Snow had been falling since dawn.
Snowflakes carried on the sea wind dyed Cambridge's brick roads white.
Seoeun had been excited since morning.
Today was the day she and her brother had planned to look around the area together.
Miyeong adjusted the scarf wrapped around Seoeun's neck and said, "Don't go too far, okay? And don't tire your brother out."
"Okay!"
Seoeun pulled down the beaver hat she had bought as a souvenir and ran out to the entrance.
The streets of Cambridge were still quiet.
Each time they stepped on the snow piled by the roadside, a crunching sound rang out.
Seoeun held her brother's hand tightly and hopped about on the snow.
"That's a cute hat!"
A gentleman walking down the street smiled brightly at her. Reading the context from his expression, Seoeun waved her hand in thanks.
"So you understand English now?"
"I don't know. If someone's smiling, it's all good words."
'Oh!'
Seoha was slightly impressed by his wise younger sister's quick thinking.
Snowflakes drifted in on the wind and settled gently atop Seoeun's hat.
Seoeun looked up at the sky with her nose tip red from the cold.
After walking a few more minutes, the Charles River came into view.
Snow that had fallen since dawn covered the riverside. Despite the cold weather and snow, various winter birds were foraging.
"Ducks!"
Seoeun hurriedly ran to the riverside and waved at the ducks.
"Hi, guys!"
Several ducks flapped their wings as if responding to Seoeun's voice.
One of them let out a short quack.
"Brother, did you hear? It said hello to me!"
Seoeun waved her hand even more vigorously at the duck.
Seoha watched the sight with a warm, pleased gaze.
He hoped that his sister would never forget today, even in the future.
"Stand right there. Let's take a picture."
Seoha took out his phone from his pocket.
"Like this?"
Seoeun spread her arms wide and smiled happily.
The Charles River on a snowy day, Seoeun and the ducks.
They were all things Seoha loved.
Click.
That moment was captured entirely in the photo along with the shutter sound.
A smile spread across Seoha's face as he checked the picture.
"It's cold. Let's get hot chocolate."
"Okay!"
Seoeun came closer and took her brother's hand.
The two turned their steps toward Kendall Square.
As if the city were only now waking from sleep, store clerks came outside and swept the snow piled in front of their doors.
As they were about to enter the shop, a customer who had gone in first noticed them and held the door open for quite a while.
"After you."
"Thank you."
"Thank you."
When Seoeun bowed politely, a proud smile spread across the customer's face.
Once they sat down, a server approached.
"Two hot chocolates, please."
The clerk nodded and returned shortly with drinks and snacks.
On the plate were cookies they hadn't ordered.
"A gift for the young mathematician and the little beaver."
The server smiled, pointing at Seoeun's hat.
The quick-witted Seoeun opened her eyes wide and expressed her gratitude to the server.
"Thank you."
Seoha was surprised as well.
He had heard they were on the news, but he hadn't expected to be recognized so quickly.
Seoeun blew on the hot chocolate and took a small sip.
"Ugh... It's too sweet."
She scrunched up her face for a moment at the sweetness that made her tongue sting, but soon picked up the cup again. American hot chocolate with marshmallows floating on top had an irresistible, addictive quality.
After taking another sip, she put on a happy expression.
For Seoeun, today had been nothing but good things.
She had gone for a walk with the brother she loved most in the world. The scenery was beautiful, and everyone passing by smiled at her.
Suddenly, a question arose. 'Why is that?'
"Brother, why are the people here all so kind?"
Seoha was at a loss for words for a moment. But not wanting to lose his dignity as an older brother, he quickly answered.
"It's because you're cute, Seoeun."
But in his head, he was thinking something else.
'As expected of America's most highly educated city.'
It would be no exaggeration to say that Cambridge existed because of MIT and Harvard.
Its citizens had the highest education levels in America, and it was an affluent neighborhood with a high standard of living.
Most of the people you met on the streets were likely students or researchers.
But he didn't want to say such things to Seoeun.
Just because people were highly educated and wealthy didn't mean they were all kind. Of course, the reverse was also true.
Seoha waited until his sister finished her hot chocolate, cleared the empty cups, and then took Seoeun's small hand.
"Let's go back now."
Seoeun nodded as if satisfied and stood up from her seat.
* * *
After flying for over ten hours, the plane arrived in Incheon airspace.
Perhaps because it had taken off at dawn, most of the passengers were asleep.
Seoha, who had woken up first, turned his head to the side.
Seoeun was asleep hugging her beaver doll. Her chubby cheeks moved slightly, as if she were eating something delicious in her dream.
Seoha gazed at his sister's face for a long time, then pulled the blanket up to her chin.
Before leaving, the two had received gifts from various researchers.
They had all said, "I look forward to the day we meet again," but Seoha had his doubts.
'Will such a day really come?'
Blink, blink.
The cabin lights turned on.
"-Our aircraft is scheduled to land at Incheon International Airport shortly."
When they exited the arrival gate, a familiar smell washed over them.
As they gathered their luggage and came out, someone waved from afar.
"Over here!"
It was Cheolho.
Cheolho, who had driven his old sedan to the airport, looked thinner than before they had left.
"Did you eat properly?"
"Honestly, I ate instant noodles the most."
"I had a feeling... Still, it was nice to have some alone time for the first time, right?"
"What are you talking about!"
Cheolho put on a stern face.
But when Miyeong glared at him, he whispered quietly into her ear.
"That was only the first day. From the next day on, I missed you and the kids so much."
