A Mother's Heart and the World's Gaze

The documentary's midpoint had passed. The scenes featuring Yoo A-yeon faded out, giving way to an interview with Han Seol-ae.

The reporter posed her question. "There's something I'd like to ask you, ma'am. A-yeon is only five, yet she's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠self-taught mathematics at a professor's level and speaks seven languages. Do you have any special educational methods of your own? I'm sure many parents would love to know."

"Educational methods? Nothing particularly special, really. Hmm..."

Han Seol-ae paused for a moment, then spoke. "First and foremost, it's about following wherever the child shows interest. I never pushed mathematics on her. A-yeon was the one who begged me to read her difficult books. It's not about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠parents deciding the direction—it's about not blocking the path the child wants to take."

"So A-yeon asked for those difficult books herself."

"Second, we kept her away from the internet and MeTube videos when she was little. They say early exposure to those things can harm brain development, right? So we made it a strict household rule. Honestly, it wasn't easy. I had a second child to care for, housework piled up, and on days when I was exhausted in body and mind, I desperately wanted to just turn on MeTube for her and rest."

"What did you do instead?"

Han Seol-ae let out a soft sigh before answering calmly. "I reminded myself of my original intentions and resisted. Instead, I read books to her, talked with her, and sat together looking at things. That was all."

Han Seol-ae turned her gaze back to the camera. "Lastly, you have to give them love. It might sound obvious, but I truly believe that's everything. Cheering them on from the side when they're absorbed in something, sitting down to think through mistakes together instead of scolding, and genuinely celebrating their successes—that's what matters most."

The reporter continued. "What kind of child is A-yeon to you?"

"The world might think of her first and foremost as a genius. But to me, A-yeon is simply my beloved daughter. Whether her IQ is 160 or not, whether she solved the Riemann Hypothesis or not—it doesn't change that."

The reporter followed up. "Do you have any hopes for A-yeon?"

"I don't wish for her to study ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠harder and build more achievements. I just hope she continues doing what she loves, living happily with a smile. That's all."

She looked at the camera with a warm, gentle smile.

The next scene featured Professor Park Moo-yeol, the man who had first endorsed Yoo A-yeon's paper on the archive and invited her to deliver the special lecture.

The reporter asked, "When Yoo A-yeon's paper was uploaded to the archive, you provided the endorsement and recommended it to fellow scholars. Did you already know her before the paper appeared?"

"Haha, that's right. Little A-yeon came to see me herself, along with Han Seol-ae. She pulled the paper out of her tiny bag and told me to read it right away. Quite the bold little thing."

"How do you suppose A-yeon knew to come to you?"

"I imagine Han Seol-ae suggested it. I had a prior connection with her through joint research with Professor Shin I-jun, and we met again when she took over his research notes."

Professor Park took a sip of tea before continuing. "From A-yeon's perspective, I was the right person to review the paper since I understood its background."

"What were your first impressions when you received the paper?"

"I skimmed through it quickly. The approach was completely different from anything I'd seen before, and the logical connections were tighter than most papers written by actual PhDs."

"I see."

"But when I heard the author was only five years old, I couldn't believe it. So I decided to test her."

"How?"

"I gave her a problem I was working on at the time."

Professor Park wrote an equation on the blackboard as he spoke. "It looks difficult just glancing at it. What exactly is the problem?"

"It's about the distribution of special values of L-functions. It's related to the Riemann Hypothesis but not directly the same. You couldn't possibly answer it just by memorizing the paper. Without a deep understanding of number theory as a whole, you wouldn't even know where to begin."

"How did A-yeon respond?"

"She pondered for a long time, then offered an approach that was remarkably fitting. It aligned quite closely with the direction I had been considering. After that, I believed it. I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠believed that A-yeon really was the one who wrote the paper."

The reporter pressed on. "What kind of child does A-yeon seem like to you, Professor?"

With his hands clasped behind his back, Professor Park gazed out the window as he answered. "Among the mathematicians I know, there was once a true genius."

"Was it Professor Shin I-jun?"

"Yes, that's right. I think A-yeon resembles that friend a great deal—in the way she looks at problems, in the way she develops her logic."

Professor Park turned to face the camera. "Haha. A-yeon said she grew up reading Professor Shin I-jun's research notes. Perhaps that's the influence."

The documentary featuring Yoo A-yeon created an enormous sensation around the world. Clips began appearing on MeTube, and short-form versions flooded people's algorithms. A-yeon's name trended heavily across social media platforms in every country.