Fated Foes

10

The auditorium buzzed with excitement as students from various departments gathered for the highly anticipated quiz competition. Tables were set up in a circular arrangement, with each department's team seated proudly at their respective spots. The stage, adorned with banners and a flashy digital scoreboard, seemed to mock the already tense competitors.

Jungkook, representing the medical department, sat prim and proper, his hands neatly clasped on the table. His team, all equally serious, looked like they were ready to ace the test and cure a disease simultaneously.

On the other hand, the engineering department’s table looked more like a group therapy session. Taehyung slouched in his chair, lazily twirling a pen, while his teammates passed around a pack of chips.

“This is a competition, not a picnic,” Jungkook muttered under his breath, shooting Taehyung a disapproving look.

Taehyung caught his glare and smirked. “Relax, bunny boy. You’re going to pop a vein before the quiz even starts.”

“Don’t call me—” Jungkook began, but the host interrupted with a booming voice.

“Welcome, everyone, to this year’s inter-departmental quiz competition!”

Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Jungkook took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself.

The first question flashed on the screen.

“What is the capital of Australia?”

The medical department buzzed in first. Jungkook, quick as lightning, answered confidently, “Canberra!”

“Correct!” the host announced.

Jungkook’s team cheered quietly, exchanging high-fives. Meanwhile, Taehyung leaned over to his teammate and whispered, “I thought it was Sydney.”

“You thought wrong,” Jungkook said smugly, overhearing him.

Taehyung shot him a look. “Keep your smugness to yourself, Mr. Geography Bee.”

The next question appeared: “What is the boiling point of water at sea level?”

The engineering department buzzed in, and Taehyung stood up dramatically, pointing at the host. “100 degrees Celsius!”

“Correct!”

Taehyung turned to Jungkook with a wink. “Guess we engineers know how to keep it hot.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes so hard he almost saw his own brain.

The chaos truly began in the rapid-fire round.

“Who wrote Hamlet?” the host asked.

Jungkook’s teammate buzzed in and shouted, “Shakespeare!”

The host nodded. “Correct.”

The next question was directed at the engineering team. “What is Newton’s third law?”

Taehyung buzzed in, smirking. “For every action, there’s an equal and opposite overreaction.”

The room burst into laughter, and the host gave him a flat look. “Wrong. It’s ‘reaction.’”

“Close enough,” Taehyung shrugged, earning groans from his teammates.

The next question went to the medical team: “What’s the largest organ in the human body?”

Jungkook buzzed in confidently. “The skin.”

“Correct!”

Taehyung leaned over to his teammate, whispering loudly enough for Jungkook to hear, “Why does he know so much about skin? Creepy.”

Jungkook ignored him, refusing to rise to the bait.

By some miracle—or sheer incompetence on the engineering department’s part—the scores were tied.

“Last question,” the host announced. “This will determine the winner!”

The room fell silent as the question appeared on the screen:

“What is the square root of 144?”

Both teams buzzed in at the same time.

“Medical department!” the host called.

“12!” Jungkook answered instantly.

“Correct!”

Cheers erupted from the medical team as the scoreboard lit up with their victory. Jungkook looked over at Taehyung, who was dramatically clutching his chest like he’d been mortally wounded.

“Don’t be such a sore loser,” Jungkook teased, standing up.

“Loser?” Taehyung scoffed, standing as well. “You may have won the quiz, but we won in style.”

“Style doesn’t count for points,” Jungkook shot back, smirking.

As the auditorium emptied, the two rivals continued their bickering, completely unaware of the knowing smiles exchanged by their teammates.

“Enemies, my foot,” one of Taehyung’s teammates muttered. “Those two are basically married.”

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