The heat had retreated, and before long, autumn had arrived.
Seuri had finished her master’s program and begun a PhD in applied mathematics. Dean Thomas had grabbed Whitman and flown into a rage, calling it a fraud, but there was nothing to be done; a student’s choice could not be forced.
Seoha had become a third-year student.
A genius who had solved numerous difficult problems and the head of Apex Lab, which was shaking the world of mathematics. The fact that he was still an undergraduate was a cruel irony, but—
“If you wish, graduating next semester is not impossible.”
The meeting with the dean from half a year ago came to mind.
Early graduation from MIT was extremely difficult. To prevent student burnout, the maximum number of credits one could take was strictly limited, and one also had to take general science and HASS (Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences) courses.
“I’m fine as I am. I have no intention of overdoing it.”
The school was taking ample care of him.
He had been exempted from a large number of basic courses through ASE (Advanced Standing Exams), and had even been given the privilege of having his grades recognized through exams and reports alone instead of attendance.
In this situation, asking for more would be, in Seoha’s opinion, far too shameless.
*It’s not like I’m particularly uncomfortable, either.*
Theo, who had gained some temporal leeway thanks to Ben joining, was preparing his doctoral dissertation.
He could have easily obtained his degree with the minimum energy theory or ST Compression alone, but Theo had refused because they were not achievements he had accomplished alone.
*Whirrr—*
The autumn wind blowing in from outside the window was quite brisk.
Seoha turned on the tablet on his desk. The screen was full of articles he had left half-read.
[Is the MZ Generation Heading to Classical Concert Halls? The Cultural Phenomenon Brought by Pianist Han Gyeoul]
Her recognition had been skyrocketing ever since her performance with the New York Philharmonic.
*Click.*
Seoha clicked on the video.
On the screen, she was beautiful to the point of unreality. The sight of her sitting before the piano, closing her eyes and placing her hands on the keys; her pale, almost deathly white skin contrasting with the black piano;
and the passionate performance style erupting from her slender body evoked an indescribable charm.
└Came for the thumbnail, been stuck here for an hour.
└Is she pretty because she plays well? Or the other way around? Experts, please weigh in.
└The Curtis Institute of Music that Han Gyeoul attends is the top music school in the world.
└What’s with the lololol for someone who won first place at the Tchaikovsky Junior Competition
└She was definitely a known name at the junior level. Won’t she be aiming for one of the world’s top three competitions now?
└Her face is the probability. If classical doesn’t work out, she could be an idol lolol
It wasn’t just Korea—Curtis and the New York Philharmonic were also treasuring Gyeoul. It was the first time even they had recorded such view counts on a classical music clip.
Her beauty and performance had become the most intuitive and powerful gateway to introducing difficult classical music to the public.
—I’m glad I taught you piano. But you know you’re still lacking, right? Next time we meet, I’ll train you harshly.
Seoha chuckled as he read the text message.
He no longer taught Gyeoul math, but the lessons that had started in the music room seemed like they would continue on.
*Glance.*
Seoha looked at the clock on the wall.
Today was a day they had decided to eat dinner together as a family. Seoha had been away from home often due to recent research, and he was worried that he hadn’t been able to pay attention to his younger sister.
“Shall I go a bit early?”
The Riemann hypothesis wouldn’t run away, but Seoeun would grow up in the blink of an eye.
Seoha hurriedly packed his bag.
MIT was school, workplace, and playground to Seoha, but home was the only sanctuary where he could return to being a normal boy.
*Creak.*
*Hm? That’s strange.*
Normally, Seoeun would have come out upon hearing the door open, but today there was no sign of her. When he went to the kitchen, he found his mother fast asleep, slumped over the dining table.
*She must have been working on her manuscript late again.*
*Rustle.*
Seoha fetched a blanket and draped it over Miyeong’s shoulders.
As he climbed the stairs and approached the room, a strange sound came from inside.
*Thud-clatter—*
Startled, Seoha flung the door open.
“Oh, Oppa! W-why are you here already?”
Seoeun’s eyes went wide, and she slowly backpedaled as if trying to hide something.
Normally, she would have run to greet him first, but today she was visibly flustered, like a child caught doing something bad.
Seeing this side of Seoeun for the first time left him confused.
