Chapter 288
Hearing this phrase in such a context was so unexpected that it made me laugh, as I knew the journey Ban Yo-han had taken to ace the college entrance exams. It was somewhat understandable, though, considering his background.
Ban Yo-han, the first idol in broadcasting history to speak about the importance of public education, finished his interview after a few more words with the commentators.
Meanwhile, the coach of the Black Team’s basketball team, who had been watching the game from elsewhere, sighed in regret as he watched Ban Yo-han returning to his seat.
The Black Team’s basketball coach used to coach the basketball team at the high school Ban Yo-han graduated from.
A few years ago, a PE teacher at the same school, who was always on the lookout for talented players, had mentioned that there was a sophomore who was good at basketball. Curious about this student, he looked into it.
To his surprise, the student was an honor student who consistently scored top grades in every test.
– Do you think a kid like that would join the sports team?
– I usually wouldn’t suggest it for a kid focused on academics, but he’s really good. You should see him during PE class. He’s impressive.
The PE teacher tapped his head with his hand.
– He’s a bit short now, but his bone structure suggests he’ll grow taller. His athletic ability isn’t bad either. Give him half a year, or even just three months of proper training, and there won’t be anyone who can beat him in game management. He’s perfect for the point guard position.
– He’s obviously smart. He’s the top student in the school, right? If he actually starts playing basketball, you’ll get into trouble with the principal and vice-principal, you know that, right?
Though he said this to his junior, he was curious about how good this unusually named student was at basketball to warrant such praise.
Eventually, he sneaked a look during the school’s regular PE class and found that Ban Yo-han’s skills weren’t significantly behind the basketball team members, and his passing ability was either similar or better.
Honestly, he looked like he had real talent.
‘If I had known that this kid, who was top of the class, would go to college and then suddenly become an idol, I would have tried harder to recruit him back then…’
As he regretted losing a potential player who could have brought a new wave to Korean basketball, he thought that the finals in the afternoon would be more challenging than expected.
* * *
Ban Yo-han was resting on a mat, being fanned diligently by his teammates, but soon he had to go out again for the quiz contest.
“I’ll be back.”
We saw off the teammates who were participating in the quiz contest.
Each team had 25 members, and a total of 100 people scattered freely in the quiz contest area set up in the center of the stadium.
– Now, let’s begin the 2018 Idol Quiz Contest!
“Wooooo!”
– Here is the first question. Listen to the intro of a song and write down the song title and artist name. The song will be played three times in total.
– ……♪
The intro was so short that it seemed to stop almost as soon as it started.
Kang Ji-woo leisurely wrote down the answer on the whiteboard at the first hearing, while Ban Yo-han carefully wrote his answer after listening until the end.
Of course, there were also participants who, despite listening three times, still didn’t know the answer and complained.
Even so, the song wasn’t too old and had some distinctive features, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for anyone with a decent ear to identify it.
‘Even now, I’m thinking about what virtual instrument could produce that sound. I hate it…’
Having spent so much time trying to perfectly recreate past world’s music, I had developed an annoying habit of thinking about what virtual instrument might be used whenever I listened to music.
The quiz contest didn’t ask about common general knowledge or current events.
‘They probably want to avoid unnecessary controversies that idols these days are ignorant of basic knowledge…’
Instead, to emphasize entertainment, the questions were related to the entertainment industry, particularly the music industry.
– The correct answer is “Hey You” by Cherrystin!
Those who got it right stayed in their seats, while those who got it wrong returned to their teammates regretfully.
Since many of the idols were well-versed in music, not many returned to their seats after the first question.
I continued to answer questions from my seat.
Having diligently studied to keep up with the popular culture of this world, there were hardly any questions I didn’t know.
Since I was in a hurry, I had skipped foreign content and focused only on Korean popular culture, which had its downsides.
Throughout the quiz, as I solved problems with my teammates and members,
“How do you know all this?”
“Why don’t you know songs from your own country?”
I had to answer these alternating questions.
– Contestant Yo-han, unfortunately, is eliminated on the 14th question.
– He was a personal favorite to win, so this is quite a surprise!
Ban Yo-han, who failed to answer a song lyric question from 20 years ago, returned to us after being eliminated on the 14th question.
Since the type of questions and results could be somewhat predicted by watching last year’s broadcast, he didn’t seem too disappointed by his elimination.
“I don’t know everything. I’m not interested in certain things.”
Though I wanted to ask what happened to all the knowledge he usually showed off, I held back.
Kang Ji-woo was the last one standing with Chaser Ji-hyun from the White Team and Cherrystin Bina from the Red Team.
– With more than half of the remaining contestants eliminated, the final three were determined at the 17th question.
– From the White Team, Chaser Ji-hyun! From the Blue Team, Orca Ji-woo! And finally, from the Red Team, Cherrystin Bina!
‘They are all top-tier players.’
These three remained, smoothly answering even the most challenging questions that seemed impossible for spectators to know.
