Poten Chapter 46-47

Chapter 46 – The Smart, Prologue (2)

That night.

Minho called his father Yoonhwan for the first time in a while. He wanted to boast about the gourd bottle and b.u.mpety Boo that he had obtained in the last couple of months and also ask him about a few things he was curious about.

A brusque voice answered as soon as the call went through.

-What’s up? Did you get a girl pregnant or something?

“I don’t even have a girlfriend yet.”

-I want to see a grandchild as soon as possible so don’t call me unless it’s about that. I’m busy.

“You’re always home, though.”

-Doesn’t seem like you have much to say. Bye.

Minho hastily shouted through the cell phone.

“Father who’s worthy of admiration! Please don’t hang up!”

-Alright. I’ll give you three minutes.

“Among the items with powers I can use, I can’t use the powers of a relic just by touching it.”

-Did you dream about becoming the owner of the relic?

“I wouldn’t have been so confused you’d told me beforehand.”

-I can guess right away the type of things you would find. You probably would be able to get acknowledged by the relic’s owner even if you half-a.s.s it.

Minho felt upset that Yoonhwan would underestimate him right off.

“Do you think a gourd bottle that creates an ultimate mind-clearing liquor just by putting water in it is nothing? You wake up energized the next day too.”

-Liquor? You used to pa.s.s out with just one gla.s.s. Seems like you got into a hobby of drinking. You want your dad to help you?

“Help?”

-There’s a wine bottle in the back room–if you put water in it it tastes like bordeaux. You know Chateau? There should also be a bottle rolling around there that makes whiskey, brandy, and gin. When you come take that one too. I like soju better than anything.

“….”

His level of acquisition broke Minho’s spirit. There was a great different between Minho who had awakened two months ago and was beginning to gather relics just now and his father who had been collecting for nearly twenty years.

Minho thought b.u.mpety Boo would be as good as any item in his father’s safe and said,

“I found a car too.”

-Oh right. I found an antique airplane that’s just lying around in the countryside, wanna take a ride? Only fly around in that area though since you might be shot down if you’re caught by the air force radar. And it might break down so be sure to wear a parachute.”

Minho was speechless.

“…Um, Father.”

-What?

“Sell me some of the things you have. How much would it cost? What will you sell for 1 billion won?”

-What for? I’m overflowing with money.

“Hmph.”

Minho decided to ask about the thing he’d been wondering about and then hang up, since Yoonhwan reacted like nothing fazed him.

“Where do you find good relics? Reveal your secrets to me since you have a lot, Father.”

-Your late grandfather swept up most of the old items that were floating around in auctions. And I swept up everything that was left until recently. So it’ll be a waste of time to go to the specialty auctions.

Minho wondered if this was why there weren’t any useful items that had caught his eye on the auction websites.

-Ah, there’s that.

Yoonhwan’s voice came through the line sounding as if he had remembered something.

-There’s one place I wasn’t going to go because it was inconvenient. Want to try going there?

“Where?”

-A professor I used to know pa.s.sed away last year. There are items from this professor’s inheritance that are up for auction. He was, shall I say, a highly capable person. Similar to the pocket watch’s owner.

The pocket watch was a very helpful item that he was still using. It had sufficiently paid off its appraisal value of 300 million won or even more.

“Tell me the address, please.”

-two thousand.

“Come again?”

-I have to get something in return. I can’t just give you valuable information for free.

Two thousand wouldn’t mean just 2,000 won*. Minho couldn’t believe his father was trying to make a profit off a sentence.

“I thought you were overflowing with money.”

-If you don’t want to, forget it. Bye. 

“Ah, okay, okay!”

-I’ll send you a text message once you transfer the money.

Click.

“Ugh.”

Minho could only lament the fact that he would always be at a disadvantage when dealing with his father. As soon as he finished making the money transfer that night, a text message arrived with a ‘drrrr-ring~’.

[August 13th, 10 AM. K University liberal arts a.s.sembly hall. They’ll let you in as an acquaintance if you give them my name.]

‘That’s still three weeks away.’

It was expensive information but Minho knew he would be able to fish out some good items since Yoonhwan was precise in his monetary calculations. Minho pulled himself together and lay down in bed after taking a drop of the mind-clearing liquor.

