First Kyu: A Novel 0964479699, 9780964479692

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First Kyu A NOVEL

Dt Sung-Hwa Hong

First Kyu ANOVEL

Dr. Sung-Hwa Hong Illustrations by Du-Ri Han

Good Move Press

A U TH O R S NOTE There are some who believe me to be a mediocre player. Jimmy Cha and Hoon-Hyun Cho often laugh at my weak moves. There are some who believe me to be a fantastic player. For Mr. Kim, Brother Park, and Sucker Lee, it is their life-long dream to become as strong as I am. I am both strong and weak. I am a first kyu. When I first wrote this story in Korean in 1992, my goal was to allow people to read a story about first kyus. When I was given the opportunity to translate the story into English I was reluctant for two main reasons. First, though it seemed a formidable task for a non-native speaker to translate a book into English, I did not want anybody but me to attempt the translation in the fear of losing the flavor I instilled in the original book. Second, I did not believe the English speaking readers would enjoy or appreciate the story due to the differences in cultures. Janice Kim, professional go player and publisher, however, encouraged me to take up the work. She insisted the book would at least introduce the Korean Culture to the readers in a natural way, unlike government propaganda. So here it is. I must confess that translating the novel into English was in fact more difficult than writing the original in Korean. I would like to thank Janice and Richard for their efforts to make this book a reality. I also thank Roy Langston, a good friend and fellow go player, for his advice and support throughout the time of agony of translating. I almost wonder if the ever-mystical gods of go are smiling down on me. All my life, I gave my unconditional love to this game, and have never received anything in return. And yet.... It is my love of this game that has allowed me to write this book and share my ideas with my fellow go players. Yes, I'm sure they are smiling. Sung-Hwa Hong

BEFORE WE BEGIN

Let me tell you a story. An old story, a really old story. Do you know how to play go? You do? First kyu, a player of the first rank? Really? Have you ever competed in a professional qualifying tournament? No? Then you are not, I repeat, NOT first kyu! I know, I know. Nowadays all kinds of bad players call them­ selves first kyu. This story is, however, not about those fake first kyus. Its a story of the real first kyus. There is a guy who runs a smoke shop near Niagara Falls. His name is Shin. On rainy days he keeps staring at the falls and mumbles something like this: "I'm sure they must all be playing for bangneki stakes happily somewhere..." Can you even guess what he is talking about? If not, just hold on and listen to what I'm going to tell you. Only about a handful of people know this story. So listen up.

V

OLD M ASTER

On a winter evening in the early nineteen-forties, all the top go players of Korea gathered in the guest room of Lord Cho's compound to celebrate a visit by the Japanese professional go player Kitani Minoru 8 dan, a master of the eighth rank. Although it was just a friendly visit, as the games preceded, the air in the room grew thick with the rivalry that had existed between the two countries for thousands of years. As thick as the air being constantly polluted by the incessant smoking of everyone old enough to puff. But it didn't take long before any feeling of rivalry turned into one of embarrassment, for they were one-sided contests, match after match. Even with two-stone handicaps, no Korean player could win a single game against the Japanese professional. This was quite understandable if one considers the history of how the game was treated in the two countries. In Japan, from about the 17th century on, the government had supported and developed professional go players and schools for go study. The Koreans had regarded go only as one of the leisurely games aristocrats enjoyed —no effort toward developing or spreading the game outside the privileged classes had ever been attempted. It was, therefore, no wonder that the so-called top players of Korea were losing one after another, even in twostone handicap games, against a top professional player whose country had been developing the game for centuries. The Koreans in the room still unrealistically wanted to believe that at least one player could somehow manage a win against the Japanese master. But after the four top Koreans —Ro, Yoon,

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Min, and Chae — had each lost their share of games, nobody from the Korean side volunteered for the next game. As Lord Cho, the host, asked around the room, "Who would like to have the next game?" he was met with dead silence. Maybe they all had enough of this tonight. Well, what now? Should they have the wine and girls brought out? It was rather too early for that. Lord Cho felt somewhat bewildered. Then, as the silence was becoming another embarrassment for the Koreans, a low but decisive voice rang out from the comer. "Sir, may I have the honor of the next match?" Byung-Wook Kwon: Master Kwon was a well known go player in Korea. Today, however, he was present not as a go player but as a journalist. In his younger days he had been considered as one of the best players in the country after a few famous matches with Master Ro, the top player of the era. But at sixtyfive now, he was not actively playing serious games. He just wrote his go column in a daily newspaper, and was only here to write for the paper about the Japanese professional's visit to Lord Cho's house. But he could not just sit and write about this cowardly silence! Yes, it was just cowardly not wanting to play for fear of losing. Why, if one tried, really tried, one should be able to beat this Japanese player. Not playing would not get a win. In this game of go, impossibilities could be overcome if one had enough dedication and discipline. Master Kwon could not contain his competitive spirit, the same spirit that had won him many games against seemingly tougher opponents in his younger years. Lord Cho, the host, welcomed the old master's brave offer to save the evening. But not one hundred percent. As the host he of course wanted the evening saved, but as a Korean he felt sick at the prospect of yet another certain defeat. Lord Cho pondered a moment, then voiced a difficult request, almost apologetically. "As two-stone handicap games have been too one-sided, would it be possible for Master Kwon to play this game with a three-

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stone handicap?" A trace of desperation could be heard in his voice. He must have wanted a win of any kind by this time. But such a request was way out of line. Honor and pride were what these players valued more than anything else. A three-stone handicap was a teaching game, not a friendship match between the top players of two countries! And what if Kwon lost even on three? He would never be able to call himself a master again. And the possible humiliation! Lord Cho had overdone it this time. But it was Lord Cho, one of the most powerful men in the country. Nobody dared to voice a negative opinion of his sug­ gestion. Now it was up to Kwon whether to accept or to reject the offer. Everyone's eyes turned to Kwon. Eyes closed, Kwon slowly began to speak, "As all of you here know, to play a three-stone handicap game would be inappropriate, for it would appear more as a teaching game than as an international friendship match. I, however, cannot turn down Lord Cho’s request, for I have been one of the grateful recipients of his generous support and kindness both materially and spiritually... Yes - I will play this game as suggested. But I will also show you all how inappropriate the handicap is by winning the game surely and convincingly." The game thus duly started. Kwon spent hardly any time on his moves. He played each move almost immediately after Kitani’s stone touched the board. The sixty-five-year-old Kwon was truly belligerent and angry - angry at the fact that he had to play this unreasonably assessed handicap game, angry at the Koreans who could not manage even a single victory against this Japanese player. On the other hand, Kitani Minoru 8 dan played as profes­ sionally as expected, carefully spending time to come up with the most efficient move each turn. The game lasted over three hours, the Japanese player using most of the time. A three-stone handicap game gave a considerable advantage to Kwon. As the game was nearing its end, Kwon's position was

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convincingly superior. But the Japanese master had not yet given up, and tried his best to close the gap inch by inch —with some success. It seemed, however, highly unlikely the game would turn around, for the gap was too wide to close at this late stage. Then it happened. Overly confident, Kwon carelessly ignored a threat Kitani used in a rather insignificant ko fight. Ko, a Buddhist word meaning eternity, is a kind of fight in which each side must play an inter­ vening move before continuing the fight, or the board position would endlessly repeat. It requires the ko fighter to play a ‘threatening’ move to induce a response before returning to the ko. The ignored threat, in this case, brought about the death of one of Kwon's large groups. How could the master make such a mistake? None in the room could believe his eyes. The game was now decided: maybe unfairly, but surely. The old master kept his eyes pinned on the lower right corner where his dead group lay, hoping to find some miraculous move to bring it back to life. There was no such move to be found. After a few minutes of silence, he resigned. Formalities such as cleaning the stones off the board and exchanging post-match bows followed mechanically. He stood up slowly and left Lord Cho's compound alone. Upon arriving home, he collapsed at the doorstep. The anger, betrayal, frustration, humiliation, and regrets whirling inside his head were too much for the body of a sixty-five-year-old man. From that day on he stayed in bed. He could never regain his strength. Three months later the old master quietly passed away, his heart filled with every sorry emotion.

TH E HUSTLER

“How come girls and bad players keep asking for more every time they get killed?” Wook mumbled as he felt in his pocket the money he had just won over the night, all crumpled in a bunch. It was a distinctly Korean pun, as the slang term for the woman's role in sexual congress and being massacred on the go board was the same. He smiled with satisfaction to recall Madam Kang, who got 'killed' several times two nights ago, and countless killed groups of Stupido Sr. during last night's games. She and he both demanded the next rendezvous as soon as possible. Yes, striking similarities between girls and bad players. Wook, the hustler, was amused. He took out a handful of crumpled money. About fifty thousand. Not bad. He pushed the money back into the pocket. This would buy five hundred packs of Chungja. Converting the money into cigarettes added to his confidence and satisfaction. Wook left the motel quickly and directed the cab driver to a luxurious bath house. He could afford the special room today. The special room featured an enormous bath tub with con­ necting bedroom. He stripped rather hastily and plunged himself into the tub full of hot water. Eyes closed, he contem­ plated the feelings of the Creator on His seventh day. What should he do with a sabbath? he pondered. It was only nine a.m. Maybe he should take a nap here for a while and rest. He deserved the rest. Then he would take Ikoo out for a drink, beer tonight for a change, not soju, the cheap distilled liquor that one could buy at every road side stand. Stupido Sr. would not get his return matches from Wook today. This struck Wook,

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a boxing fan, as appropriate. Remember Liston? It was hard for him to get return matches with Clay after losing. Of course, losers deserved to suffer. There was a knock at the door. It was the masseur he had ordered. The courteous masseur, a blind young man in his 20s, scared Wook a little for no apparent reason. Was it because he was blind, or because Wook was unconsciously afraid of strangers? Wook, satisfied with the comfort and relaxation the king-sized bed provided, let the masseur work on his tired body. The masseur set to work with his skillful hands, powerful yet soothing. The feeling of tiredness in Wook's body slowly dis­ appeared, replaced by one of gratification. Outside, the noise of the students' anti-government rally con­ tinued. It irritated Wook a little. But not for long. He slowly fell into a deep and comfortable sleep.

