Ch. 15 — 15
“Then, if I lose even one game, I absolutely have to play with you, Uncle!”
“Yes! But if I keep winning, I don’t have to stick to my bedtime, right?”
Hyung-man shouldn’t have said ‘deal’ here.
But he didn’t know it at the time.
“Deal!”
He had no idea that the matches starting at 3 PM would turn into a winning streak lasting until 1 AM.
[Immortal Fire Bat has won by resignation.]
[Congratulations! You have been promoted to Amateur 6-dan.]
[You have achieved a 24-game winning streak.]
Hyung-man rubbed his bloodshot eyes vigorously and blinked blankly.
This Go game called AlphaJam has a very high AI detection rate, making it exceptionally good at catching cheaters.
Because of this, most Go experts used this game exclusively. While there might be a slight difference from actual ranks, it wasn’t much different from reality.
In other words, Cheol-jun’s level was amateur 6-dan, which was massive.
It was a level that could crush a local Go club filled with experts.
Amateur 6-dan was a level capable of playing an even game against a professional player with a two-stone handicap.
Actually, you couldn’t even just call him a 6-dan.
Hyung-man had watched in real-time as Cheol-jun consecutively beat two amateur 6-dans during his 6-dan promotion matches.
Against one, he pushed overwhelmingly from the start and secured a resignation win in the mid-game. Against the other, the opponent held out until counting territory, but Cheol-jun ultimately won by a large margin.
System-wise he was now a 6-dan, but Cheol-jun’s actual skill had to be considered higher than that.
‘Wow…’
If he went up to 7-dan, he would be at a level where he could play an even game against a pro…
‘Is this a level you can reach after playing for just one full day?’
When he first started playing the Go game, he wasn’t this overwhelming during his 4-dan promotion.
But he won them all, secured the required number of wins for the promotion, and then challenged the 5-dan promotion. Even then, though not overwhelming, he managed to win somehow.
After that, Cheol-jun briefly reviewed the game records of the experts in the game one by one.
But it was really just a brief review.
Maybe an hour?
Honestly, Hyung-man had wondered if his skill would really improve that much from just a quick look.
However, he overwhelmingly won the five matches against 5-dans needed for his 6-dan promotion.
In some games, he played an insanely aggressive style, completely overwhelming the opponent’s senses.
In other games, he played patiently, repeatedly defending to build a sturdy fortress and finishing the game smoothly.
He used such diverse tactics that it was hard to imagine they were played by the same person.
And they all worked.
Against 5-dans, no less.
It was a sight he couldn’t believe even while watching it.
If anyone had told him this, he would have scolded them for spouting nonsense.
But it actually happened.
He had just promoted to 6-dan right in front of his eyes.
Now, every time he played a match, twenty spectators would join.
They probably thought some professional player was just having fun playing on a smurf account.
Hyung-man’s shoulders involuntarily rose with pride.
“Uncle!”
“…Yeah?”
“I’m feeling a bit hungry.”
“Ah! Right!”
Hyung-man quickly ran to the living room and brought over the hamburgers and cola he had ordered in advance.
And he set them up on the camping table he had unfolded next to Cheol-jun’s desk.
He pushed the pizza box they had for dinner to the side.
Cheol-jun munched on his hamburger while reviewing the match he just played.
‘Hah…’
Since they had made a promise, he couldn’t just force him to stop using the computer, but honestly, Hyung-man was having a blast watching, too.
Seeing those little bracken-like fingers casually sink strong players that Hyung-man couldn’t even hope to face was just too cool.
Plus, watching his skill shoot up in real-time provided a massive dopamine hit.
Honestly, from a certain point on, Hyung-man wanted to keep watching Cheol-jun’s matches.
That’s why he had taken it upon himself to act as his support.
“Here. Have some cola too! So, are you going to go all the way to 7-dan promotion?”
Cheol-jun closed the window of the match he was reviewing and nodded with a determined face.
“Hah, aren’t you sleepy?”
“A little bit.”
“Well, staying up all night is…”
“Just until I hit 7-dan.”
“……”
Hyung-man silently massaged Cheol-jun’s small shoulders.
And loosened up his neck muscles a bit, too.
Actually, he had been waiting for those words.
Would this little kid’s skills actually work in 7-dan, which was said to be equivalent to a pro?
After clicking the ‘Quick Match’ button, Cheol-jun interlocked his little fingers and twisted them around to stretch.