Just as he closed his eyes–

His cellphone rang and he checked it, thinking it was his father, but an unfamiliar number popped up.

-You’re the car owner for 9898 right? I live next door.

“Ah, yes.”

It was the voice of the man next door whom Minho had run across a few times.  Had he said he was a taxi driver?

“h.e.l.lo.” 

-I have to go out now, but there’s no room to get my car out. Can you come move your car?

“Hold on.”

This neighborhood was too compact for parking spots so Minho had to squeeze his car into a tight s.p.a.ce if he wanted to keep b.u.mpety Boo close.  

“I think I have to park farther away, even though it’s troublesome.”

Minho’s head spun and he stumbled as he got out of bed. The effect of the mind-clearing liquor began to spread through his whole body.

“Hic!”

His eyelids began to close and he could feel his body on the edge of slipping into a deep sleep. But what could he do? He had to move his car.

Minho slapped his cheeks and held on to his fading consciousness.

Driving three meters was nothing if he had the racer’s instincts that would wake him up automatically when he started the engine along with b.u.mpety Boo’s help.

‘After all, it was really just water that I drank.’

He wondered what he should call it if he drove in this condition. It might be possible for him to create a legend by drunk driving with a zero blood alcohol level.

Hongchul Lee stood by the cla.s.sic car.  He was slightly surprised as he looked carefully at the car owner’s name.

“He said he just plays games, but he must be well off. How much does he earn that he can drive an imported car? But, why isn’t he coming out yet?”

Creak. 

The front gate opened and Minho walked out in sweats. He walked over to Hongchul Lee, so Hongchul guessed he was the car owner and spoke.

“Sorry to bother you late at night. I have to go on a run all of a sudden. Being a taxi driver….”

Hongchul’s voice trailed off as he observed Minho. His eyes were red and he swayed as he walked. It seemed he had splashed a good deal of water on his face, but it wasn’t enough to hide his drunkenness.

“I’ll…hic! Pull out quickly.”

Hongchul got a disconcerted look on his face and put a hand on Minho’s shoulder.

“Hey, young man. What are you doing after drinking?”

“Don’t misunderstand. I am drunk but I didn’t drink.”

Hongchul stared at him as if looking at a crazy person.  Minho turned away and opened the car door.

“Nothing will show even if I do a breathalyzer test so don’t…hic!…worry.”

The car’s engine turned on and it pulled out smoothly to make room for Hongchul. Minho slipped into a tight s.p.a.ce on the other side of the street as neatly as if he had measured it with a ruler.

Hongchul clicked his tongue but he had to give Minho credit since he drove very smoothly, given that he was swaying outside the car.

“He’s really good at drunk driving.”

Hongchul pulled his car out of the parking s.p.a.ce. Then he stopped his car next to Minho’s and rolled down the window.

“Young man. Sorry I woke you up in the night.”

Minho rolled his window down as well and replied.

“It’s okay. I’m the one who parked wrong.”

“But it’s still wrong to drive after drinking.”

“I’m sorry.”

Minho’s eyes that were red even when he opened his car door were back to normal like nothing had happened. Hongchul was surprised and asked,

“Huh? You don’t look drunk at all now.”

“I didn’t drink real liquor. Drive safely. There’s a low spot in the road there by the intersection. Your car’s b.u.mper might hit it so you might want to avoid it.”

“Oh yeah?”

Hongchul looked into the darkness but he could barely see in front of him, let alone over by the intersection.

“Either way, I frequently leave to go on night runs so park in front of another car rather than mine, even if there aren’t any other s.p.a.ces.”

“Yes, Mister.”

“Very well.”

Hongchul finished saying goodbye and drove on but was shocked at what he saw in the rearview mirror. Minho was walking towards the front gate swaying back and forth like he was drunk again.

“He pretended to be not drunk for that short time? These youngsters doing useless……”

Kthunk!

Hongchul was shocked by the sound of his front b.u.mper banging and hit the brakes.

One side of the asphalt in the intersection was concave. It was certain they were doing some sort of pipe work but covered it sketchily.

“Ah dang it, these punks don’t do proper construction!”

