To understand another is to walk the loneliest path.

  Song Joo-eun had three motherlands.

  The one where she was born, Korea.

  The one she fled to, England.

  And the one where she would realize her dreams, America.

  She never truly belonged to any of them.

  Born in Korea in 1974, her entire family immigrated to England in 1980, when she was six.

  As a child, she hated the strange place and asked her parents why, but the only answer she ever received was that they just didn't want to live in Korea anymore.

  There was one thing she suspected.

  She had an older brother, long gone, whom she remembered only through photographs.

  After her brother passed away, his existence became a sorrow buried in the deepest part of the household, something no one was ever to touch.

  If she even mentioned a new friend's older brother, her mother’s eyes would instantly well up with tears, and her father’s face would darken.

  Terrified by that silence, her younger self swallowed her curiosity.

  She had even forgotten her brother's face, but one day she was able to recall him after finding a single faded photograph in an old album.

  A boy with a mischievous face, who looked just like her.

  When her parents found her looking at the photo, they held her without a word.

  Tears began to well up in her eyes at her parents' sorrowful sobs.

  It was a night in May.

  "That day… if only In-woo hadn't gone there…"

  It was something her mother would say from time to time.

  "Quiet! Joo-eun can hear you, stop it!"

  Her father would get angry whenever her mother sobbed, mentioning her brother's name alone.

  But contrary to her father's intentions, her mother's wails only grew louder.

  Wanting to know what had happened, she became curious about the Korea that existed before she came to England.

  She couldn't find out much.

  What little she found was that in 1980, in a Korean city called Gwangju, many citizens had been left scarred by the gunfire of soldiers.

  She didn't know the details, but she could only guess that her parents' grief was related to this event.

  Life in England was another war for her.

  Slanted eyes, a flat nose.

  Her different appearance was a perfect target for the other children's teasing.

  "Ching, chong!"

  the children would chant behind her, pulling at the corners of their eyes with their fingers.

  Whenever they did, Song Joo-eun would ignore them by keeping her face expressionless.

  As time went on, the voices of the teasing children faded one by one.

  She could not understand them at all.

  'Why? Just because I look different, why can someone hate another so easily?'

  She couldn't even confide this sense of injustice to her parents.

  Her parents, who had closed their successful restaurant in Korea to wrestle with strangers' clothes all day in a laundromat in a faraway country, always looked weary.

  She didn't want to add her own scars to her parents' tired shoulders.

  The only revenge and comfort she could find was to study to death.

  Song Joo-eun did not easily reveal her inner thoughts.

  On the surface, thanks to her bright and proactive personality, she had many friends.

  The people around her did not know of the darkness deep inside her.

  Song Joo-eun was adept at observing people and responding to them accordingly.

  She was intrigued by the dual nature of people.

  She was curious why the same person would treat others differently depending on who they were.

  She would sometimes ask her friends or teachers, but they all avoided answering.

  She held all of it in her heart and pondered it alone.

  Every day after school, she helped with the work amidst the hot steam of the laundromat, and at night, she would open a book next to a mountain of laundry baskets.

  'If everyone opened their hearts and talked to each other, wouldn't they understand each other a little more?'

  But unlike in reality, such things only happened in her imagination.

  When Christmas came, she would go to church with her friends.

  Among the people praying earnestly to the man hanging on the cross, she asked a different question.

  ‘Does God really exist? If He does, why does He just watch all the suffering in the world? Why do some people hate others, and why are some willing to be hurt for others?’

  What she wanted to find was not God.

  She wanted to understand the 'human heart,' its incomprehensible workings.

  She had a hope that if she could understand it, she could alleviate her own and her parents' scars, even if just a little.

  Her dedicated efforts in her studies did not betray her.

  She never lost the top rank in her school throughout middle school and was able to enter a prestigious high school.

  Her parents smiled happily and were proud of her, but she couldn't bring herself to smile.

  Thanks to her parents' efforts, the laundromat had stabilized and making a living was not a major issue, but the expensive tuition of the prestigious high school would surely be a great burden to her parents.

  She thought she had to keep her top rank to attend school on a scholarship, and she threw herself into her studies even more fiercely.

  Many people looked at her with pity, and many tried to tempt her to hang out and have fun.

  But a sense of duty, that she must not stop, moved her more than anything else.

  And at sixteen, she graduated from high school early and finally received an acceptance letter from Oxford University.

