Chapter 5
Chapter 5
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Visitors from Seoul
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An old table was spread out in the room.
Instant coffee was poured into cups of various shapes.
Cheol-ho, Yoon-mi, and Woo-hyun sat around the table.
While Yoo Seo-ha looked after Seo-eun, Mi-young set water for coffee on the gas stove.
"We don't have much to offer, teachers. Thank you so much for coming all the way to our humble home because of our Seo-ha."
Mi-young blushed, looking embarrassed.
As everyone gathered their thoughts, steam began rising from the kettle, soon followed by a hissing sound.
Chrrrrk.
Yoon-mi glanced at Woo-hyun as if urging him to speak first, but he remained lost in thought. The image of Seo-ha he'd just witnessed had been far too shocking.
In the end, Yoon-mi spoke up first.
"Ma'am, to be honest, I've never seen a child like Seo-ha in my entire career as a teacher—or even before that. You both know he's special, right?"
Mi-young blinked, momentarily speechless.
Of course, she'd always thought of him as smart. But she hadn't realized he was so extraordinary that people from Seoul would come all this way. She'd just been saving up for his tuition, figuring he'd get into a good college.
"Is Seo-ha better than kids in Seoul?"
The couple looked at Yoon-mi with a mix of hope and worry. Their faces showed they were already agonizing over whether to send their son to study abroad in Seoul.
'Yeah, that's the reaction from normal parents.'
Yoon-mi let out a small sigh. How on earth was she supposed to explain this?
"Well... ma'am, we're here today not just because Seo-ha studies better than kids getting early education in Seoul."
"Then what are you trying to say...?"
She couldn't quite bring herself to say, 'Your son has the makings of a figure who'll go down in history,' so she hesitated. Woo-hyun cut in.
"He's not just smart or good at studying... Seo-ha is beyond that level. We'll know more as we observe him, but right now, I believe there's no one in the world—or at least in the last fifty years of human history—who's mathematically superior to him at this age."
From Woo-hyun's perspective, fifty years was already a huge concession. He didn't want to admit there'd ever been a bigger monster in the past.
"What?"
Cheol-ho and Mi-young let out startled exclamations. And then...
"Hahahahaha!"
"Oh, come on, teachers! Why say such a joke with such a straight face?"
The two laughed heartily for a while, but Woo-hyun didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow.
Feeling the mood turn awkward, their laughter gradually faded.
"I'm not joking."
The air in the room grew subtly heavy. Mi-young and Cheol-ho exchanged glances before cautiously straightening up.
"It's time for you as parents to know the truth—for Seo-ha's sake. I believe he has tremendous potential. Human history, especially scientific progress, has always been driven by a tiny handful of chosen individuals. Seo-ha is undoubtedly one of them."
"Even if you say that out of the blue, it's confusing from our perspective. Sorry if this is rude, but it's hard to believe."
Sensing things going south, Yoon-mi jumped in hurriedly.
"Uh... ma'am! He might not seem the most trustworthy, but he's not the type to make up nonsense. So..."
Woo-hyun raised his right hand, cutting Yoon-mi off.
He pulled a bundle of papers from his bag—memories he'd buried deep in his attic, ones he'd wanted to forget. He'd prepared them just in case, and it had paid off.
The newspaper clippings caught the eye first.
A young Woo-hyun, beaming with a medal around his neck.
[At Just 16, Shin Woo-hyun Takes 2nd Place at International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), A Genius Shining Among Geniuses]
Besides that, countless awards and medals.
It was the past of a boy everyone once believed would lead Korean mathematics.
"Most people wouldn't care, but I was once hailed as the future of Korean math. Nearly every university in the world sent me love calls. The IMO team quota per country is six. In my first year of high school, I took second among 700 geniuses from over 110 countries—so those expectations weren't unreasonable."
"Impressive."
Cheol-ho picked up the file and read the articles.
Yoon-mi swallowed hard, eyes fixed on Woo-hyun's mouth.
"I'm not bragging. If anything, it's embarrassing. I failed. I just want you to understand I'm telling the truth."
There was a strange resonance in Woo-hyun's voice.
Gulp.
After a moment, Cheol-ho collected himself and asked Woo-hyun,
"If what you say is true, what should we do? Send him to Seoul?"
Didn't the old saying go, 'Horses to Jeju, people to Seoul'?
But Woo-hyun shook his head.
"Do nothing."
"Pardon?"
"No bragging, no showing off, no studying abroad in Seoul. It'd only burden the child."
"So just leave him be?"
"From a parent's perspective, yes."
"Of course, I'll do what I need to. I looked at your bookshelves—he's cherry-picking math topics. Probably for the Four Color Theorem, but fixating on topology alone won't help long-term. The era where topology solved everything ended long ago."
"Number theory, algebra, analysis, combinatorics, geometry... They seem unrelated on the surface, but major theorems and theories require insights from multiple fields."
