Translator: Dreamscribe
Okcheon County Office, 2nd Floor, Department of Education and Culture.
“Huh? Principal! What brings you here in person?”
Ko Gil-young, a public education officer at the county office, greeted Principal Kim Jae-hyung with a surprised expression.
“Hey, how long has it been since I submitted the budget request, and there’s still no response!”
Jae-hyung entered the office, slapping the desk.
“Ah, about that matter? It's still under review...”
“Review? Didn’t you say a week ago to just wait three more days?”
His voice was so powerful it echoed down the hallway, as if he'd boiled a train whistle in his throat.
Hearing the noise, staff from the neighboring office began poking their heads out one by one.
“Principal, please lower your voice.”
“Come on, does this make sense? Is this how you treat a treasure of Okcheon County? Look at this!”
Thud.
As if he had prepared in advance, a pile of newspaper clippings spilled out of Jae-hyung’s bag.
Most were from local newspapers, and the circled sections marked with red felt-tip pen were from national papers.
Some internet articles, likely printed by a subordinate, were highlighted with fluorescent markers.
[Okcheon Today]
-Okcheon Dodam Elementary 5th Grader Wins Grand Prize in National Mathematics Competition. A remarkable achievement by a rural school student beating elite high school seniors!
[Gojoseon Daily]
-Elementary Student Ranks First Nationwide in Elementary, Middle, and High School Without Private Tutoring. A Math Genius Blossoms in the Countryside.
“See this! We’ve started getting transfer inquiries since last month.”
The principal wore a deeply serious expression.
“Huh?”
The officer couldn’t figure out why this person had come to him instead of going to the education office.
“Our pride, Dodam Elementary’s 5th Grade, Class 1 student Yu Seo-ha, won the grand prize in a national mathematics competition! And now, students from nearby schools are talking about transferring here, can you believe that? We’re even getting calls from Yeongdong and Geumsan!”
“Really?”
The officer’s eyes widened as if hearing this for the first time.
“I’m telling you, our country is built on education. When there’s a good educational environment, parents are ready to move anywhere for their children.
What’s the population of Okcheon now? Around 40,000? With all this talk of rural extinction and whatnot, how much of the budget goes into this area? But even with all that money, have there been any real results?”
Frustrated, Jae-hyung pounded his chest.
“And yet!”
“You’re telling me that this student, who’s raised the honor of our Okcheon, can’t attend competitions because of a lack of money! Do you think that makes any sense?”
Of course, this was an exaggeration.
After the article was published, the principal belatedly realized Seo-ha’s existence and hurried to the classroom to meet him. He had expected to see a child bursting with pride at being featured in a national newspaper at such a young age, but only for a moment.
What he encountered was an ordinary kid with a deeply uninterested expression. Since sensational news in this countryside amounted to “wild boar sightings”, local reporters had already had their fill of pestering Seo-ha as a national-level genius.
When the principal abruptly showed up and told him to enter another competition, Seo-ha just blinked at him.
“Huh? A competition?”
“That’s right! From what I’ve found, even just within Chungbuk Province, there are math competitions every month. And there are plenty in Gyeongbuk and Chungnam too. Wouldn’t it be great to participate and win awards while you’re at it? It would help promote our school too.”
The principal clearly had an agenda.
Noticing this, Seo-ha’s eyes twinkled.
He first adjusted his expression, then answered politely with a sullen look.
“Well, I’ve decided not to enter any more city or provincial competitions. There is a national competition next month, but even that’s a bit...”
‘City or provincial competitions don’t even offer prize money.’
When Seo-ha hesitated, the principal became anxious.
“What’s the reason? Is there some kind of problem?”
Seo-ha recalled a conversation he had with Woo-hyun not long ago.
-Why are you rejecting my scholarship offer? I’m Shin Woo-hyun. Sponsoring a few kids won’t even scratch my account balance!
Woo-hyun had no intention of asking anything from Seo-ha in return for sponsorship. However, the stubborn couple had repeatedly refused the money he offered.
"My parents won't accept it. They say they're already grateful for the books and papers you send."
This was the will of both parents.
-Still, studying costs money, doesn’t it? Going around to math competitions is something only families with means can do. You can’t ignore the cost of transportation and lodging. And what if you have to go to an international competition later? What will you do then?
“I’ll think about that when the time comes. I’m sure my parents have something in mind.”
In truth, Seo-ha already knew.
His father had recently put the family’s ancestral mountain forest land on the real estate market.
No matter how grateful they were, Woo-hyun was still an outsider, and his father believed that it was a parent’s duty to fund their child’s education with their own money.
Supporting a family of four on a public servant’s salary was already a struggle, and now that not just Seo-ha but also the second child was showing academic talent, he had made a big decision.
-Then let's look into government scholarships later. They won't object to that.
"Is there anything besides prize money?"
-Honestly, right now it’s practically impossible. Corporate scholarships are money that future scholars should never accept, and even those aren’t given to elementary students. Not to mention, the government or local authorities wouldn’t grant a scholarship to an individual with no proven results.
“Geez, then it’s hopeless anyway.”
-But if you win first place in next year’s Olympiad, there are ways. Just hold on until then.
Seo-ha loved his parents.
His father worked diligently at his job every single day, like an ox. On top of that, the couple insisted on growing their own food for their children, saying they couldn’t rest easy otherwise. They maintained a fairly large vegetable garden. Everything that he and his sibling ate came from that process.
Because he respected the wishes of such devoted parents, Seo-ha kept his mouth shut. But he didn’t want his family to suffer because of him. He had thought that the only solution was to win first place and bring home prize money...
