Chapter 136
Park So-young quietly listened to Professor Yoo A-yeon's chatter.
She already knew that her father had met and helped a five-year-old girl.
She remembered her father talking about it at the dinner table around that time.
A five-year-old girl had come all the way to his lab carrying a paper.
Back then, So-young had simply thought, “I guess that's how it is-,” and let it go.
But only a few months later, the world was turned upside down.
News that a five-year-old had proved the Riemann Hypothesis swept across the country.
The Millennium Prize, a million dollars, top-tier journals, even a documentary.
Yoo A-yeon appeared every time So-young turned on the TV.
Back then, So-young had been jealous of Yoo A-yeon.
She was the child my dad had helped.
Yet my dad's name wasn't mentioned anywhere.
Honestly, that was probably what she had thought back then.
But that jealousy was now a feeling from the distant past.
She had come to college, taken a class taught by that genius girl, and been utterly crushed by Question 5 on the final exam.
In the end, she had swallowed her pride, knocked on the lab door to learn from her, and received head pats from the adorable professor.
After going through all that, petty feelings like jealousy had melted away.
What So-young felt toward Professor Yoo A-yeon now was much closer to admiration.
Besides, to be honest.
That tiny professor, who had been jumping up and down on her chair before her mother, a teaching assistant, caught her and made her sit back down, was simply too cute and lovable.
And just now, from the mouth of that cute, lovable, and admirable professor...
came praise for her own father as a benefactor and an incredibly~ great mathematician.
The corners of So-young's lips curled upward.
Her shoulders rose with pride all on their own.
“…Gasp!”
So-young hurriedly forced her face still and suppressed her expression.
This was an interview room.
It would be awfully strange for the interviewee to sit there grinning foolishly all by herself.
‘…But.’
So-young clenched her hands tightly in her lap.
The people of the world didn't know.
They didn't know that her father, Park Mu-yeol, was an incredible mathematician.
But that cute and lovable professor knew.
A mathematician who had proved the Riemann Hypothesis, won the Millennium Prize, and become a professor at Seoul National University at the age of seven...
That incredible mathematician was calling her own father an incredibly amazing mathematician while kicking her feet back and forth from atop a chair.
‘…My dad is really amazing.’
So-young muttered to herself.
She knew it was a childish thought.
Still, she couldn't help it.
Her shoulders rose with pride again.
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“So-young unni?”
I tilted my head.
“Are you smiling?”
“…Gasp!”
So-young unni jumped in surprise and covered her mouth with her hand.
“…I wasn't smiling.”
“But you were, though?”
“…I wasn't.”
But I had definitely just seen the corners of her mouth curl into a grin.
And her shoulders had risen with pride, too.
I stared at that expression and realized what was going on.
Aha.
She was happy because she had heard praise about Dad!
Praise felt good when you received it yourself, and it felt good when someone in your family received it, too.
It was similar to how my shoulders rose with pride whenever Arin received praise.
“Heehee-.”
I smiled softly after discovering So-young unni's gap moe.
“…Why are you smiling, Professor?”
“Nihihi, it's nothing!”
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“Anyway! I've heard enough, and you're accepted, So-young unni! I'll let you know your start date later!”
The interview was over.
I had been determined to hire So-young unni from the very beginning, so this interview had really just been a chance to hear what she wanted to research.
“Professor.”
“Yesh?”
Before leaving, So-young unni turned around at the door.
“…If you hire me, is it because of my father?”
Upon hearing that, I shook my head very firmly.
“Nope-! I don't hire people for reasons like that!”
I hopped down from the chair (since it had been raised as high as it could go, Mom lifted me down in her arms) and planted my hands firmly on my hips.
“You remember when you brought me that paper and asked about Stirling's approximation, right?”
“Yes.”
“You said it wouldn't be on the exam or count toward your grade, but you tried to work it out on your own because you were curious, right?”
“Yes.”
“That's when I decided I wanted to bring you into the lab, So-young unni.”
I smiled brightly.
“So hearing about Professor Park Mu-yeol today was just a bonus!”
“…”
So-young unni stared at me for a long while.
“Thank you, Professor.”
Then she bowed deeply and left the room.
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“Professor.”
Mom spoke quietly as she organized the documents.
“About So-young. What you said must have deeply moved her.”
“…Really?”
I tilted my head.
“Yes. I could tell from her expression. She has tremendous respect for her father.”
