"Alright, now we'll call the final team to come up on stage. Team 'Chemistry Club,' please come forward."
Finally.
After our team finished presenting, several other teams had already gone up and down from the stage.
And at last, after what felt like a long wait, it was the turn of our rival team.
The Chemistry Club—a group made up of elite upperclassmen, and a team that was quite feared among the participants.
And seated at the judges' table was still Mrs. Choi Jung-im, their faculty advisor, wearing the same sour and irritated expression as before.
It seemed she still hadn't accepted her loss to us earlier.
"...Those seniors don't look nervous at all, huh?"
"Yeah, President. They look completely relaxed."
Whether it was confidence or something else entirely, nobody knew.
The Chemistry Club team that stepped onto the stage consisted of five seniors: a mix of second- and third-year students, three boys and two girls.
One of them, a heavyset boy wearing glasses, picked up the microphone and greeted the audience.
"Good afternoon. We are from the Chemistry Club. Today, we will be presenting our research on the decomposition of PCBs using photocatalysts."
"....?"
Photocatalysts?
PCBs?
Clap clap clap.
"First, the background of our research. PCBs, chemically known as biphenyl compounds (C₁₂H₁₀) in which one or more hydrogen atoms have been replaced with chlorine atoms, are formally called Polychlorinated Biphenyls. They were once used as insulating fluids in transformers. However, these compounds have been proven to cause cancer in humans and are classified as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which severely contaminate the environment. As a result, their use has been banned."
"Following the Stockholm Convention on environmental protection, all equipment containing PCBs was supposed to be disposed of by 2015. However, according to reports, there are still approximately 100,000 used transformers that have yet to be treated."
The students exchanged blank looks but applauded reflexively anyway.
"...Huh? What did he just say?"
"What does any of that even mean?"
"Did you understand it?"
"Not at all..."
The presentation continued in a calm and serious tone, but the audience's reactions were nothing but confusion.
I wasn't much different.
...What? What are they even talking about? Why are they suddenly talking about transformers?
Transformers?
Insulating fluids and polychlorinated biphenyls?
Polychlorinated biphenyls?
Persistent organic pollutants?
The Stockholm Convention?
"What the heck is all that? Freaking chemistry nerds."
I glanced at Gyeong-won.
He nodded slightly as if he understood, but his expression still looked dissatisfied.
"If high-temperature incineration is used to sterilize old transformers, at most only 10,000 units can be processed per year. Due to the Basel Convention, outsourcing sterilization overseas is also impossible. Therefore, Korea requires new technology to deal with PCB waste. For this reason, we attempted to decompose PCBs using photocatalysts. Unlike conventional methods, which may generate dioxins through incomplete combustion, photocatalysis can convert these substances into water and carbon dioxide without producing additional pollution."
Whisper whisper—
The students exchanged confused glances.
Their faces clearly said:
What are PCBs? And what's a photocatalyst?
"Speak in a way people can actually understand, damn it."
Are these people idiots or what...
Not long afterward, even Gyeong-won, who had been quietly observing the presentation, finally let out a long sigh with an annoyed expression.
"...Do they seriously think this is a good presentation?"
I could only nod in agreement as I continued watching the stage.
The seniors calmly read through the slides like robots.
Meanwhile, at the judges' table, their advisor, Mrs. Choi Jung-im, smiled proudly and nodded in satisfaction.
On the other hand, the students in the audience kept looking back and forth between the slides and their friends before simply shrugging.
"Do you understand it?"
"Not really..."
"Our research objective is to determine whether PCBs can be decomposed using titanium dioxide (TiO₂) photocatalysts under sunlight. We will also investigate whether the process can be carried out directly in solution without first creating a thin TiO₂ film."
Finally, I couldn't take it anymore and asked Gyeong-won.
"Gyeong-won, do you actually understand what they're talking about?"
"Hmm... Basically, President."
He leaned back and sighed slightly before beginning his explanation.
"PCBs are a kind of chemical that power companies used to use as insulating fluid inside transformers."
