Regional Olympiad Challenge (3): A Graceful Beauty
Kim Mi-yeon's name had been given to her by her parents with the wish that she grow up beautiful and graceful. At school, she was just a girl with her hair roughly tied back with a cheap rubber band from the stationery store, but her neat and subtle charm shone through even in her plain appearance, captivating the hearts of many boys. In that sense, she was certainly a girl with another kind of allure.
"M-my house?"
"Y-yeah. I have something to ask you."
"Ah! N-no, I'm f-fine!"
"Really? Then could you spare a little time?"
"Sureee~"
A lot had happened on the first day of class, but in the end, weren't they comrades in the same boat? I didn't dislike Kim Mi-yeon at all—in fact, I was just thinking this might be a good chance to get to know her better.
"Then, excuse meee~"
Her house was modest. The yard looked old but neatly kept, and the weathered front gate gave off a strangely warm vibe. In this era, Samcheong-dong wasn't filled with cafes and galleries like in my previous life; it was more like a neighborhood of hanok houses with tiled roofs lining every alley, courtyards peeking over the walls.
Whoaaa!
Having only seen massive chaebol mansions until now, coming face-to-face with this humble, human-scented home made a corner of my heart tingle warmly for some reason.
"Want something?"
"Huh?"
Kim Mi-yeon mimed drinking with her hands.
"Oh! I want cocoa!"
"Cocoa? Yeah. Wait a sec."
Soon, a tray arrived with a big cup brimming with cocoa and a glass of warm water. Oh! The cocoa smelled amazing. What was it? Like regular powdered cocoa but with her own sweet, nutty twist. It was exactly my taste—I could've asked for the recipe right then. It tasted a whole level above the nanny's brew.
While I was lost in the cocoa, Kim Mi-yeon calmly examined Teacher Oh Se-jun's official card and the solution process. Her eyes shifted subtly, and the tip of her pencil began cautiously scratching across the paper.
Scritch scritch!
The pleasant sound of pencil on paper. Rumors said she had no friends at school and just buried herself in studies—turns out it was true.
But her solution was wrong.
Eh? That's not how you solve it...
I sipped my cocoa and muttered casually.
"Um... there, you need to substitute with the opposite term."
"Substitute?"
"Yeah. This term looks similar in form, right? Bundle it together and swap it for another variable, and the calculations get way simpler."
No helping it. To explain properly, I'd have to write it out. I picked up the pencil and quickly rewrote the equation.
"For example, treat this part as one value and simplify, and the whole structure falls into a linear equation. Then solve it like..."
Scritch! I finished the last line.
"And the answer pops right out."
"!"
The messy equation neatened up in one go, collapsing into a single line. Like a tangled ball of yarn unraveling at once.
"Simple, right?"
"Yeah. But how do you solve it like that?"
Well, that's because I have memories from my past life. Of course, I couldn't say that out loud, so I just shrugged and smiled lightly.
"I just like trying different ways to solve problems."
"Different ways?"
"Yeah. Everyone approaches a problem a bit differently. Even with the same equation, some substitute like I did to reshape it, others expand and brute-force through."
"I see..."
Did Kim Mi-yeon know? The girl in front of her was none other than a top student from Korea University in her past life—one of the three perfect scorers on the CSAT. Honestly, my tutoring skills were worth at least a few million won a month. Back when money was tight, I tutored the neighbor aunt's daughter a few times, boosted her grades dramatically in no time, and soon had a backlog of bookings. But I quit after a bit since I wasn't confident in keeping the gains forever. Felt guilty taking money if scores dropped.
Slurp!
The cocoa in my cup had noticeably dwindled, the bottom peeking through. Hiiing! I wanted more, but the nanny said too much sugar rots your teeth, so I held back.
Man, she's impressive. Sweat handkerchief on her forehead and neck, yet her study passion was beyond imagination. Wasn't she coming down with something?
"Mi-yeon unnie?"
"Uh, unnie?"
"Hehe~ Can't I call you unnie?"
"No reason you can't, but... you don't hate me?"
"Why would I?"
"Well... on the first day of extra class, I picked a fight first..."
