The Genius: Season 1 – Seonggyu and Eunji

Kyeongran (경란) Eonni (언니) was onto Seonggyu (성규), from Episode 1. He seemed all jolly and happy, like Charlie, on Lost – but there was an exceptional and crafty mind, beneath that cheery veneer, beneath the mask.

Seonggyu won the Expression Auction. He granted Sangmin (상민) Oppa (오빠) immunity. Then, Jinho (진호) Oppa, who lost, picked Eunji (은지) in the Death Match. It was the mercenary, Jinho Oppa, versus Eunji, the lone wolf.

Eunji should have never given Seonggyu 8 garnets, at the beginning of the episode. Even Sangmin Oppa was aghast. Seonggyu should have gotten 2 and Sangmin Oppa, 1 – that’s it. Why did she give Seonggyu 8 garnets, and then Sangmin Oppa 6, and then another 2, to Seonggyu?

Seonggyu wasn’t even grateful. 48 Laws of Power. Never try to win people over by holding people in your debt. Never appeal to graciousness or mercy. Always appeal to greed and self-interest. Seonggyu didn’t owe Eunji any favors.

Seonggyu, and his producer, wanted to run the second horse race, in Episode 10, with their huge amount of garnets, and trick the other teams, with false bets. This created a real underdog situation, for the other teams. Karma did Kyeongran Eonni a solid, in helping her team win immunity.

Seonggyu tried to buy the race, by buying up all the expensive hints, but Sangmin Oppa’s loyalty was to many other people, in the game, than to just him, and he lost the Main Match and went home, after losing in tactical yut nori (윷놀이).

Buying the expensive decks, in Open, Pass, worked – but Sangmin Oppa, was only loyal to Seonggyu, in the beginning of the season. By Episode 11, the rising tide of Kyeongran Eonni and Jinho Oppa, could no longer be denied.

By spending too much money, too early, Seonggyu put a huge target on his back. He became the one to beat, instead of the dark horse. This happened to Eunji too, before her final Main Match.

She immediately began wasting her assets, on paying off people, like Seonggyu. At the end of the episode, she didn’t have enough garnets, in Indian Poker, to save herself, and Jinho Oppa eliminated her.