Chapter 8
Chapter 8
‘N-no way… Lee Yeon-hee?’
I had heard recently through Jin-woo that she had been seen by chance on the street.
But I didn’t pay much attention to it.
After graduation, we had no real contact.
And because of my situation, I had even started avoiding meeting old classmates or juniors.
But of all times, we had to run into each other like this.
And as a contract bank security guard and a full-time bank employee.
Rather than feeling happy, I was more unsure of what face I was supposed to make.
“Ha section chief will be your mentor, so make sure he guides you well. Now, let’s make today another day where we become happy through performance results.”
After the branch manager went inside, employees slowly gathered around Yeon-hee.
From the introduction onward, Ha Jong-woo section chief kept sticking close to her, adjusting his clothes and hair, talking with exaggerated gestures.
Other employees also approached Yeon-hee, who was smiling brightly, asking her various things.
“……”
I just stood at a distance, watching the inside of the counter area.
It felt awkward to approach her in this situation and act familiar.
There was also a sense of distance because of the counter between us.
‘I’ll get a chance to say hello later.’
The automatic door opened and the first customer entered the bank.
I put on a polite smile and greeted them.
“Welcome. This is Ciel Bank. What can I help you with today?”
The morning shift was as busy as a battlefield.
Not only because of the constant stream of customers, but also because the ATM machines in the cash corner started acting up.
After rebooting them several times and checking the receipt printer, it finally started working normally.
The counter work was just as hectic.
Because Yeon-hee, the new employee, was processing transactions slowly, the waiting line began to grow.
I went up to waiting customers one by one, apologizing and offering coffee or tea.
It was my quiet way of helping so that Yeon-hee, on her first day, wouldn’t feel pressured.
After barely surviving the morning, lunch time arrived.
“Yeon-hee, let’s go eat. What do you like?”
“I’m fine with anything. I’ll eat whatever you recommend.”
“Then how about stew?”
Ha section chief, Yeon-hee, and several employees passed by me and left the bank.
No one even thought to introduce me.
Even though we worked in the same building, we were practically strangers.
It wasn’t particularly upsetting. I was used to it.
‘Let’s just eat.’
I slipped out through the side door to avoid running into the staff.
I stopped by a nearby convenience store and grabbed any lunch box.
After paying, I sat down on a small resting area beside the building.
Eating lunch alone.
I should be used to it by now, but it still felt awkward.
I tore open the plastic wrap and snapped the chopsticks in half.
Just as I was about to take a bite, my phone vibrated. A message.
“Why are so many taxes deducted?”
The prize money that had been deposited was 390,000 won.
After subtracting the 20,000 won entry fee, what I actually received was only 370,000 won.
Of course taxes had to be paid, but I couldn’t shake off the feeling of loss.
“What can I do. If they say pay, I pay… huh? A new window popped up?”
I carefully opened the system window I had almost forgotten.
[Talent: Go (A)]
[Achievement Record]
Before I even realized it, a new achievement had been added to the system window.
“It’s like achievement collecting.”
Seeing the added line made me feel strangely proud.
Even if it was a small tournament, a win was a win.
At that moment.
[!]
“What is this?”
A flashing exclamation mark appeared in my vision.
Curious, I opened the window.
[This function is not yet activated.]
Just one line.
No explanation, no guide.
It was still hard to judge what it meant, but it felt strangely unsettling.
“…Well, I’ll figure it out eventually.”
I brushed it off and returned to the bank building.
Before starting the afternoon work, I stopped by the restroom to freshen up.
And just as I came out—
“Hey.”
A familiar voice called me.
“Senior In-ha, right?”
Yeon-hee was looking up at me with a smile.
I hesitated and nodded awkwardly.
“Oh, yeah. Long time no see.”
“It’s really a small world! Seriously.”
“Yeah.”
Yeon-hee lightly clasped her hands together and spoke brightly.
Her university days still showed faintly in her expression.
“You haven’t changed much, senior. Still quiet.”
“You’ve changed though.”
“In a good way?”
“Not in a bad way.”
Yeon-hee smiled slightly.
“Oh right, I actually ran into Jin-woo senior recently too.”
“I heard. Jin-woo probably said something weird again…”
I felt even more awkward for bringing it up first.
‘Why does he say unnecessary things like that?’
Being corrected from “bank employee” to “bank security guard” in this situation made me feel smaller.
“Ah, that? Don’t worry about it. You know how Jin-woo senior just cuts things and talks however he wants.”
She laughed it off casually.
“Just in case you misunderstood anything.”
“I wouldn’t judge people based on that kind of thing.”
Her tone was firm and clear.
There was a maturity in her voice that felt different from her university days.
“Ah, senior, I should get back inside. It still feels a bit awkward since I just started. Let’s grab a drink sometime and catch up properly.”
“Sure.”
She waved and went back into the bank.
Watching her from behind, I muttered quietly.
“…She’s gotten prettier. And more composed.”
“I’m home.”
I closed the front door and took off my shoes.
Going into the kitchen, I saw my mother cooking stew.
“You’re back? Go wash up and come eat.”
“Okay, I’ll be right out.”
