Chapter 332: Angels

The question was familiar—very familiar, in fact.

Then, it hit him.

The Perepo box that Amira gave him.

The exact same question was printed on top of the box.

June quickly glanced at Zibo and saw he was also struggling to find the right answer. Then, he glanced at the timer, watching as it started ticking.

He remembered the man's first name.

Friedrich.

He quickly wrote it down.

However, he could only vaguely remember his last name since Akira took away the Perepo box from him just as he was about to finish reading it.

Shoot, what was it again?

Angels!

Friedrich Angels!

So, Amira was saying he was an angel? But he hasn't done anything kind to her at all!

Alright, back to the show.

June was about to write it on the whiteboard but stopped when he suddenly felt unsure.

"Angels," he muttered under his breath.

How the hell do you write that in English again? June was sure he would have written it without hesitation if it weren't for the timer ticking in the background. However, as much as he didn't show it, he felt pressured because of everybody's eyes watching him.

From the very start, June knew he would be able to make it far with his current knowledge. However, he never expected to reach as far as the finale!

June concealed his knowledge in the beginning since he knew that Chul most likely thought this would tarnish his reputation to some degree.

June thought Chul was finally tamed after the toe-sucking incident, but it seemed like their manager still hadn't learned his lesson.

Maybe June has to teach him a lesson.

He was getting off-topic again, so he pinched his forearm to focus his attention back to the show.

As the timer reached the ten-second mark, June quickly wrote down what he felt was the right spelling of the word—'Angels.'

"Times up," Kim San exclaimed.

June raised his head and didn't realize that Zibo had already raised his board.

"Zibo had raised his board first. However, his answer, 'Adam Smith,' is incorrect. If June gets this right, then we have one last question!"

June glanced at Jaeyong, feeling a bit doubtful with his answer.

Nonetheless, he raised his board.

"Friedrich..."

"Engels..."

"That is correct!" Kim San loudly exclaimed, and the audience erupted in the loudest applause of the night.

Their showdown was more thrilling than expected, and the show quickly rose in the ratings, pleasing even the producers.

"You even know about that?" Akira exclaimed, staring at the TV with wide eyes. "You're not just smart. You're a genius, aren't you?"

June stayed silent.

He was proud of all his other answers.

However, after getting home that night and searching for the actual spelling of 'angels,' he felt quite ashamed.

"It's down to our last question," Kim San exclaimed.

"However, before we get to it," he said, building anticipation. "I have a special announcement for everyone in the room."

"As you all know, the holidays are coming in. With less than three weeks left for the year, we have decided to conduct a special. The next two episodes will highlight the specials of the entire year...and for the very last episode of 2023, we're going to have a special episode—An 'All-Star' episode with all the winners from this year," Kim San announced.

June's teammates turned to him with wide eyes.

"Don't tell me—you're actually going to join the special?" Ren asked.

"When's the filming?" Zeth asked.

"December 26th," Jaeyong answered. "They said it off-camera."

"Just in time for our break, too! We don't have any schedules for that day, right?" Ren excitedly asked.

"You better win this one, bro!" Akira said, already engrossed with the show.

"Going back to the last question," Kim San said. "It has already been determined by our panel of experts; thus, there will be no 'rock, paper, scissors' for this round. However, I am going to give you the question type—it's going to be an all-enumeration question! One must enumerate all answers included in the question to get the point and win the title of this week's Quiz King!"

June nodded, but it seemed like there was something lingering in his mind.

December 26th, huh?

Zibo leaned closer to his buzzer, preparing himself to answer.

"Here's the question!"

"What are the five states of matter?"

- Five states? Aren't there three states only?

- Bro, it was only three states when I was in third grade. Did they upgrade it now?

- Oh, gosh. I forgot the fifth one.

- At least you still know the fourth one.

Zibo quickly pressed the buzzer.

"Solid...Liquid...Gas...Plasma...and..."

Zibo paused for a while, feeling a bit rushed. He knew of the fifth state of matter, but he couldn't recall it in the back of his head.

Kim San started counting down, causing Zibo to bite his lip in anxiety.

"Time's up! The turn automatically goes to June," he said, turning to the nonchalant trainee.

At that moment, there was a lot going on inside June's mind.

December 26th.

"I bet you know this! You definitely know this," Akira exclaimed.

"June?" Kim San called his name, causing June to focus. His eyebrows lightly furrowed, making him look more handsome under the stage lights.

- I'm sorry, but I can't concentrate on anything aside from June's face.

- Having that kind of face should be illegal.

- I want his face for our child.

- These posts for this week's episode are wild! We usually get old people criticizing the participants. Why is it filled with thirsty teens now?

"Liquid, Gas, Plasma, and..."

"Bose-Einstein Condensate," he said with confidence, causing Zibo to purse his lips in frustration.

He couldn't believe he lost to a guy whose report card was worse than an elementary student trying to survive in high school!

The crowd started cheering at this point, knowing June had taken the cake.

Jaeyong and Seven hugged each other like good friends, feeling the thrill of June's victory.

The members watching were also elated, shouting praises and fist-bumping like they were the ones who won the show.

Kim San, however, remained calm.

"You merely mentioned four," he said. "You need to mention the last one to get it right."

"Ah," June said, scratching the back of his neck. "I forgot about it."

The cheering automatically stopped. They turned to June with wide eyes, in disbelief at what they were hearing.

"What?" Akira exclaimed. "Bro, Zibo just listed it out before you! And even then, 'solid' is the easiest state of matter there is!"

Time ticked slowly, and with each passing second, those who were watching felt confused.

Even Zibo couldn't hide his confusion.

"Time's up," Kim San blankly said.

Zibo quickly pressed the buzzer. "Solid, Liquid, Gas, Plasma, and Bose-Einstein Condensate."

"Correct!" Kim San exclaimed.

The confetti exploded, and just like that, the show hailed its winner.

However, for some reason, it wasn't as celebratory as they had anticipated.

The members of EVE watched the rolling credits with blank stares.

"What...was that?" Ren asked. "Why did you forfeit your answer to your opponent?"

"Oh, I have something to do on December 26th," June said, finally breaking his silence.

"How important could it be?" Akira exclaimed. "We don't have any schedules that day."

"It's very important," June smiled.

"I'm meeting my grandma and my little brother that day."