Chapter 35
Chapter 35
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Perfect Score Genius
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In the staff room, Park Sung-dae had a stack of test papers piled up in front of him and flipped through them one by one.
Dense calculations, lengthy inductions, tables listing every possible case.
He traced the lines of calculations with the tip of his red pen, then quickly shook his head.
These were proofs that circled endlessly through detours just to find the answer, only stopping their dizzying spin when they luckily stumbled onto the right path.
Splitting into unnecessary assumptions over and over, reproving redundant propositions...
The logic wasn't flawed, but every time they skimmed past the core, the explanations bloated and the truth grew diluted.
The red pen moved busily.
3 points, 5 points, 2 points.
As expected, the students' scores didn't deviate from the average he'd intended.
Teacher Park glanced at the test paper on top.
"P ↔ P', so the answer is even."
Even for the graph degree problem, the answer was a single line. The generating function wrapped up with one equation.
"Each edge contributes 2, so the answer is even."
"G(x) = 1 / ((1−x)(1−x²)(1−x⁵))"
Problems 3, 4, 5... Every single one ended in this concise manner. Excessively brief, yet no errors. And no logical gaps could be found.
Park Sung-dae paused his pen.
'Insufficient process?'
No, that wasn't it. The answer sheet itself encapsulated every necessary step.
He unfolded the grading rubric.
'We look at the flow of the solution more than the correct answer,' he'd said himself.
Was there no flow?
There was.
It just sliced straight to the core without circling around.
He quietly wrote the score.
Problem 1: 10 points, 2: 10 points, 3: 10 points...
Ten circles lined up across the top of the test paper.
Total: 100.
Park Sung-dae leaned back, resting against his chair.
'Hope the kids take it well...'
Judging by the answers, he could glimpse the student's personality.
Yoo Seo-ha pursued extreme efficiency in proofs. He couldn't tolerate anything superfluous.
Direct, yet stubbornly so. Once the proof concluded in his own mind, he offered no further explanation.
And he was ridiculously talented.
Teacher Park wondered if he was truly qualified to keep teaching Seo-ha.
The next day, before second period began, a large sheet of paper was posted on the bulletin board at the back of the classroom.
[Math Quiz Results]
1st: Yoo Seo-ha — 100 points.
2nd: Jo Tae-jin — 47 points.
3rd: Kim Eun-bin — 46 points.
4th: Park Ki-beom — 45 points.
(And so on)
The classroom, buzzing as students checked their scores, froze in an instant.
Someone read the numbers twice.
"100 points? For real?"
No one could laugh at the student's joking remark.
Tae-jin stared at the results with a blank expression.
'47 points?'
It was an understandable score. The test had been brutally tough.
But Yoo Seo-ha's score defied common sense.
Tae-jin turned to look at the front row.
Seo-ha sat ramrod straight in his chair as usual. He showed zero interest in the results, as if he didn't even need to check.
No surprise, no triumph, no arrogance.
Creak.
The classroom door opened, and Teacher Park entered.
"Everyone seen it?"
"Yes."
Park Sung-dae chuckled at the students' listless response.
"You all must have a ton of questions about the results."
The students nodded faintly, eyes brimming with unspoken words as they looked at the teacher.
Thud.
Teacher Park placed a single test paper on the lectern.
"I could explain it myself, but hearing it straight from the one who got 100 would be best. Seo-ha, would you come up and walk us through it?"
All eyes converged on one spot.
"Yes!"
Seo-ha sprang up energetically from his seat and strode to the front, grabbing the chalk.
Seo-ha was confident.
During IMO training, he'd explained countless problems to his teammates.
Seo-ha drew a large square grid on the blackboard, slashed a diagonal through the center, and turned to the class.
"For this problem, I used a concept called 'pairing.'"
Seo-ha was usually quiet, but his voice brimmed with confidence when explaining.
"Counting every path directly is tough. But symmetry simplifies it. Take any path P and reflect it over the center point to get P'. That creates another path."
Everyone followed the graph emerging from Seo-ha's hand with their eyes. A few who grasped it let out awed "Ah!"s.
"In other words, every path has a symmetric pair. Mathematically, it pairs the entire set into twos.
That proves the total number of paths is always even, without counting them individually."
Students who'd been listening without prep suddenly pulled out notebooks and started jotting down Seo-ha's explanation.
The explanations continued.
Problem 2, 3, 4...
Seo-ha solved every problem the same way.
No lengthy detours.
No superfluous calculations or wordy descriptions.
He pinpointed one core concept per problem and proved it in a single line.
The difference? His IMO teammates had been Korea's top five picks.
Even at a gifted school, not everyone matched that level—over half struggled to follow Seo-ha fully.
"Any questions?"
The solutions wrapped up.
Seo-ha's eyes sparkled as he scanned the class, his face beaming with pride like "I explained it so simply!"
The students felt too bad to disappoint him and hesitated to raise hands.
Satisfied, he smiled and returned to his seat.
"Writing at length isn't always bad."
Sensing the mood, Teacher Park offered some consoling words.
"But if you grasp the essence, you can wrap it up short. I don't think that's a privilege reserved for geniuses. You all can see that path someday too.
Right now, though, it's time to learn the roundabout way. So don't push yourselves too hard."
The students bowed their heads in disappointment at Teacher Park's words.
Class ended.
"Lunch time."
At someone's call, students rose one by one.
Even heading to the cafeteria, they couldn't shake the shock of Seo-ha's solutions.
"As expected of IMO #1! Yoo Seo-ha's no joke."
Ki-beom, who'd placed 4th, spoke first, and everyone nodded.
"I thought he just solved problems well, but he explains great too."
