The Sweet Taste of Freedom
I slowly rose from my seat.
Across the table, Jeong Si-hoo 9-dan nodded.
I smiled briefly and bowed my head.
As I ascended the stage, the lights once again poured down upon me.
The trophy for the best award.
A bouquet.
And the prize board with 10 million won written on it.
After the commemorative photo session, Caster Moon Ga-yeon’s voice echoed through the hall.
“Kim In-ha has etched his name into the professional Go world this year. He won the Ciel Bank Cup as an amateur and reached the top of the King’s Cup. Please share your thoughts.”
I slowly brought the microphone to my mouth.
“It was a meaningful year. Looking back... it feels like I’ve been on a long journey. From being a bank security guard to becoming a professional Go player, and receiving an undeserved award.”
I paused briefly.
The audience fell silent.
In the stillness where even the camera shutters fell silent, I continued calmly.
“But... I’m still hungry?”
A small laugh erupted from the audience.
Confident remarks.
The playful tone was like a joke, but deep down, it was sincere.
'Still lacking.'
There were too many blanks yet to be filled.
The Myeongin Tournament.
The world’s four major Go tournaments.
The world Go Open tournament newly established this year.
And the national team selection tournament.
My challenge had only just begun.
“I’ll make next year even brighter than this year. Thank you.”
I set down the microphone and slowly bowed my head.
Under the pouring lights, thunderous applause erupted again.
Among the standing audience was Branch Manager-nim.
As I descended the stage, the gazes of the players who participated in the award ceremony were felt.
To them, my words just now must have sounded like a declaration, not mere bravado.
Reporters were furiously typing on their laptops.
Hands striving to write my speech the fastest.
I quietly smiled and returned to my seat.
And the subsequent award.
“The award for the Korean Go Awards goes to... Jeong Si-hoo 9-dan!”
Clap clap.
I clapped too.
Jeong Si-hoo 9-dan was a player who had earned that right.
But.
My gaze was fixed on the award trophy on the stage.
Under the lights, the place where all applause was received.
The prize only a Go player who achieved the top performance could receive.
'Next year, I won’t hold back.'
I quietly steeled my heart.
* * *
End of the year.
Recently, it had become noticeably more relaxed.
The intense days that had passed now felt like a lie.
Time spent as a bank security guard, competing in Go tournaments, becoming a pro, and becoming a national archery team member.
Looking back, it seemed like a miracle that all of it had been possible.
That was why the current leisure felt particularly sweet.
Especially today.
A rare outing with my parents.
We had reserved a famous crab restaurant.
Now, when ordering food, the sense of success had arrived that I no longer had to worry about prices.
While eating crab legs, my father asked.
“In-ha, lately there have been many franchise proposals coming in. What should we do?”
“...Franchise? What do you two think?”
“I have thoughts. But we need to have tried it ourselves.”
I understood the cautious tone in my mother’s voice too.
Franchising could be poisonous if not done carefully.
“I know someone who runs a franchise specialist company. I’ll look into it and let you know.”
From the branch manager’s introduction, the Go club 'Kiwoohoe'.
I had the representative Jang Joo-young’s business card.
“See? I told you. I said to ask In-ha.”
“Yeah. Our son has a wide network.”
Full of delight on both their faces.
It had been a long time since we had talked as a family for so long.
Happy and joyful time.
During the meal, my mother suddenly said.
“By the way, I didn’t invite that female junior who came before.”
“...Yeon-hee?”
“Yeah. She’s not your girlfriend, is she?”
“No. She’s just a good junior.”
“Really? I liked her.”
My mother’s sincere regretful gaze.
Quietly added while looking at me.
“You’re turning thirty now, right? Don’t miss out on good women around you. Date a bit, okay?”
“Yes, Mom.”
I answered honestly, but a small aftertaste lingered in my heart.
Good women around me.
The words I had never once thought of, made me look around again.
'...There are.'
Lee Yeon-hee.
The person who supported me more than anyone, watching closely from nearby.
Jeong Soo-yeon.
Sharp-witted, whether in work or relationships, a business partner who walks with me.
Yuzuha.
A woman who admired and liked my Go, but disappeared to Japan without a word one day.
'I wonder if she's doing well?'
No contact since that day, but I was still waiting.
Because I still remembered the last sentence in the letter she sent.
“If you’ve eaten enough, shall we go? Son, you have a schedule.”
I nodded and stood up.
After paying the bill and seeing my parents home, I turned the steering wheel again.
That's where I was heading: the Masked Singer affiliated vocal academy.
According to the writer, most civilian participants train here.
That was true for me too.
Eighth lesson today.
Three times a week.
The practice volume was never light.
After loosening my mouth lightly, I started with pitch scaling.
“Ah. E. I. O U.”
“Slowly again.”
The trainer assigned to training was Kang In-sung.
In the first week, basic vocalization and pitch training were conducted.
In the second week, practice for the duet song for the first 8 rounds stage was done.
From the third week, the duet song and future solo songs to be sung were practiced simultaneously.
“The pitch is a bit off. Again, following me... Ah.”
“Ah, aaaaa.”
“Yes, like that. Pitch exactly, plainly.”
I followed as instructed, silently.
It seemed like I was improving a lot from the beginning.
But.
“I’ll skip the vibration. Don’t try to force expression. Let’s focus only on pitch.”