  She became her parents' pride, and the pride of the small Korean community in London.

  Before she knew it, there were more gazes of admiration than of discrimination.

  Yes, this was the only way she could win against the world.

  But she was not the only early graduate to be accepted into Oxford.

  The other star was a boy in the same grade, born in '75, a year younger than her.

  Although Song Joo-eun's overall grades were higher, all the teachers in the school unanimously called him the greater genius.

  Demisass Chapman.

  Song Joo-eun sincerely hated him.

  'Arrogant, and lives to show off how great he is.'

  That was her conclusion.

  In truth, almost no one liked him.

  The complete opposite of the diligent and kind Joo-eun, he had a personality that enjoyed showing off his knowledge to everyone, pointing out others' stupidity, and hurting them with his words.

  Besides, he didn't pay much attention to her either.

  People enjoyed talking about which of the two would get first place this time, but to Song Joo-eun, Chapman was just an unpleasant guy who threatened her scholarship.

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  But after the Oxford acceptances were announced, everything changed. Perhaps his pride was hurt, thinking he would be the only early admit, but the boy approached her first as she was studying in the library.

  “Hey, I hear you’re going to Oxford too?”

  Song Joo-eun, who had her head buried in a book, frowned slightly and looked up at him.

  'Arrogant, and now annoying too.'

  “So? What, is it strange? My grades were better than yours, weren’t they?”

  At her aggressive attitude, Chapman seemed slightly taken aback and took a step back.

  “No, I just thought I was the only one going, so I was curious since you are too. What are you going for?”

  Joo-eun didn’t want to tell her goals to someone she barely ever talked to.

  'I’ll be lucky if he doesn’t make fun of me.'

  “What are you going for?” She returned her gaze to her book and answered curtly.

  “Me? Computers, of course. I have a dream, you see. Don’t you have one? You’re always just studying.”

  “Computers? What do you want to do with them?” At her question, Chapman’s expression soured for a moment.

  “I asked you first. If you answer my question, I’ll tell you mine.” As Chapman finished speaking, Joo-eun looked up and glared at him.

  “I don’t want to tell you.”

  “What?” Chapman, seemingly annoyed, moved closer to her.

  “You’re just going to hear my story and that’s it? You’re not going to tell me?”

  As Chapman approached with a sly smile, she felt extremely annoyed.

  She thought it would be quicker to just tell him and get it over with.

  “I’m going to study the human heart.”

  At Song Joo-eun’s answer, Chapman quickly covered his mouth with his hand.

  The corners of his mouth began to slowly curve upwards.

  'Oh please, please don’t.'

  Contrary to her wish, Chapman laughed so loudly that the library echoed.

  The gazes of all the students studying nearby turned towards them.

  Song Joo-eun was so embarrassed by the stares that she wanted to get angry, but she exercised her patience and said nothing.

  'If I get angry, more people will stare.'

  She glared at Chapman for a moment, then returned her gaze to her book.

  'What is with this guy? Why did I even talk to him? Idiot, idiot, you moron.'

  Chapman, whom she thought would leave if she ignored him, continued to stare at her.

  'Seriously, how shameless can he be?'

  “…If you don’t mind, do you want to go outside and talk?”

  Chapman, looking around, made a suggestion to Song Joo-eun.

  She could hear the apology in his voice, but her mood was already completely soured.

  “No. Why should I? Get lost. I have to study.” She said without even looking at Chapman’s face.

  “Someone who wants to study the human heart, yet you can’t even read a person’s heart? You’ve already been accepted, so what’s wrong with taking a day off?”

  Song Joo-eun noticed that Chapman was trying to get her attention to achieve his goal.

  'What on earth does he want to say? Shouldn’t he leave by now?'

  She, too, was curious why Chapman was being so persistent.

  The stares of the people were also getting uncomfortable.

  In the end, she had no choice but to pack her things and follow him.

  “Let’s sit on that bench and talk.”

  The two sat side by side on a bench under the shade of a large tree.

  The sunlight filtering through the leaves was breathtakingly beautiful.

  'I guess this is goodbye to this tree once I graduate. Early graduation…'

  Sitting on the bench, Joo-eun stroked the tree with her hand.

  It was a tree full of memories, one that had provided her shade whenever she observed people.

  “So, what exactly do you mean by studying the human heart?”