“Ooh, I see-.”
Come to think of it, if someone praised my mom by saying, “Wow, you're super good at math-,” I was confident I would burst out laughing proudly right then and there.
So-young unni must have felt the same way.
“Anyway! Jae-hyeok oppa and So-young unni are both hired!”
“Yes. I'll contact them with their start dates.”
And that was how two undergraduate researchers joined our lab.
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And then the break began.
Two desks were added to the pink, cute, and cozy Yoo A-yeon Lab.
“Wow…”
“Oh…”
Jae-hyeok oppa and So-young unni each sat at their desks and looked around.
I shared PDF files of papers with them through the messenger app.
“Here! This is the list of papers you two need to read!”
“…”
“…”
The two of them checked the papers through the messenger app and froze in place.
“…P-Professor. How many papers is this?”
“There are ten for Jae-hyeok oppa and twelve for So-young unni! I specially selected every one of them!”
Since the two of them wanted to study different fields, they had different papers to read.
That's why I had personally selected papers worth reading for each of them.
Or perhaps you could call me a paper sommelier?
Ah, esteemed guests.
This is a 1983 vintage paper on Galois theory.
Its distinguishing feature is its in-depth treatment of field extensions.
“Oh, and for reference, I read 200 papers cover to cover every year. If you include the ones I just skim, it's probably around 500. So I chose these from all the papers I've read as particularly good for studying.”
“Gasp… 200 papers a year?”
“That's incredible…”
“For reference, my mom reads about 100 papers a year because I pester her!”
I immediately puffed out my chest and bragged about my mom.
When I praised her, Mom brought a hand to her mouth and gave a smug little chuckle.
“…But Professor. This is our first time reading papers…”
Jae-hyeok oppa and So-young unni, who had suddenly been handed so many papers, looked like they were about to burst into tears.
Indeed.
It was enough to crush any beginner's spirit.
“Don't worry! I'm not asking you to understand everything and come back!”
I waved my hands.
“Just read them carefully, mark the parts you don't understand, and present the parts you do understand! You'll present at next week's seminar! Let's conquer the papers one by one, nice and slowly!”
“…Yes.”
“…Understood.”
The two of them exchanged awkward glances.
“You two are way too unmotivated! Come on, everyone—let's get fired up! Fighting, just once!”
“Yes…?”
“This is a little embarrassing…”
“Gulp-!”
When I made a loud gulping sound, Jae-hyeok oppa and So-young unni followed my lead, watching me carefully as they repeated the chant I had taught them.
“U… uh, let's go, let's go—fighting!”
“Let's go, let's go—fighting…!”
Heh-heh-.
This was the power of being a professor!
This was why I became a professor!
I felt extremely proud as I watched them.
Our lab was still tiny.
But it felt a little more bustling now.
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And the next morning.
As usual, I turned on the computer in the research lab and opened my inbox.
It was a routine I had developed after becoming a professor.
“Hmm-mm…”
Scroll-scroll-.
I rolled the mouse wheel and checked the emails sent to Professor Yoo A-yeon.
- [Department of Mathematical Sciences] Summer Session Classroom Use Information
- Re: On the regularity criterion in Chapter 2
- Professor Yoo A-yeon, Inquiry Regarding Functional Analysis Grades
- International Mathematical Union
“Huh?”
I stopped rolling the mouse wheel.
International Mathematical Union.
The International Mathematical Union.
It was an organization representing mathematicians around the world.
It hosted the International Congress of Mathematicians every four years.
And it was the organization that awarded the Fields Medal, the highest honor in mathematics.
Gulp-.
I swallowed and clicked the mouse.
Click-.
The email opened.
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Dear Professor Yoo A-yeon,
On behalf of the International Mathematical Union, the Fields Medal Committee is honored to inform you that you have been selected as one of the Fields Medal recipients at the upcoming International Congress of Mathematicians.
This decision honors your proof of the Riemann Hypothesis, which has had a profound and lasting impact on analytic number theory and related fields, and is intended to support your future research.
We respectfully request that you keep this fact strictly confidential until the official announcement at the opening ceremony of the Congress. We have attached the official notice and detailed information regarding attendance.
We respectfully invite you to attend the Congress so that you may receive the medal in person.
We look forward to receiving your reply regarding your attendance at your earliest convenience.
International Mathematical Union
Fields Medal Committee
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