* * *
“Taeoh, I’m sorry….”
“No, I should be the one apologizing….”
Both Dansol, who had been a trainee since he was 13, and Taeoh, who had attended an art high school and debuted before graduating, were equally lacking in general knowledge.
Dansol, in particular, was weak in general knowledge quizzes.
Even before his regression, when he teamed up with Yiyeon for a quiz, they ended up last because of his repeated wrong answers.
Her wrong answers were so memorable that they became legendary scenes on variety shows and a frequent source of ridicule.
Knowing his past, Dansol couldn’t help but feel sorry for Taeoh. Sadly, he was almost looking forward to what kind of epic wrong answers he might give this time. he remembered the flood of negative comments for his wrong answers, but unfortunately, he couldn’t remember the questions or the correct answers at all.
“I’m really serious….”
“It’s okay, Dansol. I’m really, really worse.”
As the youngest members were confessing their lack of knowledge and hinting at their low level of general knowledge, Daesoo, on the other hand, seemed quite confident about the quiz.
“If you mess around for screen time, I won’t stand for it.”
“Same goes for me.”
Yiyeon retorted, not backing down.
—Shall we decide on a team slogan?
“…Dool Dool Daesoo.”
After a brief moment of thought, Daesoo came up with a simple slogan. Yiyeon nodded, seeming to like it.
“We’re the Idol Alliance!”
Not to be outdone, Taeoh shouted a slogan without consulting anyone. It was a fitting slogan for their team composition.
“Taeoh, isn’t our slogan too long?”
“Dansol, for quizzes, it’s not about the slogan, it’s about the spirit.”
“Oh… okay!”
Even though Taeoh didn’t seem very trustworthy, Dansol nodded determinedly, clenching his tiny fists.
“How about ‘How Do You Do’?”
“What?”
“We’ll go with ‘How Do You Do’!”
“No…! Wait a minute!” Minseong decided on the slogan without waiting for Doohyun’s response. Doohyun showed signs of displeasure, but unfortunately, it didn’t seem to reach Minseong.
Watching this, Jisoo chuckled, looking relaxed like a seasoned veteran watching a newcomer.
“Correct!”
“Oh…”
“We’ll go with ‘Correct!’”
Minhyuk gave a thumbs-up to Jisoo’s adeptness. Seeing this, Dansol already felt intimidated.
“Maybe we should’ve gone with a shorter slogan…”
Worried that their longer slogan might be a disadvantage, Dansol looked at Taeoh with concern. Taeoh, still exuding an inexplicable confidence, patted his shoulder reassuringly.
In reality, how quickly they shouted the slogan didn’t matter much.
“Dansol, it’s all about the spirit! Just shout out whatever comes to mind with confidence!”
Reluctantly, Dansol nodded slowly. Even though he had the advantage of his past life, he resolved not to give any legendary wrong answers this time.
—Great. Each round will have three questions per topic, and those who answer correctly should step back. The team whose members all pass first will be ranked.
—The first question is general knowledge. What do we call young people between the ages of 15 and 34 who have no desire to work, study, or manage a household?
Dansol’s mind went blank. It seemed the same for the others as silence filled the room.
The production team, unable to watch any longer, gave a hint.
“It ends with ‘tribe’ and is related to clothing.”
“How Do You Do!”
—Yoo Doohyun, the answer?
“Well… I really know this. Oh… I read it, um, Sleeveless Tribe?”
—Wrong! Close, but no. Think of something soft and cozy.
‘Dansol, for quizzes, it’s all about the spirit.’
‘Confidence.’
‘Shout it out!’
Taeoh, despite not stepping forward himself, kept urging Dansol, who kept stepping back. Staying still might have kept him in the middle, but Taeoh’s voice echoed in Dansol’s ear like a spell.
‘Soft and cozy clothes… Soft… Cozy… Indeed… Nothing beats this for softness!’
“Idol Alliance!”
—Yes! Joo Dansol?
“Padded Jacket Tribe!”
—Wrong!
“Long Padded Jacket Tribe!”
—Wrong!
“Padded… Vest Tribe?”
—Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
While Dansol couldn’t escape the swamp of padded jackets, cautiously watching Daesoo opened his mouth.
“Dool Dool Daesoo.”
—Yes! Jung Daesoo?
“NEET Tribe.”
—Correct! NEET Tribe stands for Not in Education, Employment, or Training, referring to those who are unemployed and neither receiving education nor training.
“Geez…”
When Dansol glared at him resentfully, Daesoo quickly stood up, avoiding his gaze.
