The most awaited week for most of the students has finally come. It was the start of Engineering Week, which means that there will not be any classes for the whole week and everyone is free to have fun on various booths or join academic related contests as a way of adding more points to their final grades. Everything was set up beautifully, and each of the tents for the food and game booths looked aesthetically pleasing and creative. 

Jimin was with Jisu, the council vice president, and they were checking every booth to make sure there will be no problems occurring once they open the school gate for the outsiders to enjoy what they have prepared. It was also the council members' idea to let other people come to their university if they wanted to witness the events they arranged as well.

“What time will your quiz bee start?” Jisu asked as she scanned through the checklist for the third time to see if they had missed anything. 

“10:00,” Jimin replied as she took a sip from the iced caramel macchiato she bought from one of the beverage booths. “Thankfully, I was able to review this morning since I woke up earlier than my alarm clock. I guess I was too nervous to even let myself sleep a bit long.” 

Jisu chuckled before putting the long list back in the pocket of her uniform. She stepped closer to the student body president and gave her back a soft tap.

“This is my first time hearing that you're nervous about something related to academics. You've always been number one; in the general rankings, in all of your classes, even in all the contests you've entered in the past years. Why be nervous now?”

Jimin sighed as she thought about a certain person that annoyed her so much; even her breathing was so annoying that Jimin despised hearing it. 

“It's different now, Jisu. Unfortunately, I think I might've already met my match,” she stated. “As much as I hate to admit it, Kim Minjeong is surely brilliant and quick on uptake. It was so easy for her to get me off my supposed spot in the rankings, what more in simple contests like Math or Science quiz bees?” 

“Just because someone unexpectedly did something that changed one thing about your lifestyle that you've gotten used to, doesn't mean you should doubt yourself completely. This is just how the world works sometimes; not everything will always be in your favor, and that's certainly alright. You know what's important? You're trying your best to set sail everyday, because it just shows that you're not someone who gives up easily.” 

The council vice president gave her an encouraging smile, and she surely felt comforted by it. Jisu is basically the mother of the group, and she's very understanding and patient towards everyone around her. She always gives the best advice, too, and it kind of explains why a lot of students at their university run to her in times of despair.

“Jimin, people don't admire you for always being number one. They admire you because you're hardworking and you never back down. Now stop stressing out too much and just enjoy your life as a student, like what you always do.”

“Thanks, Jisu. I'll do my best for later,” she assured, pulling the girl into a tight embrace as a way of showing her gratitude. 

“I'm sure you will because you're Yoo Jimin.” 

There was only half an hour left before the quiz bee started, and a lot of people had already gathered inside the spacious auditorium of the university. The contestants were already in their respective seats; some were still skimming through their notes, and others were just silently waiting for the event to start. Jimin was sitting at the front, as always, and she had been reviewing her notes for the past couple of minutes to confirm that she hadn't failed to remember any terms or formulas that could possibly be included in the questions. 

Jimin turned her head to see if there were familiar faces in the auditorium, and to her surprise, both her parents were seated in the first row with the program dean. She gulped, suddenly feeling anxious when her mom gave her a knowing look. This was the first time her parents had attended an event like this, and the thought of failing in front of them was Jimin's biggest trepidation. She was about to go back to studying her notes when she saw someone in the audience waving merrily, a wide smile plastered on her face as she tried to get the student body president's attention.

It was her best friend, Aeri, and she even brought a huge banner with Jimin's name on it. Her nervousness suddenly disappeared, and she knew she had to do her best. Before returning to her notes, she waved back at Aeri and even gave her a thumbs up.

“Alright, since all of the contestants are here, it's now the time to officially start the quiz bee. There are only three major rules. First, listen to the questions carefully because they will only be repeated twice. Second, write your answer on your whiteboards once you hear the signal. And last but not the least, once you hear the buzzer, stop writing and raise your whiteboards for the verification of your answers,” said the speaker in a very enthusiastic tone. “I'm wishing everyone good luck!”

Jimin looked around, and she was surprised to see her rival, Minjeong, sitting at the farthest corner and just basically doodling stuff on her whiteboard. She didn't seem to have any interest at all, and Jimin somehow started to believe that she was telling the truth— Minjeong was just forced to join the contest.

Even so, she still hated her entire existence, and her innocence won't stop Jimin from taking back what she thought was rightfully hers.

As soon as the first question was given, Jimin took the time to solve the equation in her head while the host read the problem since they were only given two minutes to answer for the easy round. She already knew that the questions were randomized; there would be scientific terms and mathematical terms as well. But of course, the questions change every year, so Jimin still has to work extra hard to study. 

When she heard the signal, she started writing the equation she made in her head legibly, since the judges are pretty strict when it comes to one's penmanship.

“The derivative of 3x raised to the fifth power plus 4x raised to the fourth power is...” Jimin paused as she wrote her solutions, rereading them again to avoid any mistakes that may affect her final answer. “15x raised to the fourth power, plus 16x raised to the third power.”

Once the buzzer beeped, all the contestants raised their boards for the final checking of their answers. Jimin's answer was correct, but so was Minjeong's.

And it went on with them being tied in the scoring until they reached the difficult round. Each time Jimin glances at the blonde, she just lazily writes her answers yet still gets all of them correctly. This just pressured the student body president more, and she could already feel her mother throwing daggers using her deadly glares. 

“Now, it's time for the difficult round! Remember, everyone is only given one minute to answer the questions. Those who exceed the given time will have their answers invalidated,” the speaker uttered. “The questions in this round will mainly focus on Physics; that includes both terms and equations. Good luck!”

Jimin felt confident, because Physics was her favorite subject and she had alway