Hongchul was angered by the scratch on his b.u.mper but recalled what Minho had just said and tilted his head.

“He saw this from over there?”

It was too far, no matter how good someone’s eyes were.

“Can’t be, he probably told me what he saw during the day.”

Hongchul shook his head as he got in his car and disappeared into the streets.

Thursday of the last week in July.

Minho got into Manager Gong’s van that was waiting outside the gaming house, but he stopped short as he was faced with someone unfamiliar. A young man in his early twenties abruptly stood up in the van and greeted him.

“I’ll be your stylist starting today! My name is Shiwan Kim. I’m also here to do other errands, so you can ask me to do anything!”

His voice was clear but tinged with nervousness. It felt as if a rookie of a company was introducing himself to the supervisor so Minho was intrigued as he received this greeting.

“Nice to meet you. But are you a stylist responsible for only me?”

“Yes.” 

Shiwan confidently nodded his head. Minho couldn’t get used to the fact that another staffer other than Manager Gong was in the van.

‘Is this the halo effect of the permanent program?’

An investment like this could be seen as premature, considering this was a survival game where someone was disqualified every round. This just showed how much confidence they had in him. Minho sat down with a perplexed look on his face.

Shiwan Kim smiled brightly and spoke.

“Speak comfortably. I’m younger.”

“Excuse me for asking, but how old are you?”

“I’m twenty-one.”

Minho didn’t feel overwhelmed since he was close to the same age as his game team juniors.

“Then sure thing. And you can just call me hyung.”

“Yes, hyung. I look forward to working with you.”

Minho was surprised as he saw the clothes that filled the back seat.

“What are these?”

Manager Gong chuckled at Minho’s reaction.

“You’re surprised, huh? These are the clothes from the T brand sponsorship and some from basic corporate sponsorship. You should think of yourself a walking advertis.e.m.e.nt board now when you get dressed. And please consult with your stylist before you go out as well.”

Minho straightened his shoulders at the words ‘Walking advertis.e.m.e.nt board.’ It felt like a burden now that he couldn’t walk out of his house wearing just anything.

‘Will I get used to this if I become more popular? Do I need to worry about airport fashion and stuff?’

Minho welcomed these happy inconveniences.

“I’ve leveled up.”

“You’re starting to get the treatment that befits your skills. Haha.” 

With Manager Gong’s pleasant laugh, the van started off.

“As you know, today is the opening shoot for ‘The Smart Game’ and a briefing session with the production team. I heard the Pentastorm quarterfinals are tomorrow.  You won’t have any problems with the tournament?”

Minho nodded.

“I did some hardcore gaming for four days with the help of my juniors. There shouldn’t be any problems if I finish up my practice at night. Oh yeah, we have a vague outline of the cast right? I still don’t know any names.”

“From what I heard there are some distinguished people. I heard a rumor about one of the cast you might know.”

“Someone I might know?”

“Do you know the star announcer Seoyeon Jung of NTV?”

“Of course. She’s the first person I did a variety show with.”

Minho guessed Seoyeon could appear as the announcer, since it seemed like they were choosing one person per occupation.

‘She’s a smart broadcaster.’ 

Minho had appeared on the quiz show to test the coin but was able to experience an unexplainable atmosphere for a brief moment. his heart thumped in antic.i.p.ation as he thought of seeing her again. Since she was the first woman that his heart fluttered for during broadcast. Of course, he had met other charming women after her.

‘It’s not like I’m dating one girl so there’s no reason to turn down the women that come. Heh heh.’

Minho was counting his chickens before they hatched.

As the van stopped in the parking lot of NTV broadcast station, Shiwan began digging through the clothes in the back seat and asked,

“Manager, what clothes do we go with for Minho hyung?”

Manager Gong turned in the driver’s seat.

“Something splendid and stylish. So that Mr. Minho can show that he’s a celebrity among the average citizen cast.”

“Then a suit would be best. Here, Minho hyung.”

Shiwan pulled out a suit and handed it over to Minho. It was an impressive piece of clothing with a logo in Italian.

“It’s not T brand? I looks like a very expensive brand.”

“The hyungnim I used to be in charge of went abroad so I fixed it to your size.”

“It’s your first day and you know my size? You must’ve prepared a lot. Take care of me from now on, Stylist Kim.”

