351 Bet on Coin and Yun Woo 6 (2/2)
”Yes. Though, there's no way to confirm that now.”
”Not so fast. Would you mind explaining the answer to this question?” the host asked. Juho remembered every single question the doctors had asked him in the past.
”Do you not feel drunk even after you had a certain amount of alcohol? Has alcohol ever hindered your performance at work? Meal, or hobby… So, does getting your fix of alcohol come before other responsibilities? Does your hand shake? Are there any symptoms of withdrawal?”
”Tolerance, withdrawal, compulsion, and obsession,” Coin said, summarizing Juho's answer. Ambiguous applause came from the audience. However, the host seemed entertained by the situation.
”If I knew that these questions would be too easy for you guys, we should've come up with at least ten questions for every subject.”
”I didn't realize we were raising awareness for alcoholism?”
”Of course, not. Let's move on, shall we?”
From then on, Juho and Coin took turns calling numbers and answered two questions for every subject, which added to ten questions. When Juho counted their respective scores, they each had scored five points.
”It seems like we have a tie,” the host said after checking the questions that were still left.
”This calls for a tie-breaker!”
”You're on,” Coin said, immediately calling out a number. After answering various questions about the Earth, physics, history, arts, and politics, Juho thought about the other subjects that were left. At that moment, the host opened his mouth and said a sentence in a mysterious language. Upon hearing it, Juho sat up as the words triggered the language acquisition device within him. It was an ancient language.
”The Rosetta Stone allowed scientists and experts to interpret the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt. Recently, there's been news that a similar artifact has been discovered, which enabled linguists to interpret the written languages of fifth-century nomadic tribes,” the host said. Juho had also heard the news while he had been in the military.
”How the hell am I supposed to know that?” Coin said irritably. At which point, the host raised his hand in order to reassure the author, saying, ”Don't worry. It's going to be multiple choice. So, which one of these is the proper interpretation of…” and repeated the sentence in the same mysterious language.
”Do you not know this?” Coin asked. After a brief thought, Juho replied, ”I might've come across it once while I was doing some research for a book.”
”So, you should know the answer, right?”
'Sure, but…' Juho hesitated. He couldn't flat out say that he had read an ancient text that had been decoded just recently.
”I don't think I know this one,” the young author said. However, Coin remained suspicious of Juho. Then, the host went through the choices on the answering sheet.
”A: Steps to performing a ceremony. B: Instructions on training an apprentice. C: Instructions on electing a leader. D: Instructions on raising a warrior.”
After listening carefully, Juho looked up and asked, ”Is that all?”
”Yes, it is.”
Then, Juho looked at Coin and then at the audience. Nobody seemed to notice anything strange, unlike Juho, who was slightly flustered. None of the four choices were correct, which made the young author think that the real answer might be to deny that the text had ever been decoded.
”And all the information we've been given up to this point was accurate?”
”That's right. We have a staff member who majored in physics back in college. He even went through several essays before coming up with this question,” the host said proudly. However, he seemed to be completely oblivious that something had gone wrong in the process of formulating the question. As Juho clenched his lips tightly, the host asked, ”What's the matter?”
”Nothing. It just feels like none of the answers are speaking to me.”
”So, this is pure luck?” Coin asked.
”Luck is a skill too,” Juho replied. Looking like he'd had it, Coin made a C with his hand, indicating his choice of answer.
”So, there's no hidden answer? Say… None of the above?”
”No. One of these choices is definitely the answer.”
”I see,” Juho said, forcing himself to accept the situation. The true nature of the question was to guess the actual translation that had been reported by the linguistic circle, which Juho had no clue as to what it was. As Juho was lost in thought, Coin kicked him in the shin, saying, ”Get a move on. We're putting an end to this with the next question.”
”And if I say that there is no answer?”
”We'll have to consider it as forfeiting.”
”And one of those four choices IS the right answer, right?”
”That's right,” the host said, checking the script out of courtesy, but puzzled.
”I'll go with D, then.”
”D, it is! All right, believe it or not, one of you actually got it right!” the host said. Juho stayed in his seat, feeling like a complete idiot. Then, moving his hands in an exaggerated manner, the host announced the winner, ”And the answer is... C: Instructions on electing a leader! Kelley Coin wins!”
As Juho applauded Coin, Coin told the host, ”Next question.”
”I'm sorry?”
”I told this guy earlier that we would decide who the winner was with the next question. C'mon, let's go,” Coin said insistently. Of course, it was a welcoming change for the staff, and the host accepted his demand without question. The audience seemed quite excited about the new development as well. In the end, the final question came up, and after beating Juho to answering it, Coin finally obtained his victory. Juho genuinely congratulated his opponent's victory.
---
”Juho! You need to see this!”
At the sound of Susan's voice calling to him, Juho opened his eyes. The villa had become a second home to him. Looking at the book in his hand, he assumed that he had dozed off while reading. Getting out of bed, Juho made his way downstairs. Two months had passed since appearing on a certain TV show with Coin, and needless to say, the show had been well received. There had been a review, which had been written by a certain fan in the States, floating around the internet. It had gained enough popularity to make reporters visit Coin at his residence. Of course, Juho's phone had been constantly hot from ringing nonstop.
People were quite fond of seeing Yun Woo stand alongside Coin, making the two highly recognizable. Meanwhile, Coin was on the verge of snapping as his life became even more troublesome than before. In order to avoid people who recognized him, he had been refraining from going out.
”What is it?” Juho asked, sitting across from her. When he went downstairs, he saw Susan looking at a newspaper with a serious look on her face. Examining the young author's face, she asked, ”Did you just wake up?”
”Kind of.”
”I didn't wake you up, did I?”
”Oh, no.”
Nodding haphazardly, she put the newspaper down on the table. At which point, Juho also looked at it. Just from glancing at it, he was able to piece the puzzle together. As he picked up the newspaper slowly, Coin came downstairs and asked, ”What's the matter?”
”Seems like a scandal has broken out,” Juho said calmly, his eyes fixed on the newspaper.
”Well, that's nothing new, is it? Let's see it.”
Fabrication. Fraud. Results. Essay. Research Team.
”That was one of the questions you solved,” Susan said, adding, ”There was no answer, apparently.”
The mother and son fixed their eyes on the same spot. Upon reading the article over Juho's shoulder, Coin grasped the situation almost immediately. His face twisted into a scowl.
”So, it's a draw!?”
Juho sensed a threatening presence behind him. At which point, he buried his face in the newspaper.