Chapter 139
As for Arin, Mom looked into it.
She called the chess federation—the one that had contacted us last time—and talked blah blah blah- several times.
“What did the federation say?”
“Hmm…”
Mom looked down at the note summarizing the call.
“There is some support available, but they said we'd have to cover almost all of it ourselves.”
“Whaaat? But she's on the national team!”
I tilted my head.
“If you're on the national team, isn't it the country's job to support you?”
“Well…”
Mom replied with a slightly awkward expression.
“The Korea Chess Federation isn't exactly rolling in money.”
“…Oh.”
Come to think of it, that made sense.
Chess was popular globally, but an unpopular sport in Korea.
Sponsorships were scarce, and the federation's budget was probably tight.
“And it's not just chess.”
Dad added from beside us.
“For plenty of less popular sports, even national team athletes have to pay their own airfare and accommodations. They buy their own equipment, too.”
“Whaaa…”
I was a little surprised to hear that.
They were going out there wearing the Taegeukgi, yet they had to pay their own way.
Come to think of it, I felt like I'd seen news stories like that.
When interviewing Korean athletes who had competed in the Winter Olympics,
there were plenty of touching stories about them working hard in poor conditions.
Put another way, that meant unpopular sports didn't get generous support.
If everyone did it that way, there was no reason for us to make a fuss.
“Well, the whole family is going anyway.”
“That's right.”
“Then we'd have been paying for it ourselves anyway!”
Arin nodded vigorously beside us.
“I wanna go with Sis, too!”
And that settled it.
We would pay all the remaining expenses ourselves after subtracting whatever support was available.
“Heheh-. With the money Professor Yoo A-yeon worked hard to earn, I'm sending the whole family to America!”
I puffed out my chest and thumped it with my fist.
I was only seven, but I definitely drew a salary.
A proper salary was deposited into my bank account under my name as a professor at Seoul National University.
I still remembered the day my first paycheck came in.
When Mom showed me the account screen, I stared at the number several times.
It was money I'd earned by teaching classes, writing papers, and answering the older students' questions.
It felt just as amazing as when I first had my personal seal made.
But there was one tiny problem.
I had no use for it.
Where would a seven-year-old even spend money?
Mom and Dad already bought me snacks, and the university had already subscribed to the journals in its own name.
Ordinary children apparently pestered their parents to buy toys, but I didn't play with toys.
So my salary just kept piling up in my bank account.
Watching it accumulate was fun in its own way, but it was also true that it felt a little unsatisfying.
Money only really proved its worth when you spent it on something, after all.
I looked again at the expenses on the screen.
A month-long stay in America for our family of four.
Flying there, staying somewhere, renting a car, visiting a ridiculously grand amusement park, and munching on a gigantic hamburger—nom nom smack-smack.
It meant paying for all of it with money I'd earned myself.
That's right.
All those lectures I diligently gave and exam questions I worked so hard to write for my older brothers and sisters had all been for something like this!
Thinking of it that way, the corners of my mouth slowly began to rise.
“Heheh-.”
This was why I became a professor!
“Wow… our daughter is paying for everything?”
Dad looked at me in surprise when I said that.
“Yep! Mom and Dad don't have to touch our savings! My salary is enough!”
“Wow! Sis is buying everything?”
Arin, who had been listening beside us, clapped her hands.
“Yep! Sis is buying it all!”
“Sis is the best!”
Whoosh-.
Arin flung herself into my arms, overjoyed.
Ahhh.
This was the feeling.
So this was how good it felt to earn money and spend it on your family!
Then Mom and Dad came over and began patting me enthusiastically.
Pat-pat-.
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
“Thanks to the money A-yeon worked so hard to earn, Mom and Dad get to take a trip to America.”
Double head pats from both sides at once!
The corners of my mouth stretched into a huge grin.
“Heeheehee-.”
✒️✒️✒️
“Okay, now for the fun part.”
Dad started organizing the documents again.
“Besides the important schedule, we should also figure out what we're going to do in America.”
The instant he said that.
“Me! Me!”
Arin shot her hand into the air.
“Go ahead, Arin.”
“The Statue of Liberty!”
Dad wrote it down exactly as she said it.
“What else?”
“Hamburger! A huge one!”
“What else?”
“A gigantic pizza!”
“Hmm… hmm…”
Arin counted on her fingers and thought hard.
“…I learned English! I wanna try using it with the people there! Nais to meetchu! I'm Arin Yoo!”