That squirming sight made Hyung-man’s heart swell with pride for some reason.
He really needed to put the kid to bed, but this was just too much fun.
[Immortal Fire Bat. Opponent found.]
[Armpit Hair Pretty Boy has entered.]
[Rank: Amateur 6-dan]
[Record: 325 Wins, 183 Losses]
“Alright, close the chat window first.”
“Okay!”
Because the opponents who lost to this little kid usually spewed out harsh words.
[The match is starting.]
[Even game, 6.5 komi, 10 minutes time limit, 3 byoyomi periods]
Cheol-jun’s little fingers started clicking away, and Hyung-man swallowed hard as he sat in his camping chair.
*
*
*
3 AM.
He eventually crushed the 6-dans consecutively and reached his 7-dan promotion match.
His first match against a 7-dan to get promoted to 7-dan.
Cheol-jun, who had been leading the board well, was taking a long time to think for the first time.
Hyung-man tilted his head.
‘I think he just needs to place it there?’
Unlike before, his thinking time was too long.
For an obvious move even he could see?
So he tilted his head and looked at Cheol-jun, only to see him nodding off with his eyes closed.
He looked exactly like a dozing chick.
Hyung-man shook his head.
‘Haha…’
Well, he was a kid who always slept before 10 PM, but he had held out until 3 AM…
Hyung-man stared blankly at the monitor.
‘Let’s see…’
He stealthily slipped the mouse out of Cheol-jun’s hand.
The boy flinched for a moment but stayed fast asleep.
‘Even I can win this.’
Watching Cheol-jun play all day made him feel like his own Go skills had leveled up.
At a glance, it was a won game.
‘If I just defend well like this…’
Click. Click. Click…
A few minutes later.
‘…Huh?’
Hyung-man swallowed hard, gently lifted Cheol-jun’s hand, and placed it on the mouse.
Then, he shook Cheol-jun awake.
“Squirt. Let’s just stop here and sleep. For today!”
Cheol-jun woke up with a start.
And looked at the monitor.
“…Huh?”
[You have been defeated.]
Cheol-jun narrowed his brow and tilted his head in confusion, while Hyung-man hurriedly began packing up the camping table and chair.
For some reason, the back of his head felt stinging.
*
*
*
Chang-ho scratched his head vigorously and suddenly looked at the clock.
It was well past 3 AM.
Precious hairs had fallen like autumn leaves onto his desk.
‘Hah…’
He felt dizzy.
Why did he blabber such reckless nonsense?
However, he knew himself very well.
That when pushed to the edge of a cliff like this, he would come up with something.
With that back-against-the-wall tactic, he had managed to get a Ph.D. from Harvard despite not having a particularly brilliant mind.
‘Alright, the deed is done. Go Chang-ho! Pull yourself together.’
At least during his conversation with the father, he had taken a step back and changed the one month timeframe to one week.
Because he learned the tournament schedule was tighter than he thought.
Actually, it was also because he regained some rationality as the conversation progressed, and he started to get scared.
Chang-ho knew exactly how important that one week was for the child.
If that was the case, he absolutely had to bring about a positive result from this.
Both for the child’s emotional state and his Go skills.
Honestly, he hadn’t scammed him with completely baseless claims.
While it wasn’t a tracking study specifically targeting Go prodigies, there were actually quite a few papers like that.
And very solid ones, at that.
Of course, the packaging of the ‘Chinese Go Prodigy Tracking Study’ lie he told was the problem, but the core argument itself was well-supported by actual research.
Carol Dweck’s mindset research was the most direct example.
It had been verified over decades that the more gifted a child is, the stronger their tendency to view ability as fixed, which leads to failure avoidance and ultimately prevents them from realizing their potential.
There was also Sian Beilock’s research on “choking under pressure.”
In child psychology, it referred to the phenomenon of failing to perform at a crucial moment.
It was a highly trusted theory in arts and physical education pedagogy that the stronger the consciousness that one must not make a mistake, the more performance drops in high-level skill execution.
There was also Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan).
The core of this paper was that when extrinsic motivation encroaches upon intrinsic motivation, both creativity and the quality of performance drop.
Honestly, he only spouted that massive lie because there was enough backing for it.
‘Will the kids in my class accept this well?’
The key was the surrounding environment.
For Si-woo to change, the absolute help of the children was necessary.
If only that was possible, Chang-ho was confident he could improve Si-woo’s condition.
Chang-ho had thought of other methods.
