Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Interdisciplinary Research and Uninvited Guests
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The steak house was every bit as magnificent as the rumors promised.
"Wow..."
The steak the server brought was nearly the size of a cutting board. Overwhelmed by its sheer presence, all three of them gasped in unison.
Click.
"So Americans eat meat this huge."
Mi-young pulled out her phone and snapped a photo.
Gulp.
Seo-eun swallowed hard.
Mi-young carefully picked up her knife and sliced into the meat. Surprisingly, it cut through with ease.
"The meat's so tender!"
While Mi-young carved the steak, Seo-eun gripped her fork and knife tightly in both hands. Moments later, she took a big bite of the thick chunk her mom had cut and broke into a blissful smile.
"Too yummy!"
Seo-ha hurriedly sliced into his own steak as well.
He took a bite, and juices poured out like a waterfall from the thick meat.
At first, he'd wondered if there was too much meat, but the accompanying salad and mashed potatoes kept them eating endlessly.
Before they knew it, the massive steak had vanished cleanly from the plate.
"Mom, I can't eat any more."
Seo-eun leaned back against her chair and patted her belly.
"What did you and Seo-eun do today?"
Seo-ha had been worried about his mom and sister, who didn't speak English, but judging by their expressions, they'd had a great time.
"Today? Seo-eun was totally thrilled."
At her words, Seo-eun's eyes sparkled as if she'd been waiting for this.
"Oppa! People called me a princess!"
"A princess?"
Mi-young chuckled softly at Seo-eun's words.
"I dressed her in hanbok."
"You brought hanbok?"
"Yeah, I remembered seeing it on TV, so I only packed some for Seo-eun. We went to the park in it, and people kept coming up to talk to her. They even lined up to take pictures with her."
Seo-eun proudly flashed a V-sign.
"Even I thought she looked just like a doll. Her skirt and ribbons fluttered a bit in the breeze, and the kid who usually runs around wild was so well-behaved in hanbok. She was shy at first but greeted everyone nicely today."
Seo-ha nodded.
Seo-eun had a tendency to warm up quickly to people who were kind to her.
"Hehe. I was super popular."
Mi-young playfully tapped the tip of Seo-eun's nose.
"That's why your nose has shot straight to the sky."
"Everyone was so nice to me!"
Mi-young opened her phone and showed the photos.
Under a clear blue sky, his little sister in hanbok beamed happily amid a crowd of people. Seo-ha felt truly relieved that the trip—their first time abroad—would leave them with such fond memories.
The second morning of the forum dawned, and the MIT campus buzzed with energy despite the chilly air.
Groups who'd bonded over networking the day before clustered here and there, sipping coffee while exchanging ideas or reviewing presentation slides on their tablets.
Seo-ha neatly buttoned his jacket and stepped into the venue.
Today's session focused on "Interdisciplinary Research"—exploring the fresh insights that emerge when mathematics intersects with fields like physics, life sciences, and even art.
Mathematicians had spent centuries relentlessly expanding their domain. As a result, modern mathematics was no longer confined to mere numbers and formulas.
It had become the language of quantum mechanics and relativity in physics, a tool for decoding gene networks and protein structures in biology, and the foundation for predicting human choices and market flows in economics and sociology.
Lately, even art and creativity were being infiltrated by mathematical logic.
MIT actively encouraged such endeavors by its mathematicians.
The session proceeded as free presentations from researchers worldwide, with no restrictions on fields.
Seo-ha took his seat from the day before, exchanged greetings with Yusuke and Maria, then listened intently to the presentations.
The first speaker was a university student from France.
He presented research analyzing the aesthetic balance in artworks through topological patterns: the golden ratio in the Mona Lisa, Van Gogh's brushstrokes, Kandinsky's lines... He interpreted them all as "functions of geometric sensibility," and even Seo-ha found it intriguing.
Subsequent speakers shared their achievements in turn. One linked math to biology to analyze nonlinear patterns in cell division; another merged it with linguistics, modeling sentence structures via graph theory.
When the presentations wrapped up, polite applause rippled through the hall.
Soon, Whitman, the dean of the math department, took the stage and gripped the microphone.
"Excellent presentations."
His face lit up, clearly impressed by their work.
"What you've shown us today proves that mathematics—once confined to equations on paper—is evolving into the world's common language."
"Seeing math intersect with so many disciplines like this... it's truly moving."
Fresh applause erupted from the audience.
"Now, let's open the floor for free discussion and idea-sharing with the presenters. Days like today are when sudden sparks of inspiration strike through conversation."
At his words, researchers began shifting to small round tables, checking name tags, and asking about affiliations and specialties.
Seo-ha approached the researcher who'd presented on music to continue the discussion.
Click.
The door swung open, drawing everyone's gaze to the back.
Step, step.
Two elderly men with graying hair entered the hall slowly.
Whitman's brow furrowed for a split second. The warm smile that had lingered on his lips throughout vanished.
