Translator: Dreamscribe
It had been snowing since dawn.
The snowflakes, carried by the sea breeze, turned the brick roads of Cambridge white.
Seo-eun had been excited since the morning.
Today was the day she had planned to look around with her oppa.
Mi-young adjusted the scarf wrapped around Seo-eun's neck and said,
“Don’t go too far, okay? And don’t wear out your oppa.”
“Okay!”
Seo-eun pulled down the beaver hat she had bought as a souvenir and ran out the front door.
The streets of Cambridge were still quiet.
Every ti she stepped on the snow piled along the roadside, it made a crunching sound.
Seo-eun tightly held her oppa’s hand and hopped around on the snow.
“That’s a cute hat!”
A gentleman walking by looked at Seo-eun and gave a bright smile. Judging by his expression, Seo-eun waved her hand in thanks.
“You understand English now?”
“No, if they’re smiling, it ans it’s sothing nice.”
‘Oh!’
Seo-ha was a little impressed by his clever younger sister’s response.
Snowflakes floated down on the wind and gently landed on Seo-eun’s hat.
With the tip of her nose turning red, Seo-eun looked up at the sky.
After walking a few more minutes, the Charles River ca into view.
Snow that had fallen since dawn covered the riverside. Despite the cold and snow, various winter birds were foraging.
“Ducks!”
Seo-eun suddenly ran toward the riverbank and waved her hands at the ducks.
“Hi guys!”
Several ducks flapped their wings as if responding to Seo-eun’s voice.
One of them let out a short “quack”.
“Oppa, did you hear that? It said hi to !”
Seo-eun waved her hands even more enthusiastically at the duck.
Seo-ha watched the scene fondly.
He hoped that even in the future, his little sister would never forget this day.
“Stand over there. Let take a picture.”
Seo-ha took out his phone from his pocket.
“Like this?”
Seo-eun spread her arms wide and smiled happily.
The Charles River on a snowy day, Seo-eun, and the ducks.
They were all things Seo-ha loved.
Click.
With the sound of the shutter, the mont was captured just as it was.
A smile spread across Seo-ha’s face as he checked the photo.
“It’s cold. Let’s have so hot chocolate.”
“Okay!”
Seo-eun ca over and grabbed her oppa’s hand.
The two turned their steps toward Kendall Square.
As if the city was just waking up, shopkeepers were coming outside and sweeping the snow piled in front of their doors.
Just as they were about to enter a store, a custor who had gone in before them saw the two and held the door open for quite a while.
“After you.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Seo-eun politely gave a bow with her hands over her belly, and a proud smile appeared on the custor’s face.
Once seated, a server ca over.
“Two hot chocolates, please.”
The staff nodded and returned shortly after with drinks and snacks.
On the plate was a cookie they hadn’t ordered.
“It’s a gift for the young mathematician and the little beaver.”
The staff smiled, pointing at Seo-eun’s hat.
Catching on quickly, Seo-eun widened her eyes and thanked the server.
“Thank you.”
Seo-ha was also surprised.
Though he had appeared in the news, he hadn’t expected to be recognized this quickly.
Seo-eun blew on the hot chocolate and took a small sip.
“Ugh... it’s so sweet.”
The intense sweetness made her scrunch her face briefly, but she soon picked up the cup again. The Arican hot chocolate, with marshmallows floating on top, had an irresistible addictiveness.
After taking another sip, she wore a blissful expression.
For Seo-eun, today was filled with only good things.
She took a walk with her oppa. The scenery was beautiful, and every passerby smiled at her.
Suddenly, she wondered, “Why is that?”
“Oppa, why is everyone here so nice?”
Seo-ha was montarily at a loss for words. But not wanting to lose his dignity as her oppa, he quickly replied,
"It's because you're cute, Seo-eun."
But in his head, he was thinking sothing else.
‘As expected from Arica’s most educated city.’
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Cambridge exists because of MIT and Harvard.
The residents’ education levels are the highest in the U.S., and the area is also a wealthy neighborhood with a high standard of living.
The people they passed on the street were most likely students or researchers.
But he didn’t want to say that to Seo-eun.
Just because soone is well-educated and wealthy doesn't an they are all good people. Of course, the reverse also holds true.
Seo-ha waited until his younger sister finished her hot chocolate. After clearing the empty cup, he gently held Seo-eun’s small hand.
“Let’s go back now.”
Seo-eun nodded in satisfaction and got up from her seat.
***
After flying for over ten hours, the plane arrived over Incheon.
Perhaps because it had taken off at dawn, most of the passengers were asleep.
Seo-ha, who woke up first, turned his head to the side.
Seo-eun was fast asleep, hugging her beaver plushie. Her chubby cheeks moved slightly as if she were eating sothing delicious in her dream.
Seo-ha stared at his sister’s face for a while, then pulled the blanket up to her neck.
Before leaving, the two of them had received gifts from several researchers.
They had all said, “We look forward to seeing you again”. But Seo-ha was doubtful.
‘Will such a day really co?’
Blink, blink.
The cabin lights turned on.
-Our aircraft will be landing at Incheon International Airport shortly.
As they exited the arrival gate, a familiar sll rushed in.
While picking up their luggage and heading out, soone waved at them from a distance.
“Over here!”
It was Chul-ho.
He had co all the way to the airport in his old sedan. Compared to before they left, he looked thinner.
“Have you been eating properly?”
"Honestly, I ate ran the most."
“I figured as much… But didn’t you enjoy the ti alone for the first ti?”
“What are you talking about!”
Chul-ho responded with a serious face.
But when Mi-young glared at him, he whispered quietly into her ear.
“Only the first day. From the next day on, I missed you and the kids so much.”
"I'm sorry for coming back late."
Mi-young had been worried about her husband due to the longer-than-expected stay.