After a quick shower, I came to the table.
For once, my mother, who had a day off, personally served me rice.
“Mom, here.”
I quietly handed her a white envelope.
“What’s this?”
“The prize money from the tournament.”
“Why are you giving this to me? You should use it.”
She waved her hands in surprise.
“I can only eat in peace if you take it.”
“In-ha.”
“I’ll take that as a yes and eat well!”
I quickly shoveled a big spoon of rice into my mouth.
After finishing two bowls in no time, I returned to my room feeling satisfied.
It was a small but meaningful victory.
I was happy that I could help my family financially.
‘I should keep doing this. Get a rank certificate, earn prize money…’
With that determination, I logged into Go Three Kingdoms.
“One more win and I become 5-dan.”
My current record was 29 wins, 0 losses.
In this system, if you maintain over 80% win rate over the last ten games, you can rank up.
Just one more win would satisfy the condition.
Without hesitation, I clicked “Auto Match Request.”
[A match request has arrived from user Eagle Typist.]
[Strength: Amateur 2-dan]
[Record: 878 wins, 641 losses]
After clicking accept, the match window opened and stone drawing began automatically.
Then the game started with a voice announcement.
“Let’s go for the win.”
Black played komoku. I responded with a diagonal komoku to balance.
‘Huh? Another san-san invasion?’
I tilted my head slightly.
The joseki I knew usually developed after approaches around star points or komoku.
But lately, opponents often invaded the corners right from the opening.
‘Is this a joseki I don’t know?’
Even so, it didn’t change much.
“Hmm, he’s taking a lot of territory.”
Eagle Typist played a solid game.
Against such opponents, giving them time was dangerous.
Without hesitation, I cut into black’s shape.
It was a reduction move aimed at shrinking black’s territory.
But unexpectedly, black responded strongly.
“There’s no reason to avoid a fight, right?”
A pleasant tingling ran through my fingertips.
A full-scale clash where neither side backed down even an inch.
My chest burned, and a sense of being alive spread through my body.
And at the end of this always came—
The intoxicating pleasure and satisfaction of victory.
“How about that?”
As the fight spread to the center, black collapsed.
Over-aggressive attacks destroyed his territory completely, leaving no chance of recovery.
Realizing there was no way back, black resigned.
[Mumyeong has won.]
[Congratulations. You have reached 5-dan.]
From amateur 2-dan to amateur 5-dan.
And with a 30-game winning streak.
Now I was starting to feel confident in my skill.
“It’s too early to be satisfied. There are still more ranks to climb.”
While I caught my breath, a notification banner appeared on the right side of the screen.
[Live Broadcast Notification]
[Viewer Match with Female Professional Player Jang Yu-na 2-dan]
My half-lidded eyes sharpened instantly.
“Viewer match?”
I moved the mouse and clicked the banner.
On the newly opened screen, a woman who looked about my age was sitting calmly.
White shirt, neatly tied hair.
Not a striking beauty at first glance, but her calm presence was attractive.
The stream had just started, but the chat was already explosive.
Even more noticeable, many Chinese and Japanese viewers were participating using translation tools.
“Wow, already over 300 viewers.”
The audience was growing rapidly.
She clearly had a strong fan base.
“Hello, I’m Jang Yu-na. Looks like there are a lot of people who want to lose today?”
Jang Yu-na 2-dan smiled slightly.
Her voice was calm and captivating, like an announcer.
‘Can I apply too?’
My hand moved toward the mouse.
A chance to play against a pro—too good to miss.
“My condition is really good today. Whoever challenges me will probably feel sorry for themselves.”
“Alright, shall we take one more minute of applications before spinning the wheel?”
She opened the wheel selection on screen.
Without even breathing, I clicked apply.
“3, 2, 1. Applications closed. Now spinning!”
With a click, hundreds of applicant names began rolling inside the wheel.
‘Please. Pick me.’
I held my breath and stared at the screen.
A professional go player.
A being at the peak of this art.
I wanted to see where I stood against one.
The balls rolled and bounced off obstacles.
Disappointed chat messages flooded in,
but my ball was still alive.
‘Go. Break through.’
It slid smoothly down the final curve.
A leading ball got knocked out after hitting an obstacle.
Then mine came from behind and slipped into the center slot.
“Yes!”
I clenched my fist.
“The viewer match winner is user Mumyeong!”
Jang Yu-na pointed at the upper corner of the screen.
“Please send me an invite to this account!”
I created a room and invited her account as instructed.
The chat buzzed about my record, but I didn’t care.
My attention was fully on Jang Yu-na.
“Your record is impressive. You know what they say, players like you make me play even better.”
With a confident smile, she sent a match request.
“You’re 5-dan, so a four-stone handicap should be appropriate.”
‘Four stones?’
My expression slightly stiffened.
Handicap go.
A system used to balance skill differences by letting the weaker player start with extra stones.
It made sense.
The gap between amateurs and professionals was that large.
But—
‘I don’t like it.’
I didn’t want my long-awaited match with a pro to be a handicap game.
“Hmm? Wait, handicap request came in.”
Jang Yu-na’s surprised face appeared.
“…Even game?”