Chapter 20
Chapter 20
A mess.
If someone were watching this game of Go right now, they might have said that.
And that was exactly what I intended.
Moves that weren’t standardized.
A flow so tangled that even reviewing it would be difficult.
Yet, every single move was orchestrated to converge in one direction.
As a result, my opponent’s game wavered.
Once the root collapsed, even the slightest external stimulus destabilized them.
Countdown.
Urgent time.
That was decisive.
Anxiety and impatience rose, and in the end, there wasn’t enough reading of moves.
Incomplete shapes.
Uncertain positions.
Ultimately, moves made on instinct under time pressure continued.
And that led to a series of blunders.
Thud.
I broke the silence and placed a stone.
At that one move, Tae-yul’s expression across the board slowly twisted.
“…I lost.”
Tears gathered in the eyes of the child, voice trembling as if about to cry.
Biting his lip, head bowed deeply, he sniffled and collected the stones.
‘He’s crying.’
Shlurrr.
Quickly clearing the stones, Tae-yul placed a black stone on the board again.
Then white. Then black again.
A review.
“This move was the blunder. I should’ve just grown steadily…”
A nasal, muffled voice.
Even after brushing the tears from his face with the back of his hand, he continued moving the stones.
“This one too, and this inserted move—both were just bad moves.”
Bad moves.
From context, it seemed to be a Go slang term for mistakes.
“Um, can I ask just one thing?”
“Go ahead.”
“…You made the position complicated on purpose, right?”
I nodded quietly.
“Yes.”
“You’re really good at playing.”
Tae-yul chewed at his jaw.
He understood, but his expression still carried frustration.
“Good game.”
“I learned something from that move.”
After organizing all the stones, Tae-yul pulled back his chair and stood.
His eyes weren’t filled with disappointment at losing, but with the weight of chewing over defeat.
‘These are research students aiming to become professional players.’
Even losing, his gaze seemed to see farther than mine, the winner.
Even his competitive spirit felt like part of that talent.
“Hey.”
A slow voice.
It was a peer who had been playing the smartphone game together earlier.
“You crying?”
“Hyung, it’s just…”
“You lost?”
“Yeah.”
Tae-yul faintly smiled.
A slightly more relieved expression than before.
‘Kim Tae-ho?’
Checking the name tag of the peer, it was similar to Tae-yul’s, same surname.
Ah, they’re brothers.
“Did you make a mistake again?”
“No. That man played well.”
“Really? Then you should lose.”
The tone was blunt.
Then he glanced at me.
There was clearly a sense of caution in that look.
‘I thought he was just a normal kid…’
Something was different.
Expression, gaze.
It was a look evaluating me.
“Let’s go.”
“Yeah, hyung. Goodbye.”
Tae-yul bowed slightly to me.
His older brother, Tae-ho, gave a small nod.
I waved, and the two of them murmured to each other as they turned away.
“That man, I’ll get revenge for you if I meet him.”
“Yeah, hyung!”
…Save that kind of talk for somewhere far away, kids.
Anyway.
First win in the group preliminaries against a research student.
A solid start.
At the same time.
Near Seoul Forest, a cafe popular with couples.
Yeon-hee sat by the window, staring at her smartphone, muttering.
“Ugh, I’m running out of photos.”
Her finger paused while flipping through her photo album.
She needed to upload one or two more weekend date proof shots by now.
The photos taken in Namwon were already all used.
“If I’d known, I should’ve asked senpai to take more seriously!”
The effect of the “fake couple photos” she posted on SNS was undeniable.
Photos that anyone would immediately mistake for boyfriend-girlfriend material.
After seeing that, Section Chief Ha’s personal contact had noticeably decreased.
Even when dealing with her at the bank, he seemed more formal and colder than before.
‘I can’t let my guard down yet.’
If photo uploads slowed or if the relationship with her “boyfriend” seemed off,
he could start pestering at any moment.
He was persistent, after all.
“Huh? Did I take this photo too?”
Her finger paused again while flipping through photos.
It was a solo photo of In-ha.
During the match, head bowed quietly.
Eyes focused on reading the moves.
A concentration that seemed to swallow even the surrounding noise.
The atmosphere, which she hadn’t realized in person, was fully captured in the photo.
“He’s not handsome, but…”
She muttered softly to herself, flipping through more photos.
Not ugly, just… a face that draws attention.
And expressions that make her look closer.
Yeon-hee flipped a few more photos before realizing, shaking her head.
‘What am I doing right now?’
She regained focus and opened the camera app.
Click.
She photographed two cups of coffee and a slice of cake on the table beautifully.
A staged photo, as if she were on a date with someone.
‘This will get me through the week.’
Just as she saved the photo with a short sigh.
Vzzz.
Her smartphone vibrated briefly.
It was her old job study group chat.
[Kyung-hee: Awesome! Yesterday, Double K Bank posted additional recruitment!]
[Hyun-seung: Really?]
[Kyung-hee: Yep. They’re also hiring regional talents!]
[Hyun-seung: Is everyone free? I want to do an interview prep study.]
Yeon-hee stared blankly at the screen.
After getting a job, she rarely joined the chat.