Manager Gong contentedly looked through the rearview mirror at Minho’s compliment.

“Shiwan looks like a rookie but he has a great eye for clothes.”

Shiwan replied with a bright wordless smile.

Minho changed into the suit and got out of the van. As he was adjusting his clothes, he saw in the reflection a young man getting out of a car on the other side of the parking lot.

‘I’ve seen him somewhere.’

Minho turned his head and watched the other person. He was wearing a tilted hat and tight skinny jeans. He looked like a typical rapper with his swaggering walk.

“Jin Q is a contestant too?”

Minho laughed out loud as he recalled the young man he had met on the radio show–the brilliant mind with his perfect SAT score. It seemed like just yesterday that he was quivering with anger and saying he was going to write diss lyrics about Minho, but it had already been two months.

Jin Q and his manager disappeared into the building without spotting Minho.

‘He’s a bit hot tempered.’

There was a player in Pentastorm who was like Jin Q. If you provoked him just a little he would bring out all his troops and make reckless moves, unable to control his anger. Minho grinned thinking there was no better prey than someone he had already figured out.

If someone was going to be disqualified, it would be Jin Q before him. 

Manager Gong got out of the van and looked over Minho’s whole body.

“You look like a fine, strapping, handsome young man.”

It seemed that Minho getting his first permanent program had given Manager Gong a blind spot, or perhaps something like auto-correct for his eyes.

“It’s probably the expensive clothes.”

“It’s the body the clothes hang on! Haha!”

Manager Gong walked into the broadcast station with his face filled with excitement. He hadn’t stopped smiling all morning. Shiwan followed behind as well, holding the garment bag.

Minho watched the two people walk in front of him and felt different from before. It was only one more person added, but it felt like a team moving to do some official work.

‘I feel like I’ve really become a celebrity or something.’

——

2,000 won is about $2 USD.  Minho’s father is asking for 2,000 man won, which is about 20,000 USD. (Man won is 10,000 won.)

Chapter 47 – The Smart, Prologue (3)

The set of the opening filming for NTV’s special show ‘The Smart Game.’

Minho was sitting in the private waiting room, waiting for his turn to film. There hadn’t been any doc.u.ments to study ahead of time because everything was confidential, so Minho just spent the time looking in the mirror and checking for pimples.

“Does anyone want coffee?”

Shiwan pressed the b.u.t.ton on the water pot. Manager Gong raised his hand and Minho shook his head. Shiwan stirred in the coffee mix and handed it over to Manager Gong as he asked,

“Manager Gong. What would be the reason for hiding this much? It feels like more of a secretive meeting than a variety show.”

“I’m not sure. It’s my first time dealing with this type of show too.”

Manager Gong turned his head and listened for movement outside. The cast, including the staff who came with them, had been asked not to move around before the briefing, so no one was able to go outside.

Minho, who was touching up his hair, said offhandedly,

“They don’t want us to network before the game.”

Shiwan looked at him curiously.

“Network?”

“If ten people partic.i.p.ate in the game, only one gets disqualified. It would be easy for the majority to gang up on one person. Would you want to make someone you’re close to disqualify, Shiwan?”

“Ah ha.”

Shiwan nodded his head. Manager Gong also made a face saying ‘of course.’ Minho continued looking in the mirror and focusing on his hairstyle as if he hadn’t said anything.

“Shiwan. Can you grab that for me?”

Shiwan quickly brought over the hair wax.

“Shall I do it for you? I’m learning about makeup a bit.”

“No, I’ll do it.”

After experiencing the rigors of the fashion world the week before, Minho could do a simple hair styling skillfully.  He wasn’t as creative as Jay Kim but he had a better-than-average styling sense.

Minho put the wax on his hands and set his hair neatly to go with the suit. Shiwan watched with a look of admiration.

“It’s just as I heard from my makeup room sunbaenim.”

“Huh? Heard what?”

“She said you’re good at styling. That you have a good fashion sense.”

“That’s a misunderstanding.”

“Ha, you’re even modest.”

Shiwan’s expression resembled the one Manager Gong often made. Minho clicked his tongue to himself.

“Mr. Minho Kang, please come out.”

