Genius Toddler: IQ 160
Mom looked at me with flustered eyes and asked about the IQ test. What should I say here? I hesitated for a moment. I had no intention of hiding my reincarnation secret forever. It wasn't something I could conceal for life anyway. My finger muscles weren't developed enough yet to type on my own, so I'd absolutely need Mom's help—someone with experience—to write any papers.
It's true that I'll have to reveal it someday...
The real issue was elsewhere.
...But what if she hates me for it?
I clenched my fists tightly. If Mom found out I had Professor Shin Ijun's memories, what expression would she make? Would she be scared? Feel betrayed? Hate me? Surely she wouldn't kick me out of the house... right? Just imagining it made me feel awful.
For now, put it on hold. It's not the right time yet.
In the end, I chose passive evasion. I wouldn't hide my talents, but I'd dodge the decisive answer—a half-hearted stance that committed to neither side.
"Um... I saw it in a book."
"What book?"
"...The one in the study."
For the first time in my second life, I told a lie. The first lie felt as bitter as powdered medicine and as stinging as a shot.
Mom stared at me for a while, then slowly set the book down.
"I wasn't going to scold you, A-yeon. Sorry if I scared you."
She pulled me into a hug and patted my back.
"Uh...?"
Sniff-. My eyes were wet. Apparently, I'd been crying without realizing it.
"Yeah..."
That night, Han Seol-ae and Yoo Jin-hu held a family meeting while their two daughters slept soundly.
"Honey, it really seems like A-yeon's a genius, just like you said."
"Really?"
"She nailed not just basic arithmetic, but equations, fractions, negative numbers, squares. Even derivatives and integrals. All of it."
"...You're not joking?"
"No joke. She said she snuck into the study and learned from the books."
"Crazy, does that even make sense?"
"I looked it up, and it's not totally impossible. Mozart played the harpsichord at three, and Gauss corrected his dad's math mistake at three."
Silence fell.
Jin-hu slowly opened his mouth.
"So you're saying A-yeon's on the level of those geniuses. We should really get her IQ tested, right?"
"...Yeah, I guess we should."
They met each other's eyes and nodded.
A few days later, on the weekend, Mom picked me up and said,
"A-yeon, want to go out with Mommy today?"
"Where?"
"For a test. To see how smart you are with a teacher."
"Yeah! Okay!"
Guess I'm getting an IQ test.
I'd half-expected it. After showing off like that, no parent could resist testing their kid. My only concern was that an official test at a legit place would leave a record of my intelligence score. I briefly considered slacking off to minimize the risk... but in the end, I decided to give it my all.
Yoo A-yeon's existence going public was just a matter of time anyway. Plus, Mom and Dad might praise me for being smart. Hehe.
Dad was on babysitting duty for A-rin and minding the house.
"Have a safe trip."
"We will."
"Bye-bye~."
I was strapped into the car seat. Sitting in a baby car seat and buckling up still felt stuffy—I hadn't gotten used to it yet.
We arrived at the Psychological Counseling Center next to the pediatric clinic.
Park Ji-su, the clinical psychologist at the Psychological Counseling Center, picked up the registration form. She checked the name and birthdate, then double-checked.
Name: Yoo A-yeon. Age... 26 months?
She walked out to the waiting room with the form. There was no child where the guardian's kid should be. Wait—no, her gaze shifted, and there she was, nestled in her mom's arms.
She's really two.
Park Ji-su let out a quiet internal sigh. This happened once or twice every six months. Parents dragging in their kids for toddler IQ tests, convinced their child was special. Even after explaining the official age started at 30 months, they'd still bring younger ones.
Another set of 'my kid's a genius' parents.
The outcome was predictable anyway. A real two-year-old couldn't even comprehend language. They wouldn't grasp the questions, making the test impossible. Nine times out of ten, separation anxiety kicked in the moment they left Mom's arms—they'd wail and throw tantrums. But if the parents insisted, she'd give it a shot.
Park Ji-su approached Han Seol-ae with a smile.
"Hello. You're Yoo A-yeon's guardian?"
"Yes, hello."
"Just a moment, please—"
At that instant, her eyes met Yoo A-yeon's, cradled in Han Seol-ae's arms. Park Ji-su froze mid-sentence.
...Oh my.
Her big, round eyes were adorable. Sharp features, porcelain-white and soft-looking skin. Long lashes, defined nose and lips. Just a glance purified the soul. This kid would break hearts when she grew up.
How can a child be this pretty?
She nearly lost her professional composure but shook it off and picked up the form again.