A STONE TH RO W N IN TO A CALM LAKE

On a winter day in 1950, Young-Wook Kwon, later known as Wook, was born. It was the time during the Korean War when the Chinese were rumored to be about to invade Korea to help out the North Koreans, who were being outfought by the allied forces. Wook would have to grow up in post-war chaos, when the socio-economic atmosphere of the country was extremely unstable. His father, Mr. Kwon, was a businessman shrewd enough to provide for his family rather comfortably. While most children during that period suffered many privations —a lack of food, shelter, clothing, or love - Wook’s childhood was rather uneventfully comfortable: an advantage of having an astute businessman for a father. Mr. Kwon was the authority figure in the family. His insistence on good education and proper behavior was enforced on his children rather strictly. Wook was, however, an exception. Mr. Kwon allowed Wook to do things his brothers and sisters had never dreamed of doing. Wook's place as the youngest child, born when his father was forty, was the main reason. Also, Wook was a son, not a daughter. Wook had two brothers and two sisters. As in baseball, with the count two and two, Mr. Kwon, like any pitcher, wanted that third strike. Although Mr. Kwon slacked off quite a bit in Wook's dis­ cipline, Wook always felt his father was much stricter than any of his friends' fathers. Obviously Mr. Kwon's expectations for

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his youngest son were still very high, despite his favoritism. Korean students intending to enter higher institutions had to write entrance exams, starting with the middle school entrance exam after grade six. As a result, schools in Korea were clas­ sified, though unofficially, according to the academic abilities of their students. There was 'the best school', and then there were 'those among the best schools’, 'good schools', 'average schools', 'below average schools', and 'bad schools'. This type of classification was used to describe all schools at all levels from middle school to university. Which school one had gone to was one of the most important factors affecting one's future career, marriage, and social status. Those who had graduated from both the best high school and the best university were commonly referred to as 'KS people', K and S being the initials of the two schools. The Kwons had a reputation as 'the KS family'. Mr. Kwon would not even consider 'one of the best schools' for a child of his. It had to be THE best school. Fortunately for him, his children were all bright and hardworking, prerequisites to entering the best school. Wook's two older sisters and one brother had already become 'KS people'. His other brother was currently in his second year at S university. Wook was in his first year at K high school. Mr. Kwon had nothing to complain of in his children, and was the envy of all his friends. As if it was not enough, the younger daughter had passed both middle school and university entrance exams with the highest score of any applicant. Even a city newspaper had carried the story of this 'genius family'. So when Wook passed the entrance exam to S university in three years' time, Mr. Kwon's ambition and obsession would be fulfilled. Wook was also a brilliant and diligent student. Certainly his father would not be disappointed. For the Kwons, Wook's upcoming university exam was only a formality rather than a challenge. In three years, another record would be set: a family of five KS people out of five. Let us imagine ourselves sitting at a mirror-calm lake. The

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serenity and peace created by the quiet lake can be charmingly satisfactory to observers. What would it be like, though, if a stone came flying out of nowhere over the lake, splashing on its way in? The Kwons were like a calm lake admired by all observers around them. Then came the stone: in this case, a board game called go. Until the late 80s, every spring in Korea at the beginning of the school year, student anti-government rallies erupted at almost all schools. Some cynics called it an annual ritual. The antigovernment rallies in Wook's time were rather primitive, for neither students nor the police had much experience. There were no such things as Molotov cocktails, stun-guns, nor even facemasks worn by students. The usual scenario was that the students gathered on a street and chanted until the police arrived. The police then fired some tear gas and the students ran away to end the day's rally, no serious injuries or arrests incurred. It was so peaceful. Compared to rallies in later years, the rallies at that time were almost romantic. It was one of those rally days. Coming home from school, Wook ran into a rally in progress. It was at the point when teargas bombs had just been fired and the students had begun to run away from the police. Wook, a naive 15-year-old, could not think clearly. Students were running away from the police. He was a student too. So he had to run away. Frightened, Wook began to run as fast as he could, away from the police. He was not one of those the police were chasing, but it did not matter to him. He ran and ran. After a while, he came to a rather quiet district. Panting heavily, he looked around: no police, no running students. But he was still afraid. He wanted to hide somewhere. Then he saw a sign ahead of him: Chungjin Go Club. Having found asylum, he went inside. There, he could see several pairs of people playing go. Suddenly a strange sensation ran though his body. It was a mys­ terious, yet gratifying sensation. He had never felt like that

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before. It was similar to the sensation he had felt when he first experienced an erection a couple of years before. But not quite the same. More pleasant and exciting, maybe. Of course he had seen people playing go at various places. But this was different. Here everybody had the same posture and the same serious expression, playing a game where no other games were played. Wook felt that the game of go he had known up to that time was a different game from the game he was now watching. A sudden desire to learn how to play bubbled up within him. A middle-aged man, seemingly the owner of the club, approached Wook. "Hi, how strong are you?" "Well... I don't know how to play." "I see, you are looking for someone then?" "No ... I came here to learn how to play." Wook was a little surprised to hear himself saying this. But realizing that it was a true statement of his thoughts at that moment, he felt braver. He looked the man in the eyes as if demanding an answer. "Really? That is a good idea. This is the best game ever invented by man. Well, let me give you some lessons now." The owner's kind offer made Wook suddenly realize that he was expected home at this hour. "That is very nice of you. But I have to be home soon. Sorry, but can I come back some other day?" Wook felt embarrassed at this inconsistency in his actions. The man, however, did not seem to mind. "Sure, that is no problem. I will lend you some go books instead, then. I have seen many great players from K school. No wonder. Bright students can excel in go as well." He seemed to have been impressed by Wook's uniform from the best high school. The two books he gave Wook were called The First Steps in Go and Elementary Go Theory. Wook felt he was holding pieces of treasure. He ran home in a hurry. The books were rather incomprehensible for Wook at first, but

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exciting to read all the same. He read through both books without taking a break. From the next day on, Wook stopped by at the go club every day. In July as the summer break was about to begin, Wook had become 9 kyu. Go ranks, which begin at 18 kyu, go through to 1 kyu, or the first rank. After that players could become masters, or dan-level players, beginning with 1 dan and going up to 9 dan. Reaching even 1 kyu was generally beyond most people. 9 kyu after just a few months represented an impres­ sively fast improvement. As the summer break started, Wook switched clubs to the one near his home, the Dong-A. The new go player spent all his summer holidays at the new club. As soon as his father went to work after breakfast, Wook ran to the club and stayed until closing time at 11 p.m. Although Mr. Kwon knew of this, he did not try to discipline his son. Mr. Kwon did not consider go as a threat or danger. He felt it was better than doing the usual 'teenage thing' of loud music and hanging out with friends. Wook felt relieved at this silent approval, and diligently repeated his visits to the club. The worst reaction from his father was only occasional disapproving comments such as, "Well, go is for older retired people, not for a young boy like yourself." Mr. Kwon was getting old. At fifty-five, he had softened con­ siderably. Wook's brothers and sisters were rather surprised to see Wook getting away with going to the go club all day every day. Fortunate or otherwise, these circumstances allowed Wook to concentrate on learning the game. At the end of the summer break, after playing just five months, he had made 6 kyu, sur­ prising everybody at the club with his rapid improvement. Wook must have some talent for the game. The stone thrown into the lake had just produced its first small ripple.

FIRST KYU

Nowadays it is not difficult to meet a first kyu, for their numbers have increased a great deal over the years. As an increase in number often reflects a decrease in quality, the first kyu of today no longer enjoys the same prestige and respect he did some thirty years ago. A first kyu was a rarity in the 60s when Wook first learned the game. The owner of the Chungjin Go Club once told Wook about first kyu players: "A first kyu can replay a whole game if someone wipes the stones off the board. Our club has a first kyu. He is not here today, but you will get to see him soon." True enough, Wook soon had a chance to meet a first kyu. The owner, a 7 kyu, at that time gave Wook, then 15 kyu, a 9-stone handicap. But on this day, the first kyu was playing the owner, and the owner was taking, not giving, 9-stone handicaps! The first kyu was a young man in his late twenties, looking thin and pale. Almost everybody at the club was watching the game. It was obvious the owner was losing, judging by his sighs and sweaty face. As the owner finally resigned the game, the first kyu stood up, saying he had to leave. The owner asked - almost begged - him to stay. The first kyu, smiling, said politely that he would return soon. The owner ran to his storage cabinet to get some packs of Chungja, the most expensive brand of cig­ arette, and handed them over to the first kyu, who accepted the gift after a few ceremonial refusals were ignored. Then he left. As he left the club, Wook noticed his old suit, showing wornout spots at the elbows. But it did not matter. To Wook he was like Christ in person, or more. How could one become a first