"...What kind of thing is a transformer, and what's insulating fluid?"
Transformers... those things attached to utility poles?
"A transformer is that box-like thing you often see by the roadside. Sometimes it's near sidewalks, like a big metal box. If you see a picture of one, you'll recognize it immediately."
"...Oh. Then what's insulating fluid for?"
"It's used to control the temperature inside the transformer. Anyway, the important thing is that transformers contain insulating fluid, and that fluid used to be PCBs. That's all you need to know."
At the front, the Chemistry Club senior continued presenting in a flat voice, while beside me Gyeong-won patiently translated everything into normal language.
Some female students sitting in front of us even started turning around and quietly moving closer to listen.
"That insulating fluid—those PCBs—works fine when it stays inside the transformer. But once it leaks out, it becomes toxic waste that pollutes the environment. That's why it has to be cleaned up."
"Right, right."
"But if you clean it up by burning it, things can get worse because of the pollution. You know how burning plastic can release carcinogenic substances."
"That's true."
"And you can't just bury it either, because that causes pollution too. So now they're trying to find a way to break it down using sunlight. To help with that process, they use something called a photocatalyst. That's what they're talking about."
The students around us, including those sitting in front and behind us, slowly nodded.
Some who had been completely lost before started whispering,
"Oh, so that's what it means."
"...When it's explained like that, it's actually easy to understand."
As expected of our resident explanation specialist, the bespectacled Gyeong-won.
Everything those seniors had said could have been explained just like that.
Instead, they had simply thrown technical terminology at the audience without considering who was listening.
"—For high-temperature incineration, PCBs must be heated to 1,100 degrees Celsius. Maintaining such temperatures requires enormous amounts of fuel. In contrast, if titanium dioxide or silica-gel photocatalysts are used..."
I looked once more at the bespectacled senior calmly speaking and at Mrs. Choi Jung-im, who still looked immensely satisfied.
What exactly were they trying to accomplish?
Did they seriously want anyone here to understand?
"—At approximately 50,000 won per kilogram, these photocatalytic materials are inexpensive and easy to obtain. Therefore, not only can they safely decompose PCBs, but they also allow valuable materials from old transformers, such as silicon steel sheets and iron cores, to be recycled without risk of secondary contamination..."
I thought for a moment and quietly asked Gyeong-won.
"Why do you think they're explaining it like this?"
"Hmm..."
As someone who had once aimed for a prestigious science high school, even though he never got in, Gyeong-won immediately guessed the answer.
"...Because if they make it sound complicated, it looks impressive."
"That explains it."
Not just me—even the students nearby who were listening in quietly laughed.
"This kind of presentation is only meant for smart people to understand. Usually, the more complicated and intellectual it looks, the higher the score."
"...Really?"
"But that only works in the finals."
Gyeong-won adjusted his glasses with his trademark gesture.
"A strategy like this might work in the final round. Here... it doesn't seem like anyone actually understands what they're talking about."
"...I think so too."
Unable to hide my irritation, I stared at the seniors and their advisor.
Their expressions were full of confidence, as though they genuinely believed they were presenting something incredibly sophisticated and impressive.
The student presenters themselves looked calm enough, but Mrs. Choi Jung-im's face was practically glowing with satisfaction.
...How pathetic.
With an approach like this, it was no wonder ordinary people lost interest in science.
As I was thinking that cynically, Gyeong-won beside me adjusted his glasses and let out a long sigh.
"...Still, President, you should be careful. This kind of strategy can actually be pretty effective on people who don't know anything."
"...Really?"
"Yeah. They're exploiting people's pride."
Gyeong-won leaned back in his chair.
"If someone admits they don't understand, they'll look stupid. But if they praise it and pretend they understand, they'll look educated."
"....."
"Oh, and about the actual content. If we strip away all the technical jargon and focus only on the substance—the PCB issue itself was already discussed and largely solved about ten years ago. The material isn't even used as insulating fluid anymore. I'd have to check the latest news to be completely sure, but this definitely isn't a new issue."
