Chapter 181 : Universe Dust Debate Contest
Chapter 181: Universe Dust Debate Contest
[Ten hamster-sized Do Seohans vs. one Do Seohan-sized hamster]
The moment the first debate topic appeared on the screen, a groan erupted from the set.
Ha Junseo, who was serving as the host, tapped the cue cards with the script and began to speak.
"Yes, we’ll now begin the Universe Dust Debate Contest. I’m your host, Ha Junseo."
“Waaaaah!”
At Ha Junseo’s words, the members responded with enthusiastic applause.
Everyone was reacting well today. Ha Junseo continued with a pleased smile.
"First, I’ll explain the rules of the debate. Each of you will be divided into the Red Team and the Blue Team to debate each topic. The first topic is already on the screen behind me."
Red Team: Raising ten hamster-sized Do Seohans
Blue Team: Raising one Do Seohan-sized hamster
"Can we just pick right away?"
"This one's easy."
"Yes, feel free to choose as you like."
As soon as the topic was revealed, Kang Siwoo and Cha Seongbin moved to the Red Team.
Lastly, Seo Han took a seat beside them, finalizing the Red Team lineup. Cha Seongbin shrugged his shoulders as he sat down.
"I’m going to raise Seo Han~."
"You already kind of are."
"I’m the one who’s closer to raising the hyungs."
Seo Han shot back at Kang Siwoo’s comment and looked toward the opposing side.
Seo Haim, Jin Sehyun, and Seo Ian had chosen the Blue Team.
"I’d rather take the hamster…"
Jin Sehyun shook his head as he took his seat on the right.
The camera zoomed in on Do Seohan’s bewildered face.
"‘Rather,’ huh. Please mind your words."
Jin Sehyun brushed off Seo Han’s remark and asserted confidently.
"Everyone, imagine having ten hamster-sized Do Seohans… No, could you even handle that?"
"Excuse me. Please be careful with your units."
"Ahahaha!"
Listening to the heated exchange, Cha Seongbin burst out laughing and slammed his head onto the table.
"Not ten animals, ten people."
"Still, ten Do Seohans…"
"Excuse me!"
"Hey, Seo Han is a person too~."
"Fans might not know, but even handling one Do Seohan is harder than it seems."
Even before the official start, the debate room was heating up fast, prompting Ha Junseo to step in.
"Alright, alright! Let’s speak one at a time. Jin Sehyun-ssi, please begin."
"Yep."
The speaking rights first went to Jin Sehyun of the Blue Team. Sehyun sprang up from his seat to start his presentation.
He had chosen to raise one Do Seohan-sized hamster out of the two options.
"The reason I chose the Blue Team is, first of all…"
Ahem.
Jin Sehyun cleared his throat and spoke with a serious expression.
"Imagine ten Do Seohans cooking at the same time."
"That’s terrifying."
"They’d burn the whole house down…"
"And if they’re hamster-sized, they could even hide. Hard to catch, too."
"Gasp!"
Do Seohan causing chaos and then disappearing?
Shiver—
Sitting next to him, Seo Ian had been trembling his hands since earlier.
Seeing such exaggerated gestures clearly meant for the camera, Seo Han immediately objected.
"Wait a minute. Of all people, Seo Ian shouldn’t be doing that."
Seo Ian, don’t you have a conscience?
"Ian, come on, have some conscience."
"Yeah. You can’t cook either~."
Kang Siwoo joined in, scolding Seo Ian from beside Do Seohan.
Regardless of that.
Jin Sehyun pushed through the barrage of rebuttals and continued.
"Even worse, Seo Han talks more than you’d expect."
Hamsters are quiet, but Do Seohan definitely is not.
Jin Sehyun stroked his chin with a serious face.
"Now, imagine ten Do Seohans chattering in your ears all at once. Haim-ssi, can you handle that?"
"I’m louder than him."
"Hey. Whose side are you on?"
Due to Seo Haim’s unexpected betrayal, Jin Sehyun hurriedly wrapped up his statement.
"Th-that’s all from me."
Now it was the Red Team’s turn to counter the Blue Team’s argument. The three who chose the ten hamster-sized Do Seohans.
Host Ha Junseo raised his hand toward Cha Seongbin.
"Red Team, please begin your statement."
"Yes, understood."
Cha Seongbin swayed a bit as he stood up. The notes he had hastily scribbled fluttered limply in his hand.
In what felt like a scene from a comedy film, Cha Seongbin tried his best to maintain a serious expression and opened his mouth.
"I chose the ten Do Seohans. You all know Seo Han is good at dancing. He’s a friend who sings well too. But what if we had ten Seo Hans?"
Cha Seongbin nodded as he continued.
"We could form a boy group."
"Ah."
"Pfft."
Caught off guard by the unexpected idea, host Ha Junseo burst out laughing.
"…He’s a genius?"
Even the opposing team failed to hold back their laughter.
Seo Ian bit his lower lip hard as he listened to Cha Seongbin’s argument.
Cha Seongbin, with a dead serious expression, mimed pressing buttons on a vending machine.
"If we make a boy group with Seo Han and send them on a world tour, the revenue from that would be around…"
"I think your motives are impure."
"Seo Han would love it. Right?"
"…Huh?"
"Yes, Seo Han says he’d love it."
Being on the same team, Seo Han couldn’t exactly attack back. He just sat there with a blank expression, listening to Cha Seongbin’s claim.
