Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Welcome to London
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As the arrival time drew near, everyone crowded around the windows, peering outside.
Seo-ha gazed out curiously as well.
The English landscape visible through the window was worlds apart from Okcheon. Under a low sky blanketed with gray clouds, quaint buildings stood in neat, orderly rows.
"Wow, it's really England!"
Ji-hoon let out an awed exclamation.
Seo-ha felt the same. Stepping onto foreign soil for the first time in his life, everything felt fresh and wondrous.
After clearing immigration, welcoming staff from the IMO organizing committee greeted them warmly.
[Welcome to London! Korean Team]
Professor Park located the people holding the sign and handed over the documents.
They boarded the prepared bus, and their journey into central London began.
The road ran alongside the Thames, and soon Big Ben and the London Eye came into view.
Seo-ha pressed his nose to the window, trying to take in every sight.
"Tomorrow's the opening ceremony."
Soo-jung pulled the schedule from her bag and checked it.
The ceremony was set to take place at London's Royal Albert Hall.
As the bus left the city center and entered a quiet residential area, the scenery shifted. Amid stately old buildings of red brick, expansive gardens stretched out.
"That's our lodging."
Professor Park pointed ahead.
It was the Kingston University dormitory.
The accommodations for national delegations during the IMO. Several three-story buildings stood in a row, with flags from various countries fluttering in the front yard.
As they disembarked, the humid London air brushed their noses.
"Korean team, this way please."
A staff member from the committee guided them. They checked in at the lobby and received their room keys.
"We've assigned roommates arbitrarily."
Just like at the winter school, Seo-ha was rooming with Ji-hoon in London too.
"Roommates with you again, hyung!"
Seo-ha beamed, and Ji-hoon shrugged with a grin.
"Yeah, let's take care of each other."
They hauled their luggage up to the second floor, where rooms lined both sides of the hallway. They found Room 201 and opened the door.
"Whoa!"
It was surprisingly spacious. Two beds, two desks, and even a small fridge. The window overlooked the garden.
Seo-ha claimed the bed by the window and set down his bag. He unpacked his duck figurines and lined them up, finally feeling a bit more at home.
"Seo-ha!"
Ji-hoon pressed a finger to his lips for silence, then beckoned him over.
"Listen."
Pressing his ear to the wall, they could hear voices from the next room.
"That's Chinese, right?"
"Yeah, looks like the Chinese kids are next door."
Were they mixed like this to foster camaraderie? The room assignments seemed jumbled.
As they unpacked, a murmur rose from the hallway.
"What's going on?"
Ji-hoon opened the door.
Students were emerging from their rooms, exchanging greetings. Blonde Westerners, black-haired East Asians, and people of various races hard to pinpoint mingled together.
"Hello. I am Hans."
A student who met Seo-ha's eyes greeted him cheerfully. His badge showed he was from the German team.
"Nice to meet you. I am Seo-ha."
Seo-ha replied in English.
'Good thing I studied up.'
A week before departure, Seo-ha had bought two English conversation dictionaries. The included CDs with native speakers helped tremendously with pronunciation.
Realizing they could communicate, the other boy grinned and offered a handshake.
"You look quite young. Is it only because you are Asian? I'm from Frankfurt, Germany. It's my first time in England, so are you? I'm worried that Asians are good at math."
"I'm actually young—12 years old. It's my first time in the U.K. too. Truth be told, it's my first time abroad at all, so I've been really looking forward to it."
Ji-hoon hurried over, stunned by Seo-ha's fluent English.
"Dude! What the heck? You said you never had tutoring. How are you so good at English?"
"I studied from books."
It was the truth. He'd memorized every single sentence in those dictionaries.
Seo-ha remembered countless phrases prepared for every possible situation.
"Who studies conversational English from books? With books alone, you'd probably build a spaceship yourself!"
Frustrated, Ji-hoon's voice rose in pitch.
Everyone was buzzing with excitement on the first day. The initially shy nerds quickly warmed up, introducing themselves to strangers.
Bang.
As greetings continued, the door to the next room suddenly flew open.
Chinese students poured out. The last one was a tall student who seemed to be their leader.
Sharp eyes and a calm expression. He stepped out and scanned the surroundings.
"That's Rui Chen."
Do-kyung whispered to Seo-ha.
By now, the entire Korean team had gathered in the hallway. Spotting a familiar face, Rui Chen approached Do-kyung with a pleased look. Then, casually, he tossed out a rude remark.
"You guys came again this year? Don't Koreans have many people good at math?"
Do-kyung and Chang-seok, who had earned no medals last year, flushed red.
Soo-jung bristled to retort, but Do-kyung held up a hand to stop her.
"I don't know about anything else this year, but individual first place is going to Korea."
Rui Chen smirked in disbelief.
"Give it up. You guys don't stand a chance. We're on a different level competitively. We have more middle and high school students than your entire country's population."
China alone had 15 million college entrance exam takers each year.
The Chinese delegation was the cream of that crop, rigorously selected. They weren't about to let team or individual gold slip away.
"We know it's tough. But this year, Korea has a monster that defies logic. You should be on your guard too."
