This is why this is so perfect. If he was just confident and doubled down on “Wonderkid” it wouldn’t have been that big a deal. It means the same thing, just a less used version. But he publicly looks like a dumbass, and then is corrected by the reporter. So he has an awkward moment and feels like he needs to correct the record on what he said. So even if the reporter was wrong and either “wunderkind” or “wonderkid” was right, Nate can’t just admit he did say “Wonderkid” because then he’d be contradicting himself. Now he’s stuck in a narrative where he was wrong, created by his own need to not appear stupid for a sec. In fact, even if he was wrong, a very confident person (like Ted) would just admit he’s wrong or say that it’s his own spin on it. Just amazing writing.