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8th April 2018, AT&T Park (Oracle Park now), San Francisco
8th April 2018, AT&T Park (Oracle Park now), San Francisco
When we had visited Berkeley in Spring 2018, we had done many things together. The most frequent thing we did together was discussing lunch menu. The second most thing was playing tennis, almost once every two days. I knew most of my shots were line-out since I was a beginner (and by now) but he never pointed out this. Instead he told me my skill is improved. He did such for two months unchanged.
The moment I told him that I want to be your student at the conference in Osaka, July 2012, is unforgettable. I felt like I told Roger Federer that I want to be your double partner. Anyway that kind Roger Federer in math answered me yes.
Again in Berkeley, I heard from him that his wife told him a younger person usually does not like to be with an older one. I thought maybe he told me this because I bothered him too much to have his own time, but anyway I liked every moment with him -- not just our precious moment in Berkeley.
Back in Bonn 2012, he was surprised how I loved beer -- the truth is I drank one or two small cups of beer at every German dinner, a canonical minimal pair.
In Guanajuato 2013, we and Hyenho became like K-pop stars -- thanks to Korean singer PSY with the song Gangnam style, Mexican students wanted to take a photo with quasi-PSYs in that lovely city.
In Kobe 2016, we and Kyusik ran to escape a rain on the mountain Rokko, but I led them in a wrong direction. When we finished running the rain already stopped.
In Seoul 2018, he firstly said to me 'no'. I was very happy because he mostly never say 'no'. And this was his last 'no' to me.
On 1st December 2021, we had spent a whole day together. At lunch, he almost firstly gave me (indirect but clear) compliment that he is proud of me to become a postdoc of Richard, another Roger Federer. Bumsig is very kind, but on the other hand, very humble person. He has never judged other people mathematically because he thought himself does not deserve it. So the compliment on that day was invaluably special to me. And at dinner, tragically Bumsig passed away by heart attack.
Sometimes my friends ask me how mathematicians life is. Whether or not I answered I always think it is a perfect life and the math society is one of the warmest communities. I can't convince myself if this is the truth because I was his student. That is just my math life -- one biggest part of my life -- learned from him.
To be very honest I started tennis because I wanted to spend more time with him. It was my greatest honor and privilege to be a student of Bumsig, my hero.
Rahul's lecture "Bumsig Kim: in Memoriam" and slides at the memorial conference.
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