"Like Wiles?"
Yoon-mi asked, recognizing the reference.
"Right. How many theories do you think Professor Wiles used to prove Fermat's Last Theorem?"
"Algebraic geometry, number theory, modularity theorem, Galois representations, Frey curves, Ribet's theorem, Diophantine equations... Even geniuses like Euler or Gauss couldn't solve it back then for good reason."
Yoon-mi nodded.
"Lately, academia's even calling it 'fusion mathematics' as boundaries between fields blur."
Bombarded by unfamiliar terms, the couple was dazed. Understanding their confusion, Woo-hyun explained gently.
"The key is broad knowledge across all of mathematics. I can help with that. I'll send Seo-ha essential books—and important papers too."
"Is that enough?"
The initially solemn mood had lightened; this seemed no big deal. Just the Seoul teacher picking books instead of the ones her husband bought.
"Seo-ha reached university-level math through self-study. Guide him right, and he'll handle the rest. I can explain via phone or video call if he has questions."
"So, send him to school as usual?"
"Yes, up to elementary."
"And after?"
"There's a mathematician named Eliya Kronen."
The couple looked puzzled at the sudden unfamiliar name, but Woo-hyun continued undeterred.
"He took first at the IMO at just 13, got his master's at 16, and was appointed full professor at Princeton—one of the world's top universities—at 23."
"Math has no Nobel, but the Fields Medal every four years. Eliya won it at 29."
"He's solved countless problems and is now tackling the Millennium Prize Problems."
"Millennium Prize Problems?"
"Announced by the Clay Mathematics Institute, led by Harvard mathematicians. In 2000, leading scholars selected seven challenges to advance 21st-century math."
"Solve one, get a million dollars—over 10 billion won. But more importantly, you'd etch your name forever in math history, no, human history."
Cheol-ho shook his head at the massive scale.
"Does anyone actually solve them?"
"Of course. One's already done—by Russian mathematician Grigori Perelman."
"Then..."
"Yes. I hope Seo-ha grows into a mathematician who can challenge the Millennium Problems."
Throat parched, Mi-young downed her cold coffee in one go.
Clink.
"So what should we do? You said just leave him be?"
What parent would refuse help if their son might be a once-in-a-century genius?
"I don't think Seo-ha lacks anything compared to Eliya Kronen."
Eliya had devoted support from doctor and teacher parents. But Seo-ha could surpass him without that. He'd provide the minor assistance needed.
Mi-young pondered future plans.
"Then at 13..."
"No, just one year faster than Eliya. How about that?"
For the first time, emotion flickered on Woo-hyun's face—greed.
'Gotta break that youngest IMO gold record. Not personal or anything...'
"I'll prepare him until he's 12. After that, America should be straightforward. Don't worry about costs—universities will beg him with money bags. Worst case, I can help. I'm a top instructor, after all; my salary's..."
A voice came from behind.
"I don't want to."
Mi-young startled and looked at Seo-ha.
"Seo-ha! What are you saying? The teachers are all here for you..."
But Seo-ha spoke faster.
"I've never done math to win competitions or solve famous problems."
And America? Could these parents, who'd lived their whole lives in Okcheon, really uproot their lives so easily? If he got swept along like that man said, he'd have no time left to play with Seo-eun.
The couple's faces filled with dismay at their usually docile son's unexpected resistance.
"Haa... I had a feeling it'd be like this."
Woo-hyun rubbed his eyes with his palm, looking weary.
"Thanks, but I can handle math on my own."
His face was full of defiance, perhaps due to a bad first impression.
How did this kid see him now? An intruder barging into his peaceful life?
"Fine. You don't have to go to America or do what I say."
Seo-ha looked puzzled at the quick surrender. But Woo-hyun's next words made him freeze.
"Six years elementary, three middle, three high. Twelve years total."
Anger burned in his chest.
Did this kid know? That living in realms untouchable by ordinary folk like him was the greatest blessing?
"What?"
"Time you'll waste on education worse than the encyclopedias in your room."
"Huh?"
Woo-hyun stood and strode over. He knelt down, placing both hands on Seo-ha's shoulders, and murmured softly.
"Be honest. Aren't Yoon-mi's elementary lessons boring to death? And you have to endure that for twelve years?"
"Out there, great problems await you right now. Solving them might change all of humanity's lives and history."
"How far did we advance after Newton discovered gravity? Could humans have reached space without Einstein's relativity?"
'This guy's eyes are crazy.'
Seo-ha's eyes widened in fear at Woo-hyun's manic expression as words poured out.
"Eek—"
"Your mind might hold the key to problems humanity couldn't solve for millennia. And you won't even try?"
"Even if it means Earth, humanity, and history could progress because of you?"
His pupils dilated, whites flashing.
Fingers dug in, shoulders aching.
"Waaahhh— Mom!"
Woo-hyun had made Seo-ha cry.