*Why is she trying to hide something? It’s not like there was anything strange in my room.*
Seoha knelt down on one knee and met Seoeun’s eyes. Then he gently stroked her head.
“What’s wrong, Seoeun? No need to be so surprised. It’s fine to play in Oppa’s room.”
At Seoha’s words, Seoeun bit her lip as if holding back tears. Then after fidgeting for a while, she slowly held out the hand she had hidden behind her back.
“Huh?”
The thing held in Seoeun’s small hand was an old, thick hardcover book.
*Linear Algebra*
It was a book Seoha had started reading around the age of seven.
An innocent ten-year-old girl, a beaver plushie, and a hardcover theory book in her hand. It was an incongruous combination.
Seoeun pulled the Justin she had set beside her into her arms. A single tear she had been holding back fell with a soft *plop*.
“Why were you reading this?”
Seoha asked in a gentle voice.
“...Because I wanted to be good at math.”
He had not taught his younger sister math.
Mathematics was a charming language, but it sometimes accompanied loneliness and suffering. Seoha had simply hoped that Seoeun would play with cards and dolls a little longer.
“Why did you think that?”
Seoha lifted his sister up and sat her on the chair.
“Hehe!”
Seoeun, feeling better, laughed as she swung her crossed legs. However, the words that came out of her mouth were not very pleasant.
At some point, the teachers around Seoeun had begun to whisper.
“Isn’t she that Yu Seoha’s little sister?”
“Yes, I heard too. I wondered why she was so smart. With the same parents, where would those genes go?”
“But it seems she surprisingly doesn’t have much interest in studying. I heard her math progress is relatively average compared to her brother’s.”
Seoeun pouted.
They did not see Seoeun for who she was. They always looked for the shadow of her genius brother standing behind her.
The math club that had started at the principal’s recommendation.
The teacher in charge there would often ask Seoeun about concepts she didn’t know, and when she failed to meet expectations, would subtly show disappointment.
Seoha’s eyes narrowed.
Cambridge, America’s top school district city home to Harvard and MIT. Here, education was the biggest business industry.
The mere fact that the younger sister of a figure like Seoha was attending the school raised the school’s Great Schools score (a school evaluation metric on a scale of 10), which in turn affected nearby real estate prices.
In truth, they were using Seoeun’s existence for marketing. The school must be desperately hoping that Seoeun would display enough prodigiousness to show off to the outside world, even if not at the level of her brother.
“So you tried to study this on your own?”
Seoeun nodded bravely.
“Yeah! Mom said so, didn’t she? That Oppa read this when he was little.”
Seoeun was an optimistic child by nature.
The type who didn’t care about the evaluations or gazes of those around her.
But the thought that her brother might be embarrassed because of her made her breath catch in her throat. The exaggerated fear unique to children had been weighing down on Seoeun’s shoulders.
Seoha placed a hand on his forehead.
*I’ve been too inattentive. And they were disappointed?*
He hadn’t taught her math directly, but Seoha had not been neglectful of Seoeun.
He had developed her overwhelming computational ability and spatial awareness through cubes. Seoeun now almost never made mistakes when factoring or playing with prime numbers.
Her numerical intuition had been sharply honed.
On top of that, she had a memory trained through memory challenges. But the most important thing had always been Seoeun’s own will.
“Do you like math, Seoeun?”
“Yeah!”
“More than drawing or reading books?”
“Hmm...”
Seoeun brought her hand to her chin and made a serious expression. Seoha smiled softly at the cute sight.
After thinking for a long while, she clapped her hands with a *clap!*
“I think I like math the most after all. All the games I play with Oppa are math too!”
Seoha smiled.
It might be invisible from afar, like the foundational work needed before erecting a massive skyscraper. Yet within Seoeun’s inner self, a surprisingly sturdy and deep mathematical foundation had been laid.
“Then do you want to become a mathematician like Oppa?”
“Huh?”
Perhaps because it was a question she had never considered, Seoeun’s expression went blank.
“What do mathematicians do? Is their job just reading books all day like Oppa? I wouldn’t like that.”
“Ah!”
Perhaps thanks to the health management he had been mindful of all this time? It seemed her dream of becoming a doctor had been forgotten.
Seoeun was at an age where her future dreams could change every day. Whatever she chose among them, math would be helpful, so he decided to set his mind at ease.