As he spoke, Gyeong-won removed his glasses and began cleaning the lenses with a cloth.
Hearing that made me think.
...So it's an old topic.
Then who chose it?
The students, who lacked information?
Or their older faculty advisor?
...Seriously.
With mixed feelings, I leaned back in my seat.
From the outdated topic to the bizarre presentation strategy.
Not to mention the fact that the seniors themselves hadn't looked particularly enthusiastic from the beginning.
It's obvious.
This presentation was most likely the work of their advisor, who had put everything together and simply handed it to the students to read aloud.
"—Therefore, we will also verify whether any harmful byproducts are formed during the photodegradation process by using methods such as fractional distillation and chromatography—"
The seniors continued throwing out complicated terminology without making the slightest effort to simplify anything.
And surprisingly, the strategy seemed to be working on part of the audience.
Of course, the students around us weren't fooled, since Gyeong-won had already explained everything.
But from the back rows and corners of the room, voices of admiration began to emerge.
"Wow, this is seriously impressive."
"The level is so high. Seriously?"
"This is insane. No wonder the seniors picked such a difficult topic."
"Isn't this basically college-level material? That's amazing."
Meanwhile, Mrs. Choi Jung-im continued smiling proudly, as though the presentation was extraordinary.
...Good grief. Why are people so easily fooled by this stuff?
I felt genuinely uncomfortable.
Not only because the presenters seemed proud of showing off a topic ordinary people couldn't understand, but because so many people were praising it as a sign of intelligence.
It reminded me of movies or games critics call "masterpieces" while I personally can't understand or enjoy a single thing about them.
This is what they call "high-level"? Seriously? College material?
So if we don't understand it, that means we're stupid and uneducated?
If it's really that amazing, explain it in a way people can understand. Don't just stand around smiling proudly among yourselves.
The people praising it weren't any better.
They were showering it with compliments without even knowing what was being discussed, simply because it sounded sophisticated.
Meanwhile, when I presented my own work in an easy-to-understand way, they immediately started nitpicking.
"The topic's difficult, but it feels really impressive."
"I don't really get it either, but it definitely sounds serious."
"They should've gone to a science high school instead of here..."
Hah. Acting like an idiot.
I could only smirk at the students getting excited over it.
The people who use the most complicated terminology are usually the ones bluffing the most.
With an irritated expression, I looked again at the seniors standing calmly on stage and at Mrs. Choi Jung-im.
"Alright, thank you for the presentation. Please come to the center of the room. We'll now proceed with the Q&A session."
At last, the "high-level" presentation was over.
It was time for questions from the judges.
But judging by their expressions, even the teachers looked confused.
Especially the principal and vice principal, who weren't science teachers.
Even Ms. Han Ari, despite being a science teacher, had graduated from a college of education rather than an engineering or natural sciences department, so her expression looked similar.
In other words, even for science teachers, the material that had just been presented was difficult.
Of course, except for one person—
Mrs. Choi Jung-im, who had been smiling proudly the entire time.
Happy because you managed to make a presentation that's difficult and confusing?
I could only sneer.
Someone once said that there are people who deliberately make everything seem complicated as a survival strategy.
Personally, I wasn't worried about the content of our presentation at all.
I was confident it was strong.
The only thing that worried me was whether the judges would fall for this strange strategy and give them high scores simply because they were confused.
"..."
For a moment, silence filled the room.
Then finally, the vice principal, a middle-aged woman who had looked deep in thought the entire time, picked up the microphone.
"...Thank you for your presentation. So, what you mean is..." she began hesitantly before another pause followed.
"...It was truly an outstanding presentation. I'm genuinely amazed."
".....!"
I clenched my fists tightly.
...Damn it.
That confused expression she had earlier...
It turned out to be admiration.
"Because the subject matter was unfamiliar, I struggled to follow along and had to take notes. But the more I think about it, the more I realize how profound and substantial this topic is."
With an expression of genuine admiration, she patted the A4 sheet filled with notes.
