“Excuse me for being daring, but…did you discover something…hm, new with your gang? Or about the gang themselves?” Cheonsa asked. “Maybe something you didn’t know before? Something…you didn’t expect to find out about?”

          “Um…” Jinah looked at the gang, confused. Cheonsa raised her eyebrows as her eyes flickered towards the males, who looked a bit stiff. That made Jinah frown, because she realized something. Cheonsa and the gang were hiding something. “Not really,” Jinah answered carefully, analyzing Wolf’s and Cheonsa’s faces. “It’s only been a week, and we’re still in the midst of getting to know each other so…maybe I’ll find out soon?”

         Cheonsa smiled back. “That’s good to know. Yes, perhaps you’ll find out soon… you probably hate not knowing, being a Callidum and all. Frustrating, isn’t it? I can sympathize. It’s quite pitiful, I should say.” Cheonsa chuckled, but Jinah didn’t even bother fake smiling. She fisted her hands and breathed through her nose. “Oh, and, Jinah, were you scared when Wolf chose you? I mean, a few members did…you know. Make other females –”

         “Not at all,” Jinah said, icily cutting the host off. “I heard stories about gangs in general and how cruel they are from my seniors and rejected candidates…but every assumption has its exceptions,” Jinah said professionally.

         “Ah, I see,” Cheonsa nodded. “According to – ah, research,” Cheonsa leaned over to the coffee table and picked up a folder. She opened it and held a documentary paper that Jinah had despised all her life. “It says here, that you had six records of mischief. How did you still manage to be a Top Callidum Candidate? Is this all true? How can that be? I heard that two records was the average – you practically tripled the average! Naughty girl, weren’t you?”

         Jinah laughed awkwardly and rubbed the back of her neck unknowingly. Her six records was a part of her that she wasn’t proud of at all. And the average is three, but I guess it doesn’t matter. Jinah’s lips moved, attempting to form words, but failed, making Cheonsa more interested and the atmosphere worse.

         Chanyeol caught on. He could practically feel her insecurity dripping out and he knew that Cheonsa could feel it too. “That, in a way, is a good thing. At least, for us Wolf,” Chanyeol took a gander back at s to make sure they didn’t have overly dramatic facial expressions. Some nodded helpfully – like Lay, Kris, or Baekhyun. The rest was just their usual self. Maybe a little more tense, but he was sure that Cheonsa couldn’t read that. “See, we knew that Jinah was different. I mean – who gets six records? That itself should have its merits.”

         Cheonsa laughed. “I see. That’s very funny. But, Jinah, how did you have six records – and manage to be a Top candidate?

          “It…I was just involved in other things. More things. And I just understood a bit faster than others, I guess…”

         “So you’re saying you’re smarter than every other Callidum? Or do you believe that you outshine other Callidums? Or… that Callidum is the smartest dwelling in general? Is that why you chose Callidum?”

         “Oh god, no!” Jinah scowled. Cheonsa was quick to assume that, and it triggered something inside Jinah. Behind her, Baekhyun reassuringly put his hands on her shoulders and tried to laugh the tension off. Jinah got the message: Stay calm. Cheonsa was trying to spark dwelling rivalries, a popular scandal. Or an over-confident Prix – a female who was too full of herself was asking for trouble. Jinah cleared . “I stayed up reading, hence the records. I don’t believe I’m smarter than anyone just through grades or the ranking system, and I don’t believe that Callidum is the ‘smartest’ dwelling. All-round intelligence comes from experience, and just studying off of a textbook or reading novels isn’t enough. Furthermore, it is also a part of a Callidum’s belief to not judge others through a written test or examination by the educational system of dwellings, as it is not unambiguously accurate.”

         “Ah. So, our viewers have been a bit confused with Callidum’s main value… what is it? Marks, pride, intelligence? Why is it of value, and how can it be attained?” Cheonsa looked at Jinah thoughtfully. At first, Jinah thought she was just being attentive. But now, she realized that Cheonsa was observing, analyzing, and waiting…observing their behavior, analyzing their answers, and waiting for the perfect scandal to exploit. “I also heard that Callidum is a very… proud dwelling.”

         “Wisdom,” Jinah replied simply and truthfully. “We, as a dwelling, believe that wisdom can only be obtained through many different types of experiences. To reach ‘wisdom’, we start off by exercising our brains – studying, reading, learning academics. We are also very aware that one always has room for improvement. To claim oneself as the ‘smartest’ is one of the stupidest things anyone can do. Pride protection reflex comes from self-defense mechanism, a trait I and other girls share. Marks are important for points for the ranking system, but other dwellings, too, have that, so it’s not just Callidum.”