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kyu? How could one become Christ? As Wook's visits to go clubs became more frequent, he met a few more first kyu players. A bald middle-aged man, a young man in his twenties with a beret, or an old man with a pipe. They all looked different, yet they were all the same in the respect they received from other players. When they played, everybody watched their games in dead silence. When they talked about the game, everybody listened obediently. Also they were all poor. Wook's new club, the Dong-A, also had a first kyu. Nobody new his full name and people simply called him 'Master Lee'. He had a convincing resemblance to an escaped convict: wornout army pants dyed black, rubber shoes a size too large, and a face in great need of a haircut and washing. But his appearance did not matter once he entered the club. Everybody treated him as the master. He came to the club once in a long while and played a few games each time. His games always drew a crowd. The games were all handicap games with weaker players, and Wook had never seen him lose. Under the most improbable sit­ uations, he always had a great move ready to save his groups and kill his opponent’s in return. After each of his infrequent visits, he would leave the club a few packs of Chungja richer, the club owner's usual favor. Upon receiving the cigarettes, he would hastily open one and light up, as if he had not smoked for a long time. His own cheap pack of Swan full of saved butts was never discarded, instead he would place it in his breast pocket carefully, then leave the club puffing the more expensive smoke with contentment, implying that the club would not be privileged to see him again for at least a few days. It was a day late in August. To Wook's annoyance, the summer vacation was nearing its end. His daily visit to the go club would soon be no more. Wook entered the club in the morning as usual. Early as it was, there were not many players there. Wook was happy to find Master Lee playing at a comer seat. Fortunately for Wook, there was not the usual crowd of

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observers. Only Mr. Chung the tailor, who was about Wook's strength - 6 kyu - was enjoying an unobstructed ringside seat. Wook seated himself next to the tailor after giving him a slight but polite bow. The older observer returned the greeting with a big smile. Master Lee was playing a boy about Wook's age. Wook looked over the game wondering how many handicap stones the boy was taking from the master, but was soon startled to see that it was not a handicap game at all. The boy, no older than Wook, was playing an even game with Master Lee! There were more surprises. Master Lee was apparently in trouble in the game: Master Lee, who had never been seen taking longer than seconds between his moves, was now deep in thought. His agonized face over the board was something Wook had never witnessed before. After a long pause, Master Lee resigned the game, mumbling with a sigh, "I give up. The group cannot be saved..." Master Lee had just lost a game! To a kid! It was simply aston­ ishing. An event still more surprising, however, soon followed. It started with Mr. Chung's innocent question: "Master Lee, couldn't you have saved the group by simply extending instead of cutting?" Lee answered in his usual vague manner, "Well, maybe so..." Then the boy suddenly interrupted the conversation. "I don't think so. Extending would have lost the fight by one liberty." The tailor did not give up. "I think it was possible for the white group to make two eyes by playing a diagonal move." The boy suddenly looked furious, and raised his voice. "Sir, how strong are you? I am a second kyu, and I think there was no way for the group to survive!" There was dead silence. Maybe it was wrong for Mr. Chung, a much weaker player, to insist on his views over the judgement of a top player. Nonetheless, a boy raising his voice to a person

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old enough to be his father was unpardonable behavior. It did not matter who was right or wrong. In Korea disrespect for elders was the worst possible form of bad behavior. The boy's sudden rude behavior left Mr. Chung at a loss. He tried to mask his feelings by picking though his pockets as if looking for cigarette. Master Lee broke the silence. "Dong! You'd better apologize to Mr. Chung right now. Don't you know improper manners cannot be tolerated, especially among go players?" The boy called Dong mumbled a few words of apology. But apparently still resenting the circumstances, he quickly stood up and left the club. "Never mind, never mind. It was me who was at fault! A lowly sixth kyu arguing against a master's deep reading!" The tailor's big-hearted response saved the situation, which could have turned far worse. Master Lee offered him a teaching game, as if offering compensation for the insult, and added, "That kid will soon make it big in the go world. Mark my words! He has what it takes to be a great player: guts. Although at times he goes the wrong way ... Also, he still insists he is a second kyu while not many first kyus are better than him. Well, he is a second kyu all right, a wonseng second kyu, ha ha ha." "What is a wonseng, Master Lee?" "The wonseng are the prodigies being trained by the Korean Go Association. They have their own rank system, ranging from 12 to 1 kyu. Their ranks change every month according to the results of their monthly tournaments. The ranks are only to differentiate their standings among themselves, and quite deceiving. A wonseng 12 kyu would be as strong as first kyu players of the outside world." "You mean a wonseng 12 kyu can beat you, Master Lee?" "Of course, I have lost many games against wonseng 11 or 12 kyu players..." Wook suddenly felt a big headache. His goal so far was to become a first kyu like Master Lee. Then what the hell was this wonseng business? The game of go did not seem to have an

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upper limit: there were ladders upon ladders to climb before one could become a great player. Wook suddenly wanted to meet with the boy Dong again. He was about Wook's age, and could become a close friend. He could tell Wook more about the mysteries of the game. Dong however, did not return to the club until the summer vacation had ended.

Progress in go is slower as one gets stronger. The rapid improvement Wook made to become a 6 kyu naturally slowed down as he tried to become stronger. It took him five more months to become a 3 kyu. From 3 kyu on, one was generally regarded as a good player, entitled to respect from all players. To become a 3 kyu, Wook had spent every minute of spare time studying professional players' game records, getting rare go books from used-book-store districts. Though he felt impatient at his slow improvement, it was actually highly unusual for anybody to make 3 kyu in less than a year. Wook's grades in school suffered considerably, though. Mr. Kwon, who had been rather permissive about Wook's go practice now began to frown at the game. "Son, playing go is for killing time when you have nothing better to do, the way retired people do. But not for young men who have so many important things to do and learn! I hope you realize that our family's reputation is depending on you. You are not going to disappoint me because of go, are you?" Although Wook's grades had become worse, they had not dropped to the point where Mr. Kwon was seriously concerned. Mr. Kwon was still confident that Wook would do what was expected. Contrary to his father's wishes, though, Wook’s life now revolved only around the game of go. A 3 kyu may be regarded as a good player. But to reach first kyu from 3 kyu demanded a great deal of effort. Far more people stayed at 3 kyu than

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made first kyu. Becoming a first kyu, the most respected kyu rank, required not only a great deal of time and hard work but also talent and inspiration. It took Wook another year to reach first kyu. But he finally made it! On the day when Wook won a ten-game series against Master Lee, Wook too became a master. People from then on started to call him 'Master Kwon' or 'Kwon first kyu'. Now in his second year of high school, Wook had grown bigger and more mature. To add to his physical maturity, he had now attained this prestigious rank in go as well. Two years had made a great deal of difference. Now that he had become a first kyu, Wook's desire to meet with Dong grew. Strangely, he had never encountered Dong since the day they first met. Wook asked Master Lee how strong Dong was. "Well, you may win against him in a two-stone handicap game, but not with a one-stone handicap." Surprisingly strong. Almost unbelievable, Wook thought. Wook, confident as he now was, thought he could have a good game against a top professional player with a two-stone handicap. According to what Master Lee had said, though, Dong was almost as strong as a top professional player. Yet Dong had not even made professional. Wook did not quite understand. This just showed that Wook still had a long way to improve. Overconfidence is one of the characteristics of weak players. Wook was still a weak player.

DONG

The Dong-A Go Club was forced to shut down. In those days, running a go club was not really a solid business. The only income source for most clubs was the daily user fees of 30 won, which allowed patrons unlimited time at the club. It did not matter how many games they played nor how many hours they stayed. Although a bowl of Chinese noodles only cost 50 won, the 30 won fee did not permit the owner to pay for the space, the receptionist’s salary, and other things like the rental fan. The Dong-A's owner decided to close down the club on the day the fan was repossessed for several months' back payments. Not far from the Dong-A there was another go club called the YC club. It was in the YC open market district on the second floor of a dilapidated old building. It was also much smaller than the Dong-A. Its seemingly inferior qualities actually gave the YC club an advantage: the rent was much cheaper than at the Dong-A. Also, the club had an auxiliary operation in a tiny room hidden behind the go-playing area. In that room, small to medium-sized gambling games went on, 24 hours a day. The charges for the games — poker or Korean card games -- gave the YC's owner a lot more income than the 30 won fees he col­ lected from the main business. The YC club was the primary beneficiary of the Dong-A's bankruptcy. Although it had been ignored because of its inferior playing conditions and atmosphere, the YC club now was the only place local players could go. The owner felt obliged to officially welcome these new members: A tournament was announced, sponsored by the owner.

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The announcement of the tournament created the expected excitement among the members, although the prizes posted were not fancy: a sack of rice or some go books. The wives might understand why the husbands had been spending so much time playing the game if a sack of rice was brought home as a prize. Go players rarely bought go books for themselves, so book prizes were also welcome. But the prizes were not really the reason for the excitement. Go players simply love tournaments. Naturally Wook entered the tournament, his first ever. On the day of the tournament, Wook was surprised to find Dong, whom he had not seen since their first encounter. A year and a half had changed Wook from a mere 6 kyu to a first kyu. Yet Dong registered for the tournament as still a 2 kyu. There were three divisions in the tournament, set according to the participants' ranks. Wook's division, division A, was for players from first kyu to fourth kyu. It was a handicap tour­ nament, to accommodate players of all levels. As the day wore on, the prospective winners emerged. In division A, Wook and Dong were the only two players without a loss, and were paired for the last game, which would decide the winner of the tournament. As Dong entered the tournament as a second kyu, he took the black stones without giving komi, or compensation, for the advantage of the first move. Wook felt slightly excited. If he could beat Dong here, he would become officially the best player in this part of the city. The prospect of such fame gave him the needed encouragement. Dong seemed a bit puzzled that Wook, a boy about his own age, was one of the rare first kyus. Yet he took the bowl of black stones and gave Wook a deep bow to signal the start. Dong may still be a second kyu, but his appearance had changed considerably. His parted hair and the package of cig­ arettes in his shirt pocket gave him a semi-adult appearance. He had also grown much taller than last time.