Chul-ho hugged the children one by one and grabbed the handle of the suitcase.
“Let’s go!”
Seeing the kids again after a few days, Chul-ho felt so full he didn’t even need to eat.
Happily, he stepped on the accelerator.
***
Back at ho, Mi-young looked at five business cards laid out on the desk.
Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, Caltech, and MIT.
The people who handed out the cards were all different, but their purpose for coming was the sa.
To bring her son to their university.
Mi-young carefully aligned the corners of the business cards with her fingertips.
But her mind only beca more complicated.
She wanted to discuss it with Seo-ha, but she knew her son well. Surely, Seo-ha would shake his head and say,
'I’m already fine as I am.'
At the sa ti, a thought that wouldn’t leave her mind:
‘If we had been rich, would our son have turned out like this?’
She always felt sorry, thinking it was like they had forced their child to learn self-sacrifice first.
‘It would’ve been better if he were a bit less mature…’
She knew her son's kind heart, but that was also a source of worry for the couple.
The world doesn’t reward good intentions. And people would try to take advantage of Seo-ha easily.
“Let’s keep this a secret from Seo-ha and just look into it ourselves for now.”
Though her face was full of concern, her husband clearly shared the sa thought. Mi-young decided to consult soone she could trust.
***
“Are you really confident? Twenty cards are too many.”
Woo-hyun stood with his arms crossed in front of the table, smiling.
Seo-eun nodded and looked down at the cards with a serious expression.
“Fifteen is too easy now.”
Every ti Seo-ha ca ho, he played a mory challenge with his little sister. But 20 or 25 cards were still a tough challenge for young Seo-eun.
While Seo-ha was away from the house,
Woo-hyun managed to talk to Seo-eun while she was focused on the cards.
‘She said it was a matching ga, so I didn’t think much of it…’
Seo-eun, who usually acted shy like a cat around strangers, surprisingly allowed Woo-hyun to play with her. He hadn’t expected it to be a mory challenge though.
“One minute’s up!”
Woo-hyun flipped over all the cards spread on the table.
With a determined face, Seo-eun pointed at each card and nad the pictures.
“Carrot, penguin, squirrel, rabbit, moon, kitty, number 5, apple, eggplant…”
Woo-hyun’s fingers moved quickly as he turned over the cards. So far, everything matched exactly what Seo-eun had said.
“The last one is… duck!”
Seo-eun, who had succeeded in matching all twenty cards, raised her arms in victory with delight.
Woo-hyun, watching her with his mouth half-open, let out a hollow laugh.
'Seo-ha said he taught her.... what's with the kids in this family?'
Before he knew it, Mi-young ca in with coffee.
“Seo-eun, did you finish all your vacation howork?”
Startled, Seo-eun quickly gathered the cards and stood up.
Tap.
Mi-young set the cup down on the table.
Warm steam gently rose from it. After a brief hesitation, she carefully opened her mouth.
“I’m sorry for calling you over so suddenly, teacher.”
Woo-hyun shook his head.
“Not at all. I actually saw the news and was curious myself.”
“I thought you’d understand well, since you also went to college in the U.S.”
Mi-young cautiously pulled a bundle of letters out of her bag.
They were admission letters from various universities. Woo-hyun opened the envelopes and examined the docunts carefully. Only after a long silence did he speak.
“The terms are impressive.
Full tuition waiver, living expenses covered, and even support for family relocation.
Top-tier universities like MIT or Harvard don’t make these offers easily. It ans they hold Seo-ha in extrely high regard.”
“Yes. I’m grateful for that as well.”
“It’s not surprising. There’s no teenager in the world more exceptional than Seo-ha.”
“I used to think you were exaggerating, but after going to the U.S., I realized you were right.
We were treated very well at MIT. We barely had to spend any money.”
Mi-young paused for a mont.
“So it really would be best for Seo-ha to study in the U.S., wouldn’t it?”
Woo-hyun closed the docunts and took a sip of his coffee. Then he slowly spoke.
“That depends on the family.”
“Huh?”
“Seo-ha cares deeply about his family. So much so that he puts his family’s happiness before his own. If his family is uncomfortable, it might be worse than not going at all.”
“Are you saying there wouldn’t be much difference even if he studies in Korea?”
Woo-hyun shook his head firmly.
“If we’re just talking about the environnt, the U.S. is overwhelmingly better.
To begin with, the university budget scale is different. The gap is at least tenfold. Then there's the quality of students and professors, available projects, research equipnt, lab infrastructure...
I could go on endlessly.”
“Then it would be best to go to the U.S., right?”
“As I said earlier, the issue isn’t Seo-ha.
Since he’s still young, going with his family is essential. That ans the two of you would have to start an entirely different life.
There’s the language barrier, cultural differences, and you won’t know anyone, so of course you’ll feel lonely. Everything you've built up over a lifeti in Korea will disappear entirely.”
Woo-hyun continued calmly.
“Arica is a cold country.
It’s hard to get a job, and it takes a lot of effort to make friends. If Seo-ha sees his parents struggling in such an environnt, he will feel guilty.”
She had expected it wouldn’t be easy, but Woo-hyun’s explanation was even harsher than she had imagined.
“That’s why I’m saying it might be better to stay in Korea.”
The wind tapped against the window. The two of them stayed silent for a while.
Then Mi-young, as if having made up her mind, spoke.
“No, I still think going to the U.S. is the right choice.”
“Did you fully understand what I explained?”
Mi-young bit her lip tightly.
“We just need to live properly!
As parents, we finally have a chance to do sothing for Seo-ha.
We’ll learn the language, socialize with people, work hard, and get decent jobs. Then we’ll show our son a happy life.”
“That’s the right answer.”
Woo-hyun smiled with satisfaction and nodded.
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