Chapter 6
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Handicap Offer and Urgent Plea
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Soon, the board was prepared, and Jo Jung-seon, seated between them as referee, spoke up.
"Then, who will claim the first move?"
At his words, Sima Hwa-yeong furrowed her brows inwardly.
'Even if Grandfather acknowledges him as superior, I just can't believe it... But it would feel awkward for me to take white either.'
It wasn't a big deal, but it nagged at her all the same.
Was it that he sensed her hesitation?
Yi Ho-chang smiled and said,
"My name is Yi Ho-chang, by the way. Would it be all right if I called you Miss Sima?"
"Please do. I'll address you as Young Hero Yi in return."
"Miss Sima, why don't we leave who takes black to the heavens?"
"Pardon?"
With that, Yi Ho-chang grabbed a handful of black stones and said,
"Odd or even?"
Jo Jung-seon burst into a hearty laugh at the sight.
Part of it was how adorably unexpected Yi Ho-chang's action was, but he also knew it was Yi Ho-chang's way of being considerate toward Sima Hwa-yeong.
Sure enough, though momentarily taken aback, Sima Hwa-yeong went along with his suggestion.
"...Odd."
"Nine stones—looks like you get black, Miss."
With black and white decided, the match began without delay.
Sima Hwa-yeong opened in the upper-left corner with a small eye placement.
It was a standard joseki move.
As such, it was hard to gauge the opponent's skill from the early exchanges.
Tap.
By the time Sima Hwa-yeong had placed her sixtieth stone, her eyes narrowed.
'Is this person really superior to Grandfather?'
There had been several small skirmishes so far, but she hadn't sensed any overwhelming superiority from Yi Ho-chang.
This even led her to wonder,
'Could Grandfather be doing this to justify joining the Array Hall as its master? He turned it down once already, but maybe this is an excuse to reconsider...'
However.
'...Huh?'
At some point, the board began to turn strange.
Her large black groups were losing momentum after a few exchanges, on the verge of collapsing.
From then on, Sima Hwa-yeong cleared her mind of distractions and focused on the fight.
But no matter how hard she tried, she increasingly felt cornered by Yi Ho-chang's plays.
'H-how can this be?'
It felt just like being a rabbit pursued by a hunter.
Whenever she cut off his stones, he connected them right away; when she tried to secure eye space, he smashed her groups as if he'd been waiting for it.
And so,
Though she had strived to keep her expression neutral, it grew harder to maintain her composure as time wore on.
Yi Ho-chang, however, paid no attention to her face whatsoever.
His gaze remained fixed on the board.
'Aggressive style, but the defense is nonexistent. That's what makes it fun.'
Not that he enjoyed her lack of skill.
Far from deriving pleasure from toying with a beginner.
What Yi Ho-chang found amusing was that her style resembled someone he knew.
'Who was it again... Ah, right. A bit like that old man Kato Masaru. Of course, he's far better.'
Kato Masaru.
The Japanese Go master honored with the title of Honorary Meijin.
He had once faced Yi Ho-chang in a match—a power player who nonetheless secured flexibility through delicate placements, which had impressed him.
'Though I won, of course.'
How?
This style demanded frequent probes and nimble ladder maneuvers, but Yi Ho-chang read several moves ahead and blocked them in advance, leaving her trapped like an insect in a web.
And Sima Hwa-yeong was no different.
Even after agonizing deliberations, her massive white dragon became the spider's web, devouring black stones whole.
Sima Hwa-yeong's thinking time grew ever longer.
Yi Ho-chang, who had been waiting, remarked lightly,
"You're taking quite a while on that move."
"......"
At Yi Ho-chang's smile, Sima Hwa-yeong quietly gripped her black stone tightly.
Yet in the end, she had no choice but to admit it.
That the boy before her was indeed her superior.
Furthermore, Jo Jung-seon's words were true, and he had absolutely no intention of becoming the Sima Family's Array Hall Master.
After an eternity of thought, Sima Hwa-yeong finally had no recourse but to place the stone from her hand onto the board.
In Go, tossing stones onto the board signaled resignation.
"......I lose."
"That was a fine game."
Sima Hwa-yeong couldn't help but chuckle wryly at Yi Ho-chang calling it a fine game.
How was this a fine game?
She had simply been thoroughly led around by the nose.
She continued,
"Thanks to you, Young Hero Yi, I've confirmed it clearly. Hall Master Jo arranged this match to give a definitive answer to his refusal. Still, it was a valuable experience. No empty words—this was by far the strongest play I've encountered among those I've faced."
"Ha-ha, thank you for the praise."
"I mean it. If the chance arises, I'd love to play you again sometime."
Yi Ho-chang grinned and replied,
"In that case, how about another game right now?"
"......Pardon?"
Yi Ho-chang turned to Jo Jung-seon and said,
"What do you think, Hall Master? If you permit it, could we consider this a rematch and play one more?"
Jo Jung-seon stroked his beard with a smile.
"Do as you like. I'm more than happy just to spectate your moves up close."
"Thank you."
Surprise flashed across Sima Hwa-yeong's face at his words.
It meant she was getting another chance.
But what came next from Yi Ho-chang astonished her even more.
"How about handicap Go this time?"
"H-handicap Go?"
"Out of fairness, you should get a few stones handicap for the bet to stand. But in exchange, I have one condition."
At the mention of handicap Go, Sima Hwa-yeong's eyes widened like saucers.
As Yi Ho-chang said, even a small handicap might offer a sliver of hope.
Of course, against such an overwhelming skill gap, it might mean little—but the Sima Family desperately needed Jo Jung-seon.
