Chapter 13. Abandoned by My Teacher, Only for the MIT President to Come Begging Me to Enroll
Chapter 13. Abandoned by My Teacher, Only for the MIT President to Come Begging Me to Enroll
The basement of the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters in Langley, United States.
Inside a secluded room within a Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility, or SCIF, a special security zone said to be completely impervious to outside radio signals and electronic surveillance, two powerful American officials sat in heavy silence with grave expressions.
(Translator’s Note: SCIF — An accredited secure area, room, group of rooms, or installation where Sensitive Compartmented Information may be stored, used, discussed, or electronically processed under strict physical and technical security controls.)
“I read the report you submitted.”
CIA Deputy Director Samuel Huntington flipped through the charts laid out on the table and took a sip of coffee, his face stiff.
“We cannot even produce a close imitation.”
Philip Whitaker, Director of the Directorate of Science and Technology, let out a deep sigh and looked at the familiar-looking drone carefully placed on the cold metal table.
“We had professors from MIT and major defense technology companies like Palantir analyze it, but they said that replicating this level of performance would cost at least five times as much.”
Even America’s finest engineering university and its renowned companies filled with brilliant minds could not match the performance of a drone created in South Korea by a single high school student.
“What do you think we should do? I want your opinion as Director of Science and Technology.”
The Director of the CIA’s Directorate of Science and Technology stood on the front line of monitoring advanced weapons and technological developments around the world.
He understood better than anyone the gravity of the situation.
He understood how the AI embedded in the lightweight drone sitting on the table, along with its bizarre collection of unconventional technologies, could overturn the future of modern warfare.
“According to recently acquired intelligence… we believe the boy has begun developing actual weapons in earnest. He appears to be doing so at the request of the highest levels of the South Korean government.”
“So South Korea noticed him too. Then again, with an irregularity like him appearing, there was no way they would fail to notice…”
Tap.
Huntington set down his coffee cup and looked directly into Whitaker’s eyes.
“Tell me what you think. I will follow your decision on this matter.”
It was as though the Deputy Director were granting the Director of Science and Technology full authority over the operation.
“I understand the target is currently a high school senior preparing for university admissions.”
Huntington silently nodded.
“Let us enroll him at an American university. We will provide him with a generous scholarship, quietly arrange permanent residency for him, and after graduation, naturally place him in one of our Department of Defense research institutes or a core division of a major technology company. What do you think?”
It was a very common and traditional American method.
Use overwhelming capital and infrastructure to acquire brilliant minds from around the world.
Countless global geniuses who had helped maintain American supremacy had become Americans through such a process.
Of course, most of them had probably come voluntarily.
However, when it came to an insane, anomalous genius like Ryu Hyesung, the United States would personally and carefully construct the entire path needed to recruit him.
That was true “American-style democracy” at the pinnacle of capitalism.
“Contact the President of MIT immediately. Bring Ryu Hyesung to the United States by any means necessary.”
The CIA leadership’s secret strategy meeting came to an end.
The United States had begun to move.
Without even realizing that class had begun, I had collapsed face-first onto my desk and fallen asleep as though I had lost consciousness.
I had spent the entire night conducting research and development on new weapons at my military production factory, which had grown beyond anything I had expected.
Exhaustion had seeped so deeply into my bones that the hard wooden desk felt like a luxurious goose-down bed.
“Hey!! Ryu Hyesung! How long are you going to keep sleeping?!”
Of all things, the first period that day was Korean language class, taught by my homeroom teacher.
“Ugh… Huh? I’m sorry.”
“What the hell are you doing every night that leaves you unable to stay awake whenever you come to school? Have you lost your mind? You’re a high school senior!”
In the end, I was summoned to the teachers’ office.
“Ryu Hyesung, what is wrong with you? You are a senior now. Why are you acting like someone who has already given up on life?”
I kept my mouth tightly shut and lowered my head like a criminal.
“You get top grades in the science-track subjects. If you improved just a little in the subjects you are weak at, you could easily get into a university in Seoul. So what the hell are you doing?”