At this rate, the ten Do Seohans were on the verge of debuting as a boy group and going global.
"……."
While Seo Han listened to Cha Seongbin with a blank face, the second argument continued.
Cha Seongbin cleared his throat and lifted his notes high.
“There’s another point to argue about regarding size.”
“What is it?”
The reason Cha Seongbin chose the hamster-sized Do Seohan.
“Hamsters are terrifying when they’re huge. But Seo Han gets cuter when he’s tiny.”
“…….”
“He’s not cute now because he’s too big. Right?”
Seo Han nodded with a reluctant expression.
“That’s right. I’m cool.”
“Pfft.”
Unable to hold it in, Seo Ian burst out laughing, trembling.
Meanwhile, the allotted three-minute debate time was coming to an end.
Ha Junseo, who had been quietly listening to the members' arguments, scratched his head.
“What kind of debate is this?”
“I don’t know.”
Let’s move on to the next topic.
.
.
.
.
“This is the second topic.”
The debate room still buzzed with the heat from the first round.
Ha Junseo briefly checked his script cards and lowered his voice again.
In a serious atmosphere, the second debate began.
“You’ll choose a member you’d want to be stranded with on a deserted island.”
Red Team: Ha Junseo, who forces you to drink a 6-shot coffee every morning
Blue Team: Kang Siwoo, who makes you do a full body workout every morning
As soon as the topic appeared on screen, sighs erupted everywhere.
Seo Haim grabbed her head and strongly denied reality.
“Aaaaaaah….”
“I’d rather raise ten hamsters and one Do Seohan in the city.”
“Huh?”
“Oh, sorry.”
Either way, both were the worst.
Cha Seongbin grimaced and glanced back at the screen.
“I don’t want to go to a deserted island, but I have to go with one of them?”
“Sigh….”
While the other members were deeply contemplating longer than the first topic, Seo Han moved to the Blue Team without hesitation. Jin Sehyun sat beside him.
Murmur murmur—
At last, the remaining members filled the rest of the seats, and the second debate officially began.
Host Ha Junseo carefully observed the members’ choices and first gave the floor to Seo Haim of the Red Team.
“Seo Haim-ssi, you chose Ha Junseo, who forces you to drink a 6-shot coffee every morning.”
“Yes!”
“Please begin your statement.”
Ha Junseo smiled warmly as he watched Seo Haim bounce up from her seat.
Seo Haim jumped up and opened her mouth.
“The reason I chose the Red Team is, first of all…! Coffee may be bitter, but once you drink it, that’s it. And Junseo hyung is a kind-hearted person, so he wouldn’t actually force it.”
“Haim-ah, what does that make Siwoo hyung then?”
“Ah, sorry. Hyung.”
Seo Haim nodded toward Kang Siwoo seated across and continued her speech.
“Second! You can secretly spill coffee on the ground when Junseo hyung isn’t looking. But PT. Personal Training, you can’t sneak away from that!”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
“I object. You shouldn’t secretly discard food or drinks on the floor.”
“Yes, please be quiet.”
Seo Haim brushed off Jin Sehyun’s rebuttal and continued speaking.
Unexpectedly for Seo Haim, her argument was quite logical.
“Anyway, a deserted island is a place where conserving energy is crucial, but being forced to do bodyweight exercises every morning? You’ll get hungry faster! Then you’ll need more food! That makes survival even harder. I trust Seo Han, the deserted island survivor, knows this well.”
“Well, I’m not so sure.”
Surviving on a Deserted Island participant Seo Han shrugged provocatively at Seo Haim’s claim.
Host Ha Junseo, watching the scene with great interest, confirmed the end of the three-minute limit and passed the turn.
The Blue Team’s speaker was Do Seohan.
Screeeech—
Seo Han pushed back his chair and stood up.
As if to prove how seriously everyone was taking this silly debate, his face was deadly serious again.
Seo Han pointed his palm at Ha Junseo and began to speak.
“If it were me, I would absolutely not go to a deserted island with Ha Junseo hyung.”
Ahem ahem.
“Caffeine is a prime substance that causes diuretic effects. Therefore, excessively consuming caffeine every morning can lead to fluid loss.”
“……!”
They’re going this deep into it?
Ha Junseo’s dazed face was caught on camera.
“Why is everyone so serious about this?”
“No idea….”
Seo Han proclaimed his argument with a bold voice.
“Is getting food the hardest part of surviving on a deserted island? No.”
“Nope~.”
“Finding water is the hardest part.”
Seo Han nodded solemnly.
Next to him, Cha Seongbin eagerly played the role of hype man, chiming in supportively.
“You need to collect precious rainwater and drink that, but what if it doesn’t rain?”
“That’s a disaster~.”
“But using that precious water to brew coffee? That’s a crime.”
“Junseo did wrong!”
“Even worse, it’ll make you thirstier, directly impacting your survival.”
“Oh my. Junseo shouldn’t go to a deserted island~.”
With every excited addition from Cha Seongbin, laughter erupted from all around.
“Ahahaha!”
The momentum was shifting toward the Blue Team.
Seo Han clenched his fist and confidently delivered his final statement.
“With Siwoo hyung, we can prevent both fluid loss and muscle loss.”
“That sounds like a campaign slogan.”
“I vote for Kang Siwoo.”
Either way, it was a victory for the science student.