Inter-school mathematics olympiad competition

The sky that afternoon looked pale through the glass windows of the school auditorium. The large room was filled with a tension so thick it could almost be touched. On stage, two students stood facing each other, seated behind desks with buzzers and calculation sheets. Students from various schools sat in silence, their eyes locked on the two names that had caught everyone's attention since the beginning of the competition.

Park Jongseong from ENGENE High School, and a girl from ENHYPEN High School whose name had frequently appeared in school news as the genius with a perfect academic record. Not a single round had shaken either of them. Even when a high-level trigonometry question appeared on the screen, they hit their buzzers at the exact same second. Several times, their methods differed but the final answers were identical, leaving the judges briefly silent before nodding in approval. The competition felt like a duel of minds... sharp, relentless, but respectful. Jay had never met an opponent like this before. She wasn't just intelligent. She was calm, efficient, almost graceful. Even the way she held her pencil was elegant.

Until the final round was announced. Their scores were tied. And now only one question would determine the winner. Jay gripped his pencil tightly. He knew he had given everything. But as he looked at the girl across from him, fully focused with eyes sharp and unwavering, doubt began to creep in. Not doubt in his ability. But in the very real possibility of defeat. Then, like a flash, a memory from earlier resurfaced in his mind.

A moment when the girl had scowled in irritation after a fellow student dropped an eraser and made noise. Jay smirked slightly. He knew this wasn't exactly honorable. But this was a competition. And sometimes, strategy wasn't just about logic. It was about making your opponent lose theirs.

The final round began. Jay began scribbling fast. But this time, he didn't stay quiet. He said every step of his calculation out loud.

"X squared, plus twelve X, minus twenty-five. Square root of thirty-six is six. Alright, one times five is one, remainder five. Move to the other side. Y-axis coordinate goes to negative eight."

Jay's voice echoed in the room. The audience murmured. The girl began to write slowly, then paused, glanced his way briefly, and furrowed her brow. Jay kept talking. His voice calm, but just loud enough to pierce through her concentration. At the end of the problem, only one buzzer sounded.

It was Jay's.

Smiling, he glanced at his opponent, now staring blankly at the numbers on her sheet. Jay dipped his head slightly and muttered just loud enough for himself.

"You're brilliant, but even brilliance shatters under the right pressure."

**[ WELCOME TO AU ENHYPEN! PARK JONGSEONG IS HERE! HAVE A GOOD TIME<3 ]**