“…”
“If you do not study now, you will end up with nothing later. Do you have any idea how frightening and unforgiving the outside world is?”
“I’m sorry.”
“You need to get into a proper university and find a respectable job like everyone else. Do you want to spend the rest of your life drifting from one convenience store part-time job to another? Huh?!”
My homeroom teacher’s lengthy speech showed no sign of ending.
Of course, what he was saying was not wrong.
For the overwhelming majority of ordinary students, it would probably be valuable advice.
Slide—
At that moment, the vice principal hurriedly opened the teachers’ office door and rushed inside.
“Teacher Lee! Where is student Ryu Hyesung?”
My homeroom teacher stopped lecturing me and raised his hand.
“This one is right here.”
“Teacher Lee and student Ryu Hyesung, go to the principal’s office immediately!”
“What? I’m in the middle of counseling a student.”
“Counseling can wait. Run to the principal’s office right now!”
At the vice principal’s urgent shout, my homeroom teacher stopped his sermon with a displeased expression.
We hurried toward the principal’s office.
Slide—
When the door opened, an elderly white gentleman with graying hair was seated on the office sofa beside a middle-aged woman who appeared to be an interpreter.
The usually proud principal was personally carrying teacups around while fussing over them.
“Ah, student Ryu Hyesung! Come and sit over here.”
At the principal’s invitation, my homeroom teacher and I sat down on the empty sofa with bewildered expressions.
The elderly white gentleman smiled brightly at me, and the woman beside him immediately interpreted his words.
“You are student Ryu Hyesung, correct? You are much more handsome in person than in the photographs.”
“What? Thank you, but… excuse me, who are you?”
The man seemed to know everything about me already.
“I am Charles Eliot, President of MIT in the United States.”
“What? MIT?”
MIT was one of the world’s greatest engineering and technology universities.
Why had the president of such a prestigious institution personally come all the way to an ordinary South Korean high school to meet me?
“We are very interested in you, student Ryu Hyesung.”
He gave me a discreet wink.
What was that supposed to mean?
He kept hinting that he knew something, but I had no idea how much information he actually possessed.
Before I could resolve my doubts, the next words from the President’s mouth completely destroyed everyone’s expectations.
“We would like to offer student Ryu Hyesung special admission to MIT.”
“Pfffft!”
My homeroom teacher, sitting beside me, sprayed the tea he had been drinking into the air.
This was the same homeroom teacher who, only ten minutes earlier, had passionately warned me that I would spend my life working part-time at convenience stores if I failed to get into university.
The principal carrying the tea and the vice principal standing beside him also froze like statues, as though they had planned it in advance.
“I’m sorry, but… what did you just say?”
When I asked again in disbelief, the President of MIT leaned forward, grasped both my hands, and spoke politely.
“Would you please enroll at our university?”
“No, you cannot just suddenly say something like that…”
When I hesitated with an uncomfortable expression, my homeroom teacher and the principal frantically waved their hands as though trying to physically cover my mouth.
“H-Hyesung, are you insane? You should immediately bow down, thank him, and accept!”
“Hyesung! Producing an MIT student from our high school would be a far greater achievement than having someone rank first in admissions to Seoul National University!”
The adults desperately tried to persuade me, their faces pale.
“That may be true, but… my school grades are completely wrecked. Is it really fine for someone like me to suddenly enter a university like that?”
“It is fine! Who cares if your school grades are a little ruined? Hyesung, this is far beyond anything that can be measured by school grades!”
Those were not words that should have been coming from the mouth of the man who, only ten minutes earlier, had been yelling about how I would spend my life working at convenience stores if my school grades were ruined.
“But I honestly was not planning to go to university anyway, and there is also that noble career path of convenience store work my homeroom teacher recommended…”
“Teacher Lee!!”
The principal’s thunderous roar shook the office.
“Just how harshly have you been tormenting our precious Hyesung all this time for the boy to become this twisted?!”
“What? N-No, I was just treating him the way I normally do…”
“The way you normally do? I knew it! You must have harassed the boy so much that now he is trying to refuse admission to MIT out of spite!”
