A Deal Sealed with Strawberry Cake
“Hewwo-! Mistew Weportew-!”
The mother and daughter duo, already eye-catching with their striking looks, entered the cafe. When the child politely bowed at the waist toward him, gazes from around the room began to converge.
“Ahem!”
Lee Dong-hyun cleared his throat awkwardly from the attention.
The child's mother spoke with an apologetic expression.
“You're the reporter we were supposed to meet today, right? Sorry if my daughter misunderstood...”
“Oh, no, that's fine. Yes, I'm a reporter. Nice to meet you—Lee Dong-hyun.”
“I'm Han Seol-ae.”
“Hey there, little one. You sure know how to greet people brightly—it's refreshing.”
“Hehet!”
Han Seol-ae sat down gracefully, while the child hopped lightly onto her chair, her legs dangling in the air.
Lee Dong-hyun handed them the menus.
Han Seol-ae chose an Americano. The child took the menu with both hands, kicking her legs as she peered at it intently.
“Mistew, mistew.”
“What's up?”
“Um, can I owdew the expenshiv one?”
The child made her innocently burdensome request with an adorably earnest face.
Lee Dong-hyun hesitated for a moment. As a working stiff scraping by on his salary, a dessert pricier than his lunch was pure luxury.
But he'd come all this way to secure an interview with the paper's lead author, Yoo A-yeon. He was in a do-or-die situation, grasping at any straw.
'Sigh... It's for the interview with Yoo A-yeon. I'll stomach the necessary expense.'
“...Y-yeah, sure. Order whatever you want.”
“Weally? Yay-! Thank you sho much-!”
Without a second thought, the child pointed at the menu.
Seasonal Strawberry Bomb Cake. The cafe's priciest dessert, piled high with strawberries.
Confirming that devilish price, Lee Dong-hyun could only swallow his tears inwardly.
He went to the counter to order and returned to hear Han Seol-ae say,
“Before we start talking, Mr. Reporter... you remember our agreement for today, right?”
“Yes. This isn't an interview—just a private chat. We agreed not to use anything said today in an article... but may I take personal notes?”
“That's fine.”
His real target was Yoo A-yeon anyway, so it didn't matter if he couldn't publish today's info.
With preparations done, Lee Dong-hyun began his questions.
“Straight to the point: Han Seol-ae, do you know Yoo A-yeon, the lead author on On the Proof of the Riemann Hypothesis?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Are you close?”
“Yes. Very close.”
“Your name's on it as second author—how involved were you in the work?”
“I helped with typing and proofreading.”
“And with the content itself?”
“Hmm...”
Han Seol-ae pondered briefly, then let out a small chuckle.
“To be honest, I still don't fully grasp the specific logic of the Riemann proof even now. It bruises my pride a bit. The core idea wasn't mine, of course.”
Lee Dong-hyun nodded as he jotted it down in his notebook.
'The paper's core idea came from Yoo A-yeon herself... Got it.'
Before long, the cake arrived.
A decadent cake smothered top to bottom in strawberries, enough to eclipse even the whipped cream. The kind he'd never buy with his own money.
“Fuhehe~.”
The child's eyes sparkled as she grabbed a fork. Nom nom, munch crunch.
“Huaa... delishush... Mommy wanna twy some?”
“Sure, just a little? Mmm...! This is amazing!”
“Nihihi, wight wight? Super tasty, yeah?”
For a moment, mother and daughter shared the cake with blissful smiles.
Lee Dong-hyun couldn't bear to watch three days' worth of his lunch budget vanish into their mouths, so he squeezed his eyes shut. It was agonizing.
“Haa, I feel bad saying it, but thanks—it was delicious.”
“Thanks fow the food-!”
Only two forks lay abandoned on the empty plate.
“Urgh... Anyway, back to questions. The proof's core came entirely from lead author Yoo A-yeon, correct?”
“Yes, that's right.”
“Do you know where Yoo A-yeon is now?”
“Yes.”
“Can you reach her?”
“Yes. I can contact her right away.”
Lee Dong-hyun set down his pen and looked at Han Seol-ae.