“...Yes.”
I nodded and accepted it.
I knew that conveying emotion through my singing voice was still a luxury for me.
That was also the requirement of Trainer Kang In-sung.
Just average.
Not monotonous.
I understood.
My friend Hyun who worked as a vocal trainer had said similar things.
“Hey. If you can do that in a month, you’d be a singer. Do you think it’s easy for civilians to perform on stage? Principally, you need to learn for 3 years. Don’t be greedy.”
That was true too.
But oddly, it didn’t satisfy.
I didn’t want to be satisfied with just a stage to introduce myself roughly.
Whether it was singing or anything else.
Whether I had talent or not.
Once on stage, I wanted to do as much as I could without regret.
But.
I was lacking in talent.
Exactly that limit.
The feeling of walking on the boundary between what I had and what I couldn’t surpass.
“Well, shall we start slowly from the beginning again?”
“Yes.”
The first stage duet song was Choi Ho-seop’s The Passing of Time.
Verse 1 sung by me, verse 2 by the opposing participant.
I recited the lyrics in my mind, breathed, and slowly murmured.
“...It’s slipping away.”
* * *
“Thank you. See you next lesson.”
After Kim In-ha bowed and left the academy, the glass door closed and it became quiet.
Trainer Kang In-sung patted his shoulder and let out a tired sigh.
“Hah... Tired.”
Masked Singer is a long-running entertainment program.
Many civilian participants had passed through here, and most had received his guidance.
Always feeling it, teaching from the perspective of civilians wasn’t an easy task.
“If you sing well too... it would have been really unlucky. Fortunately, heaven didn’t take everything away?”
He let out a wry smile.
Eighth lesson today.
For talented civilians, it was the time to start standing out.
But Kim In-ha wasn’t one of them.
If Go and archery are sports that endure with concentration and mental strength.
Singing is an art of emotion.
One must be able to convey emotion in the voice.
And give resonance through the expression of lyrics.
A wall that couldn’t be crossed with simple training alone.
For him, there was a wall called 'talent'.
Trainer Kang In-sung made a call to somewhere.
Jeong Sung-hee, the main writer for Masked Singer.
“Hello. Yes, Writer Jeong. The lesson is over now.”
-How was it?
He leaned back in the chair and continued.
“No talent. Skill isn’t improving either. It’s a waste of time to try more.”
-Meaning it’s difficult for the 2nd round, right?
“Yes. Even if heaven splits into two, it’s impossible.”
A firm answer.
-Then I’ll advance the filming schedule. It’s better to consume quickly when it has buzz.
“Yes. And I think you’ll have to put in some effort for the candidates too.”
-Got it. I’ll pass it on.
Trainer Kang In-sung ended the call.
He set down his smartphone and quietly sipped the now-cold coffee.
“...Trying to express emotion was more amusing.”
He didn’t say that to Writer Jeong Sung-hee.
If you want to express and can express everything, that’s already being a singer.
That wasn’t the job of civilians.
He spat out a mocking mutter.
“Tsk, where did I see something like that.”
The misconception of civilians who can’t identify the subject.
Basic-less emotional excess.
Helping them was really hard and tiring.
* * *
Office building near Jonggak station.
There, they had rented the Inhive office.
Two-room structure, small interior.
For a 1-person management just starting, it wasn’t bad.
“Since the corporate registration is complete, we can hold an opening ceremony.”
I nodded and looked around the office.
The corporation I registered in my name.
Three desks and one sofa set.
Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves.
And at the window, Jeong Soo-yeon team leader, or now head of department Jeong Soo-yeon.
She was flipping through an iPad with one hand and drinking coffee.
“The main sponsors are still under review at a few places, but we’re thinking of over 2 billion won annually.”
“...2 billion?”
I asked in surprise.
I didn’t underestimate my value, but it was beyond imagination.
“Does it feel too much?”
“Not that... it’s just a bit unrealistic.”
“I think it’s rather lacking.”
The head of department Jeong Soo-yeon’s voice was firm.
And she continued, flipping the iPad screen.
“The important thing is public expandability. Even if it’s Masked Singer, it’s one-time, right? Moreover, since I don’t sing well.”
“That’s true.”
I smiled awkwardly.
No need to object.
She lifted her head with a serious expression.
“I’m currently in contact with some production companies. I was thinking of ways to expand both domestic popularity and international recognition simultaneously.”
“...Production companies?”
Her gaze changed noticeably.
Not a simple manager, but a brand director.
Calculated strategy and strong will to execute it were felt.
“At that time, In-ha said that singing has no talent but chess is possible.”
“Yes, that’s right. Because it’s similar to Go.”
Of course, chess was still at C+ level.
But with the 'Talent Enhancement Card' I own, I could pull it up to A grade anytime.
“So I tried to push it.”
Head of department Jeong Soo-yeon continued quietly.
“Yes, an observational docu-entertainment for 'Kim In-ha' challenging a world-class sport.”
She lightly smiled and set down the iPad.
“The title is Kim In-ha's Global Chess Championship Challenge. How about it? Doesn’t it sound good?”
Domestic popularity secured through public entertainment.
International recognition through international board game chess.
It matched exactly the direction sponsors wanted.
'...Good?'
The big picture she mentioned finally began to take shape in my mind.