Chapter 60
Meanwhile.
In South Korea, the three-syllable name Yoo Ayeon was causing quite a stir.
The Millennium Prize ceremony had already been announced, and rumors were spreading that Yoo Ayeon would attend as the star of the show.
The special documentary had caused a huge stir around the world.
Yoo Ayeon had not appeared publicly for six months.
There were quite a lot of people curious about how she was doing.
So the broadcasters couldn't let this chance slip by.
It was normally just an overseas awards ceremony that no one paid attention to.
But this time, they decided to pay the expensive broadcasting rights fee and air it.
And then.
The face of six-year-old Yoo Ayeon, smiling and flashing a double peace sign in front of a giant placard reading 1 million dollars,
was widely reported in the news.
It hit the front pages of portals too, and the news quickly spread across social media.
[Clay Mathematics Institute awards $1 million to 6-year-old mathematician Yoo Ayeon... officially settled on 'Riemann Theorem' instead of 'Riemann Hypothesis']
- Wow, this is really a historic moment
- Never thought the Riemann Hypothesis would get solved
- $1 million is like 1.5 billion won now, right? Damn
- Strangely, even though this country is tiny, talent keeps getting born here
- Even those Westerners can recognize a genius and give her an award—what is the government doing right now?
- We need to give enough support so talent doesn't leave the country
[Applause at the Millennium Prize ceremony... the world mathematics community honors Yoo Ayeon's achievement]
- To think those older folks can respect such a little kid... so they really are intellectuals
- So does she just need to get the Fields Medal now?
- The GOAT of the mathematics world
- I'm proud that South Korea produced such a talent
- The reason she became like this is because she didn't get private tutoring. If she'd been shoved through those Daechi-dong 7-year-old entrance exams and 5-year-old entrance exams and all that nonsense, she'd have ruined her life and the country would have lost out. Daechi moms, you seeing this?
The Math Major Gallery was full of praise for Yoo Ayeon.
They knew better than anyone how incredible and hard to achieve her accomplishment was.
[Math Major Gallery]
[Title: Riemann Hypothesis → Riemann Theorem confirmed lol]
Fuck yeah lololololol
- Our gallery god, you did it
- Ayeon the Great
- Yoo Ayeon... is she a god?
- God is in Korea, and she's still just a 6-year-old brat
- Damn, it's Yoo Ayeon again. I was just about to go to sleep after looking at this, and now I've ended up looking at Yoo Ayeon again. I have to worship. Even though I know worshiping will wake me right up, I have to worship.
[Title: Yoo Ayeon 'I was the one who solved the Riemann Theorem, not humanity']
(Yoo Ayeon scowling.jpg)
What are you looking at, shithead?
- Hahahahahahahahaha
- S-sorry
- Fuck, lol
- Even her scowling face is cute... where can I find the original?
- ㄴ (Link to the livestream on the Super-Genius Yoo Ayeon channel)
[Title: The fastest and most legal way to make 1.5 billion won at age 6]
1. Prove the Riemann Hypothesis.
That's it.
What the hell is this godawful difficulty?
(A frog with a stupid expression, drooling.jpg)
I was going to prove the Riemann Hypothesis after reading this post, but the gallery god scooped my research...
(*Scoop: in academia, when someone else publishes your research results first and steals the credit)
[Title: Euler, Gauss, Hilbert, Grothendieck, Ayeon, let's go]
Kyaa, let's go
If she keeps doing research after this, it might really be possible.
- Yep, her future is seriously bright too
The name that future generations will absolutely mention when they talk about '21st-century mathematics'—Yoo Ayeon
✒️✒️✒️
A Korean expat in his 30s living in Paris.
He liked chess, so he often watched the chess federation's MeTube channel.
That day too, he opened the channel out of habit.
In the youth tournament livestream, he saw a familiar name.
“Uh…?”
[Board 1: Ayeon Yu (KOR)]
The name reflected on the scoreboard.
Yoo Ayeon.
That name belonged to the girl who had recently become so famous.
She had apparently accomplished something in mathematics... but he didn't know the details.
Anyway, that wasn't the important part.
He quickly screenshotted it and made a post on the gallery he frequented.
[Chess Gallery]
[Title: Real-time chess nerd found Yoo Ayeon]
(Photo of the French FIDE Youth Tournament scoreboard.jpg)
[Board 1: Ayeon Yu (KOR) vs Gabriel Dubois (FRA)]
[Board 2: Arin Yu (KOR) vs Louis Bernard (FRA)]
I'm a chess nerd living in France
I was watching today's tournament broadcast and spotted a familiar name
- Could it really be Yoo Ayeon?
- Maybe it's just someone with the same name
- No way, lol
- She was in Paris until just recently, so it's probably really her
- It really does look like her
[Title: Almost certainly not a namesake]
Last time on the documentary, they said she went to a chess club
and the news said she went to Paris to get the 1.5 billion won prize money
It has to be her, 100%.
- Wow, and looking at the score, she's on a 5-win streak. She's good at chess too, damn
- I'm jealous of that brain
[Title: France-based chess nerd posts MeTube broadcast link]
(French youth tournament livestream link)
Since it's a French channel, don't go flooding it and acting like ugly Koreans
- Wow, it really is Yoo Ayeon
- Same hairstyle
- That's the girl from the documentary
[Title: Wait, what about Board 2?]