"Today we'll do the WPPSI, the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence. But since she's only 26 months, she's not quite at the official age yet. We can proceed, but at this age, the test itself might be tough."
"Yes, but please go ahead."
"Language comprehension is still developing, so she might not understand the items. Some kids have separation anxiety that makes even entering the room impossible."
"We'll give it a try."
Han Seol-ae's expression didn't waver. Park Ji-su thought to herself,
Whatever, it won't work anyway. Let's just do it.
She opened the testing room door.
"Yoo A-yeon, come on in."
Han Seol-ae set A-yeon down. A-yeon bowed politely to Park Ji-su, a navel-bow greeting.
"...Hello~."
"Yes~."
Park Ji-su smiled warmly. Oh, so cute. Well-raised.
It was still the adorable phase. The child sat in the testing chair, hands neatly folded on her lap, eyes fixed on Park Ji-su. No separation anxiety—she didn't even glance toward the door where Mom stood. That was rare.
She's ready?
Park Ji-su pulled out the first item: block design. Replicating patterns from cards with blocks.
"Can you make it just like this shape?"
"Yes~."
A-yeon grabbed the blocks without hesitation. Click-click-. Done in seconds.
Hey, not bad.
Park Ji-su kept smiling and pulled the next card. Difficulty ramped up gradually. Click-click-click-. Perfect.
...Huh?
Next. Click-click-click-click-.
Next. Click-click-click-click-click-.
Park Ji-su couldn't record fast enough to keep up with A-yeon's speed.
Next item: picture sequence. "Look at these pictures and arrange them in order..."
Before she finished, A-yeon scanned the cards. Just a glance. Then, without pause, she arranged them perfectly in seconds.
"All done~."
Park Ji-su panicked. Wa... wait a sec.
Then, the Number Recall test.
"3, 7."
"3, 7."
"5, 2, 8."
"5, 2, 8."
"7, 3, 2, 5, 8."
"7, 3, 2, 5, 8."
"4, 1, 8, 7, 0, 9, 3, 2, 6, 5."
"...4, 1, 8, 7, 0, 9, 3, 2, 6, 5."
Watching A-yeon memorize a ten-digit sequence at the final stage in one go, Park Ji-su surrendered inwardly.
She's only two—how?!
She glanced at the score sheet. Not a single mistake so far.
In 15 years as a clinical psychologist, I've never seen this...
Park Ji-su felt a mix of emotions toward Yoo A-yeon. Cute but scary. Scary but cute.
What... is this kid?
The test ended. Park Ji-su organized the score sheet with a strange expression and left the room with A-yeon. She approached Han Seol-ae in the waiting area.
"Ma'am, results in two weeks. Can you come back then?"
"Yes, of course. Is there anything you can tell me now...?"
"What I can say for sure... she's no ordinary child. I'll explain the details properly in two weeks."
"Oh, okay. Got it."
Han Seol-ae wore a complex expression.
My brain feels even sharper than in my past life...?
I hadn't had a chance to test my intelligence before, so I didn't realize. But objectively, after the test, I could tell. Leaving aside knowledge-based problems, spatial perception, short-term memory, processing speed—all the brainpower ones felt effortless.
Maybe I'd even score higher than my past life on an adult test...? That was the vibe.
Why am I smarter? Mom and Dad's genes?
Mom had been a genius I'd noticed back in her grad school days. And Dad was an elite too, from the same science high school as me. If my brain got top-tier DNA from two elites, it made perfect sense.
Two weeks later. The intelligence test results came in.
160 out of 160. As expected.
"Hehe~."
I knew it was coming, but seeing IQ 160 confirmed felt great.
I'm 160~ I'm 160~
In a world where smarter means higher status, I'm the queen~
If Queen Yoo A-yeon rounds up all the IQ 150s, she'll make them fan her!
Mom, meanwhile, stared silently at the results sheet for a while after taking it.
Park Ji-su continued the explanation.
"160 is the theoretical maximum on the Wechsler scale. That's four sigma. In percentile terms, top 0.006% intelligence."
"..."
"Plus, Yoo A-yeon isn't even at the official WPPSI age yet. A score like this at her age..."
The teacher chose her words carefully.
"Honestly, it's the first time in my 15 years of experience."
Mom set the results on her lap. Closed her eyes once, then opened them. She looked at me.
"...Our A-yeon. Must've been so bored all this time."
Stroke-stroke-. Mom gently petted my head.
"You know, Mom doesn't care if you're a genius or not. I just want you to be happy."
I'd expected joy at having a genius kid. Mom's reaction wasn't what I anticipated.
But... this wasn't bad either. I quietly leaned my head into her hand.