The voice of the production staffer came from outside the door. Minho stood up from his seat.

“Alright then, I’ll be back.”

Manager Gong and Shiwan energetically called “Fighting!” and cheered him on.

Minho could only shake his head to himself. It was only the opening filming and they were already stressing him. He wondered how much more the two of them would give him the ‘we believe in you’ look when it came to the main game.

Minho walked down the hallway and opened the door to the film studio. The brightly-lit set contained only a desk and chairs in front of a green background.

It felt like an interrogation somewhere.

“Mr. Minho Kang, please sit here.”

A middle-aged man with white hair and sideburns welcomed Minho. He had an I.D. around his neck identifying him as Producer Sangjoong Cheon; he was the main producer of ‘The Smart Game.’

“Long time no see, Producer.”

“It’s been a long time, Minho. Have you been well after sweeping up that award money?”

“Ah…haha.”

Producer Cheon smiled and held out a hand. He was also the producer of the quiz show that Minho had partic.i.p.ated in before.

“Sweep up as much as you can here too. That’s what brings in the viewer numbers.”

“I’ll do my best sweeping.”

After they shook hands Producer Cheon quickly went over the opening filming schedule.

“There isn’t any separate filming content. Just act naturally as you follow the instructions. We’re also going to do an interview that’ll be included in the preview, so keep that in mind.”

The camera began rolling as soon as Minho sat down at the desk.

-Please look at the invitation.

A mechanical voice flowed out from somewhere. Minho fixed his gaze on the paper on top of the desk.

-Congratulations. You have been invited to ‘The Smart Game.’ In this intriguing game you will experience the extremes of human psychology.

The voice that was reading the words on the invitation felt creepy for some reason. It sounded like a tone fit for a thriller movie.

-In the pouch with the invitation you will find a basic currency called gold. The value of one gold is ten million won (about $10,000 USD). Enter ‘The Smart Game’ and obtain more gold.

Minho reached into the pouch and pulled out a gold cube the size of a dice. It felt dense.

‘This feels like real gold!’

-You must find your own survival strategy in order to become the final winner. However, keep in mind that all your choices can come back to you like boomerangs. Depending on the outcome of the game, you can become a hero or a villain in one night. And only you will be responsible for the reputation you gain.

The warning was given in a solemn voice that automatically created a tense atmosphere.

-Do you agree to partic.i.p.ate in ‘The Smart Game’?

Minho looked at the camera which was recording his expression. This atmosphere was probably created to capture his reaction at this moment.

Reality was an ambiguous concept in the world of TV production. Youth Journal was a farming village reality show, but along with the goal of harvesting crops, the story was also composed of missions created by the production team.

But this was an unscripted show where it was unclear who would survive to the end. Minho was filled with interest rather than the general anxiety he usually felt going on a variety show.

It felt like he had an exciting tournament ahead of him.

“Shall I enjoy it~?”

Minho beamed a smile and wrote his name on the signature line at the bottom of the invitation. The camera recorded his relaxed expression.

“We’re going to do the interview now so please sit comfortably and listen.”

Producer Cheon stood next to camera and talked to Minho.

The interview began with a self introduction and ended with him expressing his determination for the program.

Minho was able to conclude the interview smoothly since he’d gotten the experience while preparing for the celebrity news interview the week before.

“You can go directly to the briefing.”

A floor director exited the studio with him and led him to the briefing location. It was a bit of a walk since it was at studio B in the next building.

The floor director began to speak, maybe feeling the atmosphere was a little awkward, and said he was a staffer on the quiz show.

“Did you know no one has pa.s.sed the final stage since you, Mr. Minho?”

“Really?”

“That’s why Producer Cheon had you in mind to cast since the planning stages. Everyone on the production team has great expectations for you.”

From this story, it wasn’t just one or two people who were interested in him. From President Im to the producers and even stylist Shiwan who started working today, Minho thought he would be in big trouble if he got disqualified in the first round.

‘I should study until next week…..huh?’

Minho was led to a warehouse-like studio with a steel door inscribed with ‘The Smart.’  He had been expecting the briefing would be in something more like a conference room. The floor director handed Minho a name tag.

It was a digital name tag with the words [Minho Kang: 1]. It seemed the one stood for the amount of gold he had.

