The Narrow Path to Professional Accession
“Section Chief Kim, be honest. Baduk is your main job, and being a bank security guard is your side job, right?”
“I see.”
I smiled ambiguously and brushed it off.
Yoon-hee seemed to think that was enough, and she didn’t read the article anymore.
I slowly turned my head and looked at Section Chief Park and Assistant Section Chief Ha.
And.
Without saying a word, I smiled quietly.
That was all.
Both of them only moved their lips as if they wanted to say something, then closed them again.
I lowered my head slightly.
“If there’s nothing more to say… I’ll be going now.”
I bowed politely and turned around.
No one stopped me.
A subtle gaze from behind.
And the feeling that the air had changed.
‘… The eyes looking at me have changed.’
It was fine.
Someone might feel uncomfortable about this job.
But it didn’t matter.
After all, we weren’t in a relationship of mutual respect.
I stood in front of the ticket vending machine preparing for the upcoming sales.
At that moment.
Yoon-hee, whose eyes met mine, winked slightly.
‘That mischievous kid.’
A strange lightness came to me.
For today.
Somehow, I felt like I could work well.
***
Incheon.
The distance to Giseong Study Group was farther than I thought.
In the opposite direction from our house in the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province.
The subway lines weren’t good.
When taking the bus, I had to transfer four times.
Even checking the route on my smartphone while walking was quite tiring.
‘Really, if only I had a car.’
The physical distance was a problem, but with bad traffic.
The study group I had to visit every week already felt tiring from the start.
In that sense.
The prize for the Biryong Tournament poster that was released a few days ago came to mind.
A compact car.
The most popular model among domestic brands.
‘… I have to win.’
One more reason to definitely win the championship.
Well, honestly now.
I didn’t think I’d lose.
- Next stop is …
I pressed the bell and got off the bus.
After walking for a long time looking at my smartphone, I arrived in front of the building where Giseong Study Group was located.
A rather old shopping mall building.
Following the stairs, I knocked carefully and opened the door.
“Inha-oppa!”
The first one to greet me was Yuzuha.
With her long hair tied up in a bun, wearing comfortable pants.
Her expression was definitely brighter than before.
“Hello.”
“You came earlier than I thought.”
I smiled and handed over the drink box.
“Since I came empty-handed.”
“Ah, you didn’t have to bring this… I’ll drink it gratefully.”
While handing the drink to Yuzuha, my gaze naturally swept the inside of the dojo.
It was unexpected.
I had imagined a stiff and heavy atmosphere.
But the space was surprisingly neat and clean.
A few players were silently playing Go.
In one corner, the monitor screen replaying the game was faintly sparkling.
“Welcome.”
A familiar face came out from the separate room.
Kang Hyuk, the master who founded Giseong Study Group.
I greeted him politely.
“Kim In-ha. Nice to meet you.”
He smiled slightly and extended his hand.
“I should be the one to say that. I’m a fan of your Go, you know.”
“…Really?”
Kang Hyuk just smiled silently.
Thinking about it.
He had been watching over me and encouraging me since the amateur tournaments.
That connection led to Yuzuha and then joining this research group.
‘… He really feels like a mentor.’
Even in high school.
Even in college.
I hadn’t had deep contact with teachers or professors.
Because I wasn’t a special student.
For that reason.
This support from Kang Hyuk felt unfamiliar yet reassuring.
At that time, another person approached from the side.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Park Jin-woo, the head instructor at Giseong Study Group.”
In his late thirties.
Gentle appearance with a slightly rough speech.
But the atmosphere was soft and kind.
He seemed like the type to lead the study group stably.
“Kim In-ha. Please call me casually.”
When I bowed my head, Park Jin-woo smiled and nodded.
“Then, I’ll call you Inha. Our study group has a free atmosphere, so it should be easy to adapt.”
Park Jin-woo instructor naturally walked beside me, introducing the inside of the dojo.
“Here is mainly the place for reviewing games. You can use the monitor and DeepStone freely. The other side is the free Go space. The changing room and lounge is inside.”
The dojo was small but neat, and the traces of old Go were left in every corner.
Somehow, it didn’t feel real.
The study group.
The dojo.
Just the fact that I was playing Go and researching here and interacting.
I felt like I was getting close to being a pro.