One wrong word could make someone uncomfortable.
But today, somehow, it caught her attention.
“…I should tell senpai.”
The first person who came to mind upon hearing about the recruitment.
In-ha senpai.
Yeon-hee quietly opened her bag and took out her laptop.
She opened the ‘Study’ folder left on her desktop.
Inside were materials and predicted interview questions she had organized previously.
‘Should I give this to him?’
No strict reason to, but
she wanted to help In-ha.
Just helping him made her feel good.
Someone she cares about, even if they seem indifferent.
“If senpai gets the job… I’ll treat him nicely.”
She sipped her coffee and began organizing the files.
If she was going to give them, she wanted to give them neatly.
The Presidential Cup group preliminaries were in groups of four.
Two would be eliminated.
Matches finished by lunchtime, and those who passed would compete in the 64-player main tournament in the afternoon.
‘…On the other side, five houses remain. We won.’
Last group match.
With the handicap, she was leading by over ten moves.
Considering the remaining two points, the outcome was practically decided.
“I-I lost.”
“Good game.”
The opponent, who considered counting irrelevant, finally conceded.
Unconditional victory.
‘Three wins, three matches.’
Cleanly passing the group preliminaries.
“Well played.”
By chance, the adjacent match also ended.
Tae-yul was grinning; he must have passed with two wins and one loss.
I collected the stones and stood.
“Section Chief Kim.”
A weak voice.
The branch manager.
“Ah, branch manager. Did your match end?”
“Yes. I was eliminated.”
A calm smile.
Yet, there was a trace of regret in his eyes.
“You won, right?”
“Yes. Three wins.”
“That’s good. At least someone should win. Let’s go. We barely had breakfast; we need a proper meal.”
We left the tournament hall.
Across the street from the gym, a two-story galbi restaurant in an old building.
Today’s lunch: Galbitang.
“Somewhat disappointing.”
“Huh?”
“My intuition was good. The first match wasn’t bad. But I made a mistake in the second… and its effect carried into the third.”
I just listened.
Sometimes it’s better to just listen than to add words.
“I also wanted to play like you, Section Chief Kim, but it’s not easy. How do you improve so fast? You haven’t been playing Go long.”
I thought briefly and carefully replied.
“You need to keep playing against someone stronger… to improve.”
“Stronger?”
“Yes. So you can learn what you’re lacking, see what you need to fill. If you keep playing like that, you gradually get better.”
I spoke sincerely.
Hoping it might help the branch manager.
“Indeed, Section Chief Kim is a genius.”
“Excuse me?”
“You need to learn from someone stronger, but it’s not as easy as it sounds.”
The branch manager smiled wryly.
Just then, two bowls of galbitang arrived on the cart.
The herbal aroma rose from the hot broth.
“I’ve complained long enough. Let’s eat.”
I scooped a spoonful of soup.
A warming, healthy taste.
As the meal neared its end, I spoke cautiously.
“Branch manager… about the lodging… maybe you don’t have to stay? I don’t want you to feel inconvenienced because of me.”
The branch manager had been eliminated in the senior preliminaries.
No matches scheduled this afternoon.
Though they came for one night, staying wasn’t necessary.
“It’s fine. I’m staying because I want to.”
“….”
“Watching Go itself is studying.”
Casual words, but sincerity shone through.
“So win. Lately, just seeing you win makes me happy.”
“…Understood. Thank you.”
I bowed slightly.
Awkward, yet strangely heartwarming.
“I’m doing this because I want to.”
He smiled.
He seemed like an adult.
Light words, but clear consideration underneath.
Yet the impression didn’t last.
He muttered casually while sipping soup.
“And honestly, no one’s home to greet me. The kid’s grown and just wants money. My wife’s always at some meeting. Tch. Home feels like a solitary cell.”
“….”
Perhaps this was the real reason he didn’t go home.
Back at the gym, I stopped by the restroom.
After washing my hands, I heard someone on the phone at the end of the hall.
“Yeah. Main tournament starts this afternoon. Round of 64.”
Early twenties.
Confidence in their voice, with an unusual composure at the end of their words.
“Need to win to gather points for professional admission this year. I still grind my teeth thinking about last year’s final loss.”
I paused.
I stopped walking at the next words.
“Opponent? Don’t know. Heard he’s the champion of the Su-dambaek event, strongest division.”
“…!”
“But whatever, not worth worrying about. Afraid of losing to that kid?”
Tone dripping with derision.
Confidence and condescension in one.
‘Sounds like he’s talking about me.’
I even laughed.
Whoever it was, just mentioning a competitor in the hall shows his level.
‘Well… we’ll see when we play.’
Go speaks through stones, not words.
“Just watch out for Kim Tae-ho. That kid…”
Another name was mentioned, but I stopped listening.
Already erased from concern.
As I moved toward the match hall, the branch manager approached from the opposite end.
“Did you see the bracket?”
“No, not yet.”
His face was slightly tense.
“Your opponent, Section Chief Kim, is last year’s Presidential Cup winner. Current amateur ranking number one, Park Jun-su.”
If you want, I can continue translating the next chapter in the exact same style so the story remains seamless.
Do you want me to do that?