The floor director’s voice changed and he spoke drily to Minho, who stood with a perplexed look on his face. 

“You need to wait inside until all the contestants have gathered. The lounge is stocked with tea, drinks, and snacks. We would appreciate it if you remain silent until everyone finishes their opening filming to keep things fair. And keep in mind all your movements will be recorded on camera from the moment you walk inside.”

Minho asked just in case,

“Are we starting the first round today?”

“I can not provide any more information from this point. Very well then.”

The floor director disappeared. Minho checked the recording light on the camera on one side of the steel door and understood.

The game was starting right away.

Clearly no one would be properly prepared. Minho couldn’t be certain yet whether this would be a crisis or an opportunity.

Creak.

He opened the steel door and stepped in, and the unmanned cameras installed in every corner captured his face. Minho turned his eyes to the stairs and started down, then looked up in admiration as the main hall came into view.

“They decorated well.”

One wall of the vast octagonal hall was hung with an oil painting by an artist he didn’t know. It portrayed scenes of life in medieval Europe, from royals in a palace to peasants tilling fields. But this oil painting had a unique feature compared to other paintings.

Everyone in the painting was wearing a mask.

It gave him a creepy feeling but was also strangely captivating. Minho felt like this wasn’t a broadcast set but a real secret palace.

‘That’s quite the attention getter!’

Minho walked through the hall filled with admiration and feeling like a boy detective.

A corridor on either side of the main hall led to rooms of unknown purpose, and one labeled as the lounge.

Minho opened the door to the lounge.

‘Excuse me~’

The three people who had come before looked back at Minho. Two men and one woman. It seemed they were warned just as Minho was and didn’t talk to him. They greeted him with only their eyes.

Minho nodded his head to greet the people who would be his rivals. Then his gaze naturally went to the woman.

‘It’s not announcer Jung.’

The woman in her late 20s with the name tag ‘Hyejoo Cha’ sat drinking tea with a haughty expression. In contrast to her strong aura, the two men were just silently lingering around the table. 

It seemed there wouldn’t be much to do here if he stayed, so Minho went to explore the studio.

The main hall was in the middle with a sitting area and storage room on the right. On the left side was a comfortable looking bedroom and a boiler room. It would have been a perfectly believable s.p.a.ce if not for the automatic cameras everywhere. 

Someone entered while Minho was looking around.

Jin Q came swaggering down the stairs and flinched in surprise when he saw Minho. The look on his face said ‘Why are you here?’ Minho smiled and gave him a quick wave. Jin Q seemed fl.u.s.tered and stared at Minho for a moment before walking into the sitting area.

‘Not being able to talk is boring.’

Minho stretched his arms and then took the coin out of his pocket.

Clink. 

The coin flipped in the air and fell to Minho’s palm. Neither on heads nor tails but standing on its edge. What Minho had asked was ‘Can I pa.s.s the first round?’

This was how the coin evaded questions with variable answers.  Minho asked the next question without any particular inspiration.

‘Is the next person to walk in Announcer Jung?’

It was tails. Minho kept flipping the coin and found out that Seoyeon Jung would walk in last.

There wasn’t anything else to catch his attention, so Minho shook his head and followed Jin Q to the sitting room. He would eat some cookies to pa.s.s the time.

-Please gather in the main hall.

A disguised voice spread through the whole stage.

The nine people who were gathered in the sitting room walked outside. Seoyeon, coming in last, smiled as she walked down the stairs.  

“I heard from the producer and he said you can talk now.”

Gracefully-attired Seoyeon attracted all the men’s gaze as she came in.  She greeted each of the cast members and stopped in front of Minho.

“It’s good to see you, Mr. Minho.”

“It’s been a while.”

There was a tinge of admiration on her face as she saw Minho dressed up in a luxurious suit.

“Wow. You’re a real broadcast personality now.”

“It’s turned out that way….”

Minho was about to say that he’d gotten into broadcast work thanks to the quiz show, but he stopped. He could feel the unfriendly gaze of some of the other cast members, with him being the only one that Seoyeon recognized. And Jin Q was glaring the most.

Jin Q pushed Minho’s shoulder to jump in with a look on his face saying ‘you dare?’