“Inha, you’re aiming for point-based professional accession, right?”
“Yes, currently.”
“Even if there’s no rival in amateurs, to get the point to enter pro, you have to beat pros. So you need to plan well.”
“Plan?”
“Yeah. It won’t be easy, but first, reaching the semi-finals in the integrated prelims to get 40 points for accession is the best. Then the World Amateur Go Championship…”
Park Jin-woo instructor was like a consultant.
Soft tone, but clear flow in every word.
Everything was planned, and the approach was clear step by step.
However.
‘… If I advance to the finals, everything will be solved, right?’
This thought crossed my mind, but I didn’t say it out loud.
After all, it was words of consideration and care.
Around us.
Kang Hyuk just smiled silently.
Yuzuha was only moving her lips as if wanting to say something, but couldn’t time it and hesitated.
“Right now, it’s better to focus on the results of the integrated prelims. It’s also the day the bracket is released today.”
Around the time Park Jin-woo’s words ended.
Someone in the corner of the dojo shouted while searching on smartphone.
“Eh? The bracket is out?”
The air inside the dojo changed instantly.
Chair moving sounds.
Stopped games.
Gathering gazes and footsteps.
Park Jin-woo instructor glanced at me and smiled.
“Let’s go check it out too.”
I nodded and moved to the large monitor.
The bracket was too complex to take in at a glance.
‘This is the world tournament prelims.’
The number of participants from all over the world pros and amateurs was over 400.
Heard that besides Korea, China, Japan, and Taiwan, participants from 10 countries including France and Vietnam.
The participant categories were divided into general, senior, world, and women’s categories, with a structure to determine 18 finalists.
“Ah, unfortunately… the first round opponent is Yang Hong-jun instructor.”
“Haa. What kind of bracket is this.”
“Hyung, I’m even more worried. The first round opponent is Jang Hao-wei, but even if I win by luck, it’s Rui 9-dan.”
Some research group players let out a sigh.
Since it’s a tournament format, the bracket luck has a big impact on results.
Park Jin-woo instructor crossed his arms and muttered.
“This year, the women’s category competition will be particularly fierce. The competition ratio is 34 to 1.”
“It’s okay. I’m getting my confidence back.”
Yuzuha clenched both fists and smiled.
The gaze was directed at me.
Like saying ‘thanks to me’.
Before I could say anything, Yuzuha came close and said.
“Who is the first round opponent for oppa?”
“I haven’t seen it yet. There are too many names.”
“Really? I’ll look it up for you.”
Yuzuha leaned over the monitor, and her fingers started sweeping the screen.
Then at some point, her eyes widened.
“Oppa, he’s here! The first round opponent is Kim Dong-gyu instructor, and the second round is likely Lin Sui 8-dan… Third round, um, let’s see. It’s likely to face Lu Yuan 6-dan.”
“Lu Yuan?”
A familiar name popped out.
One of the Chinese players I played as ‘Mumyeong’ in Jang Yu-na 2-dan’s streaming.
So, we’ll meet again in the integrated prelims.
‘The world is really small.’
That said.
I wasn’t particularly tense.
I had beaten him once.
Just thought it could happen.
“Recently, a rising player from China. You can’t look down on them at all.”
“Really? I have to be careful.”
“And…”
Yuzuha was about to continue but stopped at another name.
This time, her expression hardened slightly.
“…Woo-bin is there too. Do you remember? We met once at the Baduk cafe before.”
“Ah, I remember.”
“Not as a friend… he was good at Go.”
Byun Woo-bin 5-dan.
It was a coincidental meeting, but his gaze and warmth toward me that day wasn’t friendly.
Park Jin-woo instructor added.
“Recently, Woo-bin has good momentum. He won a title this year. He’s being evaluated as a dark horse in this tournament.”
I nodded.
No special emotion.
No burden, no shrinking.
Just ‘so that’s how it is.’
“You don’t have to get discouraged. Inha’s short-term goal is accession. Even reaching the fourth round makes professional accession likely this year.”
After finishing, Park Jin-woo instructor stroked his chin while looking at the bracket on the monitor.
“Thinking about it, if the first round opponent is Dong-gyu… ah.”
As if something came to mind, Park instructor’s eyebrows lifted slightly.