Did Do-kyung's confident expression irk him? Rui Chen swept his gaze over the Korean team. His eyes lingered on Seo-ha for a moment before moving on.
"You'll find out soon enough. Good luck. Unlike us, you'll need it."
His aura as last year's individual first place made even his arrogance sound convincing.
Rui Chen and the Chinese team walked away.
"Whew! That was tense!"
Ji-hoon collapsed into a chair, tension draining from him.
"Why are they so intimidating?"
Ji-ye stuck out her tongue in dismay.
"China's no joke. Their government backs the Olympiad openly. Just getting selected guarantees entry to any department at Tsinghua or Peking University. First place? Probably even bigger rewards. It's practically life-or-death for them."
"They've won team gold over 20 times. The U.S. is strong, but China's a powerhouse at IMO."
Chang-seok added to Do-kyung's explanation.
China had devastated the IMO last year with all six members taking gold—an unprecedented feat.
After unpacking and resting a bit, an announcement came over the speakers.
"Attention all participants. Lunch is ready at the dining hall."
"Let's go eat!"
Ji-hoon jumped up from his desk.
The dining hall was on the first floor.
Round tables filled the spacious hall, with delegations from various countries seated in groups.
The Korean team claimed a table.
"What's on the menu?"
Soo-jung peered at the menu board.
"Fish and chips."
With so many people, it was a single-menu setup.
Seo-ha was thrilled at the chance to try a classic British dish from his encyclopedia.
"Don't get your hopes up? You've heard British food is bad."
"Isn't that exaggerated? It's a world-leading nation that once ruled the empire..."
Countries with extensive international exchange inevitably develop rich food cultures.
Didn't Britain have the most opportunities in that regard? Seo-ha wondered.
"I warned you."
Not just Seo-ha—Ji-ye and Ji-hoon, also first-timers abroad, looked eager too.
Moments later, college-student volunteers served the food.
"Here's your fish and chips! Traditional British cuisine at its finest!"
The posh accent straight out of a movie heightened expectations.
Click.
Seo-ha snapped a photo to show his family.
A massive plate held a huge fried fish fillet and thick-cut chips.
With eager anticipation, Seo-ha cut into the fish with fork and knife and took a bite.
Squelch.
'Huh?'
It wasn't crispy at all, despite being fried.
The batter was sodden with oil, sticky and greasy. And the fish wasn't properly cleaned— a powerful fishy stench hit after just one bite.
"Ugh..."
He gulped down water, but the taste lingered.
Ji-hoon grabbed a chip, ate it, and grimaced.
"Aren't fries supposed to be tasty even if half-assed?"
The chips had a soggy texture.
Too thick, the insides weren't cooked through. Sprinkled with salt and vinegar, it was a steep hurdle for first-timers.
Soo-jung shot Seo-ha an 'I told you so' look.
Then voices drifted from a table behind them.
"I bet this is sabotage. Wrecking our condition before the exam to boost their scores."
Seo-ha turned. It was the Americans.
A British student watching them stood up, offended.
"British food being bad is news to us too, so just eat it? At least we have traditions. What do you Americans have? Hamburgers?"
The American laughed in disbelief.
"At least hamburgers are tasty?"
Hans, who'd greeted Seo-ha earlier, chimed in toward the Americans.
"Hamburgers actually originated in Hamburg, Germany, so technically, it's not really your cuisine, is it?"
A curly-haired guy from the nearby French table tsked and wagged a finger.
"You lot... Let's not fight over this. We French understand not every nation can master the art of cuisine."
The Italians, watching, clicked their tongues.
"Food outside Italy is all the same anyway. You should've come prepared like us."
"We're fine. Chinese restaurants are everywhere in the world."
What started as light American banter escalated into a pride battle among culinary powerhouses.
Even the introverted nerds bared teeth in grins and chuckles.
Clink.
A gentleman who appeared to be competition staff tapped his fork against a glass, drawing attention.
"Apologies. Mass cooking is tricky, so the food fell short of expectations. But you're lucky—at least it wasn't jellied eels or kidney pie today."
"Puhahaha!"
"Hahaha!"
Everyone burst into laughter at the stern-looking British gentleman's self-deprecating joke.
"Today, we all bonded in suffering. I'll ask the kitchen to pay more attention to meals starting tomorrow, so rest easy."
Seo-ha laughed too, tension easing. The food was awful, but the mood lightened.
The once-awkward students from various nations chattered lively.
After the meal, delegations dispersed in groups.
Without a word, the Korean team habitually gathered in Seo-ha's room.
"Alright, let's do one last review before the exam."
Do-kyung pulled out materials from his bag.
Since the winter school, the team had held regular sessions.
Seo-ha nodded and stood naturally.
"Always remember: spotting the hidden symmetry is half the battle."
Everyone listened intently to Seo-ha's explanation.
The team, trained alongside Seo-ha for months, brimmed with newfound confidence.
Gurgle.
Evening had arrived unnoticed, but no one wanted to head to the dining hall.
Do-kyung quietly asked Ji-hoon.
"...Got any cup ramen?"
"Professor said he packed a ton."
"Let's grab some."
It was happening in most teams.
And two days later, after the opening ceremony.
The exam began: three problems, four and a half hours, for the honor of their nation.