"It's truly astonishing. I never expected a presentation of this level from students at our school."
The seniors bowed and thanked her.
Gyeong-won and I could only shake our heads.
"Then I'd like to ask just one thing... About this silicone gel... do you just spray it on?"
It's silica, Vice Principal...
She pretend to be impressed without knowing anything about the name of the core material in the presentation topics.
"So you just place it on top of the transformer and—"
"Yes, that's correct. We will prepare comparison groups with different titanium dioxide concentrations in the photocatalytic solution and measure the results in a university laboratory."
"Ah, I see... a university laboratory..."
The vice principal nodded repeatedly, still looking impressed.
Then she set down the microphone.
At that moment, Gyeongwon, sitting beside me, suddenly pulled out his phone and began searching for something.
After a while, he nudged me.
"...President. I secretly looked everything up online. This really isn't anything special. The method they're using is already extremely common. Anyone can use it."
"...You mean they copied it?"
"No, not copied exactly. But they just took a commonly used method and applied it to transformers. They didn't invent the method, and they didn't invent the materials either. This kind of process for treating pollutants already exists. They just changed the title and loaded it with technical terminology to make it look impressive."
"...Damn it."
So they had simply borrowed an existing method and made it sound complicated.
Meanwhile, I took something complicated and made it easy.
Yet somehow they were receiving higher evaluations.
Not from every judge, of course.
But it was still frustrating knowing some people could be influenced by tricks like that.
And right in the middle of my frustration, Mrs. Choi Jung-im suddenly picked up the microphone with a satisfied smile.
"The presentation was excellent. The research itself is very good, and your goal of reducing environmental pollution is truly admirable. How did you first come up with this topic?"
"A while ago, we watched a documentary on the news about how the Earth is suffering—"
As though they had rehearsed it beforehand, the presenting senior immediately answered in a smooth, like someone reciting a memorized script.
I could only snort in disbelief.
Good grief. This isn't even funny anymore.
Enough with the act already.
The microphone was then offered to the principal, but he simply raised a hand and shook his head awkwardly.
Apparently he truly hadn't understood anything and didn't even know what to ask.
Eventually, the microphone was passed to Ms. Han Ari.
She accepted it with a slightly tense expression.
Whether from nervousness or because...
Was she... angry?
I watched her face carefully.
I had never seen her look this serious before.
She remained silent for a moment before calmly asking:
"...Why did you have to explain it in such a complicated way?"
"...Huh?"
Everyone froze in shock.
"This is a topic that could actually be explained very simply. There was no reason to make it this complicated."
The other judges and students immediately looked startled and uneasy.
But Ms. Han Ari remained calm and continued speaking with a serious expression.
"To me, this was far too difficult. To be completely honest, I didn't even understand half of the terminology you used."
"...."
"...."
Murmur—
Without hesitation.
Ms. Han Ari had asked the question directly.
The principal, vice principal, and Mrs. Choi Jung-im all turned toward her in surprise.
Meanwhile, the students in the room, who had been silent until now, began speaking up one after another, as though someone had finally voiced what they were all thinking.
"That's true... I didn't understand any of it either."
"Same here..."
Voices of dissatisfaction began emerging from all directions.
"I stayed quiet because I was afraid people would think I was stupid if I complained... but honestly, I didn't understand anything."
"You too? Same here..."
"...President."
"Yeah."
I clenched my fists tightly as I looked at Gyeongwon, whose eyes were shining with excitement.
At last, someone had spoken the truth.
Ms. Han Ari was judging fairly!
"I thought I was the only one who didn't understand..."
"Me too... I started wondering if I was actually just stupid..."
"...Who do they think they are, making the presentation so complicated?"
"They're so annoying..."
"I think so too. They used difficult
words so that others won't get it?"
"F*ck, I wasted my brain the whole
presentation for nothing. There was no
damn content anyway."
The students whispered and cursed
among themselves.
Once the admiration for the elite was
peeled back even a single layer, it
quickly turned to criticism.