“Myeong-hwan-ah.”
“Yes?”
The man who was looking at the bracket with a serious face raised his head.
Black horn-rimmed glasses.
Square jaw.
Straightforward, with a hint of stubbornness.
Park instructor introduced.
“This side is Shin Myeong-hwan 7-dan. A player who has been active in our study group for a long time. And this is Yuzuha’s recommendation, the new amateur ranking 2nd, Kim In-ha.”
“Hello. Kim In-ha.”
“Shin Myeong-hwan.”
We exchanged light handshakes.
“Inha, the first round opponent is Dong-gyu, right? Your playing style is similar to Myeong-hwan’s, isn’t it?”
“Um, yes. To some extent.”
“If you have time, can you play a game with me? It’s also the day I first came to the study group. It would be good practice before facing Dong-gyu.”
Shin Myeong-hwan glanced at me.
His face didn’t seem eager.
But I didn’t refuse.
“Okay. Shall we go over there?”
“Yes.”
I answered briefly and followed to the spot.
“I want to watch. I like watching from the side.”
Yuzuha, using her unique speech omitting subjects, followed behind.
The Go board placed in the corner of the dojo.
We sat facing each other in front of it.
Shin Myeong-hwan moved the Go bowl carefully and asked.
“Excuse me, how old are you?”
“Ah, 29.”
“Then you’re one year older than me. I’m 28, so call me casually.”
I shook my head.
“No. When I get into pro, I’ll call you then.”
“Pro accession? That’s not that important.”
“Really?”
His reply was heavier and sharper than expected.
“Everyone gets into pro somehow. Hyung is late, but you’ll definitely get in.”
Shin Myeong-hwan stopped talking and looked at me.
“…The problem is after that.”
He smiled bitterly.
“Even while being eaten by younger people coming up from below, holding on is more important. That can really… make a person miserable.”
It wasn’t simple advice.
A warning from experience, a realistic survival philosophy.
Accession wasn’t the end.
After becoming pro, there were even harsher times waiting.
While laying the bottom for someone, he was saying that ‘holding on mentality’ was more important.
“Shall we start?”
“Yes. Please make the first move.”
We greeted and started the stones.
Chwaeok.
‘Black.’
I picked up the stone after adjusting my posture.
First move, small wood.
Each stone was heavy, stable-oriented style.
Possessor of a playing style focused on territory.
Especially likely to show strength in early opening.
‘If it was like before, I would have been pushed back…’
Not anymore.
After learning the joseki with AI recently, my opening became much more solid.
But.
Shin Myeong-hwan wasn’t easy.
Not fast, but steady moves.
Not forcing, not retreating.
Maintained a strange balance until the end.
‘His basics are solid.’
I started looking for the Blue Spot move seriously.
Like precise AI.
But I didn’t completely sink into playing like AI.
Sometimes one move late.
Sometimes mixing in the luxury of starting from a slightly distant position.
Adjusting rhythm with human sense, not AI.
The Go of Shin Myeong-hwan who got caught in that flow slowly began to shake.
Tak!
Midgame.
Shin Myeong-hwan made an overplay move where he should have passed.
I was waiting for that moment.
I extended the black stone without hesitation to the center.
‘He still hasn’t noticed, huh.’
The ear shape he had handled passively at the beginning.
I continued calculating how to use that shape in the central fight.
‘Now.’
Two-step attachment with a day later.
Induced response.
When black resisted to protect territory.
Again, a cut.
“Uum.”
Shin Myeong-hwan breathed out low.
Only then did he notice.
My exchange in the ear.
How it affected the current central fight.
‘Too late.’
But the flow had already shifted to my side.
And.
Recovering the flow once given to the territory style wasn’t as easy as thought.
In the end.
He never took the initiative even once.
He was always chasing till the end.
I don’t know what he felt in the process.
His face, lowering his head, with one hand on his forehead silently.
Was soaked in cold sweat and his face was pale.
“…I lost.”
He gave up even going to the count and quietly placed the stones down.
“Thank you for the game.”
When I bowed and greeted, Shin Myeong-hwan stared at me quietly.
Eyes of disbelief.
After a while of silence, he muttered in a self-deprecating voice.
“…Hyung is also that kind of person. Someone who eats up people coming up from below.”