Chapter 442 - 442 [PENALTY QUIZ] (IV)
The Number One Star in the Interstellar Era
442 [PENALTY QUIZ] (IV)
âITâS also going to be Astridâs first penalty, so this would be fun,â Lance added to what the emcee said.
âAh, youâre right! It seems that his luck has finally come to an end.â
âOh, I donât think itâs luck. Heâs the one with the most points right now. The fact that he could avoid penalties until now meant that heâs using a good strategy to win,â Lance said.
âNow that I think about it, youâre probably on to something.â The emcee turned to Astrid. âWhy donât you share your strategy with us, Astrid, before we proceed to your penalty? Maybe the other quiz takers would also like to hear it?â
Since this was started by the emcee, thereâs no way the other would say ânoâ. Not interacting properly at such a time could lead to criticism from the public. So, to avoid things like that, they had to be as interactive as possible.
âYes, please share it with us,â one of the female guests said.
âI think I really need a strategy right now,â Myla Cruise said, and then added with a sad expression, âJust look at my points.â
As she said, she was the one with the lowest points among them. Sheâs the first candidate who might receive the ultimate punishment for todayâs episode.
Even Yujin also joined and said, âIâm also quite interested in this strategy.â
â¦..
âIf I tell you about it, can I avoid the penalty?â Astrid asked in a playful tone.
âOh-ho, now Iâm a bit tempted to agree,â the emcee said. âBut alas, it would go against our programâs rules. So, I think you should open your generous heart and just tell us about it.â
âAs much as I want to, but the truth is, I donât really have a specific strategy,â Astrid said while scratching his cheek and showing an embarrassed expression. âI just promised myself before I came here that I shouldnât be too adventurous and just answer, or at least try to answer questions that I know the answer to.â He then followed that up with a small, helpless laugh. âBut as you can see, I seem to have failed since I still have to suffer through this penalty.â
No one thought that he was lying, or that he was being full of shit. Because what he said was backed up by what he had shown so far.
âDonât be too hard on yourself. Youâre doing pretty well, in my opinion,â Lance said with a sympathizing glance.
âThatâs right! It wouldnât be a full experience if you didnât experience the penalties that our show is so proud of,â the emcee said before turning to the audience. âDonât you think so as well?â
The audience replied with a resounding âyesâ.
âThen Iâll do my best for this penalty,â Astrid said, doing a fist pump with both hands.
âLetâs see what kind of penalty Yujin and Astrid will get!â
After the emcee said that, the image on the screen changed again. It started to spin. When it stopped, a picture of a plate with food appeared.
âItâs a food penalty!â
Then, the area in front of the podiums suddenly split, and a rectangular table appeared. On top of it, there were three dishes that were covered.
âSince two of you will do this penalty, of course, there should be a twist,â the emcee said in an intriguing manner. âTwo of those three dishes are definitely not something you would want to eat on a daily basis. But one of those three is something delicious that you would enjoy. So, now, who will be lucky between the two to get that one delicious dish?â
Astrid and Yujin looked at each other. Their gaze was obviously asking who would pick first.
âYou can pick first,â Astrid said, because it didnât really matter to him what kind of food he would get. Heâs not that squeamish, after all.
âAre you sure?â Yujin asked.
He had only experienced two penalties. But both were things he didnât want to experience again. He was sure that it would be the same this time. When he saw Astrid nod, he walked towards the table and picked the one on the far left. Astrid also did the same and picked the one on the far right.
âShould we open it at the same time?â he asked.
âOkay,â Astrid said.
Yujin held the handle of the of the cover. âOn the count of three⦠3⦠2⦠1!â
He pulled the cover up. When he saw what was on the plate, Yujin almost let go of the cover. He wasnât even able to control his expression. The dish he picked was some kind of stir-fried bugs that looked very much like some kind of brown worms. The added green sauce just made it even more unpalatable. Not to mention the smell.
He had never felt the need to vomit so strongly right at this moment. What more when he had to eat this thing?
Yujin closed his eyes and tried to calm down. Then he glanced at the dish that Astrid chose. When he saw it, he almost let out a curse.
It was a plate of juicy and shiny grapes. They were glistening and looking like they had just been freshly picked. In his eyes, it seemed to be the most delicious grapes in the universe right at this moment.
He was about to tell Astrid how lucky he was, but when he saw the otherâs expression, he couldnât say a word. It was because Astrid was completely frozen. His face even completely turned white. Itâs like he was looking at something horrendous and not at those delicious-looking grapes.
âAstrid, are you okay?â he couldnât help but asked.
Astrid returned to his senses at Yujinâs question. Being a professional, he managed to smile and say, âYes, Iâm fine.â
But deep inside, he was already howling. Of all the fruits in the universe, why did it have to be those⦠those violet round things? Shit, he couldnât even say its name because of the trauma.
So, how the hell would he get past this?