“Then would you like to see Oppa working? Theo and Sujeong noona are there too.”
He worried that her interest might wane if she faced reality, but Seoha wanted her to gain the experience.
“Really?”
Seoeun’s eyes went round, and she hopped up and down clutching her beaver plushie.
“Justin! Oppa says we can visit his lab!”
If he had known she would like it this much, he should have brought it up sooner.
*Will it be possible?*
It had been an impulsive decision.
Seeing her happy face, it seemed he couldn’t take it back now. Seoha pondered how to persuade the school.
***
The Smale problem, energy optimization, and even the design of Oracle, which managed New York City’s traffic.
Team Apex’s achievements to date were dazzling.
As their track record accumulated, security grew tighter. Before long, Apex Lab had become a facility closely monitored not only by the school but by the state government as well.
It was not a place a lower-elementary schoolgirl could enter for a tour.
But Seoha was the founder of this place and the head who held all authority.
“Wait a moment. I’ll issue you a temporary pass.”
*Whirrr—*
A pass printed out from the color printer, decorated with cute flowers and ducks.
[Yu Seoeun – Special Research Assistant]
Seoeun’s eyes went wide.
It was an official title registered in the system for the whole day. It was an extremely private abuse of power, but Dean Whitman, upon hearing Seoha’s explanation, had laughed heartily and approved it.
The team members were in the same situation.
It was a pain that could make one’s mind hazy, wrestling with the Riemann hypothesis all day long in a desolate lab filled with nothing but numbers and machines.
In such a situation, news of a cute little girl’s visit excited everyone. They had even put off leaving work to do a thorough cleaning.
“Wowww.”
A name tag was pinned to her chest.
An exclamation burst from Seoeun’s lips. Seoha watched her stroke the name tag with sparkling eyes and smiled proudly.
Seoeun didn’t know exactly what it meant, but her heart pounded at the fact that she had been formally invited into the world her brother belonged to.
She had put on her favorite outfit today.
The layered frills of her yellow dress fluttered with every step she took.
When they arrived at the entrance, Theo was already waiting outside. Instead of his usual comfortable clothes, he wore a crisp, 19th-century-style indigo suit that he had apparently procured from somewhere.
As Seoeun approached, he bent at the waist and offered an exaggerated ballroom-style greeting.
“Good day, my lady. I am Theodor, senior researcher of Apex Lab. It is an honor to be in charge of your tour today.”
Seoha was more surprised than Seoeun.
He had only said his sister was visiting......
Seoeun’s eyes went wide at the extravagant courtesy. But she soon replied with the greeting she had practiced, lightly grasping the hem of her dress.
“Thank you, Theo!”
“Then, inside.”
When the glass door to the security zone opened, a sight completely unlike the usual Apex Lab unfolded.
A refreshing lemon scent wafted from somewhere. The snack remnants and energy drink cans that had littered the desks had all disappeared.
“Oh my! Seoeun, welcome!”
Sujeong approached from inside the lab.
In a neat black two-piece suit. Sujeong had dressed in what she considered the most mathematician-like attire.
“Wowww!”
Seoeun looked around curiously.
Magnificent geometric patterns were displayed on the giant screen.
“Seoeun, do you see those sparkling dots over there? That’s a universe your brother made with numbers.”
Seuri, who rarely shaved, had done so and put on a neat shirt.
He typed passionately on his keyboard as if trying to show off. Bespectacled Ben watched the screen with a serious expression, correcting numbers.
“It’s wonderful.”
An exclamation burst from Seoeun’s lips.
The corners of the team members’ mouths twitched upward.
After taking a full tour of the lab and arriving at a corner, they found a white tablecloth laid out on a table.
*Clink.*
Seoha’s mouth fell open.
Cecilia sat there wearing a vintage dress. She looked as if Ada Lovelace had stepped out of a portrait.
“Come sit here, little miss.”
She cast a look of amusement at the team members.
A young girl’s heart wasn’t won over so simply. But the elaborate patterned teapot and adorable bone china tea set brought by the butler, and the freshly baked scones steaming invitingly, were irresistible.
“Like a princess.......”
Seoeun’s expression was strange. As if she were entranced by something.
Her eyes sparkled like diamonds.
Seoeun thought.
That mathematicians were without a doubt the coolest people in the world.