Arin Yu (KOR)
Who is Yoo Arin?
- They're both Korean, aren't they?
- Could she be her younger sibling?
- The documentary said she had a younger sibling.
- Then the sister duo is taking the top two spots in a European FIDE tournament? Wow
[Title: Nice job, Yoo Ayeon—go crush those French brats and come back]
Revenge for the Byeongin Yangyo
- A whole shot of national pride, loaded up lol
- The French kids better be on alert
- What? Her opponent solved the Riemann Hypothesis at age six?
And they began watching the match between Yoo Ayeon and Yoo Arin.
✒️✒️✒️
Round 6 was over too.
Arin and I both won without any trouble.
The French brats we played against all wore utterly dejected expressions.
Both of us were 6-0.
Soon after, the round 7 pairings were posted.
[Board 1: Ayeon Yu (KOR) vs Arin Yu (KOR)]
Just as expected.
In the Swiss system, players with the same score are paired together.
For the two of us, who had both won six straight, meeting at the end was inevitable.
A bit of French drifted from the commentary booth.
The host sounded startled.
I couldn't hear it clearly, but the mood told me enough.
He was probably shouting something like, “Oh my God!”
A chess tournament held in France.
But sisters from Korea were taking the top two spots?
Yeah, they had every reason to react like that.
The cameramen crowded around Board 1.
They framed the shot so our faces would be clearly visible.
I sat demurely with my legs neatly together.
Because in front of the camera, I was the proper young lady Yoo Ayeon.
Arin plopped down across from me.
Arin said.
“Unnie, we're meeting in the final?”
“Looks like it.”
“This time, I won't let you win.”
“What, when have I ever let you win?”
Zing-!
We traded sharp looks.
It was nothing like when I casually played chess with Arin at home or on the hotel bed.
Cameras surrounded us from every side.
Electronic board sensors were installed under the pieces.
In other words, the moment we moved a piece, it would go straight to the broadcast.
If I half-assed it and made a mistake, the whole neighborhood would hear about it, and I'd be kicking myself under the covers a million times later.
Gulp.
The pressure of knowing I couldn't make a mistake made me swallow reflexively.
And besides.
Our usual head-to-head record had already dropped to 5-5.
When I first learned chess, I was ahead 7-3, but in just six months she'd completely caught up.
That just showed how outstanding Arin's talent was.
“Focus... focus! Yoo Ayeon's brain, full throttle...!”
I took out one of the French snacks handed out at the tournament and took a bite.
“Ahh...”
A sweet and slightly bitter flavor spread through my mouth.
“What, only you get to eat? That's unfair!”
“They're giving out free snacks over at the snack table.”
“Oh, really? Wait—before we start, I want some snacks too—”
Tap-tap-tap-
Arin hopped out of her chair again and scampered over to the snack table.
At the sight, the cameramen snickered.
I snickered a little too, and the tension melted away.
That's Arin for you.
✒️✒️✒️
Nom nom chomp chomp-
We started the game while munching on our snacks in earnest.
Click-.
I pressed the clock.
I was White.
e4.
After thinking for a moment, Arin played e6.
French Defense.
Did she answer with the French Defense because the tournament was being held in France?
Or did she just play it without thinking?
Either way, it didn't matter.
d4.
d5.
The opening progressed smoothly.
The French Defense is a structure where Black doesn't give up the center, holds firm, and looks for a counterattack.
Rather than forcing tactical exchanges, I decided to build a favorable position and make Arin's brain short-circuit.
I already knew she outplayed me in simple tactical battles.
We entered the middlegame.
The position was tangled and complex.
Arin answered quickly, but there was no gap to exploit.
Since we played each other almost every day.
We knew each other's styles far too well.
Then, the moment I pulled my bishop back to attack,
Freeze-
Arin stopped for a moment.
She began thinking for a rare long time.
Good, burn time here.
I thought I had a slight advantage.
So I carelessly moved my knight into enemy territory.
If I put pressure here—
Clack-.
Arin played instantly.
As if she'd already predicted the move.
Uh-oh...?
Why are you moving so fast? You're making me nervous.
“Hmm...”
I wriggled my fingers and looked over the board again.
I looked at it one way, then another.
In the end, I reached only one conclusion.
I had already blundered in the previous two moves.
“Ah...”
My mouth dropped open before I knew it.
When I looked over at Arin, our eyes met.
“Heh.”
Arin gave an annoying little smirk.
Ugh... so annoying!
I tried to salvage it somehow.
But once a position tilts, it's hard to turn it back.
Endgame.
Arin's pieces each found more and more advantageous squares.
I held on and held on.
Then.
Arin's checkmate.
“Ugh...”
I stared down at the board for a moment.
A complete defeat.
My eyes nearly filled with tears, but I held them back.
We usually win and lose against each other all the time, so why am I like this?
Maybe because it was a formal, high-stakes tournament.
The shock of losing felt bigger.
Sniff.
Arin smiled brightly and offered a handshake.
Her hand was even smaller and daintier than mine.
I reached out and took it.
“Arin, congrats on the win.”
“Hehe!”
“How was it? The tournament.”
Arin said with a beaming smile.
“Yep! It was fun! I think coming to the tournament was the right choice after all—thanks for suggesting it, Unnie!”