Chapter 13: Seoa’s Triumph

Over the third and fourth days of the integrated preliminary, rounds three and four took place.

I defeated Seongho Yoo, 1-dan, and Tanigawa, 5-dan, in succession, advancing to the final.

I hate to admit it, but I can’t help thinking my current appearance might have played a role.

As Changmo Shin, I was always a player with an absolute strength in the opening. It was rare for me to fall behind in the opening, and I often dominated opponents from the start, ending games decisively.

Unless they were confident in their opening skills, most players kept things simple and straightforward against me. They’d aim to stay even in the opening and fight it out in the middle and endgame.

Getting tangled in complex variations usually led to poor results and wasted time, so their approach was understandable.

That kind of response was generally effective, and in most cases, I could only secure a slight advantage of one or two points in the opening.

But now, I’m an amateur with no records or data. And on the surface, a tiny, young child.

It’s perfectly reasonable to assume a less experienced player would be weak in the opening.

The problem is, I’m an anomaly far beyond common sense.

Seongho Yoo, 1-dan, and Tanigawa, 5-dan, chose aggression over caution in the opening. It’s a choice I’d have made in their position too.

Unfortunately for them, their choice led to the opposite of what they expected.

I secured both profit and initiative, allowing me to control the game comfortably while they lost the lead and couldn’t play to their full potential. The same pattern from my first match in round two continued in these games.

I don’t feel like I beat them with skill. I just got lucky because I haven’t been analyzed.

On the other side of Group I’s bracket, China’s Junyan Li, 6-dan, ranked 17th, faced Korea’s Pilgyu Park, 9-dan.

Objectively, Junyan Li was favored, but Pilgyu Park tenaciously capitalized on a major mistake by Junyan Li, securing the victory.

Pilgyu Park, 9-dan, is a legend in the Go world I’ve admired since childhood. Thirty years ago, he was at his peak, and even when I was a rookie, he kept researching tirelessly, staying at the forefront.

Even as new talents rose, Pilgyu Park held his ground. Despite pessimistic predictions that he’d decline, he consistently reached the main rounds of major tournaments, defying expectations.

Sadly, I never got to face him directly.

I recall he passed away in a tragic traffic accident before I had the chance.

But for fate to bring us together like this now—it’s truly strange.

The venue for the Group I final is the special match room at the Korea Baduk Association, reserved for important games.

Just being here is proof of strength.

Either your opponent is strong, or you are.

Competing in the open tournament preliminary at the Korea Baduk Association didn’t quite feel like a return to the Go world.

But now, I feel like I’ve truly stepped back into this lonely, nostalgic world.

“Phew.”

I turn the shower knob, letting cold water drench my small body from head to toe.

From the moment a finite being is thrown into this harsh world, a perfect life is never allowed.

Whether at the top or the bottom, we’re all just incomplete stones, struggling toward perfection despite knowing it’s unattainable.

Chasing the faint afterimage of something ultimate, final, infinite, and eternal, we become mere dead stones, stripped of warmth.

Just as Changmo Shin did, Seoa Ryu will likely end up the same.

“Haha… hahaha…”

I let out a bitter laugh at the absurdity of throwing myself into the same flames.

But if sitting still and rotting leads to the same outcome, I’ve decided to burn brightly.

Longer and more brilliantly than Changmo Shin ever did.

Like Pilgyu Park, 9-dan, whom I’ll soon face.

“Heh…”

*

Daegil Kong, the editor-in-chief of a prominent Go magazine, set aside all other work to personally cover the figure stirring up the Go world, visiting the Korea Baduk Association early in the morning.

Seoa Ryu.

Winner of the women’s division at the WY Cup National Amateur Tournament.

He’d heard her name even before the NJ Fire Insurance Cup integrated preliminary. She defeated Asana Hozumi, a player heavily backed by the Japan Go Association, in the first round of the main tournament and went on to beat Korea Baduk Association trainees to claim the title.

A reporter covering the WY Cup noted that Seoa Ryu, a pretty mixed-race girl, was already generating buzz for her appearance alone.

There was plenty of material to work with, so he’d planned to set aside a day for a proper interview. But with major tournaments approaching, it wasn’t a priority.

Coincidentally, that girl used her WY Cup victory to skip the amateur preliminary and enter the NJ Fire Insurance Cup integrated preliminary directly—a huge privilege thanks to the connection between WY Corp and NJ Corp.

As editor-in-chief, he’d brushed it off, hoping the girl would gain good experience without being discouraged.

Facing female pros she’d compete with in the future would be valuable. If a female pro made mistakes, she might even luck into a win, but with other important matches to cover, he pushed her out of his mind.

If she won even once, it’d be enough to note the result later.

But she hadn’t entered the women’s division—she’d joined the general division. And on the first day, she defeated a Chinese pro.

By the time he heard the news, Seoa Ryu had already beaten a Korea Baduk Association pro. Stunned, he focused all his resources on her, but all he got were a few match photos. He couldn’t even ask a single question for an interview.

It seems everyone had the same idea—reporters from rival magazines and newspapers are here, along with plenty of pure Go fans. For an open tournament of this scale, the atmosphere wouldn’t normally be this competitive.

China’s Demei Wei, 3-dan, Korea’s Seongho Yoo, 1-dan, who joined two years ago, and Japan’s Tanigawa, 5-dan.

Even top female pros would struggle to guarantee a win against such formidable opponents.

Yet Seoa Ryu defeated them all by resignation.

An official record of 3 wins, 0 losses.

An unprecedented situation where a female amateur has a higher rating than female pros.

Rumor has it the Korea Baduk Association’s board has already decided to grant Seoa Ryu special admission, regardless of the Group I final’s outcome.

There’s talk that the Japan Go Association, hearing of Asana Hozumi’s crushing defeat, tried to approach Seoa Ryu, so it’s a natural decision to secure such a rare talent.

Regardless, the girl who produced results no one expected now faces Pilgyu Park, 9-dan, who defeated the favored Junyan Li, 6-dan.

The youngest competitor versus the oldest. A ten-year-old elementary school girl against a living legend of Korean Go.

It’s an event that could captivate even those with no interest in Go. That’s likely why newspaper reporters are camped out here too.

In the quiet, a hand gently touches his shoulder. The intern reporter accompanying him subtly points somewhere.

A doll-like blonde girl walks hand-in-hand with an older man, likely her grandfather.

Tossing aside his cigarette, he quickly moves before others notice.