The thought of ‘What if I had calmly persuaded his parents?’ was still lingering in his mind.
But Chang-ho knew the psychological state of parents very well.
If he had calmly explained it right there using research papers as evidence, would the father have truly recognized Si-woo’s condition?
A professional Go player who had lived his life looking only at Go, raising his child to inherit that dream.
Chang-ho could exactly guess what reaction would return if he detailed Si-woo’s school life to a father like that.
He would have definitely chosen to devote everything to Go rather than school.
Chang-ho knew well that parents cannot view their own children objectively.
Parents never understand that extreme love can also ruin a child.
That was the most basic thing you learned in pedagogy.
Honestly, Chang-ho had no confidence in persuading Si-woo’s father by explaining all this.
So, he just went for it.
And backed himself into a corner.
He just had to find a solution somehow.
He absolutely could not leave a negative scratch on a child’s life out of mere passion.
Chang-ho knew the weight of that well.
‘Let’s see…’
It had to be a tempting offer for the kids in the class, too.
For now, the loudest and most influential kid in the class was Min-jun.
The thing Min-jun liked the most…
An angle faintly appeared.
Go Chang-ho swept up the fallen hair on his desk and started typing on his laptop keyboard to draft a plan.
Around 5 AM.
Having scheduled all the text messages to be sent to the kids right before school time, Chang-ho collapsed in front of his laptop with bloodshot eyes.
*
*
*
Morning.
Dragged into the counseling room on his way to school, Si-woo was fidgeting with his fingers, his brow furrowed.
The teacher smiled warmly and spoke.
For some reason, his eyes were bloodshot.
“You heard from your father, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Since it’s the beginning of the semester, the goal is for everyone to get close and friendly. Especially after what happened yesterday.”
The teacher handed Si-woo a printed piece of paper.
Various rules were written on it.
The teacher pointed at them one by one and began to explain.
“Alright, first, no headphones at school. Looking at Go records by yourself during school hours is also prohibited. Ah, I’ll allow it if you’re looking at it with someone while talking. Also, sitting alone during free time or break time is prohibited. Even if you don’t do anything, pick someone and stay near them. Once morning classes are over, you have to eat lunch, and you can only leave early after lunchtime is completely over. Wednesdays and Fridays are mandatory free time until 4 PM. I’ve already talked to your father about you not going to the Go institute then. During that time, you can do whatever you want, but you can’t play alone. You have to tell me the next day at school which friend you hung out with and what you did. Because I promised your father I’d give him regular updates.”
Si-woo narrowed his brow in displeasure, but his dad had repeatedly emphasized it to him.
To unconditionally follow the teacher’s instructions.
He said he went to the institute yesterday, so what on earth did they talk about…
At such an important time…
“You understand, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Great!”
Chang-ho smiled brightly and placed a hand on Si-woo’s shoulder.
“Now, shall we head to our classroom where your friends are?”
“……”
Pushed by the shoulder, Si-woo let out a low sigh.
*
*
*
While walking from the counseling room to the classroom, Si-woo repeatedly sighed.
Yesterday, his emotions had exploded, he had swung his fists, and he had rolled ungracefully on the classroom floor.
His self-control had completely crumbled.
As someone with strong perfectionist tendencies, Si-woo found all of that incredibly humiliating.
Furthermore, he hadn’t even given a proper apology in the counseling room.
Even though Cheol-jun, who was a head shorter and looked much younger than him, had handled it so maturely, he had acted petty until the very end.
He was so ashamed of that.
‘……’
Honestly, he really hadn’t wanted to come to school.
So he had tried to make an excuse about feeling sick, but his dad, with an incredibly excited face, had dropped a bombshell on him and pushed him out the door, forcing him to come.
‘What do I do?’
How was he supposed to endure the stinging gazes of the kids?
Furthermore, his headphones—which blocked other kids’ approaches just by existing—had been confiscated.
His headphones were the most important thing to Si-woo.
Because they were the boundary line of his world.
Now he couldn’t even pretend not to hear.
That made him so anxious.
Because now anyone could talk to him.
No, thinking about it now, maybe he was even more afraid of the situation where no one talked to him even without his headphones.
The closer he got to the classroom, the more his heart pounded wildly.
No game records, no headphones.
He had no confidence to sit among the kids without anything to show that he was special and different from them.
Si-woo chewed on his lower lip.
If it hadn’t been for his dad, he would have wanted to run away right this second.
