Pair Go
The fresh yet faintly fishy smell of rain. The sodden, humidity-laden air, and the rough drumming of raindrops striking the ground.
Perhaps because the rain had been falling since morning, the park was deserted despite it being Sunday noon.
Lee Jiah sat beneath the pavilion, watching the girl seated across a thin Go board from her.
Beautifully textured blonde hair, tied up and neatly arranged, and eyes that glowed with a soft radiance like the surface of a tranquil lake. Meeting that impossibly calm gaze — so deep she could not fathom its bottom — Jiah almost felt as if she were facing a seasoned veteran professional.
The blonde girl who, in their first game, had seemed like a bewitching, merciless witch, sometimes appeared to be a hearty middle-aged uncle, sometimes an emotionless machine, sometimes a bright and innocent young girl — and now, with Jiah in the position of a student, she even looked like a wise old sage. She was endlessly multifaceted.
"I lost."
There was no longer any position from which she could conjure complications. Jiah, who had been blankly studying the girl's face, simply set down her stones in resignation.
"Thank you for the game."
"Yeah, I learned a lot. But why did you insist on meeting outside on a day like this?"
Gathering up the stones, Jiah raised the question that had occurred to her.
"Knowledge is like a double-edged sword. The more you know, the narrower you tend to become. The curiosity, the thirst for inquiry, the spirit of adventure you had when you knew nothing gradually fade, until you no longer feel any need to question what's already established. The old proverb says to tap even a solid bridge before crossing it — but in practice, that would be hopelessly inefficient and foolish of us."
Stroking a stone with a somewhat bitter expression, the blonde girl began to answer Jiah's question.
"That's why, since constantly struggling against convention is unrealistic, I try to change my environment like this every once in a while, so I don't sink into complacency. When your surroundings change, the way you think and the way you see change with them, even if only a little."
Jiah found herself thinking that Ryu Seoa had much to teach her not only in Go skill, but in her very attitude toward the game.
"By the way, Seoa — I heard you're not entering any women's tournaments for a while?"
"That's right. School's starting again, and keeping up with both school life and Go is physically exhausting. Besides, I want to take another shot at a major open tournament."
"That'll be good news for the top-ranked women, then. The World Title Championship preliminaries are still more than two months away, so you'll have plenty of free time for a while."
"Yes. I'm still worn out from the winning streak, so I plan to take it easy and play at my own pace for now."
From amateur tournaments to the world women's title, all the way to the international team event.
There was no question about it — in a remarkably short span, Ryu Seoa had racked up results so staggering that she could afford to rest for ages without consequence.
She had marched into the single digits of the women's world rankings without shedding a drop of blood. Simply being able to put up a fight against a girl like that was an enormous leap forward in itself.
"Oh, Seoa, you've got a call."
A ringing phone cut through the conversation.
"Hello?"
Ryu Seoa tilted her head at the unfamiliar number and answered.
Curiosity getting the better of her, Jiah quietly leaned in to listen.
"Am I speaking with Instructor Ryu Seoa?"
A deep male voice, asking with careful formality.
"Yes, speaking."
"A pleasure to meet you, Instructor Ryu. This is Yu Jeon-hun, 9-dan. I provided the commentary for your games during the winning streak, you may recall."
The moment the caller's identity was revealed, Jiah's eyes went wide with shock. Yu Jeon-hun, 9-dan — the strongest player in the country.
There are people who don't know Go, but a Korean who doesn't know Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan is a rare breed indeed.
"Ah — yes! Instructor Yu! It's an honor! May I ask what this is about?"
"Well, the thing is — I've been invited to the Pair Go tournament, but I still haven't found a partner. It would be an honor if I could form a team with you, Instructor Ryu."
"Oh, no — the honor is mine, being considered at all. Though I'm not sure my skill is up to keeping pace with you, Instructor Yu—"
Ryu Seoa was delicately trying to decline.
"No — I want to team up with you, Instructor Ryu. That's exactly why I called you first. I know it's a sudden request, and you must be flustered, but I believe this would be a fine opportunity for you as well."
But Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan pressed the invitation again, firmly.
"...If you're certain you don't mind, Instructor Yu, then I accept."
Ryu Seoa fell into quiet thought for a moment, then soon gave her consent.
"Thank you so very much. I'll be in touch again, Instructor Ryu."
"Yes. Thank you."
Ryu Seoa wore a somewhat dazed expression as she hung up.
"Good heavens. Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan."
Jiah still couldn't believe it, covering her mouth with both hands as she spoke.
"Y-yeah, I know, right?"
"Get me his autograph! You have to get it for me!"
"Yes, yes, I will."
The girl nodded obediently at Jiah's earnest plea.
"Actually, I was planning to stop for today — but it seems I'll need more practice after all. Would you mind playing with me a bit longer, Jiah?"
"Of course!"
Jiah steeled her fighting spirit once more and unfolded the portable Go board she had put away.
Since Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan had offered to come wherever was convenient for me, I invited him to my grandfather's house.
"Oh my, Instructor Yu Jeon-hun! This is truly an honor! This old man can die now with no regrets in life!"
My grandfather welcomed Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan with tears in his eyes.
I had invited him here wanting to leave my grandfather with a fond memory, but seeing him react so extravagantly made me feel a little sorry toward Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan.
"Please, make yourself at home, as if this were your own house! I'll go prepare some fruit!"
"Thank you kindly."
My grandfather hurried off.
Taking advantage of the moment, I guided Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan to the study.
"You have a wonderful grandfather, Instructor Ryu."
"Yes. It's thanks to him that I was able to start playing Go at all."
Publicly, at least, the story was that I had learned Go from my grandfather as a young child. And in truth, if Grandfather hadn't been such a devoted Go fanatic, I never would have logged onto online Go servers in the first place — I might have lived my whole life without ever crossing paths with the game.
"Before we start building our rhythm together — may I ask you for a game?"
Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan made the request with polished courtesy, but his eyes were brimming with fighting spirit.
"Of course."
In my past life, there had been several occasions when I might have faced Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan across the board.
Not once did I have any memory of winning.
Would today, at last, bring a different result?
Having fetched the cushions and the board, I sat down across from Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan.
"This tournament leans toward the ceremonial, but judging by the prize money and the caliber of the participants, it's every bit the equal of any international event. It will be made up of teams from four nations — Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan — who survive the preliminaries."
Performing the nigiri, Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan talked me through the tournament.
"There won't be any easy opponents."
"No, there won't. But because it's Pair Go, the deciding factor won't be individual strength so much as how consistent a game the two of you can play together. The key is understanding each other's intentions without a word, and playing as though one person were moving the stones. It demands trust and cooperation."
"I'll do my best not to hold you back, Instructor Yu."
"Haha, well. I'm rather worried it'll be the other way around."
With a soft smile, Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan placed a single stone on the board — an odd number.
My own handful held thirteen stones.
"Black is mine, then. Allow me to learn from your play, Instructor Ryu."
Bowing his head in a courteous greeting, Yu Jeon-hun 9-dan settled into his posture.
With immaculate, graceful fingers, he picked up a black stone.
Overwhelmed by a crushing pressure, I swallowed hard.