Chapter 15
Chapter 15
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Professor's Trap
-----------------------------------------------------------------
KAIST Department of Mathematical Sciences, Professor's Lab
Thud!
Thud!
Professor Kim Ji-yoon was slumped over her desk, head buried in her arms on the chair.
At just over thirty, she was already a world-renowned mathematician with groundbreaking achievements in combinatorics and design theory.
After earning her PhD in combinatorial design theory, she'd gained international acclaim for her research on combinatorial structures over finite fields. Her papers were overwhelmingly cited in cryptography and statistics, making her one of the few in Korea considered a top contender for the Fields Medal.
Her involvement this year as a problem setter for the KMO first round wasn't mere charity work.
Opportunities to scout math prodigies from across the nation all at once were rare.
She'd hoped to use the exam to spot students with exceptional talent in her specialty. Surely, someone who completed the answers would grasp the hidden message.
It was another covert test of intuition, number sense, and logical reasoning.
But...
"Aaaargh! Who the hell ruined my masterpiece? You?!"
The teaching assistant, who had been hiding from her hysteria, flinched.
He was the one who'd received the call to alter the answer key.
"Professor, I told you it wasn't my fault. It was the math society's decision."
"Those damn old fogeys! If they didn't trust me, why assign it to me in the first place? Why let me do it and then change it on their whim?"
Still fuming, she snatched up the phone receiver and slammed it down repeatedly.
"The committee said they had no choice. If the correct answers were evenly distributed—five each—kids would just count them out and bubble in guesses. They had to change at least one. And honestly, who would even notice? Everyone's too busy solving problems to spot a hidden pattern in the answer sheet. No one could figure it out just from looking at the numbers!"
The TA protested, looking at her with aggrieved eyes.
At that moment, he pondered the correlation: why were all brilliant mathematicians so eccentric?
Was it because he was too normal that his research went unrecognized? But going insane like this was out of the question.
Someone who could pass that pervert professor's test...
"What if there is one?"
"Pardon?"
"If some kid actually spots it, how confusing would that be? An answer that should obviously be 1 is suddenly 5! Do you have any idea of the agony I went through, defiling the order with my own hands?"
Like I care.
The TA shook his head as if giving up.
"There isn't. I guarantee it. Kids in this country can't do that. They just grind past papers all day..."
He himself was a KMO alum—a second-round qualifier, no less.
This university alone was crawling with first-round passers. No way... He could confidently say his esteemed professor was overestimating them.
"R... really?"
The professor backed down at the TA's firm denial.
Anyone with talent in design theory should spot it.
It was a trick she'd planted, convinced she'd never miss it herself.
"Yes. If there is one, bring them to our department, Professor. I'll serve as their senior."
"Hmm..."
"Park, still..."
"Yes?"
"If someone actually completes the pattern, let me know."
"Completes it? Isn't that impossible?"
With problem 25's answer changed to 5, the probability of her intended Latin square emerging approached zero.
Any student acing the toughest ones—23 and 4—would surely nail the relatively easier final problem too. But complete the pattern?
That would require intentionally getting it wrong.
"It exists, that world you kids wouldn't understand."
Professor Kim smirked and patted the bewildered TA's shoulder lightly.
This irked him.
"There you go again. I'm Park Hyung-joo, the Nowon-gu genius, you know? Back in the day, everyone in Junggye-dong's academy district knew me. My mom was so proud... She'd cry if she knew how I'm treated in this lab."
"That's why you should've gone to med school or gotten a real job instead of grad school."
The TA pouted and grumbled under his breath.
He loved cryptography and wanted to study more, but lacked the talent... He couldn't deny it, seeing his advisor's accomplishments.
Still, he kept at it because no student had ever fully satisfied her in all these years. Was that why she'd insisted on setting the KMO problems herself?
Slurp.
Finally calming down, Professor Kim took a sip of coffee.
Ah, I hope there is one.
She'd been furious at the math society for wrecking her pattern at first, but now it felt like an opportunity. Whoever formed a Latin square from the answers would be a true mad genius.
"Yeah, anyone who doesn't appreciate mathematical beauty is doomed anyway."
"Pardon?"
"Not you."
The TA seriously contemplated escaping this lab.
Seo-ha emerged from the exam feeling relieved.
The cutoff's safe anyway.
For him, peace of mind trumped a perfect score.
His completed answer sheet was flawlessly beautiful. One wrong answer was a trivial issue.
"Seo-ha!"
Woo-hyun waved from in front of a flashy sports car that stuck out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood.