But on the other hand, there were still students who hadn't quite grasped
what was happening.
"Still, wasn't the content really good? I
liked how high-level it was."
"Well, chemistry terminology is just
like that, isn't it? It's the fault of those
who didn't understand."
Murmur, murmur-
Amid the murmurs of opinion,
the seniors finally broke off their
indifferent expressions and descended
from the stage with slightly flustered
looks.
It was the end of the puppets who
had simply followed their instructor's
spoon-fed instructions without
thinking.
Their indifferent expressions all along
were simply because they had to do as they were told.'
I thought they were hiding great skill,
but in reality, they were just puppets.
It seems like we won.
I turned to look at Gyeongwon and
flashed a triumphant smile.
Though Gyeongwon still wore a tense
expression, he nodded along as he
observed the murmuring crowd.
Soon, Teacher Han Ari rose from the
judges' panel and returned to her
original position on the stage.
"Now, we will proceed with the award
announcements. First, here are the
categories for the awards."
As Teacher Han Ari fiddled with the
laptop in the host's seat, the award
categories PPT soon appeared on the
Screen.
(Award Details)
Gold Prize (Team): 200,000 won and
qualification to advance to the Clover
Science Exhibition
Silver Prize (Team): 100,000 won
Bronze Prize (Team): 50,000 won
Encouragement Prize (3 Teams): 10,000 Won each
"Gold, Silver, and Bronze Prizes will
be given to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place
teams respectively, with three teams
selected for the Encouragement Prize.
The 1st place team receiving the Gold
Prize will also qualify for advancement
to the Clover Science Exhibition."
Students straightened their posture
with tense expressions.
We also straightened our backs. Now, the results would be announced.
"The award announcements will be made personally by the Principal."
The Principal stood up with a chuckle and took his place at the center of the stage.
Soon, he received a piece of paper from
Teacher Han Ari, waved it, and spoke into the microphone.
"Yes, students and parents alike. You've all worked very hard sitting through such a long event. It's almost time for dinner. So students whose parents came to watch, how about you head out for a meal together right after the competition ends? Please treat
yourselves to something delicious. And the teams who came only with friends should also celebrate together afterwards, whether the results are good or not, to acknowledge everyone's hard work. Now, here in my hand is a piece of paper with the list of winners,right?"
The students' attention was drawn to the paper he was waving.
"Each judge was assigned 10 points, So the scores were evaluated out of a maximum of 40 points. Teacher Han Ari handled the total summation here, so I also don't know the results yet. I'm just as curious as everyone about who did well. Aren't you all curious too?"
"Yes~' the students replied in unison.
"Okay, let's see! First up is the Encouragement Prize teams!"
The Principal chuckled and raised the paper.
"Teams 'God Bokchi', 'Ant Wipers', and
'Bear Farmers' have scored 26, 28, and
29 points respectively. Congratulations on receiving the Encouragement Prize! Yes, congratulations to the winners-! Let's give them a round of applause!"
Following the Principal's hearty laughter and cheerful exclamation,We students also Unconsciously joined in and spontaneously gave a round of applause.
Clap, clap, clap, clap-
Soon, the students from the three teams rushed onto the stage one after another to receive their awards, and the Principal, smiling, shook hands with each one.
"'Alright it's a 10,000 won gift certificate! I know it's not much to stick in anyone's nose, but make sure to share it well among your friends! Next time, we'll use a bigger budget to prepare a better prize!"
The Principal chuckled, patting the students on the back before sending them away.
Honestly, since the competition was hastily organized to mediate the conflict between us and Teacher Choi Jungim, the awards were quite inadequate.
Besides, no one, including us, had anticipated that this many people would participate.
"Alright, next is the Bronze Prize! The Bronze Prize is for 3rd place, witha 50,000 won gift certificate as the prize! Now, let's take a look! The Bronze Prize goes to—"
The Principal, who had been smiling while reading the paper, suddenly froze mid-sentence.
"..The team Ghost Story Club! You have earned 30 points and receive the Bronze Prize!"
"...!"