“Ooh, that's the spirit, sweetheart. English is all about confidence!”
“Heehee.”
Come to think of it, Arin had also said bonjour and merci to passersby when we went to France.
When a four-year-old little munchkin smiled brightly and greeted them, everyone had smiled fondly and returned her greeting.
Just as she had last year, Arin seemed to be planning to greet Americans boldly this time, too.
It was absolutely adorable just to imagine.
“What about you, A-yeon?”
“I want a gigantic hamburger too!”
They say American hamburgers taste like blowing your blood vessels and taste buds to smithereens with fifty tons of TNT.
Food that looked capable of ruining my health just by looking at it was best eaten while my endocrine system was still sturdy at seven!
Otherwise, when would I ever get to try it?
✒️✒️✒️
Besides that, we looked for places worth visiting nearby with a rental car.
“All right, then, that's all for today's meeting.”
Clack-.
Dad closed the laptop.
“A-yeon, Arin. Let's both wash up and go night-night.”
“Okaaay-.”
“Okaaay-!”
Arin and I washed up and got ready for bed.
Brush-brush-.
Splish-splash-.
That night.
I lay in bed and looked up at the ceiling.
Beside me, Arin was already fast asleep.
In a month, our family would be in America.
I would receive the Fields Medal in Philadelphia,
while Arin would compete in New York as a representative of South Korea.
I turned toward Arin, pulled the blanket up to her neck, and tucked her in snugly.
“…Mmph, mmph.”
Arin mumbled something in her sleep, but I couldn't make it out.
It seemed she'd already zoomed off to dreamland.
✒️✒️✒️
The day after our family meeting.
After commuting to work with Mom, I headed to the dean's office at Seoul National University's College of Natural Sciences.
Since I'd be away for more than a month, I had to let the dean know in advance.
Pitter-patter-.
As I walked down the hall, I kept my lips tightly pressed together.
“…Professor?”
Mom looked down at me.
“Why have you been keeping your mouth clamped shut like that?”
…
Instead of answering, I shook my head from side to side.
The reason was very simple.
Because I felt like I'd give myself away the moment I opened my mouth!
The Fields Medal.
The reason I was heading to the dean's office was that I would be attending the International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM), where I would receive the Fields Medal.
But that was a secret I absolutely couldn't reveal until the opening ceremony.
‘They told me to keep the fact that I'm receiving the Fields Medal absolutely secret!’
But the problem was, whenever I thought about it, the corners of my mouth automatically stretched into a huge grin.
This was supposed to be a stern, solemn, serious meeting to report my conference attendance to the dean—what would happen if the professor suddenly went heehee-?
Of course, the dean would probably find a seven-year-old girl like me adorable.
But that look would make me so embarrassed that I'd kick my blankets all night.
So I had to endure it, if only for the sake of the poor blankets at home.
So today's strategy was simple.
Keep my mouth clamped shut and say nothing!
“…Mom.”
“Yes?”
“You talk today.”
Mom looked down at me for a moment, then smiled softly, clearly understanding what I meant.
“Hehe, got it, Professor.”
That's my Mom.
She knew exactly what I meant without asking a thing.
✒️✒️✒️
Knock-knock-.
“Come in.”
Creak-.
The dean's office was a bright, sunny room with large windows.
The bookshelves were packed with books thicker than my forearm, and several potted plants sat by the window.
“Ah, Professor Yoo A-yeon. Welcome.”
The dean rose to greet us.
…
I gave a little bow.
My lips were still clamped shut.
“Hello, Dean. I'm Han Seol-ae, Professor Yoo A-yeon's advisee.”
Mom greeted the dean in my place.
“Yes, please have a seat.”
We sat on the sofa.
My feet didn't reach the floor, so my toes dangled in midair.
“So, what brings you here?”
“Yes. Well, the matter is…”
Mom held out the documents she'd prepared.
“Professor Yoo A-yeon is scheduled to attend the International Congress of Mathematicians in July, so we've come to give you advance notice.”
“Ah, the ICM.”
The dean's face immediately brightened.
“Of course you should go. Have you already received an invitation?”
“Yes. An invitation to give a lecture came with it.”
“Heh-heh, well, that's something.”
The dean said with a laugh.
“Having one of our professors attend and lecture at the ICM is excellent news for the university, too.”
Nod-nod-!
Beside Mom, I nodded vigorously—nod-nod-!
‘I'm not just giving a lecture; I'm receiving the Fields Medal, too. Heehee.’
I answered only in my head.