Chapter 443  [PENALTY QUIZ] (V)

SINCE he was reincarnated, Astrid had avoided this menace of a fruit. Not just it, but any fruit even remotely resembling it. Those tiny things that could easily lodge in one's throat. He had been avoiding it since he started to walk on his own.

How could he not when those round fruit was literally the cause of his death in his past life? Even now, he could still remember the feeling he felt when that fruit was stuck in his throat. That feeling of helplessness when one couldn't breathe and there's no one there to help you, it was still so vivid in his mind.

In fact, when he was younger, he would often have nightmares about it. It's so scary that he would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night full of cold sweats. It took time before he could put that behind him. But it didn't really disappear, he was just able to tuck it away into the deepest recesses of his memory.

And now, seeing that… that… fruit in front of him, it was just bringing all the trauma.

As Astrid was experiencing all this emotional things, his brain was also working double time to think of a way so he wouldn't have to eat that menace of a fruit. The first reason he thought of was to say that he had allergies. But his brain quickly denied that. Because in this era, having allergies was so rare that he might draw unwarranted attention if he even said that he had one.

People who had allergies were usually born from a Lawless Den where there's not enough medical facility. Or someone who was born naturally, like him and Reas. If he said that he had allergies, the first thing people would think of was definitely the latter. The fact that he was naturally born instead of being a lab baby would draw attention to his family.

And that's the last thing he wanted.

Then, there's also that option of saying that he had trauma eating small fruits like that. It wouldn't have a problem with the public, but it would definitely be a problem for his family, especially his parents. They would wonder just where and when did he suffer this 'trauma'.

So, even if that reason was the real cause of why he was like this right now, he couldn't even say it. Then, there's only one way.

All of this happened in less than a minute inside his head. So, no one had noticed that he was having trouble. Except probably for the time when he opened the lid of the cover and saw that blasted fruit inside.

"Can I make a suggestion?" Astrid asked the emcee, his expression as gentle as an innocent baby.

"Oh, what is it?" the emcee asked with an interesting tone.

"Can I switch dishes with Yujin?"

There was a momentary silence in the studio after Astrid said that.

Then, Yujin said in a troubled expression, "No, Astrid, there's no need. I- I can eat it!"

The way his voice trembled at the end betrayed what he just said. But he didn't care. Astrid must have suggested this because he noticed how uncomfortable he was. He couldn't just pass off the responsibility to him since he was the one who picked this dish in the first place.

Before Astrid could say that it's fine and he wanted to do it, the emcee asked;

"But why are you volunteering? I heard you two are pretty close in the set of [The Great War]. Is this the power of friendship?"

Although the emcee said that in a playful tone, both Astrid and Yujin knew that there would be people who would paint a different light on their relationship.

Yujin was convinced that Astrid was doing this because of their friendship, just like what the emcee had said. That's why he couldn't immediately think of an excuse that would not make the two of them appear like their relationship was more than just being friends.

Thankfully, Astrid was on alert and quickly said;

"This is my first penalty, right? But because I luckily chose these g- ehem- grapes, it's like I wasn't penalized at all. So, I think it's better if I just eat what Yujin picked," he explained.

"Why don't we just asked the audience?" Lance suggested.

"Good idea," the emcee agreed. "If you want Astrid to eat what Yujin picked, please clap. If you don't, then you don't need to do anything. So, what would it be?"

The emcee hadn't even yet finished what he's trying to say, and the audience had already burst into cheers.

"It seemed that the audience had already made a decision," Lance said.

"Then, we can't do anything but agree," the emcee said. "The two of you can now exchange dishes."

With that, Astrid and Yujin exchanged places. As they did, Yujin asked in a whisper;

"Is there really alright?"

"Yeah. Don't worry, I have a very strong stomach," Astrid assured the other.

As he stood in front of the plate full of some kind of fried worms with green, mucus like sauce, he finally felt better. Yes, in his opinion, this dish that looked on the same level as a vomit was infinitely better than those purple fruits.

"Finish eating your dish in 60 seconds. Now, begin!"

As soon as the emcee said that, Astrid picked up a spoon and started eating the worm in a green mucus dish. He finished eating it at exactly 60 seconds. He didn't even bat an eye or drink water. Heck, he didn't even gag. After that, a satisfied expression even appeared on his face. It's like he ate a renowned delicacy, instead of, well, that.

But that satisfied expression on his face right now was interpreted wrongly by some of the audience

—in the studio or watching the broadcast—as him feeling triumphant that he had saved Yujin from 'distress'.

'distress'.

And thus, another ship involving him was starting to form.

Again.

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