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Seoyeon. I’m a fan!”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jin Q”

Seoyeon faced Jin Q with a courteous smile. Minho stepped back slightly. It would be better to keep quiet, since there would be no benefit to exposing his personal network from the start.

Just then, the giant monitor in the middle of the hall lit up. 

An edited sequence began to play, showing everyone signing their invitations at the first location.

-My goal is to not get disqualified in the first round.

It was Seoyeon’s voice. Her specs and details from her interview popped up below her face.  

Minho understood it was to introduce the contestants’ information all at once, so he turned his gaze to the screen.

Seoyeon Jung. Age 27. Player with intellectual charm and extensive background.

[My name is Seoyeon Jung. I’m MCing for the news and the quiz show. I graduated from S university with a ma.s.s communications degree.]

“My goal is not to get disqualified in the first round.”

Dongmook Jang. Age 36. Unpredictable player with adaptability and boldness.

[I’m Dongmook Jang. I came to take over the game. Don’t underestimate me because I’m a comedian. I’m quicker in wits than anybody else.]

“Being good at studying won’t do the trick If you don’t have the wits. Heh heh.”

Suwon Yoon. Age 27. Expert on method acting. Player who disrupts opponents with his ever-changing performance.

[I’m Suwon Yoon. I act a bit. When I’m given a script I memorize it on the spot.]

“Is that okay? Were you surprised?”

Sangcheol Lee. Age 45. Logical player who has experienced many hardships in life.

[I’m Sangcheol Lee. I won’t ever be at a loss. Since I lost everything I can in this life through business failures.]

“It doesn’t matter if it makes me look shifty. I must return after obtaining a lot of gold. Creditors please watch and cheer me on.”

Jingyu Park. Age 24. Brash player graduated from H University with a business management degree.

[I’m Jin Q. I’m in charge of looking good.  I ranked in the top 0.03% in the SAT score. Perfect perfection.]

 “I have a lot of knowledge in my head~ There’s lots of places to show my skills in the game~ I’m gonna sweep up all the gold~”

Mins...o...b..ek. Age 50. Insightful player who penetrates the psychology of gamblers and has an unrivaled ability to calculate probabilities quickly.

[I’m a card shark.]

“Simple?”

Habi Park. Age 43. Player of dignity refined through defending many different cases.

[I am Habi Park. Me just the way I am? Harvard law school. Elite. romantic.]

“An eloquent speaker? That’s certainly true, but for a lawyer the important thing isn’t being a smooth talker. It’s a strength of will that makes everyone accept my reasoning.”

Hyejoo Cha. Age 28. Player of great leadership skills who mastered the financial industry and will master all players.

[I am Hyejoo Cha. I received a salary of 500 million won just two years after being hired. I’m a financial consultant who plans the futures of VVIP customers through thorough data a.n.a.lysis.]

“The Smart has a system of obtaining gold and maintaining that gold per round. That’s my field.”

Heojun Choi. Age 35. Player who will survive until the end through calmness and relaxation.

[I’m a doctor of eastern medicine. My name is Heojun. All the professors laughed like crazy when I got accepted into eastern medicine.**]

“If the game make you burst into a fit of rage, come to me. I’ll give you acupuncture.”

Minho Kang. Age 24. Strategic player, the specialized dark horse of The Smart.

[I’m Minho Kang. I’m a professional gamer. I won 500 million won on the quiz show. The secret to winning The Smart? It depends on how well you understand that round.]

“Shall I enjoy it~?”

The screen went dark.

The eyes of the contestants gleamed as they looked around at each other.

[Round 1 of ‘The Smart Game’ will begin now.]

 ——–

Heo Jun (허준, 1537?/1539 – 9 October 1615) was a court physician of the Yangcheon Heo clan during the reign of King Seonjo of the Joseon Dynasty in Korea.[1] He was appointed as a court physician at the age of 29. He wrote a number of medical texts, but his most significant achievement is Dongui Bogam (lit. “Mirror of Eastern Medicine”), which is often noted as the defining text of traditional Korean medicine. The work spread to East Asian countries like China, j.a.pan, and Vietnam where it is still regarded as one of the cla.s.sics of Oriental medicine today.