-Slide!
It felt as if the gates of hell were opening.
He felt dizzy.
His feet wouldn’t move, but the teacher patted his back.
As if knowing his state, he didn’t push him, but just quietly patted him.
He squeezed his eyes shut once, opened them, and looked inside the classroom.
The kids’ gazes gathered.
His vision spun.
“Si-woo, hi!”
“……”
Sitting in the front row, Cheol-jun smiled brightly and waved his hand enthusiastically.
Come to think of it, he had greeted him and waved his hand like that yesterday too.
It was himself who had walked right past, pretending not to see or hear.
But today, they made eye contact, and he didn’t have his ear-blocking headphones.
‘What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do? What do I do…’
Should I just faint?
Just then, Noh Min-jun, sitting in the back row, threw his hand up.
“Teacher! Is 1st period really free study?”
“Yeah. That’s right!”
“And we can use our phones?”
“Yeah. Just for today.”
“Yes!”
“Awesome!”
The kids got loud and excited.
“Wow, thanks Si-woo!”
“Sweet! All thanks to Si-woo!”
“Hey! Come here quick! Let’s play!”
Actually, a few were just staring blankly at Si-woo.
But Min-jun and Ha-rang shouted loudly.
Si-woo widened his eyes and looked at the teacher.
The teacher grinned, patted Si-woo’s shoulder, and whispered in his ear.
“You know, right? Being alone is forbidden. No, actually, you probably can’t be alone. I told them if they don’t include you, I’ll cancel free study and ban phones.”
Si-woo swallowed hard.
Min-jun, whom he had never properly exchanged words with before, was gesturing wildly at him.
Cheol-jun was still waving his hand vigorously.
What is he so happy about to keep smiling so brightly like that…
But, thinking about it, it was the first time since entering school.
That the kids called his name out loud like that.
“Alright, go on in. Ah, and say hi to Cheol-jun. His arm’s gonna fall off.”
With an awkward face, Si-woo slightly raised his hand.
“…Hi?”
Only then did Cheol-jun lower his hand.
He had shown such a disgraceful sight yesterday…
Yet not a single kid was looking at him strangely.
Well, actually, a few seemed to be looking at him weirdly, but in Si-woo’s eyes, he could only see Cheol-jun, Min-jun, and Ha-rang.
Si-woo took a step into the classroom.
It was strange.
Just a moment ago it felt like entering hell, but once he actually stepped inside, it wasn’t that scary.
“Hurry up! Let’s play Rivals!”
“Noh Min-jun! The teacher is listening to everything. If you’re going to play, at least pretend to do it secretly! I didn’t explicitly permit games!”
“Ah…!”
“Ah, seriously! Shut your mouth, Noh Min-jun!”
At the sound of the kids giggling, the incredibly heavy worries that had piled up layer by layer in Si-woo’s chest began to melt away.
*
*
*
“Wow! Sh*t! I did what Si-woo said and I actually won?”
“What the! Cheol-jjjuuun! You panicking?”
“Was Rivals always a strategy game like this?”
“With my mechanics and Si-woo’s brains, we’re invincible!”
Si-woo, his head bowed deeply as if burying his face in his phone, felt his ears start to burn red.
And Go Chang-ho, quietly observing the kids, clenched his fist tightly under the desk.
Because the situation was flowing far more smoothly than even his own expectations.
As expected, you shouldn’t rashly judge children through the eyes of an adult.
With just the tiniest trigger, doors open, they mingle, and knots untangle.
He had only set the stage slightly, yet they mingled so easily that it would be completely incomprehensible from an adult’s perspective.
Holding grudges, keeping score, and demanding explanations were standards adults learned through living, not the inherent nature of children.
Children are originally light like this, and therefore childish yet flexible.
Chang-ho once again reflected on the words of countless pedagogues that the adults’ perspective alone could never fully peer into the world of children.
Because even he hadn’t expected it to go this well.
Since it was a slightly forced situation, he thought the awkward, cringeworthy atmosphere would last a long time, but it dissolved quickly.
If they were even just middle schoolers, an atmosphere like this wouldn’t have formed so easily.
‘…Hm?’
One of Go Chang-ho’s eyebrows twitched.
He had been observing the kids with a pleased expression, but Cheol-jun’s condition was a little strange.
Like a puppy needing to pee, he kept fidgeting in his seat and stealing glances at Si-woo.
Chang-ho smiled softly and rested his chin on his hand.