         “Ah, alright. Each dwelling has a specific system to rank their own candidates. By value and who meets it best. How do you – ah, measure wisdom?”

         “Wisdom cannot be measured. So, we measure a similar one, which we can somewhat measure to a certain length – academic intelligence. We are given a section to study and are tested on that. These examinations determine who can grab the main points and memorize the proper things correctly within a specific time frame. In different subjects, the system and criteria differs. For language arts, it’s how you string your words together to make an impact on the other person, and getting your point across while maintaining the audience’s interest by using grabbers, clinchers, techniques to your advantage, vocabulary, and so on. For mathematics, it’s solving the question, equation, or expression correctly, doing the right work and getting the right answer. Marks for these academic tests are solely based on one’s capability and skill in memorization and expressing, which definitely doesn’t suffice to define wisdom.”

         Cheonsa nodded considerately at Jinah’s monologue. “Okay. Thank you, Jinah, for your informative answers. Your replies are very helpful – no wonder you’re a Top Prix! Wolf chose you very well.”

         Jinah laughed. “I’m grateful for them.”

         Cheonsa smiled so sweetly, she actually looked like what her name meant – an angel. Well, could’ve fooled me, Jinah thought sarcastically. From the way she pounced on Jinah for a possible scandal…she was not an angel. “So, Wolf,” she turned to the twelve boys. “My, you’re very handsome, all of you! I think you guys look even better than last time. How is your new Prix? Is she treating you well? Is she doing her proper duty? Being a proper female, not stepping out of her boundaries and such?”

          Suho really knew what he was doing. ‘Being a proper female, not stepping out of her boundaries and such?’ It was too obvious. “Thank you. She’s great. In all honesty, she’s the best. We couldn’t have asked for a better Prix.” He grinned and slung an arm around Jinah. Jinah didn’t fight back. She vaguely understood what type of people they had to act out. Good image, good money. She also understood Suho’s actions. This was a show. And because of the prolonged altercation with Fang earlier, she had to try harder.

          “She’s amazing,” Lay piped in with an affable and benign smile. “She cleans and cooks for us without complaint. She voluntarily does things to lighten our moods and looks out for us like a real mother or sister, which we are all very appreciative of.”

          Chanyeol slid next to the other side of Jinah. “She’s gorgeous too.”

          The gang and Cheonsa laughed at that. “She is!” Baekhyun added. “Look at her face – you don’t see that kind of face anywhere. She’s very pretty. Like me.”

          Jinah tried not to roll her eyes. Instead, she smiled.

          “Gentlemen and ladies, look at this gang!” Cheonsa faced the camera. “Isn’t the bond between the gang and Prix lovely? You can hardly tell this is DE!” she laughed, and Wolf laughed with her just a second too late. “Well, Jinah, are feelings mutual?”

          “Um, yeah,” Jinah answered. Cheonsa’s drawn eyebrow went up. It wasn’t convincing. Quick, think. Improvise. Jinah gnawed on her lower lip. One word was on her mind: exaggerate. That was what she had to do. “They’re incredible and of tremendous help,” Jinah blurted out. “I actually have troubles…err, voicing myself at times, and they’re really patient with me. Adjusting to everything is quite difficult, especially since I had to leave everything and everyone which and who I have grown up with. They really help me out in tight spots and I can’t thank them enough.”

          “Oh! It looks like Wolf values their Prix quite a bit. I’m glad females are being treated better!” Cheonsa beamed. Jinah would’ve believed that Cheonsa was truly happy if it weren’t for the malicious glint in her eyes. She didn’t believe the gang’s or Jinah’s words either. Not at all. Cheonsa knew, that even with their acting, that girls were being treated terribly in DE. And Jinah knew that Cheonsa didn’t care – all she wanted to do was uncover the buried truth and expose it to the public – or make it up. “Jinah, I sincerely hope your fun adventure continues with Wolf.” Bull. “Well, gentlemen and ladies,” Cheonsa looked back at the camera, “this concludes our time with the family-like Wolf. Vote their name up in caps to the number below –” Cheonsa pointed below her, and Jinah frowned at the ridiculous and empty gesture “– if you think they should be the best gang for this round! To participate on an online poll and for more information, visit ‘nation news’ dot ‘co’ dot ‘k’ ‘r’ slash ‘g’ dash ‘p’ dash ‘corner’ (nationnews.co.kr/g-p-corner). Thank you, Wolf! Next, we’ll be having Cougar and Claw in about an hour. Stay tuned!”