This wasn't the time for pride.
Sima Hwa-yeong asked,
"What is the condition?"
"If you take two stones handicap, grant me one wish; for three stones, two wishes. Ah, of course, I won't ask for anything unreasonable. The wishes are just for form's sake."
Hearing this, Sima Hwa-yeong answered immediately.
"Then, three stones it is."
She then performed a formal fist salute toward Yi Ho-chang, bowing her head slightly as she said,
"In the name of Sima Hwa-yeong, Maiden of the great Sima Family, I vow it. Whatever is within my power to fulfill, I shall grant."
"Ha-ha, excellent."
Yi Ho-chang's lips curved up at Sima Hwa-yeong's firm commitment. He had just secured two wishes out of nowhere.
Dae Jin, the gatekeeper of White Go Hall.
Lately, he had been thinking about that beggar boy who often met privately with his master.
'Smart kid. I hope my own boy turns out half as sharp.'
In that spirit, he considered picking up some sweets his son loved on the way home after his shift—it had been a while.
But just then.
"Ho-chang! Yi Ho-chang!"
A boy with busted lips like he'd been punched and bruises all over rushed into White Go Hall.
It was Baek Hwi.
Dae Jin grabbed Baek Hwi's arm as he tried to enter and said,
"Hey now! Where do you think you're going?"
"Let go! I need to see Ho-chang—he's in here!"
"I don't know any Ho-chang, but there are no friends of yours here."
Baek Hwi bit his lip at that, then raised his voice, shouting Yi Ho-chang's name.
"Ho-chang! Yi Ho-chang! It's me, Baek Hwi! Come out quick! Big trouble!"
Dae Jin clicked his tongue at the sight.
Beggar brats pulling this stunt more often these days.
Ho-chang, though?
The name rang a bell...
Then it hit him—the face of Yi Ho-chang playing Go with Jo Jung-seon flashed in his mind.
"Kid, are you looking for that boy who meets privately with our Hall Master?"
"Huh? I-I'm not sure... He's about my age and good at Go—that's all I know."
"That's the one! Dear me, what happened? Ho-chang's here, all right. But I can't let you in, so I'll pass the message. What's your name?"
"Baek Hwi! Hurry—it's urgent!"
At Baek Hwi's urging, Dae Jin quickly sent word to the annex.
"Hall Master, there's a boy named Baek Hwi outside looking for a kid called Ho-chang."
"Me?"
Yi Ho-chang, in the middle of his game with Sima Hwa-yeong, hurried toward the entrance.
Jo Jung-seon and Sima Hwa-yeong followed, worried about what was going on.
Spotting Baek Hwi at last, Yi Ho-chang was shocked by his state.
"What happened to you? What's going on?"
Baek Hwi's condition was worse than expected.
His exposed skin was covered in bruises, and his clothes were torn in places.
Seeing Yi Ho-chang, Baek Hwi finally relaxed a bit and started sobbing, holding back tears no longer.
"Sniff, H-Ho-chang. The Red Tiger Gang took our kids. We gotta go save 'em quick."
Red Tiger Gang.
That name again.
Relations were bad, but now they'd gone this far?
Suddenly remembering Chun Seom, Yi Ho-chang asked Baek Hwi,
"What about Uncle Chun Seom? Did you tell him?"
Baek Hwi shook his head.
"Sniff, I was afraid he'd, sniff, ask about money, sniff, so I didn't. Sniff, that's why I came straight to you, sniff."
Yi Ho-chang let out a hollow laugh.
Even in this state, Baek Hwi was thinking ahead like that.
Praising his pluck, Yi Ho-chang ruffled his hair.
"Good job. You did right coming to your senior about this. I'll handle it."
Then Yi Ho-chang turned to Sima Hwa-yeong, who had been listening nearby, and asked,
"About that Go game we were playing—shall we finish it?"
"......No need. Anyone can see it's my loss."
"In that case, I'll claim one wish right now."
Sima Hwa-yeong smiled at his words.
"I think I can guess what you're going to ask. Am I right?"
"Yes. I humbly request your help, Miss."
Sima Hwa-yeong nodded at Yi Ho-chang's plea and turned to Baek Hwi.
"Young Hero, would you tell me where those thugs are?"
At her question, Baek Hwi glanced at Yi Ho-chang before answering, and Sima Hwa-yeong smiled reassuringly as she soothed him.
"I'll take care of those villains who did this to children."
Baek Hwi stared blankly at her response before asking Yi Ho-chang,
"Ho-chang, who's this lady helping us out...?"
"Ah, that's Miss Hwa-yeong of the Sima Family."
"Sima... Hwa-yeong?"
Baek Hwi sounded clueless, so Sima Hwa-yeong smiled faintly and said,
"Sima Hwa-yeong. In the martial world, I'm known—rather embarrassingly—by the moniker Situation-Breaking Flower."
"Situation-Breaking... Wait, what?! Y-you're the Situation-Breaking Flower?! The peak expert who defeated the Nonpareil Blade of the evil faction with her claw techniques?!"
Sima Hwa-yeong nodded with an awkward smile, drawing another gasp of awe from Baek Hwi.
"Th-the Situation-Breaking Flower granting Ho-chang's request...! You're amazing, Ho-chang...!"
Hm.
So Sima Hwa-yeong was that impressive a figure.
If even a beggar kid knew her, she must be hugely famous.
Honestly, as the family maiden, she'd have escort warriors, so he'd made the wish thinking to borrow their strength...
'Nearly put the cart before the horse there.'
Soon, the three set out from White Go Hall.