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Wook was surprised to find himself so concerned with Dong's appearance rather than the game in progress. He shook off these irrelevant thoughts and tried to focus on the game. Dong was strong. His power backed by deep reading dom­ inated the board, yet the resilience of his moves would not give Wook a chance to fight back. His moves forced Wook to remember what Master Lee had said. Dong was almost two stones stronger than Wook. The game ended rather uneventfully. As the ten or so points of Black's lead was unchangeable, Wook resigned. It was no contest, not with Dong taking black. Dong won the tournament. As the tournament wrapped up, people started to leave. The winners headed home to show off their prizes to their wives, the losers to a so-called ‘double widow’ bar to drink away their most regrettable moves. Wook also felt tired and wanted to go home and rest. But as he was about to leave with his prize —go books —he heard a voice from behind talking to him. "Would you like to play again?" It was Dong. "Sure, but it seemed you were stronger than me." Wook was talking about the handicap resulting from Dong's inaccurate entry rank. "How does playing even sound to you?” he sug­ gested finally, with some reservations. "That would be fine, sir.” Dong was keeping his tone polite. Sir? Wook felt uneasy, aware of Dong's broader experience in the real world. The draw gave Wook black. He felt relieved to take black, for it would give him at least some chance to beat Dong. The con­ fidence that had disappeared after the first game seemed to come back. Wook placed his first move at the top right comer. The game was entering the middle stage as a young man walked into the club. He and Dong exchanged brief greetings. Wook thought he must be a friend of Dong's. Sitting by the board, the young man paid no attention to the game. Obviously he was not a go player, but was there to meet Dong. The suit

24

SUNG-HWA HONG

and the cigarette in his mouth made him look older, yet the pimples on his face revealed that he was still underage. After a while sitting by the board, he glanced at Wook for the first time, then exclaimed "Hey, aren't you Wook? Don't you recognize me? Ikoo. Remember? Ikoo from elementary school?" It was Ikoo. Ikoo, the toughest kid in school. "Yes! Of course I remember now. You've changed. I almost didn’t recognize you." Wook, the smartest kid in school, had received as much respect from the other kids as Ikoo, the toughest. They had something in common. Wook felt pleased at the coincidence of running into an old friend. "Are you a friend of this man, Ikoo?" Wook pointed his chin toward Dong. "This man? Oh Christ! Cut the BS! This kid just takes my orders to stay alive. Hmmmm... I guess you could call him a friend of mine. Anyway, you guys, are you really going to spend any more time on this boring game? On a day when old friends have reunited after a long time?" Wook and Dong looked at each other, then started to clear the stones off the board. Dong was winning, and both knew it. "Where do you want to go, Ikoo? Today is special since this person is new..." Dong was wearing a quiet smile. He too was pleased to get to know Wook in a more natural way. "Christ, you guys! This man and this person! Wait, everybody hold still! The exact time now is February 8th, 1968, seven thirty-four p.m. I now order you two to be friends, first name basis, no BS or nothing! Execute, immediately! Hahahahaha..." Wook and Dong had just become friends.

NEW FRIENDS

From that day on, the three would go places together. Wook learned that both Dong and Ikoo had quit school the previous year during their first year of high school. They told Wook they became close friends after running into each other on what they called the ‘streets’. Hanging out with them occasionally made Wook uncom­ fortable: still being in high school restricted their activities somewhat. For instance, Wook could not hang out with them during the daytime. Also there were places such as tea houses where high school students were not allowed, especially in uniform. They could not smoke as freely when Wook was there in his school uniform. Although the other two did not seem to mind these little inconveniences, Wook stopped wearing the school uniform, against the school rules, when he met with his new friends. Wook slowly became more like the other two. He learned a few new things such as drinking and smoking things that would turn Mr. Kwon into a son-murderer had he found out. Among the all new things Wook began to enjoy, the fact that he could play go with Dong more often pleased him most. After Wook became one of them, his go improved considerably. He could now make a good game against Dong if given black without komi. Ikoo was a wonder and a mystery to Wook. He had a few girl friends, most of them older. On days when Wook and Dong were not available to hang out together, he would go to drink by himself. It was Ikoo who introduced Wook to ‘real’ bars. To

26

SUNG-HWA HONG

Wook, Ikoo was living in a different world. One day, Wook and Dong were sitting in a tea house. They had just finished playing a few games, and had about an hour to kill until they were to meet Ikoo at Renaissance, the music house. Since there was not enough time to play another game, they resorted to relaxing a bit over cigarettes and a cup of coffee. Dong told Wook he was no longer a wonseng. He had quit because there were too many rules and regulations, and they were strictly enforced. If a wonseng, for instance, missed his turn to record a professional game, he would be punished by not being allowed in the next wonseng tournament, which would decide his rank for the month. People were free to quit, Dong explained, but one would not be allowed back in the wonseng system ever. Nonetheless, Dong had quit. "Don't get me wrong, Wook. I have still been studying the game very hard. I can make pro on my own!" But Wook could detect fear in Dong’s protesting voice. In fact, Dong always looked fearful whenever the subject of the qual­ ifying tournament came up. Wook could not quite understand Dong's fear, though. Wook was certain that a player of his strength should not have any problems making professional. No first kyu Wook knew was as strong as Dong. From go magazines, Wook had learned a little about the qual­ ifying tournament. The professional or master qualifying tour­ nament, commonly called just the Qualifier, was held twice a year. Organized by the Korean Go Association, it was the only way a player could become a professional. The tournament was held once in spring and again in the fall. Each tournament cer­ tified the top two winners as professional first dans. Considering the usual number of participants in the tournament was around three hundred, it was extremely difficult to make the top two. The professional-bound hopefuls still considered themselves lucky, for it had been even tougher a few years before. In the past only one player was allowed to become a professional in each tournament. Wook wanted to know more about the qualifying tournament,

FIRST KYU

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more than just the basic facts and rules. "Is it that tough to make pro, Dong?" Wook carefully brought up the subject again, looking into Dong's eyes, seeing them turn grave. "Yes, it is tough... very tough..." "But, Dong, surely a guy as strong as you should not have any trouble winning the tournament." Dong was silent. "You mean, there are a lot of other people even stronger than you?" Dong kept his silence, looking very disturbed. "Haven't you told me before that you could play a good game against a top pro, if you take a two-stone handicap? How many people could there be stronger than you?” Dong still did not bother to reply. "To be frank with you, I have been thinking about entering the tournament myself..." Dong broke his silence. "Wook, you? You don't stand a chance." "Why not, Dong? If I improve a little more, I could..." "No way!" "Am I that bad? You know I am a strong first kyu, too, Dong!" Wook felt slightly offended. Dong could have been more diplomatic about the subject. "Listen to me, Wook. I am not trying to be rude here. I am just stating the truth. There are hundreds of really strong people who have yet to make pro. Sure, you have to be strong. But, luck has to be with you as well before you can make pro. Do you know how many really really strong players there are who haven't made pro simply because luck wasn’t with them? For you, Wook, even the strength is not there. My best result in the tournament so far was making it through the first elimination round. You know, there are three elimination rounds, followed by the main round robin." "Wow, that sounds really tough. Tell me more, Dong, how do you play in those rounds?"

28

SUNG-HWA HONG

"Well, what bothers me is, Wook, why in the hell do you want to become a pro? You are in the best high school, your family is well off... I have none of those things. Making pro is the only way for me to succeed in life. As far as go is concerned, you are a good player. A strong first kyu. People will respect your go skills more, if you are also successful in other things as well. You have everything set out for a promising future... Oops, look at the time, Wook. We are already late! Ikoo will skin us alive!" Wook felt somewhat at a loss. But he had to hurry out of the tea house to Renaissance. They ran. Meeting with Ikoo was always exciting. What would he have planned for today? The two soon forgot about unpleasant things such as the qualifying tournament or the best high school. At Renaissance, Ikoo was sitting with three girls about their age. The girls looked like high-school students, although it was apparent that they had tried their hardest to look more mature. Naive as they were, Wook and Dong did not have the guts to walk directly to Ikoo and the girls. Instead they found a seat in the corner, squinting at Ikoo sitting far away. In a moment Ikoo ran over to them, as expected. "You bozos! Why are you parked here? I have secured these chicks just for you! They are volleyball players at S Girls’ High. Cool looking chicks! Come with me, hurry. Why do I have to spoon-feed you guys all the time? Sharpen up, for Christ's sake!" Wook felt uneasy but excited. The girls were very likable and giggly. Wook and Dong were not skilled in this matter, so Ikoo’s 'spoon-feeding' help was greatly appreciated once more. Soon the six teenagers were making enough chuckles and noises to invite frowning eyes around their table. Absolute silence was expected of the patrons at Renaissance so that people could appreciate the classical music undisturbed. Naturally the new acquaintances were soon kicked out of the music house. They then gladly headed to Rome Bakery, where one could talk and even shout. Ice cream was ordered. Over the ice cream cups, the conver-

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sation became noisier and more interesting. Ikoo kept his lead­ ership role faithfully, the teens now looked as if they had known each other for months. Ikoo's resources were limitless. "Well, ladies and gentlemen. It is against the National Ethics Code that three girls and three boys are sitting together ambiguously like this. We have to turn this group of six people into three couples. I guess, we have to do it by drawing names randomly. Ladies, you have to be good sports here, I know you all want to be my partner. But me, Mr. Fair, cannot fulfill your wishes..." "Wow, Is he confused or what?" "I wonder if I could ever become as shameless as him!" "Lucky for him. A draw will at least get him a partner." As Ikoo's suggestion met with the girls' unanimous approval, they began the drawing process by ripping a napkin into six pieces. After the draw, they switched seats so that the new couples could sit side by side. The tall girl named Inae became Wook's partner. After the rearrangement of seats, a moment of awkwardness followed. The 'fix' created an unexpected uneasiness. For sev­ enteen-year olds, there was a big difference between just chatting together and entering into a relationship. Ikoo tried to break the ice. "Hey, Inae! Consider yourself lucky. Your partner goes to K High." "Yeah right, and his father is the President," Inae snapped back at Ikoo. But Ikoo was persistent. "Really, I am serious. He is really..." "Ikoo, why do you have to bring this up? Cut it out please! Feeling uneasy about the subject, Wook interrupted Ikoo. Wook felt it was in everybody's best interest not to mention school matters when Dong or Ikoo was around. But Wook's sudden remark unexpectedly brightened up Inae. "Oh, my! Then it is true. Are you really in K High?" "Yes, but why should that be a big deal?"

