Mathematician
A while back.
Like, when I was around four years old.
I hadn't started child modeling yet, just killing the brutal boredom of early childhood by playing with my little brother or watching cartoons about heroes in masks.
"Ahyeon knows this stuff too~?"
"Yes, Mom."
I started talking early and knew a ton of random things.
"Honey~ Wanna try solving this?"
My dad—who'd just gotten his PhD and was working as a researcher at a company—got curious about his daughter's smarts.
"Like this?"
"?! Th-that too…."
"All done."
"!!!!!!!!!!"
I solved it in one go, and all hell broke loose.
It wasn't anything tough, just basic addition.
"Our daughter has to go into math!!"
Looking back now, yeah, it was the kind of problem that'd get you called a genius at four.
"Our princess, wanna try this one too?"
That lit a fire under Dad's math prostate or whatever, and he started bringing me all sorts of problems.
"Nah, don't wanna."
"Wh-what, why…."
"Hate numbers."
Good thing I sensed something off and noped out.
Otherwise, I'd have ended up in some genius kindergarten snapping real prodigies' fingers.
Anyway.
"Honey~ You're starting middle school soon, right? Wanna preview with Dad?"
"Huh? Nah, I quit math."
"What? Why?"
"Think I'll make it as a model. What's math gonna do for me?"
After that, his model daughter ditched math.
"Heroes don't study."
"Son, what the…!"
My puberty-hit brother got weird ideas from his big sis and became a math dropout too (though he regretted it after retaking exams).
"Your dad's a math professor…."
Dad was the lone mathematician in the house, bearing his solitude.
Seemed like my Homes game questions recently triggered something.
"Honey, I'm heading to a conference. Wanna come with?"
"Me?"
He'd never pushed math conferences on me before.
Shouldn't he ask my college bro instead?
"It'd be nice for father and daughter to go out together after so long."
"Still, a conference… Clothing shopping? Sure."
"…Ahem, I'll go alone."
He remembered the department store birthday outing and paled, backing off.
Tsk, was it that bad?
I was just trying to upgrade my plaid-shirt-all-day professor dad's wardrobe.
I run the family's fashion, FYI.
I wasn't into it at first, but ten years modeling opened my eyes.
Mom's the only exception—she's always dressed sharp, the base for our sibling genes.
Anyway, I fended Dad off that round.
But he didn't give up easy after.
"Honey, you know this?"
"Huh? What."
"Runway paths are geometry too, y'know. Model directions, turn spots, even gaze angles—all calculated…."
"Huh, cool."
He'd drop geometry out of nowhere.
"This photo's composition is great. Not perfect golden ratio, but…."
"Praise?"
He'd plop down, flip through magazines, mumbling.
"Ahem, yeah."
That mag had my cherry blossom shoot.
Reminds me of that article buzz.
"Rosélia, you see this?"
We laughed over how over-the-top it was.
"They write nice lately."
This article too.
Been happening more.
Every little thing gets a blip article now?
Familiar reporter names mean I've got specialists tailing me.
Andel's name carries weight, huh.
Used to get articles before, but sporadic.
Guess you need a brand behind you?
Feeling the spotlight shift with the "Andel exclusive model" title.
"More than that, honey."
While musing on my hot press streak.
Dad piped up again from beside me.
"Yeah?"
"Ahem, missed the timing before. What was that problem last time?"
"Oh. Just came up chatting with a friend."
"Really? Not sparking interest?"
He peeked over his intellectual glasses, hopeful.
With daughter in arts and son in mech eng.
His 50s prof dream of co-authoring papers with kids—crushed. That hope flickered in his eyes.
"Nah? Math's really not."
Math? Pfft.
Does math pay bills?
Well, if you're good, yeah.
But no big help alongside modeling.
"Ugh."
He sighed big at my firm no.
…Kinda feel bad for getting his hopes up.
Maybe hit that conference for real later?
"…Ahem, honey. The world's truths are in math."
"Yeah?"
"Yup. This world's so mathematical. Even as a hobby, not career—study it, it'll be fun."
Study math as a non-pro hobby?
Couldn't parse that.
"Ah… sure."
His eyes sparkled too much to argue.
"Physics, chem, astronomy—all math's kids."
"Debatable?"
Dad's dead serious about math.
Quit a top corp researcher gig to prof—'cause he wanted deeper math dives.
Already published tons, still grinding.
"Nope, math's the root of all knowledge."
Bit extreme, but.
At least no forcing?
Always gentle nudges.
No pressure let bro tank math to 7th grade.
Dad's face then—like a soldier losing his country.
Anyway, his math-is-everything rant rolled on while I reminisced.
"If God's real, He's a mathematician. Such a precise world…."
Aigoo, even God.
His pious vibe had me pointing at the sofa-top.
"You say that in front of Mom?"
"…Ahem."
Above the sofa, near the ceiling on the wall—a big cross was mounted.
"Honey, don't wanna eat dinner?"
Almost heard Mom's voice.