"Sorry for coming back late."
Miyeong had been worried about her husband due to their stay being longer than expected.
Cheolho hugged each of the children once and grabbed the suitcase handle.
"Let's go!"
Having met the children again after several days, Cheolho felt full even without eating.
Cheolho happily stepped on the accelerator.
* * *
Having returned home, Miyeong looked at the five business cards on the desk.
Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Caltech, and MIT.
The people who had handed her the cards were all different, but the reason they had come was one and the same.
To take her son to their university.
Miyeong aligned the edges of the business cards neatly with her fingertips.
But her mind had only grown more complicated.
She wanted to discuss it with Seoha, but she knew her son well. Surely, Seoha would shake his head and say this:
'I'm enough as I am right now.'
At the same time, a thought that wouldn't leave her mind.
'If we had been rich, would our son still be like this?'
She always felt sorry, as if she had forced her child to learn to yield before anything else.
'I wish he were a little less mature...'
She wasn't unaware of her son's kind heart, but at the same time, it was also a source of worry for the couple.
The world does not reward kindness. And people would try to take advantage of Seoha easily.
"Let's keep this a secret from Seoha for now and look into it ourselves first."
Though her face was full of worry, her husband had been thinking the same thing. Miyeong decided to consult someone she could trust about this matter.
* * *
"Are you really confident? Twenty cards is too many, isn't it?"
Uhyeon smiled with her arms crossed in front of the table.
Seoeun nodded and looked down at the cards with a serious expression.
"Fifteen is boring now."
Every time Seoha came home, he played the memory challenge with his younger sister. However, twenty or twenty-five cards was still a difficult challenge for the young Seoeun.
At the time when Seoha was away from home, Uhyeon had successfully struck up a conversation while Seoeun was focused on the cards.
'I wondered what she meant by picture matching...'
Seoeun, who had been shy like a cat, had unexpectedly allowed Uhyeon to play with her, though she hadn't known it would be a memory challenge.
"Time's up!"
Uhyeon flipped over all the cards spread out on the table.
With a determined face, Seoeun pointed at the cards one by one and named the pictures.
"Carrot, penguin, squirrel, rabbit, moon, kitty, number 5, apple, eggplant..."
Uhyeon's fingertips moved quickly, flipping the cards. So far, they were exactly as Seoeun had said.
"The last one is... duck!"
Seoeun, having successfully matched all twenty cards, cheered with her arms thrown in the air.
Uhyeon watched with her mouth half-open, then let out a hollow laugh.
'He said Seoha taught her... What on earth is with the kids in this family?'
Before she knew it, Miyeong had brought out coffee.
"Seoeun, have you finished your winter break homework?"
Seoeun, feeling a pang, quickly gathered the cards and stood up.
Clack.
Miyeong set the cup down on the table.
Warm steam rose up gently. She hesitated for a moment, then cautiously opened her mouth.
"I'm sorry for asking you to come so suddenly, Teacher."
Uhyeon shook her head.
"No. I was actually curious after seeing the news."
"I thought you would know well since you also graduated from a university in America."
Miyeong carefully took out a bundle of letters from her bag.
They were admission letters sent from various schools. Uhyeon opened the envelopes and examined the documents carefully. Only after a while did she speak.
"The conditions are remarkable.
Full tuition waiver, living expenses, and support for the family's relocation. Elite universities like MIT or Harvard absolutely do not offer such deals easily. It means they think very highly of Seoha."
"Yes. I'm grateful for that as well."
"It's nothing surprising. There is no teenager in this world more outstanding than Seoha."
"I used to think you were exaggerating, but after going to America, I realized you were right. We received very hospitable treatment at MIT. We barely had to spend any money."
Miyeong paused for a moment.
"So Seoha should indeed study in America, right?"
Uhyeon covered the documents and took a sip of coffee. Then she slowly opened her mouth.
"That depends on the family."
"Pardon?"
"Seoha cares deeply for his family. He thinks of his family's happiness before his own. So if the family is uncomfortable, he might rather not go."
"Are you saying there's not much difference in studying in Korea?"
Uhyeon shook her head firmly.
"If we look only at the environment, America is overwhelmingly better, of course.
First, university budgets are on a different scale. There's probably at least a tenfold difference. On top of that, the quality of students and professors, the projects you can participate in, research equipment and lab infrastructure... I could go on forever."
"Then, going to America is still the answer, isn't it?"
"As I mentioned earlier, the problem isn't Seoha.
Seoha is still young, so going with the family is essential. Then you two will have to start a completely different life.
The language barrier, cultural differences, and having no one you know—you'll naturally be lonely. Everything you've built up your whole life in Korea will disappear entirely."
Uhyeon continued quietly.
"America is a cold country.
It's hard to get a job, and making friends takes great effort. If Seoha sees his parents struggling in such an environment, he'll feel guilty."
She had expected it wouldn't be easy, but Uhyeon's explanation was far more ruthless.
"I'm telling you this because it would be better for him to stay in Korea than for that to happen."
The wind tapped on the window. The two were silent for a while.
Then Miyeong spoke as if she had made up her mind.
"No, I think going to America is still for the best."
"You did hear my explanation properly, right?"
Miyeong bit her lip tightly.
"We just have to live properly!
For the first time as parents, there's something we can do for Seoha.
We'll learn the language, mingle with people, and work hard to get decent jobs. And we'll show our son a happy face."
"That's the correct answer."
Uhyeon smiled satisfactorily and nodded.