30

SUNd-HW A HONG

"Yes, it should be a big deal! Hey, Sook! Won! Did you hear that? He's a K High student!” The other girls looked genuinely jealous and surprised. It was Wook who was more surprised. He had never realized that being in K High implied such a special status, even among girls. In his family, it was just a routine fact. The other two girls did not keep their jealous faces long. They seemed to be happy with their partners. Even Dong seemed to be having a great time, talking constantly with Sook, his partner. After a few trays of donuts and specialty buns, Won suddenly screamed. "Oh my God! I have to go now. My older brother will kill me if I come home past nine. IT IS TEN! Ahhhhhhh..." That broke up the day's party, though Won did not really seem to fear for her life, for she was still in her seat talking. "Please all of you, Ikoo, Dong, Wook, come to the Chang Stadium at seven p.m., the day after tomorrow. We're playing the semi-final game that day. We need cheerleaders!" "Wook, you are coming, aren't you? Can you come in your school uniform?" Inae winked at Wook as she made this selfish request. Then the girls rushed out of the bakery giggling. The three boys walked back to the YC club together, a good twenty minutes' walk. Walking, their spirits were high, exchanging remarks about the girls. Ikoo gave the other two some lessons in strategies to deal with girls. Wook felt satisfied with his partner, Inae. She was the one Wook felt most attracted to even before the draw. She had nice big eyes. Wook was naturally excited, for Inae was the first girl he had known personally. He had experienced some group meetings, the only way the school rules would allow the members of the opposite sex to meet. This was different, though. And she had nice big eyes too. Wook thought of her request, wearing the school uniform on her game day. He shook his head. It was not a good idea. He had to consider Ikoo and Dong, who had quit school and were

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not very proud of the fact. Wook decided to go to her game, but not in the uniform. It was not a big deal to be in K High, Wook repeatedly reminded himself.

IN A E PARK

The big banner - National Girls' Volleyball Championship outside the Chang Stadium greeted the three prospective cheer­ leaders. Today's game was a semi-final match, S Girls’ High playing P Girls’ High. "Nobody is allowed in the girls' locker room area. Even access to the outside of the locker room is restricted before the game. Once the game is over, you are allowed there. So let's just wait till the game is over." The more experienced Ikoo was really handy to have around. The three found seats in the stands. It was reasonably crowded. Many girls from both schools were there. The boys found seats among S school’s cheering section. Wook smiled rather ashamedly, looking at himself in his uniform. He tried to rationalize his shallow behavior to himself. The red jacket had holes in places, was inadequate to wear. But had he not worn the same jacket many times, never considering it inadequate? His own rationalizing was refuted too easily. He had to admit he was wearing the K High School uniform because he wanted to show off. Maybe he wanted to please Inae. Maybe he wanted to feel superior to her. Maybe he con­ sidered Inae more important than Ikoo and Dong. He was now regretting his foolish behavior. A whistle sounded sharply. The game was about to begin. The players from both schools lined up in front of the net, facing each other. Inae was there. So were Won and Sook. After exchanging bows, the girls took off their sweatshirts and

FIRST KYU

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entered their respective half-courts. Wook saw some similarities between volleyball and go. Inae looked different from the other day. She was in excellent form, with well-toned muscles and the skills and speed needed for the game. She looked serious and tense, just as Wook would during his go games. Watching her display her skills and athletic abilities, Wook felt

ashamed of himself. He had never been good at any sports. He was feeling embarrassed wearing the uniform of the best high school. The idea of trying to feel superior to her by wearing the uniform seemed utterly stupid now. The game was a close one. After each team had won a set each, the third set saw furious and exciting point exchanges. To Wook's dismay, in the end S school lost the third set 14 to 16. Inae and her teammates were almost in tears. They had just been eliminated.

34

SUNG-HWA HONG

"Hey, let's hurry down to the locker room!" Ikoo, indifferent to the outcome of the game, had been waiting for this moment. Wook and Dong followed him to the area outside the locker room. The players were coming out looking disappointed and exhausted. Inae's sad face lit up as she found Wook waiting for her. "Wow! You did come! Sorry, I look so terrible. Can you wait here just a little while? I will take a shower and change right away." Inae hurried away to the shower room. Won and Sook also seemed to have forgotten about the game. They too ran to the shower room giggling. "Hey, you guys! Me and Won are going separate from you guys. Game day is the best day to break a girl loose, especially when they have just lost!" Ikoo's dishonorable intention met approval from the others. Wook too wanted to be alone with Inae without worrying about his friends. The three boys found separate corners to wait for their partners. Wook picked a far comer where the others would not run into him even by accident. Where should he take her? Wook was planning the evening. The noodle house downtown seemed appropriate. She would be hungry after all the running and shouting during the game. After the noodle house, where should they go? It was fun to plan an uncertain future with a newly acquainted girl! "Hey, here you are. Why are you waiting here in this far corner? Where are the others? Oh, I see... They wanted to go on their own! That's OK with me too." Inae was standing behind Wook. She looked refreshing with her freshly shampooed hair combed to her shoulders. "Where are they? They were here just now..." Wook lied awkwardly to cover up the disrespectful arrangement set up by the boys. Let s not worry about them. Follow me. I have someone to

FIRST KYU

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introduce to you." Someone to introduce to him? Could it be Won s tough brother? Or had she invited another guy to come to the game? Wook felt uneasy at this unexpected event. To his relief, it was a middle-aged lady with a big smile. "This is my Mom. Mom, this is my friend!" Wook was surprised to see her introducing her boyfriend to her mother without hesitation. Mr. Kwon would not have approved of her behavior. By his standards, high school kids were not allowed to have boyfriends or girlfriends. "Oh, really? Nice to meet you. Such a fine student, too. It must have been Wook's uniform that received her immediate approval. Inae surprised him even further. "Let's go to our house now. Is that OK with you, M om . "Of course! I will fix up something really tasty for you two." An event that would be utterly incomprehensible to Mr. Kwon was happening. Wook was being invited to his girlfriends house with her mother encouraging the idea! Their car was a huge import, a rarity in Korea at the time, driven by a chauffeur with white gloves. This was another surprise to Wook, who had expected either a taxi or a bus ride. Being slightly in shock, Wook was rather silent during the ride, while Inae was chatting incessantly to him and to her mother. Their house was a huge mansion. Past the iron gate there was a front yard with a pond, well-landscaped by someone with expensive taste. Inside, the living room featured thick white carpet with a tiger hide in the middle. The walls displayed several contemporary oil paintings, in contrast to a collection of ancient Korean pottery in a wooden wall unit. After seating him on a leather couch, Inae disappeared to her room to change. Wook looked around. It was the first time he had witnessed real wealth. The Kwons were well-off too, but there was no comparison. They were in different leagues. The go board in the corner drew his attention. The four-legged board, like everything else in the room, looked very expensive. A six-inch kaya board was a rare item in itself. What really sur-

36

SUN6-HW A HONC

prised him, though, was the autograph on the bottom of the board: Kitani Minoru 9 Dan Kitani 9 dan was the teacher of Master Cho, the founder of the Korean Go Association. Who the hell was Inae's father, pos­ sessing a board autographed by Kitani 9 dan! He lifted the lid of the bowl containing the white stones. The rounded clam shell pieces sent a smooth sensation to his fin­ gertips. Wow! Real hand-polished shell. "Know how to play the game?" Inae, changed into green sweater and blue jeans, was standing behind him. My Dad really likes to play. He has been bragging about the board ever since he first bought it in Japan. He says he played the best player in Japan and received his autograph on the bottom of the board." "Really? Your Dad has played Mr. Kitani? Wow!" "You must know how to play the game, then. How nice! You can play Dad when he comes home." "Do you know how strong he is?" He says he is a 3 dan... See? His dan diploma is on the wall there." The diploma for Mr. Sangsoo Park, nicely framed, said he was an amateur 3 dan. Although go players in Korea at that time were not really familiar with the amateur dan system, diplomas were issued by the Korean Go Association to people of social status. The fee for the service was nominal. But the recipients of the diplomas, usually rich and influential, customarily made big donations to the association on top of the official fees: It was one of the main sources of revenue for the association. The guideline for issuing diplomas stated that an outstanding first kyu would qualify for an amateur 3 dan diploma, the highest level issued at that time. However, the diplomas were issued mainly for financial and political reasons, and the actual strength of the recipients mattered little. The ability and will-

FIRST KYU

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ingness to make big donations was of higher priority in issuing the diplomas. For this reason, Wook was still not sure how strong Mr. Park, an amateur 3 dan, might be. Inae's mother, entering the room with a tray full of tastylooking food, welcomed the news that Wook was a go player. "How nice! Please stay and play with Inae's dad. He loves to play with new people. He will be home shortly, the chauffeur has just left to pick him up." "Well, thank you, but... I have to be home before it gets too late..." "Where do you live? K district? Well, then, it would take only five minutes from here by car. We will give you a ride home. Please stay and meet Inae's dad." Wook in fact wanted to play Mr. Park. He was curious to find out how strong a player Inae's father was. But he was making excuses because he felt uneasy about the prospect of playing Mr. Park as a friend of his daughter. Mr. Kwon would not approve of a friend of his daughter's in his house, let alone playing a go game with him. Maybe it was OK to meet with him since Inae's mother did not seem concerned at all. Wook decided to be brave and face the unknown. He could run out of the house if things turned ugly. Mr. Park arrived shortly. Inae's mother must have told him a little about Wook. As he entered the living room, he picked up the go board to move it toward him. "Hello, I just heard you know how to play. Let's play a game. Inae, you should root for me." "No, Dad. I will be an impartial ref." "There is no need for a referee in a go game. By the way, how strong are you?" "Well, sir. I am a first kyu..." "A first kyu! I am in trouble today. He not only knows how to play, but also is a very good player, Inae! Well, let's play with me taking black." "No, sir. You are a 3 dan..." "Oh, that? That is phony. I think I am about second kyu or so."

