Translator: Dreamscribe
An old table was laid out in the room.
Instant coffee was poured into cups of various shapes.
Chul-ho, Yoon-mi, and Woo-hyun sat around the table.
While Seo-ha was looking after Seo-eun, Mi-young placed a pot of water for coffee on the gas stove.
“There’s not much I can offer you. Teachers, thank you for coming to such a humble place because of our Seo-ha.”
Mi-young blushed in embarrassment.
As everyone organized their thoughts, steam began to rise from the kettle, soon letting out a whistling sound.
Choruruk.
Yoon-mi glanced at Woo-hyun as if urging him to speak, but he was still trapped in his thoughts. It was because the image of Seo-ha he had just seen was so shocking.
In the end, Yoon-mi was the first to speak.
“Ma’am, to be honest, in all my years as a teacher, even before that, I have never seen a child like Seo-ha. Both of you know that Seo-ha is special, don’t you?”
Mi-young blinked as if at a loss for words.
Of course, she thought her son was smart. But she had no idea he was impressive enough to attract someone so important from Seoul. She had simply thought, ‘My son will get into a good university, so I should save up for tuition.’
“Is Seo-ha better than the kids in Seoul?”
The couple looked at Yoon-mi with a mix of expectation and concern. They were contemplating whether they should send their son to study in Seoul.
‘Yes, this is how ordinary parents react.’
Yoon-mi let out a small sigh. How could she explain this?
“Ah... Ma’am. The reason we came here today isn’t simply because Seo-ha is better at studying than the early-education kids in Seoul.”
“Then what exactly are you saying...?”
She couldn't bring herself to say, ‘Your son has the qualities to be a historical figure’, and hesitated. At that moment, Woo-hyun cut in.
“He’s not just good at studying or smart... Seo-ha is far beyond that. We’ll have to watch a bit more closely to be sure, but as of now, I believe that even if we searched the entire world, or in the past 50 years of human history, there hasn't been anyone more mathematically gifted than Seo-ha. At least not at his age.”
From Woo-hyun’s perspective, even 50 years was a very generous statement. He didn’t want to admit that a monster more gifted than this might have ever existed in the past.
“What?”
Both Chul-ho and Mi-young blurted out the word. And then.
“Hahahahahahaha!”
“Oh come on! Teacher, how can you joke with such a serious face?”
The two of them laughed for a while, but Woo-hyun didn’t even raise an eyebrow.
Perhaps sensing the shift in atmosphere, their laughter gradually died down.
“I’m not joking.”
In that moment, the air in the room subtly grew heavier. Mi-young and Chul-ho glanced at each other, then cautiously straightened their postures.
“You, as his parents, also need to know the truth now. For Seo-ha’s sake. I believe Seo-ha has tremendous potential. Historically, humanity, especially science, has progressed thanks to a very small number of chosen individuals. Seo-ha is without a doubt one of those few.”
“It’s hard for us to suddenly hear something like this and not be taken aback. I know it might be rude to say, but honestly, it’s hard to believe.”
Sensing that things were going south, Yoon-mi hurriedly stepped in.
“Uh... Ma’am! This person may seem untrustworthy, but he’s not someone who would ever make something like this up. So...”
Woo-hyun raised his right hand to interrupt Yoon-mi.
Then he pulled out a bundle of papers from his bag. It was a long-forgotten memory, buried deep in his attic. He had prepared it just in case something like this happened, and it was the right decision.
A newspaper clipping caught the eye first.
A youthful Woo-hyun was smiling brightly, a medal around his neck.
[Sixteen-year-old Shin Woo-hyun, Honored with 2nd Place at the International Mathematical Olympiad, A Genius Among the Gifted]
There were also countless certificates and medals.
It was the past of a man whom everyone once believed would lead the Korean mathematics world.
