Chapter 218: Three Weeks of Proof Inquiries and the Swiss Luxury Wand

It had been three weeks since I started visiting Korea University for Q&A sessions on the proofs presented by NoName, the Swiss luxury sensation. Considering the child's stamina, we decided to take a short break. Some sat quietly in chairs with eyes closed in meditation, while others scribbled equations furiously onto electronic paper. And then, two professors who happened to bump into each other in front of the bathroom shook hands warmly.

"Hello, Professor. Fancy meeting you here."

"Oh? Ah, you're that resort guy, right? What was it... Professor Seo, isn't it?"

"Yes, that's me. How have you been?"

They were the two who had spent a month cooped up at a resort in Gyeonggi Province last year as math examiners for the KGSAT, becoming each other's ping-pong partners. The younger professor promptly dispensed some mixed coffee from the vending machine, opening the floodgates of conversation.

"Isn't it amazing?"

There was no direct object, but it was easy to guess who—or what—they meant.

"It is. When she explained elliptic curves and the Mordell-Weil group came up, I nearly shouted out loud. It's connected to the Birch and Swinnerton-Dyer conjecture, and Goldbach's conjecture ties in like this too—"

"Whoa, Professor, I'm a geometry specialist, so I'm not familiar with that side."

"Haha, I've only taught twenty-year-olds, but who would've imagined learning from an eight-year-old?"

"It'll take some time for full proofs, though?"

"Goldbach's alone needs at least two years. The sheer volume of prerequisite proofs..."

"The sofa-moving problem is being crunched on quantum computers at the University of Colorado right now. They're giving this one six months."

He took a sip of coffee. It tasted like canned coffee—sweet, with all the bitterness stripped away. After days of derivative proofs and follow-up studies on existing ones, their brains were melting in sweet ecstasy at NoName's fresh insights.

"Professor, I actually ran into Director Park at a restaurant nearby yesterday while eating jjajangmyeon."

"Who was Director Park again...?"

"The sunglasses guy."

"No way, from the NIS? He's here?"

He was the National Intelligence Service agent who'd handled security for the math professors during the exam preparation.

"He asked me not to blab too much about this kid called NoName when I get back to the university. Not in a super serious way—just a casual request."

The "The Great Generation List" document, treated half like a joke in the news. But it seemed the NIS was on high alert.

"He said even though the US is bashing Switzerland on our side right now, who knows when they'll flip like a pancake."

"Flip how...?"

"Wouldn't they want to stop a Korean-born kid from getting a Fields Medal with US citizenship?"

"...!"

It might still be jumping the gun, but if even one of NoName's seven proofs panned out, a Fields Medal was as good as hers. But who knew when that would happen? What if she emigrated in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meantime? The US, UK-France-Germany bloc, and Japan were steadily racking up Nobel and Fields medals every year. How long did they have to endure headlines like "Korean-American Winner Emerges," shaming Korean education?

"There were theory magic department professors here today too. We can't control her going into magic, but at least we can stop her from leaving the country, right?"

The professor nodded.

"In this day and age, who'd deploy comment bots? But this time, I kinda want to root for the NIS."

Quiet groundwork was being laid somewhere to keep NoName in Korea.

In an era swarming with spies, a single nation's leaked secrets barely made headlines. But the Swiss document caused a massive stir online specifically because of the rankings. Lining up the world's promising kids like a competition leaderboard felt like it was egging them on. It was fun digging into the other countries' geniuses, spawning a flood of VTube videos targeting that curiosity.

Unlike the government's desire to keep her hidden, the public was outraged that her talents were underrated. While other kids were just ahead of their peers, NoName held her own against any adult. Online communities ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rebelled against naysayers, digging deeper into her recent activities—unaware it embarrassed Korea even more. That's how word spread that NoName frequented Korea University.

"Does Nami have a boyfriend?"

"Pardon...?"

"Someone you love, a lover. Today's unit is on 'romantic relationships.'"

"No."

"Aw, c'mon, guys must be lining up for you. Too bad for them."

The liberal arts professor wouldn't let me off the hook now that he'd found his mark.

"What do you think love is, Nami?"

The college kids in front of me whipped their heads back like a whack-a-mole game every five seconds. That curious about my answer?

Love was simple.

"I see it as a psychological phenomenon rooted in genes—a function for reproduction and protecting spouse and offspring to preserve the species."

Love's core was survival and propagation. Siblings don't fall in love because they're competitors, not protectors. Evolutionary psychology backs it: humans avoid incest by losing sexual attraction to those seen from childhood. So, love isn't something the self feels—it's being driven by hormones.

Woo Da-yeon whispered protests beside me like "This isn't love!" but I stuck to my guns. See? Even the professor showed PPT slides citing Wilson and Buss, aligning with my view. Psychology of human relationships was more engaging than expected. Sternberg's love triangle stuck with me most: intimacy, passion, commitment. Miss one, and it's incomplete love.

'...?'

I counted on my fingers. Intimacy builds from time spent ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sharing secrets. Passion that clings like a leech to the ends of the earth. Commitment willing to kill for my comfort.

'This just describes Hiasen perfectly, doesn't it?'

I'd just found the theory's exception. Family doesn't count. I shook my head, folding my fingers, and woke up Danielle snoring beside me.

"Eek!"

"Sis, you just snored."

"Snuuuh... Ah, thanks... Huh? Class over already? Ugggghhh...!"

As Danielle stretched, drawing guys' stares, I checked a new text. Sender: Korea University PR Team.

Was NoName's wild adventure Vlog her last hurrah? That was the common fan sentiment. It'd been over a month since sporadic WoA ranked edits hit VTube. Even WoA got a one-month ban, cutting her vids dead.

As always, NoName's return hit without warning or announcement.

There she was before her neck-breaking fans, swinging a portable transmutation circle drafter in the air—reeking of luxury.

IWC Schaffhausen's "Reminiscence" series.

Coincidentally, as the IWC name hinted, HQ was in Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland.

Fans' misunderstandings snowballed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠uncontrollably, eventually hitting the news.