"Why are they here?"
Whispers spread among the surrounding professors.
It was Leonard, dean of the physics department, and Ramanathan, MIT's preeminent authority in computer science.
Leonard flashed a leisurely smile, as if it were no big deal.
"I hope we're not intruding. When I heard young mathematicians were here, I just couldn't stay away. We'll only observe quietly, so please don't mind us."
Whitman clenched his jaw, his expression hardening.
Mathematics was the root and foundational language that could branch into any science. Inevitably, it suffered constant talent drain.
'The greatest physicists are always found among mathematicians.'
A truth revered in both fields.
Newton of classical mechanics, Euler who founded fluid dynamics and celestial mechanics, Fourier of the heat equation, Gauss who formalized electromagnetism, Weyl of gauge theory... All had been the era's finest mathematicians.
Whitman glanced over.
'Ramanathan—what's his excuse?'
He shook his head. Silly question. The very inventors of computers and computer science had been mathematicians.
No one could bar these uninvited guests.
Their eyes locked onto one person.
Whitman, caught off guard, quickly moved to intercept them.
"Leonard, Ramanathan. This is discussion time right now. If you have personal business..."
But Leonard smoothly cut him off.
"No, it's not private. I just wondered if any students interested in physics might benefit from a little guidance."
"Same here—I thought I could offer some advice to promising students."
Seeing them hide nothing, Whitman scowled. A strange thought crossed his mind.
'They weren't this rude before.'
But as they strode straight to a specific student's back row—like they'd targeted it from the start—the reason clicked.
Their talk of helping students was blatant nonsense. They'd come here for Yoo Seo-ha.
Anger boiled within him.
'Eliya Kronen. Thanks to your meddling...'
Yoo Seo-ha's Four Color Theorem had drawn international attention after Kronen's verification.
MIT hadn't missed out. Its internal networks, alumni forums, even external labs had pored over the paper.
Whitman had been floored. This wasn't mere recombination of existing formulas—it built an entirely independent mathematical framework.
It reduced what had seemed impossible constraints into a wholly novel functional symmetry.
The mathematical consistency threading the entire paper, the condensed density of thought hidden within... It stunned even seasoned researchers.
The structure that purged contradictions, explored possibilities, and converged on a single solution was nothing short of a genius's work—Newton reborn.
Whitman knew it.
This boy wasn't just talented. His very thinking operated on another plane.
Not just MIT—Princeton, Stanford, Oxford, even Tokyo University were vying to recruit Yoo Seo-ha.
How elated he'd been when the boy turned down Japan and the UK to come here?
Yet now, these brutes from physics and computer science were poaching what rightfully belonged to math.
Leonard addressed the boy casually.
"Seo-ha, Newton spent his life exploring physical laws, and Hilbert dove deep into relativity in his later years, immersing himself in physics research."
"Given how great mathematicians ultimately turned toward reality's laws... what do you think?"
Subtle anticipation and conviction gleamed in Leonard's eyes. Scholars always yearned to prove their logic in the real world, after all.
Seo-ha turned to him and spoke.
"Professor, I believe physics is merely a small subset of mathematics."
The hall fell deathly silent.
"If mathematics is infinite order, isn't physics just a finite slice carved out where it touches reality?"
The two professors were at a loss for words.
Then a booming laugh echoed.
"Hahaha!"
Whitman clapped Seo-ha on the back approvingly.
"Well said! Where do you think 'geography' and 'geology' come from? Geometry! The whole world is mathematics."
Leonard seemed momentarily flustered, then nodded.
"A splendid answer. There's truth in that, Seo-ha."
His gaze sharpened.
"But modern mathematics has fragmented itself too much."
"Geometry, topology, analysis, number theory, category theory, algebra, combinatorics... They can barely understand each other's languages now."
"Who here can deny that a combinatorics researcher and a differential geometer can't even converse?"
Leonard fixed Seo-ha with a steady gaze.
"Physics, by contrast, is simple. As Stephen Hawking said, we have just one goal: explain reality."
"Put that brilliant mathematical mind to work on reality. With your talent, you might surpass Richard Feynman. Care to join us?"
Richard Feynman, MIT physics' legendary alumnus.
The genius who read the universe through equations, the master who perfected modern quantum mechanics.
Everyone gasped at hearing his name from Leonard's lips.
But Seo-ha shook his head.
"I appreciate the offer. But I've never imagined a life beyond being a mathematician."
He refused politely, without rudeness.
Seo-ha hadn't yet fully navigated the vast ocean of mathematics. Asking him to settle for a mere portion was torture.
But his next words sent chills racing across Seo-ha's skin.
"I see. What a shame. I was planning to show you 'Quantum Chaos' in person today."
Seo-ha whipped around in disbelief.
Leonard smirked, as if he'd expected that reaction.
Labs where one could observe Quantum Chaos—not through models or simulations, but live—numbered scarcely seven worldwide.
Naturally, MIT was one of them.