“Ordinary people wouldn’t care much, but I was once considered the future of Korean mathematics. I received offers from almost every university in the world. Each country is allowed six representatives for the Olympiad. When I was in my first year of high school, I placed 2nd among 700 gifted students from 110 countries. So that level of expectation wasn’t unreasonable.”
“You were an incredible person.”
Chul-ho picked up the file and read the newspaper article.
Yoon-mi also held her breath as she watched his mouth.
“I’m not trying to boast. In fact, it’s embarrassing. I failed. I just want you to understand the sincerity behind my words.”
There was a strange resonance in Woo-hyun’s voice.
Gulp.
After a short moment passed, Chul-ho came to his senses and asked Woo-hyun.
“If what you’re saying is true, what should we do? Should we send the child to Seoul?”
As the old saying goes, “Horses to Jeju, people to Seoul.”
But Woo-hyun shook his head.
“Don’t do anything.”
“Pardon?”
“There’s no need for boasting, showing off, or studying abroad in Seoul. That would only burden the child.”
“Then you mean we should just leave things as they are?”
“Yes, from a parental standpoint.
Of course, I will do what I must. Looking around the bookshelf, I saw that he was favoring mathematics too narrowly. It must have been to solve the Four Color Theorem, but focusing solely on topology won’t help in the long run. The days when everything could be solved with just topology ended long ago.
Number theory, algebra, analysis, combinatorics, geometry... they may seem like completely different fields on the surface, but major theorems and theories can only be solved when several of these areas are intertwined.”
"Like Wiles?"
Thinking she understood, Yoon-mi asked.
“Yes. How many theories do you think Professor Wiles used to prove Fermat’s Last Theorem?
Algebraic geometry, number theory, modularity theorem, Galois representations, Frey curve, Ribet’s theorem, Diophantine equations... It’s no wonder that even legendary geniuses like Euler or Gauss couldn’t solve it at the time.”
Yoon-mi nodded.
“Looking at recent academic trends, the boundaries between fields are breaking down so much that it’s now being called ‘convergent mathematics.’”
The couple could hardly keep up with the barrage of unfamiliar terms. Sensing this, Woo-hyun explained in a gentle voice.
“The point is, one must understand all areas of mathematics evenly. That’s something I can help with. I’ll send Seo-ha the essential books he must read. And important research papers too.”
“Will that be enough?”
Unlike the solemn mood at the beginning, this now felt like not such a big deal. The only difference was that instead of her husband buying books, this teacher from Seoul would be selecting them.
“Seo-ha is a child who has already reached university-level mathematics through self-study. As long as he’s guided in the right direction, there’s no reason he can’t continue on his own. If he has questions, I can explain them by phone or video call.”
“So we should keep sending him to school as usual?”
“That’s right. Until elementary school, at least.”
“And after that?”
“There’s a mathematician named Elijah Cronen.”
At the sudden mention of an unfamiliar name, the couple looked puzzled. But Woo-hyun continued speaking without concern.
“He won 1st place at the International Mathematical Olympiad at the age of 13 and earned a master’s degree at 16. By 23, he was appointed as a full professor at Princeton, one of the world’s top universities.
Since there’s no Nobel Prize for mathematics, there’s the Fields Medal, which is awarded once every four years. Elijah won that at the age of 29.
He’s solved countless difficult problems so far, and now he’s said to be tackling the Millennium Problems.”
“The Millennium Problems?”
“They’re problems announced by the Clay Mathematics Institute, led by Harvard mathematicians. In 2000, after much discussion among various mathematical scholars, they selected seven unsolved problems that could contribute to 21st-century mathematics.
Solving one of them earns a prize of one million dollars, over a billion won in our currency. But more important than the money is that solving one of them means your name will be recorded forever in the history of mathematics no, in the history of humanity.”
As the scale of the conversation grew unbelievably large, Chul-ho shook his head.
“Is there really anyone who can solve them?”
“Of course. In fact, one of the problems has already been solved. A Russian mathematician named Grigori Perelman did it.”
