The Second Genius
Generally speaking, intelligence is hereditary. Modern neuroscience says that genes related to brain development are densely packed on the X chromosome, so parents' IQ can be a predictor of their child's. The correlation coefficient is around 0.5, I think.
So, the fact that I feel smarter than in my past life is all thanks to Mom and Dad's genetics.
Which makes it reasonable to infer that A-rin is smarter than the average kid too.
I first noticed A-rin's talent while playing board games with her.
"Should A-rin get an IQ test too? A-yeon-ah, what made you think of that all of a sudden?"
"Just now, while playing board games with A-rin, I saw her replay the game in her head and figure out the remaining cards from the ones I played."
"Card counting? A-rin did that? For real?"
"Yup. Elephant one, lion one, giraffe two... she memorized all the card types and tried to guess my hand. I was totes suwprised!"
"...Okay. Let's get A-rin tested too."
The place we booked was the same Psychological Counseling Center as last time.
Three years ago. The very place where I took the Wechsler Intelligence Scale and scored a perfect IQ of 160.
Pop-pop. As I held A-rin's hand and entered the waiting room, Park Ji-su, who was handling reception, looked up.
"Oh my, Mrs. Han Seol-ae?"
"Hello, Teacher."
"It's been a while. Oh, and little Yoo A-yeon is here too! You've grown so much."
Even after three years, Teacher Park Ji-su remembered us. Can't blame her—I was an unforgettable shock at just 26 months old, acing the Wechsler with 160.
"Hewwo, Teachie!"
I bobbed a cute belly-bow greeting.
The teacher smiled warmly, then spotted A-rin clinging to Mom's hand.
"And who's this?"
"Our second daughter, Yoo A-rin."
"Ah, the little sister."
The teacher knelt down to meet A-rin's eyes and asked gently.
"Hello, Yoo A-rin. Nice to meet you?"
Whoosh. A-rin hid behind Mom, grabbing her skirt.
"A-rin-ah, say hi."
"...H-hewwo..."
A-rin's voice was uncharacteristically tiny. She really lacked social experience outside our family bubble.
A kid who hadn't ventured beyond the safety of home.
I started worrying if she'd handle a one-on-one test in a closed room with the psychologist.
'Should we have built up her social skills and overcome her separation anxiety first...?'
Teacher Park Ji-su stood back up and said to Mom,
"Is Yoo A-rin here for the test today?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Got it. Please fill out the forms and have a seat."
The teacher's eyes held a spark of expectation.
A-rin gripped Mom's hand with her left and mine with her right as we waited in the lounge.
Squish. I could feel her tension through her sweaty palm.
Finally, the testing room door opened.
"Yoo A-rin, come on in."
Squeeze. Her grip tightened.
"Mommy and big sis come too?"
"We'll wait out here. It'll be quick."
"...How long?"
"Once you're done with the teacher, Mommy will be right here."
"Yup, A-rin-ah. Sis isn't moving fwom here, pwomise!"
Even with our reassurance, A-rin's lips quivered, her little body fidgeting.
She must be scared, words stuck in her throat.
I hopped off my chair, knelt to face her, and crouched down.
"A-rin-ah."
"...Y-yeah."
"You know Sis got tested here last time, wight?"
"...Yup. Sis always bwoasts 'bout IQ one-sixty..."
"Yup. Not scawwy at all. Teachie's supew nice."
A-rin glanced at me, then the teacher, Mom, and back to me.
"Fow weal?"
"Yup, fow weal."
"Fow weal fow weal fow weal?"
"Yup, fow weal fow weal fow weal. And A-rin-ah."
"Yeah?"
"If you do the test supew good, Sis'll do whatevew you want fow a whole week. Stacking bwocks, board games, dwawing. As much as you want!"
Her eyes went wide.
Then she squeezed our hands tight.
"...Okay, got it."
A-rin's eyes burned with fierce determination—like General Gnau's glare heading to behead the enemy commander.