“Could I meet her directly? I'd like to request an interview.”
Han Seol-ae set down her coffee cup and replied,
“I think an interview's possible once Yoo A-yeon's ready.”
“Ready...?”
As he started to ask for clarification, the child spoke up to Lee Dong-hyun.
“Mistew Weportew.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
“Do ya know any foweign weportews?”
A somewhat out-of-left-field question. Lee Dong-hyun debated whether to answer.
“...Yeah, I do. Got some contacts at CNN and BBC.”
The child thrust out a peace sign and declared,
“Watew, Yoo A-yeon's gonna do a big wecture, kay? You and one foweign weportew you bwing—these two get the fwst excwusive intewview with Yoo A-yeon aftew. As thanks fow the Strawberry Bomb Cake!”
Lee Dong-hyun stared at the child for a beat, then smiled gently and chided her.
“Little one, we're having a serious talk right now. No joking around.”
“Muu-. Not joking.”
The child pouted. Han Seol-ae chimed in supportively.
“We'll do just as she said.”
“Pardon...? For real?”
“Yes. We'll give you the exclusive on Yoo A-yeon.”
Though puzzled, Lee Dong-hyun was thrilled regardless.
'Nice! Finally snagged the Yoo A-yeon exclusive!'
He cheered inwardly and pulled out his next question.
“Could you tell me about Yoo A-yeon's background? Aside from being a self-taught researcher, nothing's known.”
“Best to confirm that yourself at the lecture.”
“Any connection to Professor Shin I-jun?”
Han Seol-ae glanced at the child and gently stroked her head.
“You'll learn that at the lecture too.”
Her expression said no more would be revealed here. Lee Dong-hyun's instincts told him pushing further would be futile, so he pivoted.
“If the paper's fully verified, what impact do you think it'll have on the math world?”
“I know-! The pwower gets tons of appwause-!”
The child shot her hand up triumphantly. Her lethal cuteness drew an unwitting smile to his face.
Then Han Seol-ae said calmly,
“It could etch a line in history.”
A short phrase, but Lee Dong-hyun sensed weight behind it.
As he geared up for more, Han Seol-ae spoke first.
“Mr. Lee Dong-hyun.”
“Yes.”
“Once the lecture date's set, I'll contact you directly.”
“Really? Thank you!”
“The lecture content... it won't fit in just an article. If possible, share the schedule with broadcasters too. Live streaming would be ideal.”
Her words felt oddly prescient, as if she already knew the lecture's explosive potential.
“...Sorry, that's beyond my authority.”
“I know. But you could pass it up the chain, right? It's the Riemann proof—not exactly small bait for the press.”
“...Understood.”
Lee Dong-hyun noted it down.
“Just one foreign reporter, then? Does Yoo A-yeon speak English?”
“Yes, communication's no issue. And hint to that reporter too—if they bring a full broadcast crew, something good awaits.”
'Huh... This is scaling up bigger than expected...'
Her confident tone gave Lee Dong-hyun pause with that thought.
“Got it. I'll await your call.”
The conversation wrapped up.
As if on cue, Han Seol-ae stood. The child followed, bowing her head.
“Mistew Weportew, the cake was yummy-. Thanks!”
“Yeah, glad you enjoyed it.”
Lee Dong-hyun waved.
As the pair left the cafe, he stared blankly at the door for a while before reopening his notebook.
The notes were surprisingly sparse.
Knows where Yoo A-yeon is. Close to Yoo A-yeon. Helped with typing and proofreading. Core proof idea from Yoo A-yeon. Lecture coming soon. Exclusive for him and one foreign reporter. Bring broadcasters.
That was it.
The crucial detail—Yoo A-yeon's identity and whereabouts—remained a mystery.
Lee Dong-hyun sipped his now-lukewarm Americano, recalling the child who'd sat with them moments ago.
At first, he'd pegged her as just a cute girl. But from her foreign reporter question onward, the talk had taken a weird turn.
Securing the Yoo A-yeon exclusive was a win, but...
'What an odd kid.'
He closed his notebook. Time to report to his boss.