38

SUNG-HWA HONG

Wook was forced to take white, for Mr. Park was really insistent. Mr. Park, a well-built man in his forties, seemed very pleasant. Wook was surprised again to see how different a father he was from Mr. Kwon. Mr. Park did not seem to mind at all having her young daughter's friend in his living room. In fact he seemed to enjoy Wook's visit. As they played, Inae's mother walked in with her husband’s tea on a tray. She commented with a smile on her face, "I think Inae really likes him, dear. It is the first time she has invited a boyfriend home, isn’t it?" "Well, is that so? Totally taken with him, are you Inae?" "Dad!" What a conversation between father and daughter! Wook could not believe what he was witnessing. They joked with each other about her newly acquired boyfriend. It was an enviable envi­ ronment. Mr. Park was not much of an opponent. He was so weak that Wook could easily give him a two-stone handicap. Wook was not pressing hard, being considerate. A crushing victory against the father of his new girlfriend would not create a favorable first impression. Wook was planning to win the game by a small margin. A one-point win could be created at Wook's will as there was such a great disparity in strengths. As Wook con­ tinued in these conceited thoughts, Mr. Park resigned the game with a big grin. "Well, Inae, he is not just a good player. He is a master!" "Sir, you are not that far behind in this game..." "I have played so many games with professionals. So I can sense a situation when the stronger opponent is not trying his hardest, to be polite... Well, I think I need at least three stones to play against you. You are good enough to be my teacher." "Then, ask him to come more often, Dad!" "Well, sure. But sorry, Inae, you aren't going to see much of him when he comes. I won't release him from his teaching duties." "Then, I will learn how to play too, Dad!"

FIRST KYU

39

"Hey, you are really taken with him. By the way, Wook, is that your name? Would you like to play another game, this time me taking three stones, maybe?" "I would like to, sir. But it is getting rather late and..." "What time is it now? Oh, it's already past ten-thirty. I will ask the chauffeur to get ready." "No, sir. I can take the bus, and it's no trouble at all..." "No, no, no. Please let me, for my own sake! If I treated a friend of Inae's lightly, she would make my life miserable." "You are the greatest, Dad!" Inae ran to her father, and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Wook’s sisters had never been any closer to Mr. Kwon than three feet, but Mr. Park let his daughter kiss his cheek and seemed to like it. It was another surprise from the Parks. In the car on the way to Wook house, Inae briefly told him about her family. "My grandfather owns all the companies in the C conglomerate group. My dad is the younger of his two sons. My dad was studying in America to become a physicist, leaving his big brother to take over grandfather's business. But as grandfather s business grew bigger, my dad's big brother could not take care of it all by himself. Grandfather ordered Dad to come home, to take care of a few companies. My Mom's family runs the S con­ glomerate group. Their marriage was kind of fixed more for business reasons, between the two families. It is surprising though, my parents enjoy a very happy marriage. They really like each other, and Dad loves family more than anything else. I am their only child." Wook could understand Mr. Park a little better now. Yes, it was his days in America that had made him so open and non-traditional in many ways. The American way, that was it. As they reached Wook's house, Inae handed him a little piece of paper. "My phone number. Call me soon!” Wook thought of giving her his phone number, but changed his mind wisely. It wouldn't be a good idea for Inae to call his

40

SUN6-HW A HONG

house only to run into his father. No way. As expected, his father did not like Wook coming home so late, apparently not from a library, but told Wook off only briefly. Relieved, Wook went to his room and lay on the bed with his clothes on. So many things had happened that day. Inae's athletic moves on the volleyball court, the go board with Kitani's autograph, Inae's mother with her sweet smile, friendly and pleasant Mr. Park, and the smile on Inae's face as she handed the phone number to him in the car. Wook could hardly sleep that night.

NAK

For the next couple of months, it was winter vacation. All Wook did during the vacation period was play go with Dong at the YC club almost daily, and see Inae as often. There was not much progress in his game in spite of the frequent games with Dong. Wook still had to take black against him. On the other hand, there was definitely big progress with Inae as they met more often. Almost every day Wook either called her on the phone, or visited her house. They would either go out to a movie or take a walk. Occasionally they stayed at her house, listening to music or talking. When Mr. Park caught Wook, they played a few games of go with Inae watching. On rare days when Wook could not go to her house, Inae came to the YC club to wait for Wook to finish his games. Running into Ikoo and Dong occasionally, Inae did not mind going out to a movie with all three boys. Even Ikoo, who was always sus­ picious of all girls of any kind, liked Inae. Ikoo even congrat­ ulated Wook on being so fortunate as to have a nice girlfriend. Wook liked Inae as much as Inae did Wook. It was not unusual for the two to hold hands while taking a walk, when Wook was not in uniform. Walking with a girl, holding hands or not, was against the rules of K High school, and punishable by indefinite suspension. Wook felt quite frustrated by the lack of progress in his go game. He would be more than happy to improve by just one stone: strong enough to play Dong alternating black and white. Wook's frustration was noticeable. Dong offered some advice. "Hey, Wook. Don't feel too frustrated by this lack of

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improvement. At your level, it is almost impossible to improve by even half a stone. I may be a bit stronger than you, but I am not strong enough to teach you to improve any more. From here on, you would need a teacher at least two or three stones stronger than you to improve." A person two or three stones stronger than Wook would be a top professional player. It was obviously an impossible task to find such a person. Wook still felt quite frustrated, for the desire to become a pro­ fessional go player began to sprout within his mind rather strongly. It was natural for a first kyu to want to become a pro­ fessional. But a professional at that time did not earn a good living. The game of go was not yet as popular as now, and accordingly, sponsors for professional tournaments were hard to find. The professionals therefore had to find side jobs to make a living. Unsuccessful in finding another job, some resorted to gambling go games. Yet ironically, go was one of the hardest fields in which to become a professional. Only four people a year made pro, after fierce competition. The desire to become a professional came mainly from pride, not financial prospects. First kyus were respected by all players for their skills and brilliance on the board. As they became used to the respect and praise, their egos demanded further glory and respect. Also, their competitive spirits would make them want to try their skills against other first kyus, to become 'super first kyu'. Making pro through the notorious qualifying tournament would satisfy their egos and pride. First kyus had these reasons for wanting to become profes­ sionals, and embark on a life so difficult and financially infeasible. The majority of people, not quite understanding the psychology of the first kyus, simply called the wannabe pros 'nut cases'. Wook was slowly becoming one of the nut cases. Wook by now had almost decided to set his sights on becoming a professional player. His frustration at his slow to non-existent progress was thus quite understandable. As Dong had advised, Wook needed a teacher.

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Wook in fact had improved a great deal since becoming a close friend of Dong's. Yet there were some more rungs to climb on the ladder to becoming a pro. If a teacher was impossible to find, he needed at least some players of his strength to play and practice with. There was only one player, Dong, available to Wook, others being too weak to help Wook improve. Winter vacation was over. After a brief school period in February, Wook finished his second year. There was a two week break before the start of his final year of high school. As usual, Wook walked into the YC club in the morning. He found Dong playing at the comer table. He was playing a young man in his twenties wearing heavy-framed black glasses. Thinking that it was one of Dong's teaching games, Wook approached the table and glanced at the game casually. Surprisingly, it was not a teaching game by Dong. The young man with glasses was playing white. Furthermore, it was a twostone handicap game. Dong was taking two stones from this young man! According to Dong, he had played against top professionals with two-stone handicaps as a wonseng, winning about half the games. So this young man must be a top professional player. Wook tried to recall a face of a top professional from the go magazines he had read, to match the young man's face. Wook could not recall a professional who resembled this man. Who was he? The game was over about an hour later. The result was Dong's loss by two points. The young man, after the counting, pulled two Swan cigarettes from his pocket, offering one to Dong and placing the other in his mouth. Then his hand went into the pocket again, and pulled out a wooden match. His hand made a third trip into the pocket, this time taking longer to look for something. What was he looking for, Wook wondered. A book of matches? As if ignoring Wook’s curiosity, the man was in no hurry and took a long time going through the inside of the pocket. Finally he pulled out the object. It was a piece of friction pad torn off of