But Dansol’s streak of wrong answers wasn’t over yet.
—What is the idiom that refers to broad and fearless moral courage?
“Idol Alliance! Brimming with Courage!”
—Wrong!
“Dool Dool Daesoo!”
—Yes! Lee Yiyeon?
“(대장부)Daejangbu.”
—Correct!
—Next is a nonsense quiz. What happens if you shoot a gun carelessly?
“Idol Alliance! Bang Bang Bang!”
—Wrong!
“Idol Alliance! Careless Soup? No! Public Bath!”
—Wrong!
“Correct!”
—Han Jisoo?
“Seolleongtang (Ox Bone Soup).”
—Correct!
Yiyeon and Jisoo went to the back in turns. With Yiyeon and Daesoo’s team already confirmed as the first place, the dinner menu was no longer important.
The living room was filled with tension. The only goal for the remaining people was to avoid last place.
—What is the title of Hemingway’s novel about the story of Henry and Catherine set during World War I?
“Idol Alliance! Saving Private Ryan!”
But due to Dansol’s rampage, Taeoh, another member of the Idol Alliance, hadn’t even had a chance to open his mouth.
—Wrong!
“How do you do.”
—Yes! Ha Minseong?
“A Farewell to Arms?”
—Correct!
Minseong let out a big sigh of relief at the accidentally correct answer. If he were solidified as a foolish character from the first shoot, it could greatly damage the image he had worked hard to build as an actor.
Now, the remaining people were Minhyuk, Jisoo, and Dansol and Taeoh. Among them, only the Idol Alliance still had all its members present.
“Um… Dansol, you might want to tone it down a bit.”
“Oh… I’m sorry, Taeoh.”
“No, it’s okay.”
Jisoo, who was standing at the back, was also feeling frustrated.
“Hey! Minhyuk! Shout out something! Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Minhyuk mumbled in a voice too small to reach the resentful Jisoo.
“Because I’m in the sports club…”
—Next is a music question. Listen to the music and guess the title and artist.
Before the words were even finished, the intro started playing. No, it was about to play. Less than a second after the music started, Dansol shouted Idol Alliance.
“Idol Alliance!”
“Um… Dansol, I told you to tone it down a bit…”
Despite the pre-warning, Taeoh pounded his chest in frustration at Dansol’s unyielding spirit.
“Senior Bloom’s ‘Undying Bird’!”
—Uh… Correct!
But surprisingly, the result of the undying spirit was correct.
“Is that my song?”
The joy of guessing the song that even the original artist couldn’t recognize made Dansol and Taeoh hug and jump up and down in place.
“Wow! Dansol, you got it right!”
“I won’t die! I won’t disappear! Oh! Even if this world ends! My heart towards you won’t die! Won’t disappear! Whoa-yeah!”
Not stopping there, the two of them, as if they had practiced, performed an impromptu song and dance to the intro, showcasing their fitting image for the Idol Alliance.
However, after Dansol, who answered correctly, went to the back, the Idol Alliance ended up having rice, seaweed, and kimchi for dinner, thanks to Taeoh, who didn’t utter a single word till the end.
Leaving behind the smell of luxurious dishes from other tables, Taeoh, dispirited, put kimchi on his plain rice, feeling down and blaming himself.
“I’m sorry… Dansol didn’t lose his spirit. Ha… Because of me.”
But Dansol didn’t blame Taeoh. he placed a piece of seaweed on Taeoh’s lifeless spoon and said,
“No, Taeoh… We fought well even though we lost.”
Just as they were reminding each other of the process over the result, a plate of spicy stir-fried pork was placed in front of them.
“Dansol? I thought you were an actor because you were so handsome, but you were an idol junior.”
“Oh… Yes!”
It was Minseong, surprisingly. Seeing his idol from childhood TV shows in real life, Dansol felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. he even thought he might have come back to this moment just for this.
“Yoo Doohyun is on a diet, so he doesn’t eat this stuff. There’s plenty left, so let’s share. I enjoyed your singing earlier.”
“Thank you…”
“Thank you! Senior!”
Minseong gave a warm smile and turned away, leaving Dansol and Taeoh, who were overjoyed like children.
Watching this, Daesoo, Yiyeon, Jisoo, and Minhyuk competed to put their side dishes on Dansol’s table.
Before long, a lavish feast was piled up in front of Dansol. Feeling embarrassed by the mountain of food, Dansol tried to push the plate towards Taeoh, but hands appeared and put it back in front of him.
Thanks to this, Dansol enjoyed the most splendid dinner of anyone.
* * *
*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*