The unexpected sparks suddenly flew straight toward my homeroom teacher.
Leaving my teacher behind as he opened and closed his mouth in aggrieved silence, the MIT President, who had been watching the situation with interest, spoke again.
“Hyesung, MIT has gathered the world’s most advanced technology and facilities in one place. If you wish, you will be able to freely enter the research laboratories of virtually any global corporation.”
“Yes…”
This man knew exactly what kind of bait would make my mouth water.
As though someone had given him information about me beforehand, his proposal was disturbingly precise.
“More importantly, you would have access to the perfect infrastructure needed to support your research, along with brilliant people you could use however you pleased. Our university is overflowing with nerds who are just as crazy as you are.”
It was certainly tempting.
Research that would normally require me to struggle alone through several sleepless nights could instead be divided among world-class geniuses working as my assistants.
If I could do that, the efficiency of developing new products would rise to absurd levels.
“Hmm. That does sound somewhat tempting.”
Apparently frustrated that I had not immediately fallen to the floor shouting, “Yes, thank you!” the principal and my homeroom teacher repeatedly pounded their chests in exasperation.
“However, I must be careful bringing this up… The truth is, some stubborn old men on our university’s board are opposed to granting you such extraordinary special admission.”
The President clicked his tongue awkwardly.
“Before enrolling, could you come to our university and personally give a lecture to our faculty and students?”
He was not asking a high school student to take an entrance examination.
Instead, he was asking me to stand at the lectern of one of the world’s finest universities and teach.
The sheer scale of the unexpected proposal made both teachers’ jaws drop nearly to their chests.
After the storm had passed, the principal’s office was empty.
Only two people remained.
The dazed principal and my homeroom teacher.
“Teacher Lee…”
“Yes, Principal.”
“Can you guess what the President of MIT repeatedly asked me to do after Hyesung left earlier?”
The principal absentmindedly stared into space while fiddling with his now-cold teacup.
His face had gone pale as though he had seen something horrifying.
“I am not sure… Perhaps he asked us to ensure that Hyesung meets some minimum requirements for school grades or the College Scholastic Ability Test before graduation?”
Hyesung’s transcript showed top-tier grades only in the science-track subjects, while everything else was near the bottom.
From a homeroom teacher’s perspective, it was a natural assumption.
“Haah… That was not it.”
“What?”
“He told me to make sure Ryu Hyesung enters MIT safely by any means necessary. And if we fail to make that happen…”
The principal moved his parched lips.
“He said America would find some way to have both you and me removed from our positions. I mean dismissed.”
“What?! N-No, no matter what, how can the president of a university threaten public education officials from another country like that…”
“…Teacher Lee, has there ever been anything unusual about student Hyesung?”
The homeroom teacher thought carefully.
There was.
Something unusual about him.
“That student ranks first nationwide in the mathematics and science mock examinations.”
“There are many students who score full marks, so all of them technically rank first nationwide, do they not?”
That was true.
There were plenty of perfect scores among students from science high schools and other specialized schools, so the number of students technically tied for first nationwide was not limited to one or two.
“No. The mathematics section of the March mock examination was so difficult that there was only one student in the entire country who received a perfect score. That student was Hyesung.”
“What? Why are you only telling me this now?”
“No, I did tell you…”
“Then tell student Hyesung to participate in a Mathematics Olympiad.”
“What? But he is already a high school senior…”
“We have to send him to MIT anyway. Would it not be better if he ruins his school grades and CSAT scores as badly as possible?”
“But if he distinguishes himself in an Olympiad, universities everywhere will start begging him to enroll.”
The principal reassured the teacher as though his concern were completely unnecessary.
“An Olympiad is not some neighborhood school examination. Geniuses from all over the world gather there. Hyesung sleeps all the time. There is no way he can compete with them.”
“Then, if we deliberately guide him toward preparing for a Mathematics Olympiad instead of studying for school grades and the CSAT…”
“His grades will be ruined, and MIT will be the only place left for him to go.”
The principal and the homeroom teacher had begun an operation to ruin Hyesung’s academic performance so that they could send him to MIT.