tvN 'You Quiz on the Block' captured viewers with stories of people who achieved their dreams.

In the 283rd episode of 'You Quiz on the Block' (directed by Kwak Cheong-a, written by Lee Eon-joo), which aired on the 5th, Professor Ross King, who established the world's only Korean village in America, top instructors Im Ji-woo and Joo Hye-yeon, 'Grandfather Geppetto' Jeong Il, Chairman of the Toy Hospital, Dr. Won Deok-hee, and first male figure skating gold medalist Cha Jun-hwan participated and shared sincere conversations. The broadcast ranked first in the same time slot, including cable channels, based on nationwide households, and achieved the highest rating across all channels in that time slot for the target audience of tvN, viewers aged 20 to 49. (Nielsen Korea, based on paid platforms)

Professor Ross King, a linguistic genius who speaks 22 languages, revealed that he is proficient in eight languages, including English and Korean. He began studying Korean during his time at Yale University, solely driven by intellectual curiosity. He shared an episode where, after finishing his freshman year in the 1980s, he randomly saw a female student's beautiful handwriting in a cafe and began to learn Korean as if by destiny. His love story with his Korean wife, whom he met at Harvard Graduate School, also added interest. Professor King, who established and operates the world's only Korean village, 'Lake in the Woods,' in the United States since 1999, expressed his passion for studying Korean every day by saying, 'Korea is the only case where a unique writing system has been created with all its history known.'

The stories of top instructors Im Ji-woo, the first female top math instructor, and Joo Hye-yeon, who has maintained a solid first place in English at EBS for 10 years, also attracted attention. Joo Hye-yeon, who passed the teacher certification exam just three months after working at a securities company, recounted a memorable student who didn’t even know the alphabet. She noted that due to her perseverance and effort, she memorized 200 words daily and rose to a top grade. Im Ji-woo, who graduated early from KAIST, started lecturing in Daechi-dong as a part-time job and climbed the ladder for 20 years, eventually becoming the first female top instructor in math last year. The busy daily lives of these top instructors even surprised Yoo Jae-suk. Joo Hye-yeon stated, 'I have no days off,' expressing, 'There are many times I fall asleep while sitting. There are only a few days I can lie down in bed and sleep.'

The stories of Grandfathers Geppetto, who started new lives to gift children with a sense of wonder, also provided emotional moments. Jeong Il, the Chairman, who is a former professor of metal at Inha University, revealed that he has been operating the Toy Hospital for 15 years after receiving the idea from an acquaintance around the time of his retirement. The Toy Hospital employs engineering PhDs, with an average of over 30 years of experience, including those from the naval shipbuilding and semiconductor industries, serving voluntarily without pay. He shared that 12 PhDs with an average age of 78 have repaired nearly 100,000 toys over the past 15 years. The 72-year-old youngest, Dr. Won Deok-hee, revealed his passion by returning to work at the Toy Hospital immediately after being discharged from surgery for bladder cancer. Jeong Il recounted a memorable episode where he received three boxes of mysterious toys and a letter, detailing the story of a child with a brain tumor who touched everyone present.

Viewers also got to see Cha Jun-hwan, the first male figure skating gold medalist in South Korea. After 39 years since the Winter Asian Games commenced, Cha Jun-hwan, who won the first figure skating gold medal, talked about the ankle injury he suffered since last season, stating, '(The pain) was so severe that I couldn't wear my skates for even five minutes.' He continued to train even while taking strong painkillers and vomiting, but ultimately had to forfeit the competition. Cha mentioned about the ending part of his performance in Harbin, saying, 'I gave it my all. I felt so good even before the results came in that I had no regrets.' When asked if there are moments he feels 'harsh' on himself, Cha replied calmly, 'I just do it.' Yoo Jae-suk expressed his surprise, saying, 'Kim Yuna said the same thing.'

Earlier, Cha Jun-hwan shocked viewers by revealing that he was surviving on just an energy bar each day to manage his weight, but he joked, 'I guess it’s because I'm getting older; I need to intake carbohydrates now.' He shared that due to his physique being disadvantageous for figure skating, he increased muscle strength while managing body fat.

Standing at 180cm and maintaining a weight of 63kg, Cha Jun-hwan shared his systematic management methods, saying he eats a little meat and protein in the morning, a light vegetable-based diet for lunch, and a protein-focused meal in the evening. He expressed his hopes regarding his third challenge to Milan, saying, 'I'm really looking forward to what the process will be.'

Meanwhile, next week's broadcast will feature emerging figure skating star Kim Chae-yeon, the original writer and physician of 'The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call,' Lee Nak-jun, and actor Joo Ji-hoon, heightening expectations. tvN 'You Quiz on the Block' airs every Wednesday at 8:45 p.m.

[Photo] tvN

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