At a prestigious university, JungGwang grants the woman who has been studying in the same spot for 10 years.

She graduated with honors and even received a president's award. She even went to study abroad, which was very rare for a woman of that era.

But look at her bags. She's like a homeless woman. She stays in a reading room; I think she's living there.

...in a library...? Why on earth is she living in the library? And, surprising news...

The place where she was found was a hospital. Her resident registration number was outdated, so we were going to register her as a person without family or friends.

And our nurses said that they recognized her. They said she was on 'What on Earth,' a woman who appeared on the back of someone.

I think I saw you at __ university, JungGwang. It's called...

A woman who's been staying in a library for 10 years. She is in her 60s but living in tough conditions.

Why are you staying here?
"It's my alma mater. I enrolled here in 1965. The class of 1965, Song SunHee."

She was a brilliant woman who was even on the news. But she came to the library one day...

And she was dressed and behaving just like a homeless person. "I heard you stay in the library. I have some struggles, but let's not dig into that."

We couldn't hear more about her life. And we met her after 8 months; she was much thinner and older than before.

What happened to her? "My life got tougher, so I couldn't eat well. Then I fainted while going to the washroom."

She was sent to the hospital right away. "She weighs 30kg – I can feel your bones... How long have you been starving?"
"– 26 days."

"–You mean you didn't eat for 26 days?
–Yes. –I gave you my number and said you can call me when you need help."

She was researching at the library without eating for 26 days. Even after being sent to the hospital, all she cared about was her research.

And there was much more data: the start of the universe, and also the fact that this universe is kept repeating,

and the end of it. I hope I can investigate them. She doesn't even have a resident registration number.

But her past record was unbelievably impressive. We inquired with Indiana University where she acquired her doctorate, and one revealed truth...

Do you remember Song SunHee? Yes, she was my husband's student. Was she?
Yes, she was a great student.

I'll let my husband send you an email. And we received an email from James H. Hoban, the professor emeritus.

Sunhee Song enrolled as a graduate student at Indiana University in 1971, at which time I was the Chairman of the Department of Anthropology. She was awarded a PhD in 1982.

She was one of the most memorable students I ever had. I feel confident that all of her other professors would remember her similarly.

She was praised as a genius while studying abroad. What happened to such a woman? Her acquaintance:
The 1980s was a time when people believed men were superior to women.

And she was the smartest and best worker in the company, filled with men. So she must have experienced lots of jealousy.

After studying in the United States, she couldn't adapt to Korea's very male-oriented system.

There was a limit and ceiling for her to flourish. As soon as she quit, her life started to change.

And that must have been a huge shock to her. She started to share her wounds with us. I was young and even had a doctorate.

The world was like a rose garden.
Everyone will have that moment once or twice in their life.

What did you want to do after getting the doctorate? I wanted to be a scholar.
I thought everything would be fine. I didn't expect my life to be filled with so many obstacles.

In 2001...
Did you come in 2001? I arrived in August 2001.
Where were you then?

I stayed in Paju for 6-7 months, and after my mother passed away, there was no one I could rely on.

So I wandered around my relatives' houses, but it was tough. So I came to my alma mater.

After losing her mother, there was no one she could rely on. Though she said she's researching to win the Nobel Prize,

she was, in fact, staying at the library as there was no other place to go.  Life isn't that special.

Wasn't it beautiful? (life)
If you live through your 40s and 50s, it's nothing.

You'll soon become 60, then you're an elder.
I didn't know my life would be this short.

Song Sunhee in her 20s thought she could achieve anything. I had a beautiful moment, too.

But it's all done now... She doesn't have any motivation to live as she thinks her life is vain.

Will there be any way to make her regain a will to live? We went back to her old university

to check her 'spot'. Someone else is using that place. The library, where used to be her shelter for 10 years,

Some of the students are actually feeling her absence. She gave me motivation to study hard. I feel very sorry for her. I hope she gets well soon.

I wish she can get well soon and come back to our school again. A surprise event for her

get-well-soon cards. And we took them to surprise her. Sadly, due to her weak will,

her condition got worse. Your junior students wrote a get-well-soon card for you. Unexpected but warm present.

She read every single one of them very thoroughly. Many of them know about me. Of course, you were there for 10 years.

Just by knowing that there are people who remember her and worry about her gave her a will to live. A social worker came to help her recovery.

JungGwang-gran. Her name is Song SunHee. You can get better. The rose garden can appear to you once again.

I hope so, too. Thank you so much for helping me a lot. Take care, please. Promise us that you'll recover.

She was surely a valuable scholar who could have made countless accomplishments, but at the same time, she was a victim of a male-dominated society.

(2부) 명문대 졸업을 넘어 한 시대의 '천재'로 불리던 중광할머니의 드러난 사연은?┃(Ep.2) The Woman Who Was Called a 'Genius' of an Era

(2부) 명문대 졸업을 넘어 한 시대의 '천재'로 불리던 중광할머니의 드러난 사연은?┃(Ep.2) The Woman Who Was Called a 'Genius' of an Era

Scripts