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a large match box. He struck the match against the friction pad to light it. He lit Dong's Swan first and soon puffed out a long stream of smoke from his own Swan. The man had no class. It was almost disgusting to see a man using this paraphernalia, presumably stolen from a table in a tea house, to light ciga­ rettes. A book of matches cost only two won. Even beggars on the streets were not hard up for matches. Class or no class, however, this man had just given two stones to Dong, who was the strongest player Wook had ever known, and won. Who the hell was he? "Well, you seem to have slipped off in the endgame. Taking two stones here in gote - losing the initiative - and letting white play in the corner was a loss of at least two-and-a-half points..." The man's comments were difficult to understand. No doubt he could give Dong two stones. Dong was silent, probably upset over the loss. Then he looked up and saw Wook for the first time, a sign that he had really been involved in the game. "Hi, Wook. Been watching the game?" "Yeah... from about the middle. Dong, did you take two stones in this game?" "Yeah... Oh, meet him, Wook. This is Brother Nak, Nak-Yoon Kim. Heard of his name?" "Not really... Giving you two stones, is he a pro?" "No, no. I am not a pro. Dong can play now with straight black, not two stones, I think." The man gave Wook a pleasant smile. Wook returned the smile, still a bit confused that a non-pro could beat Dong on two stones. "Brother Nak, can you play a game with my friend here?" Wook felt thankful for Dong’s considerate suggestion. "Sure, but how strong is he?" "Well, Wook, why don't you take four stones?" Wook felt deeply insulted. Four stones? He wouldn't want to take even three stones against Kitani 9 dan! Wook soon changed his mind. He could kill all the white stones off the board with four stones. Wook placed the four handicap stones

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on the board. The game started. Wook played fast, feeling confident. Nak responded by playing even faster than Wook. The game went into the middle game in less than ten minutes. As one of Nak's groups was being attacked, Wook slowed down and started to read carefully. Wook wanted to finish the game there and then. Careful reading assured Wook that he could kill Nak’s white group in a cap­ turing race. Wook placed the next move triumphantly. To Wook s surprise, Nak played a move immediately without hes­ itation. Wook stopped again to confirm his previous reading. Sure enough, Wook was to win the capturing race. There was no mistake. Wook continued his moves according to his reading, making sure there were no other variations possible. Nak played as Wook had envisioned, and Nak's white group was killed as expected. The game was not over, though. White had built a wall during the fight that killed his group. Using the wall, Nak made a placement move in the middle of Wook's large black group. With that move Wook’s group died. Not even a slight chance for variations. Wook had not expected this. The group Wook had captured was much smaller than the one he had just lost. Wook had no choice but to resign. As he resigned the game, Wook regretted being careless just after securing a win. "Appears you underestimated White's sacrifice strategy..." Nak's brief comment surprised Wook. It was not Wook's mistake that caused the death of the bigger group. It was all in Nak's plan. Wook's careful reading to kill Nak's group and the subsequent death of Wook's group were all part of Nak’s plan! I could sense a lot of talent in you. If you study some, you could even make pro... Well, how about it, Dong? Shall we all go out for a cup of coffee?" Nak had offered a truce. He looked pleased after the game with Wook. The three went next door, to the tea house called the Lake. At the Lake, as if reading Wook's mind, Dong briefly told Wook about Nak and his life. Nak had entered the qualifying tour-

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nament numerous times, most of the time almost making pro. He was so strong that most first kyus wanted at least a fivestone handicap against him in a money match. He had recently made it to the final in a tournament to select the Korean repre­ sentative to an international match. The reason he had not yet made pro was, according to Dong, that luck had been against "Luck? Would a person of his strength need luck, Dong?" "Yes, indeed one needs luck... lots of it..." As Nak answered the question Wook had directed at Dong, his face turned sad. He lit another Swan, this time using the matches on the table. His eyes' focus drifted in the space filled with his exhaled smoke. Nak soon recovered from his distracted state. Obviously he wanted to change the subject. "Well, that sort of thing is not very exciting to talk about. Let s get acquainted officially. My name is Nak-Yoon Kim, as you know by now. I was bom in 1948, a rat. You? Oh, 1950, a tiger. We are of similar age. Let’s become friends from now on, firstname basis. If the two-year difference makes you feel reluctant to call me by my first name, just throw in 'brother' in front of the name." . . , , The two became new friends. Playing a game of go had sped up the process. Dong had to leave first to take care of some family matters. Wook and Nak stayed on, now talking more freely about various things. There were abundant subjects to talk about, for each was interested by the other's totally different background. If a customer stayed over two hours in a tea house over a single cup of coffee without ordering any more food or drinks, the waitresses would start to drop hints —hints that said get out in a rather inconspicuous way. The two had to leave the tea house after receiving such hints repeatedly. Wook offered to treat Nak to lunch, as he remembered how Nak had paid for the three coffees - one hundred and fifty won. After insisting that he would pay for the coffees, he had had to

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search hard for the two one hundred-won notes crumpled between the friction pad and some coins. They went to a Chinese restaurant for pork with noodles. Wook felt better seeing Nak enjoying the noodles. He was sure Nak had spent his lunch money on Wook's coffee. Nak asked Wook to his place as they were walking out of the restaurant. Wook had no reason to refuse. He was happy to spend more time with Nak. The rented room on a hill in H district was miserably shabby and small. A small tea table and folded blanket in the corner took up most of the space in the room. The space not taken up by the furniture was just big enough to allow a person to lie down. The comparisons jumped to Wook's mind: Mr. Park’s living room with the tiger hide and Nak's rented room of about a hundred square feet, and Mr. Park himself, who was about three stones weaker than Wook, and Nak who was more than four stones stronger than Wook. It did not take long to deduce that the game of go and money did not have much in common. They sat on the floor in front of the tea table. Nak had found a bottle half-filled with soju and two plastic cups. Nak poured the soju and handed a cup to Wook. Drinking time, Wook. Believe me, I am not saying this because you are here alone with me. You have a talent for go. A talent Dong could only dream of having..." Nak drank down the liquor in one gulp. Wook did the same, excited to hear Nak speak highly of his talent. "How can you be sure after only one game, Brother Nak?" Because... I too have a talent in go. Your go resembles mine so much. I was astonished. But...it is a shame that though your go style resembles mine so much, it shows spots of astonishing clumsiness. Possessing a talent is a rare gift. But, talent alone does not guarantee you making pro. You have to study... I talked about luck this morning at the Lake. Yes, you do need luck to make pro. But only those who have studied deserve to mention luck. Most failed to make pro because they were not strong enough, not because they had bad luck."

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"Well, since you brought it up, let me ask you again, if you don't mind. Can you explain the bad luck you have had in the qual­ ifying tournaments?" Nak emptied the bottle into his cup and drank it down. "Well, what would you say about a guy who had finished second three times in a row when they were allowing only one player to advance to pro from each tournament, who then finished third twice in a row after they changed the rule to select two pros from each tournament?" Nak's face looked like he needed more soju. He would have made pro a long time ago if they had changed the rule a year or two earlier. There was no other description possible. He was just unlucky. "Sometimes I try to think that luck has nothing to do with it. The fact is, I was not strong enough to finish first..." Nak, disappointed to see there was no more soju left, pulled the Swan package from his pocket. He lit one up using the same friction pad. He slowly continued. "You have to start serious studying. It is an insult to your talent not to study, and just stay at your current level. Also, you should start entering the qualifying tournament. It would be a mistake to wait until you are ready before entering the tournament. You should enter now even if you lose all your games in the first round. There are three things you need to improve your game. Of the three, the first is having proper opponents. The qualifying tour­ nament will provide the best selection of opponents in the country. The entry fee is three thousand won. It is quite a lot of money for a guy like me. But if it is not too much of a burden, please enter the tournament. There is the spring one coming up in March. It will be my last qualifying tournament... Wouldn't it be fun for us to play in the same tournament?" "Last tournament? Are you going to give up trying to become a pro if you don’t make it this time? "No... It is just that I have been drafted. I will join the army in April. Once in the army, I won't be able to enter the tournament

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for three years. After three years, who knows. I would probably become much weaker due to lack of practice. Also there would be more new strong players, making the competition harder. If I am going to make it, I will have to make it this time. That's why I look at this spring tournament as my last one." Nak tried unsuccessfully to smile as he talked. He must have decided that the previous fall tournament was his last one, not this coming spring tournament. Feeling sorry for Nak, Wook changed the subject. "You have just said there are three things one needs to make pro. If the first is to have strong opponents, what are the other two?" "Books and a teacher... I don’t think you have had any of the three so far." "I have read a few books... the go magazines from the asso­ ciation, life and death problems, joseki books, and a few others." Wook felt insulted to be regarded as a fake first kyu who had not even read the necessary books. Nak smirked as he met Wook's protest. "Those are not the books for a guy wanting to make pro. Those are suitable for people reading go books to kill time or to amuse themselves. I will show you some real books." Nak moved the folded blanket in the comer of the room to expose a small wooden box underneath. Nak fumbled for a while with the things in the box, and finally pulled out a couple of books. He handed one of them to Wook rather carefully. It was a thick book entitled Game Records o f Wu. The book was bound by the thread-sewing technique, implying it had been published a long time before. Wook opened the book and found it was written in Japanese. "In Japanese! I don't know how to read Japanese." ' I don't either. You don't have to read the commentary — or rather you should never read the commentary —in game-record books. If you do, you will at best become a robot of the person who wrote the commentary. You just replay the games and

