stood facing each other at the podium.
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Team A's Jung Min-soo won.
Ah.... Team B would win this one, I thought with quiet relief. Command rights going to Team A meant Park Jin-ho from Team B was the one receiving the command. And as I'd just reasoned, in a guy-on-guy matchup, the receiver had the edge.
Park Jin-ho's face was slightly flushed. He was probably feeling embarrassed just thinking about receiving and performing the command. But the worst case was just getting naked, right? We'd all been through that yesterday.
"Alright, please give your command."
The host spoke, and Jung Min-soo from Team A touched his chin, seeming to ponder for a moment. A brief silence. Then he opened his mouth.
"Naked's too easy... Yeah. Get naked, then get an erection within one minute. Succeed, and you win."
Silence. One second. Two seconds. Then reactions exploded from Team B.
"What? Just strip and you win?"
"Is that easy? Or hard?"
The women, unfamiliar with male biology, couldn't gauge if it was tough or not. But any guy knows. If erections were that controllable, why would Viagra exist? Getting hard purely through willpower, with zero stimulation? That's no easy feat. And with researchers included, about 40 people staring right now? You'd need nerves of steel for that to happen in this situation.
Even Park Jin-ho, who'd braced for nudity, looked flustered. Stripping is a matter of resolve, but an erection isn't willpower alone. Totally different leagues.
One question popped into my head, though. Could Team A's Jung Min-soo actually do it? I sure as hell couldn't imagine myself pulling that off. Getting naked already takes guts, and then an erection on top? In front of 40 people gawking?
Park Jin-ho hesitated a bit, then started touching his clothes. Quitting alone is easy. But there were eyes on him. The gazes of 17 Team B members watching from the front. The backlash from giving up without trying terrified him. And he'd already steeled himself for nudity anyway. So first, get naked at least.
He shed his top, pants, and finally underwear. Just three pieces piled on the floor. Park Jin-ho stood there, hands covering his dick. No rule against covering, so he was trying to get hard in that state first.
It was comedic. One guy naked in front of all these people, desperately trying to make his dick hard to show it off. He'd be mortified, but from the spectator side, it was surreal.
Team B's guys averted their eyes with pitying looks, while the women watched with a mix of curiosity and shock. Time ticked by. Park Jin-ho squeezed his eyes shut. Frowning like he was trying to conjure an image, but focusing under 40 stares? Impossible. Sweat beaded on his forehead.
10 seconds. 20. 30. His face reddened more. Head down, eyes clenched, hands gripping his dick, pouring every ounce of concentration. But no change seemed to happen.
About a minute in, the host said, "Time's up. Please show us the results."
Park Jin-ho, head bowed, replied, "......I'll forfeit."
Then he hurriedly dressed while still covering up. No need to reveal the failure since showing wasn't required. He'd failed anyway.
Fully clothed, Park Jin-ho looked up at Jung Min-soo and said, "Then you show us. Host, give him one minute."
Confidence dripped from his voice. I couldn't do it, so you won't either. The nuance was clear. Team B folks nodded in agreement.
But—
Team A's Jung Min-soo casually started stripping. Casually. Top, bottoms, underwear. Folded them neatly in order, then stood naked before the participants. Didn't even cover his dick. His flaccid cock fully exposed.
Team B's women gulped audibly. Then the unbelievable happened. A few women from Team A stood up. One. Two. Three. They lifted their tops and bras, baring their breasts. Team A guys formed walls on either side to block the view, so Team B couldn't see well. But for Jung Min-soo standing right in front? Crystal clear. Real tits. Right up close.
In that instant, Jung Min-soo's dick twitched. It slowly swelled—and fully erected.
Team B went speechless. Jung Min-soo, still hard, turned to the host.
"Team A wins."
The host declared it. Short cheers from Team A. The flashing women quickly covered up, and the guys' wall dissolved naturally. Jung Min-soo dressed nonchalantly. Everything flowed like a scripted play.
My brain couldn't process it. Obviously pre-planned, but how do you coordinate women flashing breasts in minutes after the draw?
Glancing at Team B, everyone looked stunned. That's when it hit me. The second program required team cooperation too. I'd thought it was individual vs. individual. Big mistake.
Sorting my thoughts: About 10 minutes from second program announcement to draw. In that short window, Team A had prepped for any matchup. What command if a guy draws. What if a girl. And backup support.