– Who will be crowned this year’s K-pop Jade Emperor?
‘Why of all things, the Jade Emperor…?’
I felt a bit awkward with my teammates, as I seemed to be the only one who found the title of the Jade Emperor bizarrely grandiose.
The remaining contestants were each given a microphone, and Kang Ji-woo was the first to express his determination.
“I will definitely beat Ji-hyun.”
Chaser Ji-hyun didn’t take Kang Ji-woo’s cheap provocation lying down.
“Then I will definitely beat Ji-woo.”
Despite Kang Ji-woo having been eliminated from the Chaser debut group alone, the bond formed from their long trainee period at the same agency seemed strong.
“Then I’ll be the Jade Emperor.”
In the midst of this, Cherrystin Bina cheekily raised her hand, making everyone laugh with her attempt to claim the title effortlessly.
– For the next question, the first two to answer correctly will survive. Please focus.
As the remaining three were so knowledgeable, the producers seemed to have changed the rules on the spot to speed things up.
“Hyung, fighting!”
“Fighting!!”
“Think of this as a must-win supermarket discount and raise your hand!”
Gyun Seong-ha’s trivial cheer made everyone laugh.
– Now, here is the first question to determine the final winner. If you think you know the answer, raise your hand and shout your name.
As soon as the tense atmosphere settled after the question was read, Kang Ji-woo raised his hand high.
“Ji-woo! Ji-woojiwoojiwoojoojojojojo!”
Seeing Kang Ji-woo’s overly excited and embarrassing state, Gyun Seong-ha and I lowered our heads while cheering.
– Yes, Ji-woo, you only need to say it once. So, what’s the answer?
“The answer is ‘My Hyacinth’ by senior Baek Song.”
– Baek Song, ‘My Hyacinth’… Correct!
How does that hyung know a song from nearly 30 years ago?
Gyun Seong-ha, seeing my expression, explained.
“Ji-woo hyung listens to old songs in the car all the time because he’s old.”
This guy…
“You’re being a bit harsh.”
“Who was the one who called Ji-woo hyung a grandpa last time?”
“This is a secret, but actually, that’s Hae-jae, and I’m Raon.”
“What are you talking about!”
While exchanging silly jokes, I suddenly felt a sad gaze from somewhere. I turned to look.
“…….”
[Guys……? But Grandpa is a good person, thinks Kang Ji-woo, who finds you cute. Kang Ji-woo’s affection +1, current affection +100]
Sorry…
Feeling guilty about bad-mouthing him while he was fighting alone, Gyun Seong-ha and I sent heart shapes to him. Kang Ji-woo, with a bright smile, generously increased his affection score.
Meanwhile, the second correct answer was announced.
So, the final winner, the Jade Emperor of 2018 K-pop, was…
– The last one standing! The 2018 K-pop Jade Emperor!
– From the Blue Team, Orca Kang-Ji-Woo!
– Congratulations, Ji-woo!
– Maybe it’s thanks to his teammates’ cute cheers that he’s brimming with energy!
Wearing the crown, Kang Ji-woo smiled brightly and waved at us.
– With this, the Blue Team gains 200 points!
The Red Team, who came in second, received 100 points, and the White Team, who placed third, received 50 points, bringing the quiz contest to a close.
* * *
The filming delay pushed the strategy tug-of-war preliminaries, initially scheduled for the morning, to the afternoon. The remaining events before lunch were the wrestling preliminaries and the group cheer competition.
Our wrestling preliminary opponent was the Black Team.
While Gyun Seong-ha and our five wrestlers were busy with the quiz contest, the wrestling ring was quickly set up on the other side.
Those who were not competing from the Blue and Black Teams sat in a circle around the wrestling ring to watch.
The Black Team’s wrestlers included Go Kyung-yoon.
Unexpected.
Go Kyung-yoon wrestling.
It didn’t match him, much like fashion didn’t match Kang Ji-woo.
‘At first glance, he doesn’t seem like he could muster any strength, does he?’
Even though Go Kyung-yoon was tall and had a solid build, he didn’t seem muscular enough to be selected as a wrestling contestant.
As he took off his glasses and handed them to Yoon Myung-soo, his eyes met mine. He smiled quietly, almost as if he could read my thoughts.
I hoped that someone, whether it was Gyun Seong-ha or anyone else, would firmly slam that weakling into the sand.
Wrestling was a best-of-five match.
And from the first match…
“Wow, it’s Orca against Rifteen?”
It was Gyun Seong-ha versus Go Kyung-yoon.
Everyone knew that Orca and Rifteen were essentially debut mates and were competing for the Rookie of the Year award, which created a peculiar atmosphere.
Moreover, there was a kind of tension among the fans.
The cheers became a sort of psychological warfare, feeling sharper and more vividly intense than usual.
‘Come to think of it, this is the first time Rifteen and Gyun Seong-ha have faced each other directly in any way, isn’t it?’
I wasn’t worried about the outcome at all.
Anyway.
‘Our guy will win.’