“Th-then...”
“Yes. I hope Seo-ha will grow into a mathematician who can challenge the Millennium Problems one day.”
Feeling parched, Mi-young picked up her cup and downed the cold coffee in one go.
Tak.
"Then what should we do? You said to just leave him be, teacher."
What parent would refuse help when told their child might be a genius of the century?
“I believe there is nothing that Seo-ha lacks compared to Elijah Cronen.”
Elijah, as a child, received devoted support from his parents, who were a doctor and a teacher. But Seo-ha would be able to surpass him even without such things. Minor support, he himself could provide that.
Mi-young started thinking about the plan going forward.
“Then at 13...”
“No, just one year... How about going just one year faster than Elijah Cronen?”
For the first time, an emotion that could be called an expression appeared on Woo-hyun’s face. It was greed.
‘Still, the record for youngest first place in the Olympiad should be broken. Not that it's personal...’
“I’ll prepare Seo-ha until he turns 12. After that, it’ll probably be easier to go to the U.S. You don’t have to worry about the cost. Universities will be throwing money at him, begging him to come. If it comes to it, I can help as well. Believe it or not, I’m a top instructor, and my salary is...”
Then a voice came from behind.
“I don’t want to.”
Startled, Mi-young turned to look at Seo-ha.
“Seo-ha! What are you talking about? The teachers are all doing this for you...”
But Seo-ha spoke faster.
“I’ve never done math to win awards or solve famous problems.”
And America, of all places...
Could his parents, who had lived in Okcheon their entire lives, so easily give up their roots and move? Just as that man said, if they kept being dragged along, it was certain he wouldn’t even have time to play with Seo-eun anymore.
The unexpected resistance from their usually gentle son left clear traces of confusion on the couple’s faces.
“Haa... I had a feeling this might happen.”
Woo-hyun rubbed his eyes with an open palm, looking tired.
“I appreciate the offer, but math is something I can handle on my own.”
Maybe it was because of the bad first impression, his face was full of defiance.
How was he appearing in the eyes of this child right now? An intruder who suddenly barged into a peaceful life?
“Fine. You don’t have to go to America. You don’t even have to do what I say.”
At the unexpectedly quick surrender, Seo-ha looked puzzled. But then he froze at Woo-hyun’s next words.
“Six years of elementary, three years of middle school, three years of high school. A total of 12 years.”
A flame of rage sparked in his chest.
Did that child even realize? That for someone like himself, living in a realm they could never reach was the greatest blessing imaginable?
“What about it?”
“All that time you’ll waste receiving an education less useful than that encyclopedia in your room.”
“Huh?”
Woo-hyun got up from his seat and strode forward. He bent down and placed both hands on Seo-ha’s shoulders. Then, in a low voice, he murmured.
“Come on, be honest. The elementary school lessons with Yoon-mi, aren’t they mind-numbingly boring? And you’re supposed to endure that for twelve years?
Even now, just one step away, there are great problems waiting for you out there. Problems that might change the life and history of humanity itself if solved.
How much did humanity advance after Newton revealed the law of gravity? Without Einstein’s theory of relativity, would humans even have dared to venture into space?”
'This person's eyes have gone crazy.'
Seo-ha’s eyes widened in fear. Woo-hyun, speaking with a crazed expression, was terrifying.
“Hiiiek-”
“There might be a key in your head that could solve problems humanity hasn’t been able to for thousands of years. And you’re saying you won’t even try to use it?
The Earth, humanity, and history might progress because of you, and still you won’t?”
His eyes widened, and the whites of his eyes flashed.
His fingers pressed so tightly that Seo-ha’s shoulders began to hurt.
“Uwaaahhh- Mom!”
In the end, Woo-hyun made Seo-ha cry.
***
Author’s Note
Some of you may have guessed, but the character Elijah Cronen was inspired by the Australian genius mathematician Terence Tao.