But what if there was another way?
“Why not the competition next month?”
For the first time during his years as principal, Dodam Elementary had been reported in the media. He didn’t want this to be a one-time thing.
“I have a younger sister. I could go alone, but my parents won’t allow it. That means the whole family has to travel the day before, and since prices in Seoul are high…”
Seo-ha subtly trailed off at the end.
“What? If that was the situation, you should’ve said something earlier! Just wait a few days. I’ll try to figure something out.”
Back in his office, the principal immediately called for the administrative manager.
“Manager Kim, how much do we have left in the school’s reserve fund?”
“Reserve fund? One moment.”
The manager flipped through some documents and made a troubled face.
“Principal, we had additional expenses for heating and cooling this month, plus repairs for the restrooms. You should consider the reserve fund as non-existent. Even if there is any, there are too many other things that need funding.”
“Then isn’t there anything we could reallocate from another category?”
“The budget from the education office comes with designated uses. It’s very difficult to alter them arbitrarily. But may I ask what this is about?”
The principal explained the situation. But the administrative manager jumped up in alarm upon hearing it.
“That’s absolutely not allowed. Using the school budget to support an individual student? That’s a serious issue. It could trigger an audit. If another parent complains to the education office saying it’s unfair, we could all end up losing our positions.”
Now that he heard it, the manager’s words were right.
Hmm.
Nothing was easy.
Jae-hyung let out a deep sigh. No matter how hard he thought about it, there didn’t seem to be a solution.
Just then, the phone in the principal’s office rang.
Ring ring ring.
“Yes, this is Dodam Elementary School.”
-Hello, I’m calling because I want to transfer my child to your school.
Total number of students: 120.
Dodam Elementary is actually in a relatively better situation. That’s because 40% of elementary schools in North Chungcheong Province have fewer than 60 students in total.
In rural areas, elementary schools are practically fighting a war against closure. And yet, during such times, transfer requests?
The principal’s eyes lit up.
“Yes... yes! Where are you calling from?”
-From Yeongdong. We’re not far from Okcheon, and we saw in the newspaper that there’s a student named Yu Seo-ha, right? Our child also loves math... Would it be possible to know which teacher that student is learning from? We’re thinking of moving, and the kid’s dad can just commute a bit farther for work.
It wasn’t just one phone call.
No fewer than three families had inquired about transferring.
The principal made up his mind.
No matter what, Seo-ha had to be sent to the competition.
***
The population of Okcheon has been on a steep decline.
It had managed to stay afloat as a commuter town for Daejeon, but that didn’t last long either.
A severe outflow of population over the past ten years.
No matter how much budget was poured in, there seemed to be no solution.
But now, population inflow?
“Hey, do you think I’m doing this for my own benefit? When a parent says they want to transfer their child to a school, what do you think that means? It means they’re planning to move!”
At the principal’s point, the officer’s eyes widened.
In rural areas, a significant portion of local government budgets goes toward attracting population. According to a recent government report, the cost local governments spend to attract just one new resident ranges from 20 to 40 million won.
And yet an entire family is moving in? Without any special investment?
The officer immediately reported it to his supervisor.
And 30 minutes later, Kim Jae-hyung, for the first time in his life, met with the county governor.
***
The following week,
Seo-ha was shocked when he arrived at school.
[Dodam Elementary, Rising as a Premier Math School]
[5th Grade, Class 1 Yu Seo-ha Wins Grand Prize in National Math Competition]
A flashy banner was hanging across the school gate.
How embarrassing. Being a small town, the whole county probably knew by now.
And since when was Dodam Elementary a premier math school?
To get to the bottom of it, Seo-ha rushed to the teachers’ office. But what he found was his homeroom teacher, looking completely resigned.
She was sitting at her desk, clutching her head.
"Tea... Teacher?"
When he asked what had happened, Kim Yoon-mi, her face flushed, turned her head slightly to avoid his gaze.
"Sigh.... I'm going crazy too."
“What happened?”
"I don't know the details. Rumor spread around that a teacher from our school who graduated from Science High School teaches math amazingly well. I heard there were quite a few transfer inquiries.
It’s probably thanks to you winning the grand prize. And just so you know, I wasn’t the one spreading that around.”
Seeing Yoon-mi grit her teeth in frustration, Seo-ha decided to stop doubting her.
“What’s this about support funds?”
Last night, Chul-ho came home from work and cheerfully shared some news with the family.
The county had just passed a new ordinance, and Seo-ha was its beneficiary.
“It’s called the Okcheon County Ordinance on the Nurturing and Support of Outstanding Talent. It was passed by the county council yesterday.”
Chul-ho continued his explanation.
“According to the ordinance, students who place in national-level academic competitions designated by the county will receive between 2 to 10 million won annually in support.”
Mi-young’s face lit up.
She, too, had been worrying a lot about the children’s education.
“Since Seo-ha won the grand prize, he’ll get 10 million won, right?”
“Yup! They’ll apply it retroactively, so this year’s recipients will receive it right away. But there’s a rule, if you accept the support fund, you have to continue participating in competitions regularly.”
After hearing the explanation, Mi-young tilted her head.
“That’s kind of strange. It’s not exactly prize money...”
“Whatever it is, it’s good news for us.”
Seeing the two adults smiling made Seo-ha happy too.
Seo-eun, sensing the cheerful mood of the family, let out squeals of joy as she ran around the yard.
‘Don’t tell me this is the butterfly effect from the principal...?’
Seo-ha couldn’t understand the affairs of adults.