"Teacher! What brings you here?"
Seo-ha spotted him and ran over happily.
"Your dad's busy today, right? I volunteered to pick you up."
Seo-ha's face lit up. He'd planned to take the bus, but the intervals were annoyingly long.
"Hop in."
Woo-hyun opened the door for him.
Unfamiliar with foreign cars, Seo-ha curiously scanned the interior.
Vrooom—
Mindful of his passenger, Woo-hyun eased onto the accelerator.
"How'd the exam go? Easy for you, right?"
Truth be told, he was dying to know the results.
That's why he'd offered to pick him up.
No doubt about Seo-ha's math prowess, but his penchant for wild antics made Woo-hyun uneasy.
"Well..."
Woo-hyun's brows furrowed at Seo-ha's lukewarm response.
"What now?"
Multiple choice—no room for error. What was with the vagueness?
"No, I think I did well."
Seo-ha glanced at Woo-hyun, mumbling evasively before looking out the window.
"'Think'? You don't do vague."
"I got one wrong, but no regrets."
"What does that even mean?"
"Worth getting wrong, I guess?"
"Argh, seriously!"
Woo-hyun clicked his tongue but soon wore a resigned smile.
"Fine, what can I say? Gotta trust you. There must've been a reason."
Seo-ha nodded silently at Woo-hyun.
The road was jammed with weekend drivers.
"One wrong? First round's still a lock. We'll talk about why later. How tough was it?"
"Well... Im Soo-jung unnie would probably ace it."
"Not quite your level, but she's always been a star. Sounds good then."
"They do a training camp after the second round, right?"
Seo-ha was already worried about leaving his little sister. She'd be heartbroken...
"Yeah, prepping for the third. You any good at English?"
Seo-ha jumped at the sudden question.
"Uh? Reading's fine. Why?"
"Next year's IMO is in the UK. Participants share dorms in one building. English helps."
"Speaking? Not confident. Only talked to native teachers who visit occasionally... But writing should work? Even if not fluent, we can communicate."
"Everyone sucks, so you're fine."
"Hundreds from a hundred countries—sounds fun!"
To Seo-ha, used to classes under twenty, it was thrilling.
But Woo-hyun shook his head.
"Think so?"
"No?"
"Picture it: kids who think they're the smartest in the world. It'll be nonstop aggravation."
"Hahaha!"
"Not funny. Think they'll leave you alone if language fails? Plenty of ways to flex brains."
"Uh... they'd really go that far?"
"Don't underestimate teens bloated with ego and narcissism. Come to think of it, you strangely lack that. Or is it too strong?"
Woo-hyun tilted his head.
He'd known him since early childhood but still couldn't fully grasp Seo-ha.
"Anyway, expect mental math battles, Nim, Dots and Boxes, Rubik's Cube solves, all sorts. Kids will swarm to beat you."
"Know mental math and cubes, but not the rest."
"Rules are simple. You'd master them quick. But the real heavyweight's separate."
"What?"
"Chess."
"Unfair."
"I agree. Go would dominate for East Asia. But chess is intuitive, everyone knows the rules."
"You play?"
Woo-hyun sighed.
"There's an unofficial chess tourney during IMO. I was decent but lost to a Russian in quarters. He won it all—no complaints, but his smugness was infuriating."
"It's just chess."
"Atmosphere's intense. It's a national showdown. Chess is a national sport in Russia, Eastern Bloc, Europe—tons of events, big prizes. Guy who beat me was Russia's high school champ."
"I'll just play decently and lose like you."
Woo-hyun bristled at Seo-ha's apathy.
"Nope. Better learn chess now."
"Huh? Right now?"
"Yeah. Imagine: you're a famed mathematician solving a Millennium Problem. Then some Russian punk goes on TV: 'Yoo Seo-ha? Nothing special. Couldn't even hang with me at chess.'"
Seo-ha grimaced.
"That'd suck."
"Right?"
Screech—
Woo-hyun whipped the car around.
They arrived at a large Daejeon bookstore Seo-ha knew.
Woo-hyun bought a pro-level chess manual and deluxe set.
"Beat me first! Ex-chess club, not a pushover."
On the way home, Seo-ha flipped through the manual in the car, a faint smile forming.
Sicilian Defense: White win rate 52%, Black 27%, Draw 21%.
The book calculated cases by response type per move. After three moves, millions of variations, but key impactful ones were limited.
Seo-ha immersed himself quietly.
Woo-hyun glanced over and chuckled knowingly.