Life at US 1

Adult Jaehee: That’s how I ended up in the States when I was ten.

Eleven years have passed since then — eleven years of learning, messing up, growing, getting scolded by my brother… a lot.

Me and Minjun have a twelve-year age gap. Our dad remarried before I was even born, and anything between him and Mom was already broken long before that. He was never the responsible type. Since Minjun was two, Aunt Teena had been the one supporting us financially.

There came a point when my brother couldn’t handle things at home anymore. Mom’s bipolar disorder got worse after Grandpa passed away — I wasn’t even born then — and she began tearing the house apart almost every day. Our home became a battlefield. Granny cried all the time.

Minjun was Grandpa’s favourite — the straight-A kid, the quiet achiever. Aunt Teena’s only anger was that he couldn’t finish college. Instead, he ran away from the country and somehow built a life in the U.S., becoming a working actor. Not a big star back then, but steady enough to support himself… and me. He managed to pay our bills in America and send money back home.

Six months after arriving in the U.S., I enrolled in a school near our apartment. Our neighbour, Dina — a singer with a warm laugh — helped me learn English. And even though I was just ten, I picked up the language completely in six months.

But here’s the funny part:

I dropped out of school after only three months.

One of my teachers noticed I was good at math and pushed me into a competition— a problem-solving contest. I was the only middle schooler; the rest were high school students. I didn’t finish the question in time, but I didn’t stop trying either. I kept scribbling answers with my tiny hands, standing on a chair because I couldn’t reach the board properly. Minjun rushed there despite having 3–5 gigs that day, cheering loudly like an embarrassing parent.

Everyone in that room cheered when I finally solved it.

Among them was Professor Daniel, a respected academic who once taught today’s wealthiest man in the world — Evon Chapman.

Later, Professor Daniel called Evon:

Prof Daniel: “Evon, I saw a kid today. She reminded me of you at that age. Ten years old, yet she solved a question even college students struggle with. Kids these days will outsmart us sooner than we think.”

Evon: “Professor, there are institutions that train gifted kids aggressively. She might be one of them. But yes… it’s impressive.”

Prof Daniel: “She came to the U.S. only seven months ago. She learned English in six months. Trust me — meet this child once. You’ll know.”

It was the 4th of July — the whole country was dressed in fireworks.

My brother finally had a day off, so he took me to the parade. His friends joked with me, stole bites of my ice cream, and told me I’d go to jail if I didn’t dance. I laughed the whole day.

When we finally reached home, a car was waiting outside.

Evon and Professor Daniel.

They had almost left.

Minjun invited them inside politely. I ran to the kitchen, poured water into cups, and handed it to them with both hands.

Evon: “So you’re the little genius I’ve been hearing about?”

Prof Daniel: “Minjun, this is Evon Chapman — one of my former students.”

Minjun: “It’s an honour, Mr. Chapman. Congratulations on your new company.”

Evon: “Thank you. Actually, we’re here to talk about your sister. I’m building a private learning team for my children — specialists who help them master their talents. Schools these days are more for networking than learning. I want to offer your sister a place, but only if she passes our preliminary test. It’s a full-time program, so she’ll have to leave school.”

Minjun: “Will there be any credientials? Something she can use outside your company?”

Evon: “No. This is strictly for my children and those I hand-pick. But… if she passes, she can secure a high-paying job later in our company.”

Minjun: “She’s ten. Can she handle it? And if she doesn’t, her academic life is ruined.”

Prof Daniel: “The math problem she solved wasn’t a basic one. Even college students from top institutes failed at it. I believe she’ll ace this. Some opportunities come only once. Sometimes you sacrifice one path to open another.”

Minjun: “…I need time to think.”

Evon: “Take your time. But let her appear for the preliminary test in two days.”

Minjun: “Why choose her? You said this was for your children.”

Prof Daniel: “Because I recommended her.”

Evon: “And the professor never recommends someone unless he sees real potential.”

Later that night, after Evon and Professor Daniel left, Minjun stepped out onto the balcony with his phone. The summer air was warm, but his voice sounded tight.

Aunt Teena didn’t even let him finish explaining.

Aunt:

“Minjun-ah, absolutely not. I don’t accept this.”

Her voice cracked with worry.

“What if Jaehee wants to return to Korea someday? She needs proper academic certificates. You can’t gamble with her future. People change, situations change — you can’t trust anyone fully. Don’t risk your sister’s life on promises.”

Minjun rubbed his forehead, staring out at the dim streetlights.

Minjun: “…Hmm. Okay, Aunt. I understand.”

He sighed.

“But… let’s at least let her take the test. It’s in two days. We’ll decide after that.”

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