"Did you guys get it? I was totally lost. Kinda depressing."
"He's on another level anyway. No comparing."
"Even just making the Korean team puts you in the domestic top six, right? But Seo-ha's world #1."
"Practically cheating. When he asked if there were questions, it felt like 'Guys, you get this much, right?'"
Prideful as they were, the students weren't foolish enough to deny reality. Like the many geniuses Seo-ha had met, they were processing understanding and acceptance.
Tae-jin, trailing behind, shared their thoughts.
Maybe he was just an ordinary student after all. That realization made his past actions feel embarrassing.
Seo-ha, with his extraordinary talent, always greeted him first—why had he acted so superior?
Maybe his friends had just tolerated his arrogance. Was he the type who needed others' patience just to have friends?
This sudden epiphany made Tae-jin want to run and hide.
That evening, the cafeteria buzzed with the usual high school clamor.
Laughter erupted here and there as students chatted animatedly on various topics.
Seo-ha got his tray, glanced around, and settled in a quiet corner.
"Whoa! Top-tier school food, as expected."
He marveled at the high-quality meal.
Thick grilled chicken breast steak topped with rich brown demi-glace sauce.
Buttery corn on the cob wafting aroma, fresh salad, and warm cream of mushroom soup instead of regular soup.
A clear upgrade from elementary school lunches.
As Seo-ha ate, he reflected on the past week.
The school's cliquey vibe, distant classmates, teachers who seemed wary of him.
Everything differed sharply from his expectations.
'Doesn't matter.'
He shook his head to dispel the negativity.
'It's all just a passing phase anyway.'
Seo-ha pondered how to endure life here while eating.
He finished before he knew it. Seo-ha cleared his tray and stood.
"Thanks for the meal!"
The nutritionists smiled back at his greeting.
Heading to the dorm, someone came down from ahead—same class Tae-jin.
"Hello."
Seo-ha bowed politely as usual and tried to pass.
He assumed he'd be ignored, but not this time.
Tae-jin pulled out his earbuds.
"Hey. Eaten?"
Surprised by the unexpected reply, Seo-ha blinked.
"Yeah, just finished heading back."
Tae-jin nodded.
"Our school food's decent. You play soccer?"
"Huh?"
"Some classmates and I are doing a 5v5 mini-game. You'd make it perfect."
Seo-ha hesitated briefly before answering.
"I was Dodam Elementary's best eleven in Okcheon... Starting player against other schools."
Tae-jin burst into hearty laughter at Seo-ha's response.
"Hahaha! Got it. Meet at the field downstairs soon."
"Sure! Let me change and come down."
"Cool, I'll head there first."
Seo-ha rushed to his dorm room, threw open the closet, and geared up.
By the time he reached the field, the other nine were already there.
They whistled at his outfit.
"Whoa! Fully kitted out?"
Seo-ha shrugged nonchalantly.
"If you're gonna do it, do it right."
Shorts, jersey, cleats, tube socks...
Pro-league ready. A stark contrast to the others in gym clothes and sneakers.
Seo-ha tapped the turf with his studded boots. The game began.
"Pass, pass!"
"Here!"
Sharp shouts followed the ball.
Simple soccer—chase when it rolled, sprint to steal it back.
Everyone gave their all.
"Defense, defense!"
"Block it there first!"
The grass field made it fun to run on.
Seo-ha grabbed the ball and lofted a long pass.
Ki-beom sprinted full-tilt to receive it, then thumbs-upped Seo-ha.
"Nice!"
Seo-ha's lips quirked up.
"Shoot! Goal!"
"Yes!"
Cheers erupted.
Teammates mob-hugged. Seo-ha jumped in, bouncing with joy.
Game over, everyone collapsed exhausted.
"Dude, what's with that stamina?"
"He's young. We're past it."
"You play well. Let's do it again."
Seo-ha, who'd never skipped his daily runs, trusted his endurance.
His ears flushed red.
"Yeah! It was fun."
The most he'd spoken since enrolling.
After that day, Seo-ha's life shifted.
"Hello!"
"Hey."
Replies to his greetings spiked dramatically.
72.8%?
Seo-ha wondered how long he'd track this stat.
The place he'd dubbed "another world" was blending with reality.
Starting his second week, Seo-ha joined the 'College Pre-Course Program.'
"Hey! Fun taking class with your big sis?"
Soo-jung poked Seo-ha's side.
Twelve students total.
Seo-ha was the only freshman.
This linked program wasn't advanced prep.
The goal: Learn future college courses early to shorten graduation time. KAIST recognized them as official credits, so only qualified students could apply.
"Wonder who the instructor'll be."
"The TA last time was nice."
Veteran students whispered at the back.
Creak.
The door opened before the murmurs settled.
Click-clack.
A familiar heel sound.
Seo-ha looked up.
His eyes widened.
A young woman in a form-fitting black suit strode in.
"I'm Professor Kim Ji-yoon from KAIST's Mathematical Sciences Department."
The room stirred instantly.
"A professor in person?"
"Wasn't it usually TAs?"
"Kim Ji-yoon? The Fields Medal nominee...?"
Awe rippled through whispers.
Students' eyes bulged.
Even lax postures straightened; laptops snapped shut. Soo-jung, a junior, looked stunned.
Thud.
She set a binder on the lectern and spoke coolly.
"Let me warn you upfront: This semester's pre-course will be extremely tough. No high-school leniency like before.
If you're not confident, drop now."
Everyone gulped at the unprecedented professor's warning. But Seo-ha's heart raced—he'd finally get class from Ji-yoon.
Ji-yoon scanned the room silently, her eyes meeting Seo-ha's. She winked with a sly smile.
Seo-ha felt his hair stand on end.