Pop-pop. She let go of our hands and toddled to the teacher.
At the door, she turned back once.
Mom waved, and I waved too.
She checked, then stepped inside.
Click.
"Huuuuh..."
"Phew..."
Mom and I both sighed in relief.
"Mom, A-rin's gwowing up."
"Thank goodness."
Stepping away from the family nest. The first step in building social skills.
A-rin had just climbed her first big mountain.
Two weeks after A-rin's test.
We returned to the center for the results.
Teacher Park Ji-su spread the report sheet on the table.
I stretched on tiptoes, peeking over.
A-rin was too short to see.
"The overall index is 145. Statistically, that's three sigma. In percentile terms, top 0.27%."
"Ooooh!"
I gasped in awe.
A-rin really is a genius. Three sigma—out of 370 people, she's number one.
Of course, this sis is four sigma, so number one out of 15,787~ Anyway, a smart little sis is something to celebrate.
As I thought that, Teacher Park Ji-su continued.
"One thing to note is the large variance between subindices. Fluid Reasoning and Processing Speed hit the max of 160, but Verbal Comprehension, Visual Spatial, and Working Memory are relatively lower. A 27-point spread between max and min."
"Is that a problem?"
Mom asked, face full of worry.
"Not a problem, per se."
The teacher chose her words carefully before explaining.
"It's called asynchronous development in professional terms. Common in gifted kids, where certain areas explode ahead of others.
A spread over 20 points means the overall IQ doesn't fully represent the child's true abilities. Better to interpret each index separately."
I sorted it out in my head as she spoke.
'So 145 is just an average, not capturing A-rin's real strengths.'
If I'm a perfect pentagon all-rounder, A-rin's a sharp-pointed star.
Teacher Park Ji-su went on.
"Fluid Reasoning and Processing Speed at 160 means exceptional speed in grasping rules, patterns, and optimal strategies."
"What about Verbal Comprehension at 133? Is that an issue?"
Mom asked.
"No, not at all. 133 is still top 1-2%. Very gifted. It just looks lower next to 160 because she's so young with limited language exposure.
Vocabulary and knowledge build with life experience. Her language intelligence is already high; she just has only three years of data."
In simple terms, A-rin's hardware outpaces her software. Brainpower supreme, but knowledge lacking.
I had past-life memories as a cheat for full marks there, but without them, I'd probably score like her.
"Kids with this profile often react intuitively before explaining logically. Ask 'Why'd you do that?' and they say 'Felt like I had to.' Intuition arrives first, logic catches up later. They dominate in rule-based games like board games or puzzles."
I pictured A-rin in our animal card game—memorizing types, counting discards to guess remains. Not conscious strategy; pure intuitive winning path.
"One more thing: They often get frustrated because their mind reaches conclusions faster than they can explain. It'll even out with age, but don't assume they don't know if they can't verbalize now."
Mom nodded slowly.
"Thank you for the kind explanation, Teacher."
"Thanks a bunch! A-rin-ah, say thanks too!"
"Th-thank youuu..."
A-rin mumbled from behind me, bowing her head.
As we left the center, A-rin asked with a puzzled look.
"Sis, what was Teachie talking 'bout? I dunno."
"They said you're supew smart."
"How much?"
"Thiiis much!"
I spread my arms wide for emphasis. Her eyes sparkled.
"Suuuper special."
"Special like Sis?"
I paused at her question.
"Special different fwom Sis."
"How diffewent?"
"Sis good at evewything a little. But you'we amaaazing at games with wules. Maybe even bettew than Sis!"
"Fow weal? So I can win animal cawd game now?"
"Yup. You can win. Not yet, but soon."
"Fow weal?"
"Fow weal."
A-rin's face lit up—ears to mouth grin.
"Heh heh. But I still win now."
"We'll see 'bout that, Sis! Hehet!"
A-rin giggled, toddled over, and hugged me tiiight.