Oh yeah, I remembered. What'd she say? Something like I ate half a squid or whatever? I didn't care much. I'd dealt with plenty of that in college. A snide comment like that was just a tickle now. Besides, I wasn't leisurely enough to dwell on it.
If I had a phone, I'd be fielding hundreds of calls a day. The busiest kid in the world: meetings with Dr. Lee, checking production lines, prepping for the olympiad, reviewing homework— one body wasn't enough. The nanny would sometimes come in whining, "Young miss, you'll collapse at this rate."
Sure enough, tackling tough olympiad problems with a cold made Kim Mi-yeon's breathing grow ragged. Oops. Better to rest properly when resting, work properly when working.
"Mi-yeon unnie, take a break now. Pushing more today won't get us far anyway."
"R-really?"
"Yup! Studying extra hours just to catch a multi-day cold would be a bigger loss, right?"
She was older than me, but counting my past life, I had double the years.
"Thanks..."
"No prob."
Kim Mi-yeon's room was upstairs. Fifth grade at elementary was still just a kid. Parents must've left early for work; she was home alone. Supporting her shoulder with one arm, I glanced at the kitchen. Leftover rice bowls and medicine packets scattered around. She'd tried eating alone but barely managed a few spoons.
She made tasty cocoa, so whipping up a dish wasn't hard. I laid her on the bed and rolled up my sleeves in the kitchen. Cleaning first—priority.
Chaebol heiress? If we're talking solo living skills, I'd rank in Korea's top fingers.
Not bragging—I'd survived a week on instant ramen once. I chuckled, tackling the sink's pile. Soaked, scrubbed hard—they gleamed like new. My body remembered.
Couldn't leave a sick kid next to a messy kitchen.
What to cook?
When sick living alone, I'd make vegetable porridge. Easy on the stomach, nutrition-packed. Pulling past-life memories, I opened the fridge. Jackpot—carrots, zucchini, potatoes, onions. Perfect for porridge.
Chopping board ready, I gripped the knife. Carrots first? Crick crick! Firm texture transmitted through the blade. As fine as possible—no chunks in the porridge. Dice dice.
Zucchini was fresh. Knife sank smoothly, green slices piling neatly. Onions stung my nose with their sharp bite, soon mellowing to sweet aroma filling the kitchen. Potatoes diced small—they'd break down for thickness.
Rice is prepped...
Pot on low heat, drop of sesame oil. Warm it, toss in rice, stir-fry gently. Sizzle sizzle! Grains scraping the bottom, turning translucent to milky, nutty scent rising.
Dump in veggies. Thud! Wooden spoon mixes—colors soften in harmony.
"Ooooh! Veggie porridge complete!"
Seoyeon's veggie porridge—two servings, but one might vanish unnoticed. The aroma wafting up was no joke.
Back in the room, her breathing was soft and even. Hehe! Up close, she looked endlessly kind. No trace of wrestling problems; long lashes over steady breaths like classical music.
Leave it here, she'll eat when she wakes?
I gently set the steaming porridge and meds on the bedside desk, holding my breath not to wake her. Tucked the blanket over her shoulder.
"Hehe~"
***
"Mm?"
How long had she slept? At the thought of Han Seoyeon who'd visited, Kim Mi-yeon bolted upright.
"...!"
Suddenly, a delicious smell wafted into her nose. Turning to the desk, cooled veggie porridge caught her eye.
"Veggie porridge?"
Who made it? No way the much-younger Han Seoyeon cooked it herself?
She hesitated, then took the spoon. One bite of the slightly cooled porridge.
"Wow!"
Smooth texture spread, nutty sesame filling her mouth. Rice soft, no throat strain; finely chopped veggies added subtle sweetness. Another bite, then another. Spoon wouldn't stop.
Slurp! Her cheeks puffed happily. She noticed her eyes crinkling in bliss.
"Mi-yeon-ah?"
Mom's voice at the perfect time. Craving affection, she hugged her mom's waist tight.
"Aigoo, my girl! Missed Mom that much? How's your body? Took your meds?"
"I'm good now."
"Really? Sniff sniff! What's that smell? Something yummy? Oh? You cleaned the whole house too?"
"W-well, actually..."
At her mom's words, Kim Mi-yeon shyly confessed.
"Yeah... looks like an angel visited our house..."