  Pulled from her sentimental thoughts by Chapman’s words, Joo-eun frowned and took a deep breath.

  “Why on earth do I have to tell you that?”

  “It’s a trade. In exchange for me telling you my dream.”

  Chapman said with a shrug.

  “Why should I make a trade like that with you?”

  “Wow. You have a reputation for being so nice at school. Guess that was wrong? Or are you only this cold to me?”

  At his sly tone, Song Joo-eun finally turned her head and met his eyes directly.

  Her gaze was filled with a cold wariness.

  “From what I hear, you’re an arrogant guy who goes around ignoring people. Isn’t that right, Chapman?”

  “What? Haha.”

  Chapman laughed exaggeratedly.

  But the laughter didn’t reach his eyes.

  “That’s all nonsense from losers. So, are you going to answer or not?”

  He was persistent. As far as she knew, Chapman should have gotten angry at such an insult.

  She had seen friends cry several times after being hit by an indiscriminate verbal barrage for saying the wrong thing to him.

  But now, he was holding back, no matter how much she insulted him.

  She had only known him for about a year, but this was the most polite she had ever seen him.

  “I’m going to study psychology.”

  Looking into Chapman’s eyes, Joo-eun found herself answering without realizing it.

  The moment she said it, Joo-eun thought, 'Oops,' bit her lip, and looked away.

  She blamed herself for her foolishness in falling for Chapman’s trick.

  'Just think about what happened in the library a minute ago! Song Joo-eun, you idiot, you moron!'

  “Psychology? You mean judging people and charging them a fortune to listen to their problems?”

  'Of course.'

  She, who had held out a tiny sliver of hope that he might be worth trusting, didn’t want to waste any more emotion on Chapman.

  She hated the way he looked down on other people’s dreams.

  “There. Happy? I’m leaving. Good luck with your computers. I’m going back to study.”

  As Song Joo-eun started to get up, Chapman urgently grabbed her hand and pulled her back down onto the bench.

  “No, wait. Why do you want to study psychology?”

  His eyes held a pure sincerity that was hard to refuse.

  'I fell for that look before. Why is he being so serious?'

  “It hurts, let go of my hand.”

  “Huh? Oh, right. Sorry.”

  The spot where Chapman had gripped her hand throbbed.

  “Why are you so interested in me, anyway? Because we’re both going to Oxford?”

  “I won’t deny it.”

  Chapman paused for a moment.

  It was as if he were observing Joo-eun’s reaction.

  “Honestly, I used to look down on you. As a boring person who only studies all day. I wondered, what on earth does she want to achieve by studying that hard?”

  “Your arrogance truly knows no bounds. What do you plan to do with that brilliant mind of yours? Live your life looking down on others?”

  Thinking she would lose if she got angry, she tried to use a tone that felt as light as possible.

  “Ah, so that’s my image. Well, you’re not wrong.”

  One corner of Chapman’s mouth curled up.

  “I… want to study artificial intelligence.”

  He lifted his head and looked at the sky.

  “Artificial intelligence? Something that thinks and acts on its own… like that?”

  “Yeah. And I think it all comes down to computer programming. The basic algorithms are already in my head.”

  Chapman spoke like a child dreaming.

  “That’s ridiculous. Is that even possible with current technology? And what would you do with it? Rule over humanity?”

  To her, artificial intelligence was something that only appeared in movies and comics.

  Adults always said it was more helpful to study a little more than to waste time watching such things.

  'He still has a childish side to him, huh?'

  “No.” Chapman shook his head firmly. Unlike his youthful face, his eyes were very serious.

  'Why do I feel like I’m being drawn in whenever I look into his eyes?'

  Song Joo-eun became curious about what he would say next.

  “You’re not from a wealthy family either, right? Neither was I.”

  This was a fact she hadn’t known. Looking closely, she could see that Chapman’s clothes were frayed in several places.

  She had been deceived by his reputation as a genius and had mistakenly assumed he was always neat.

  “Ever since I was young, I believed that the reason I was born into this world was to leave my name in the history of humanity.”

  'Is the reason he looks down on others because he wants to be acknowledged? But the history of humanity… his arrogance is endless. And to speak so carelessly about someone else’s family situation.'

  Song Joo-eun showed her discomfort at Chapman’s words.

  Seeing this, Chapman let out a low laugh.

  “You thought I was arrogant, didn’t you? That’s it exactly. I planted the emotion in your heart to make you think of me as arrogant. That’s what an algorithm is.”