Team A had a leader. One trusted immensely. Pulling off "girls will flash tits" consensus in 10 minutes. The guy who led first program: all guys naked, all girls remove their bras. Who got Nam Joo-yeon to prep stripping panties and writing names with her ass.
I didn't know who, but one thing was sure. Impossible otherwise.
Defeat settled over Team B. No way to win like this.
Third matchup.
"Team A, Han Jung-woo. Team B, Lee Soo-bin."
Team A guy, Team B girl. Opposite genders, so command rights to Team B's Lee Soo-bin. She hesitated, then spoke.
"In your underwear... dance."
I facepalmed internally. Ridiculous. Underwear dance? To a guy who'd done endurance tests in underwear yesterday? That was a gift, not a command.
Lee Soo-bin must've figured she couldn't do worse herself. If the Team A guy forfeited, she'd have to dance in underwear. That was her limit. Safe, but not winning.
Team A's Han Jung-woo grinned, casually stripped top and bottoms. In panties, he just shook his body lightly. Not real dancing, more like flailing excitedly. Zero shame.
"Team A wins."
Anticlimactic. Couldn't blame Lee Soo-bin. It was her honest best. But in this program, lower your "tolerable shame" threshold, the worse off you are. Someone like Nam Joo-yeon shaking her bare ass vs. underwear dance as limit. That gap decides wins.
Fourth matchup.
"Team A, Kim So-hee. Team B, Jang Yoo-ra."
Both girls. Same gender, rock-paper-scissors.
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Team B's Jang Yoo-ra won. Finally, command rights to Team B. Small cheers erupted.
A spark of hope amid the losing streak. Jang Yoo-ra, smug, declared:
"Do 10 naked squats."
Decent command. Girl naked squatting—up and down exposes everything between her legs.
Team A's Kim So-hee thought a moment. Then smiled.
Why smile? Before I could figure it, she said:
"I'll forfeit."
Casual words. Team B cheers about to burst—
The host confirmed: "Opponent forfeits, so Jang Yoo-ra, perform the command yourself for Team B win."
Cheers halted. Jang Yoo-ra's face paled. Now she got it. She had to do her own command to win. Naked squats, 10 times. Herself. In front of 40 people.
"......I'll forfeit."
Her voice trembled.
"Neither performed, so Team B with command rights loses."
Host's declaration. Now I knew why Kim So-hee smiled. She'd predicted Team B girl wouldn't command something she couldn't do. Girl-on-girl shame command: opponent forfeits, you can't either, so you lose anyway. Her smile was certainty, not bravado.
Team A's calculation again? Sighs poured from Team B.
"Why that command......"
"Make 'em do what you can......"
Blame toward Jang Yoo-ra. She bit her lip, head down. Pitiful, but undeniable result.
And so Team B suffered four straight losses to Team A.
Round 1. Nam Joo-yeon's ass name-writing. Team A win.
Round 2. Jung Min-soo's erection command. Team A win.
Round 3. Han Jung-woo's underwear dance. Team A win.
Round 4. Jang Yoo-ra's self-destruction. Team A win.
4 of 9 rounds done, all losses. Defeat seemed inevitable. Heavy silence blanketed Team B. No one spoke. After first program loss, there'd been "we'll win next" vibes, but now even that was gone.
Ha-young sighed softly beside me.
"......We're gonna get shut out."
"Yeah."
I muttered, head down. But my mind raced nonstop. Team A's strategy. Organization. Leader. While we thought "solo battles," they fought as a "team." First and second programs both. Miss that, and we lose the next rounds too. Next losses mean second program loss.
I glanced at Team A. Yoon Seo-yeon was there. Head down, fists clenched. Was she one flashing breasts? Couldn't confirm, but if behind the guys' wall, possible.
Na Ye-jin beside her. Arms crossed, staring our way. Our eyes met. Her lips quirked up. Same gaze as after first program. Still don't get it?
I looked away. Five rounds left. But 0-4. Best-of-9, need to sweep the rest.
Something had to change. Just analyzing Team A wasn't enough. Team B needed unity. Someone to step up. Like Ha-young in the first program.
I looked at Ha-young. She looked back.
"......What?"
"Nah, nothing."
Words not sorted yet. But one thing clear: I didn't want to lose the next one.