  'He’s really playing games with me. Mr. Genius.'

  “That’s annoying, so explain it in a way I can understand.”

  “Haha, and you want to study the human heart. The human heart is just like a computer. If I annoy you, you output the emotion of annoyance.”

  Chapman explained eagerly, using hand gestures.

  “In other words, if you input A, you get A. I just proved that to you. Am I wrong?”

  It was a shock.

  His words were close to sophistry, but strangely persuasive.

  'Is he… a genius…?'

  “I want to implement that entire process with a computer program. But I can’t do it alone. If I do the programming, someone else has to take on another role. So I’ve been observing people throughout my time at school. I thought you could be the one to play that role.”

  Having finished speaking, Chapman looked somewhat nervous.

  Song Joo-eun thought he had a reason to be.

  He was basically saying he needed a subordinate.

  “Me? We’ve barely even had any contact.”

  She was curious how Chapman would persuade her.

  “Because you were serious. About how you look at the world.”

  'Starting with a compliment, are we?'

  “And I knew you were curious about the human heart. You don’t just look at people. You try to read their inner selves through their voice, tone, gestures, expressions, all those non-verbal signals.”

  “What? How… did you know that?”

  The words slipped out before she could stop them, and Song Joo-eun realized her mistake, but it was too late.

  She felt that Chapman was several steps ahead of her.

  Realizing that people didn’t call him a genius for nothing, she felt a strange sense of jealousy.

  “See, I knew my eyes weren’t wrong! I thought, you could be the one to design the ‘emotions’ of my artificial intelligence.”

  She couldn’t refute it.

  There was no trace of selfishness in Chapman’s words.

  In fact, they felt incredibly pure.

  Most of all, ideas that could help his vision were already beginning to form in her head.

  All the absurdities and scars of the world.

  She thought that perhaps she could find the answers to all of it in his ridiculous dream.

  “…Then, let’s have that artificial intelligence learn all the knowledge of humanity that has ever existed.”

  It was the first conclusion she reached after a moment of contemplation.

  “Huh? What do you mean?”

  “And as it keeps learning, it comes to understand and help the human heart. Guiding people with moral and correct choices. How about that?”

  The moment he heard those words, Chapman’s eyes lit up with wonder.

  He shot up from his seat and grabbed Song Joo-eun’s hand.

  “Wow, that’s… a truly An Artistic Idea.”

  She didn’t know how many hours she talked with Chapman that day, but they talked a lot.

  Before they knew it, they had become the closest of friends.

  After graduating from high school, they went to Oxford together, and although their majors were different, their dream was one.

  But it was Song Joo-eun, not the genius Chapman, who got her chance first.

  A paper she wrote was passed on to a renowned psychological society in America through a recommendation from Chancellor Raymond.

  The society recognized her extraordinary talent and formally offered her a chance to study abroad.

  She thought that if she went to America, she could achieve Chapman’s dream—no, what had now become ‘our’ dream—even faster.

  Having made a quick decision, she immediately told her parents.

  Her parents said they supported her decision and just asked her to keep in touch often.

  Not long after, she left for America.

  Dr. Bisnail, whom she met through an introduction from Chancellor Raymond, thought very highly of her.

  Bisnail began to support her, using his wide network of connections.

  Song Joo-eun felt grateful for the help of such people and worked hard in America as well.

  Working hard had now become a habit ingrained in her body.

  She was used to adapting to others, so she had no major trouble meeting various people and fitting in.

  Not long after, she got married.

  Her husband was a high-ranking government official, quite a bit older than her.

  Her friend from America, Sato Haru, was strongly against her marriage.

  But in her eyes, the man was someone who could help her achieve her dream.

  She was grateful that her purpose had been clarified by Chapman.

  The reason she was so excited after hearing Zahir’s presentation at a conference one day was because she believed he could solve the limitations Chapman was facing in his research.

  She mobilized every connection she had to bring Zahir to America.

  'I must make this dream come true. I want to understand the human heart.'

  Their paths were different.

  But Chapman’s dream had, before she knew it, become her own.

  Thank you for reading, and for staying with the world of Artistea.

  Part 1 is fully completed (Chapters 0–15 + Asha’s side story).If you prefer not to wait for the scheduled uploads, the entire volume is already available on:

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  Next upload: ?? 2025-12-21