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come up with your own interpretations. So it doesn't matter if it is written in Japanese, or Spanish. Have you heard of Master Wu? He is a go god, just like Master Dosaku. The Japanese call Shusaku a go god as well. But to me, there have been only two go gods: Wu and Dosaku. When you replay their games, you often feel chilling sensations going down your spine, proof that they are go gods. I haven't experienced such sensations replaying Shusaku's games...If I had, however, worshiped Shusaku more than Dosaku, I might already have made pro...” Nak was talking about people Wook had never heard of. Wook already felt there was something mysterious about the book he was holding. It was, though, quite natural for Wook not to have heard of these people’s names, for Japanese books were then virtually unknown to Koreans. Nak continued, "This book is one of the few treasures I own. I don’t think you can find another copy anywhere in Korea. I want to give it to you. Do you know why? Because I feel you are the one who resembles me the most in go. I first felt it during our game today. I hope at least one of us can make pro, if I can't. That's why I want you to have this book, to become much stronger than you are now." Wook could say nothing. "If I hadn’t met you, this book would probably end up in the garbage after I join the army. There are three hundred or so games of Master Wu in the book. I have replayed them all nine times. So if you replay them all ten times each, you could beat me, I guess, hahahaha..." Nak was laughing, yet looked sorrowful. He had replayed the games nine times! A total of over two thousand seven hundred games! Yet he was in the process of giving it all up, passing the baton to Wook. Wook could understand the ambivalent expressions struggling across Nak's face. "You DO NOT need any other books! Now the third necessity to make pro, the teacher. Having a teacher is not as important as the other two. Having a teacher may interfere with developing unique style of your own, by making you mimic teacher's style... Well, if you still feel you need all three, I will

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be your teacher." Nak’s words excited Wook. Today Wook had just acquired two out of three necessary requirements to make pro. It did not seem impossibly difficult to replay the games ten times each. Wook could now become as strong as Nak. Wook, who had been frustrated with his inability to improve by one stone, had been given an opportunity to improve by four stones! Nak picked up the other book. It was much thinner than the first one. "This is not a go book. Still, this book will help you in your games. It is a collection of poems and short stories written by a friend of mine who was a poet. He was also a good go player, about one stone weaker than me. He too had tried, although unsuccessfully, to win the qualifying tournament a few times. He had even made it to the main round robin once. Well, last year his parents emigrated to Canada for good, and took him with them. A guy who only knows how to play go and write poems in Korean... What could he be doing there now? Poor guy. I really feel sorry for him. He was exceptionally good at handicap games against weaker players. He could give people at least two more handicap stones than I could. People used to call him a 'hypnotist on the board', because whoever was playing against him was made to play as if hypnotized... This is not a published book. He just put together poems and short stories for himself like this. There are one or two pieces on go, the only pieces I have read. I can't understand poems... One of them is a short story called 'The Blood Coughing Game', the story of an unfortunate professional player in mid-nineteenth century Japan. I think he even attached the game record itself after the story, let's see... Here it is. Please read the story first and then replay the game. It will teach you something about tenacity. You have to be tenacious as well as strong to make pro." Wook's hands trembled a little holding the two books he had just received. A strong desire to start on the books was pumping his heart hard. Nak picked up his jacket preparing to go out, as

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if he had read Wook's mind. "I have to go out now. One must work to pay the rent. I have to be in Y district by seven p.m." Wook felt a little curious to find out what Nak's work was. But he did not ask him, feeling it might be rude. They rode the same bus together until Wook had to get off. "Well, I have to get off now. I will drop by your place soon." "You may just be wasting your time - I'm not home most of the time. Wouldn't it be better if I dropped by at the YC club?" "Of course, it would be nice if you could do that. Thanks for the books, really." Nak just smiled to acknowledge Wook's gratitude. At home, Wook opened the poet's book first. His name was Suk-won Hong. The story 'The Blood Coughing Game' was at the end of the book.

TH E BLOOD COUGHING GAME

On July 19th, 1835, in a quiet room ofLordMatsudaira's castle, two players sat facing each other. The one occupying the seat facing the garden was Meijin Jowa 9 dan, age forty-eight, of the Honinbo family. His opponent across the go board was Intetsu 7 dan, age twenty-six, of the Inoue family. The handicap was one stone, Intetsu taking black with no komi. As the game was about to start, both players had their eyes closed, medi­ tating to cleanse their minds of irrelevant thoughts. But there were many matters hard to banish from their minds. For Meijin Jowa, this was a game that he could not afford to lose. The fame and glory of being Meijin, the highest go title, obtained through years of political maneuvers and dishon­ orable yet necessary schemes, was at stake. Jowa felt quite uncomfortable having Intetsu as his opponent, for he had lost the two previous games against Intetsu when Intetsu had held black. Jowa felt intimidated by Intetsu's teacher Inseki, who would doubtless challenge to put Jowa's strength as Meijin to test should Jowa lose this game. It was Inseki who was the true victim of Jowa's schemes, for Jowa becoming Meijin was worth creating new enemies. Jowa knew Inseki was as strong a player as himself - the very reason why Jowa had avoided playing Inseki in the past few years. Jowa could not risk a possible loss to Inseki, for it would result in his having to give up the Meijin title. But Jowa could not avoid this match with Intetsu, Inseki's successor, arranged by

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Lord Matsudaira. Lord Matsudaira was just too powerful for Jowa to risk turning down his request. So Jowa had decided to try his best to defeat this young and talented player from the rival Inoue family - no matter what the cost. Across the board sat Intetsu who had even more reasons than Jowa to win this match. His master Inseki had been the victim of Jowa's dishonorable schemes, which had almost destroyed Inseki's pride and self-esteem. Only if Intetsu could win this match, would there be a chance for his master to achieve the honor of becoming Meijin. Master Inseki had raised Intetsu, orphaned at an early age, like his own child. He also had taught Intetsu everything about go, to make his pupil strong enough to get the master's revenge. Now the chance had finally come to repay the master everything Intetsu owed him. This was a different game from the previous two games they had played. This was an official match hosted by the lord, with representatives of all four go houses present. The outcome of today's match would be official - official enough for master Inseki to petition for a review of Jowa's qualification to be Meijin. Intetsu knew, however, how strong and powerful Jowa's go was. His master had warned him numerous times. Intetsu had gone over Jowa's games many times, each time realizing how Jowa’s awesome power could prevail over the opponent. He had to win, however, for his master and for the honor of the Inoue family, no matter what the cost. Intetsu opened his eyes and placed his first move ever so gently in Jowa’s lower left comer. Jowa responded by striking down his white stone hard in his lower right corner. The game of the era began. A total of fifty-nine moves were played on the first day before they retreated to their families for two days' break. The secret move of the Inoue family, reserved for a match like this, was used in the lower left corner, frustrating Jowa as expected. Intetsu as black was leading convincingly. Jowa, realizing he was clearly behind, gathered all of his pupils

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in search of the next move, to no avail. The second night of the break, Jowa was still at the go board looking at the game, ago­ nizing for a move that would turn the game around. There was no such move. Jowa kept on staring on the board, meditating occasionally with intense concentration. Just past midnight of the second night, Jowa could not keep it up any longer and finally passed out. The members of the family, deeply con­ cerned, gathered around the unconscious Jowa. Finally he came to. But his eyes looked different now, beaming and glittering. He opened his mouth for the first time in hours, "I got it! I got it! I finally got it!" Later it was understood that ghosts had come during Jowa's delirium, to show him the moves. Intetsu spent the entire two days alone on a small rowboat in the nearby river, meditating. He was well aware of the long journey ahead to the finish. Maintaining his superior position to the end would still be a very tough assignment. After all,

56

Jowa was Meijin, the best player in the country. The game resumed on July twenty-first. Forty more moves were played, then they broke for three days' recess. During the day, Jowa played three exquisite moves nobody had antic­ ipated. With these three moves the game had turned around in Jowa's favor. The third day, July twenty-fourth, saw Jowa holding a vic­ torious position after the one hundred and seventy-second move was played. Jowa, the higher-ranking player, had the right to decide when to stop before the last break. He boldly announced the break time on Intetsu's turn, suggesting white no longer needed to study the game during the break. After three days' break they would resume play and finish, as they had agreed to complete the game in four days of play. During the break Jowa threw a little party for his pupils, con­ fident and happy. On the other hand, Intetsu stayed on his rowboat in the river for three days, totally motionless. The final day arrived. They had to finish the game now without any further break. Intetsu played on, refusing to resign just yet. Although it was clearly hopeless for black by now, Intetsu was holding on to a slender possibility to turn the game around. It was not that he was hoping for a swindle through his opponent s mistakes. There still existed a very slight chance for black to turn the game around, although quite slim. As long as there was a window of opportunity, however tiny it might be, to turn the tables, Intetsu refused to give up. Seventy-two more moves . were played over a span of ten hours. Finally there was no room for variations. Intetsu had to resign. Jowa won the game. They exchanged post-game bows and started to clear the stones off the board. Before all the stones were cleared, Intetsu collapsed, coughing blood onto the board. He had exhausted all his energy on the game, leaving nothing to sustain his own body. Intetsu never recovered, and passed away less than two months later, his master at his bedside.

57 On a rainy day when I fall into loneliness and despair, I replay this game of Intetsu's. Powerless against moves unfairly coached by ghosts, Intetsu's stones sigh as they did on a hot summer day in 1835.

White: Honinbo Jowa Black (no komi): Akaboshi Intetsu White wins without counting played July 19, 1835 to move 59 on July 21 played to move 99 on July 24 played to move 172, ended July 27 at move 246

TH E RO AD TO CO

‘The Blood Coughing Game’ shook Wook's mind. He could almost see Intetsu sitting motionless in a small rowboat. He learned for the first time that the game of go could even cost a life. Wook found the game record on the back page and replayed the game. The game was violent, yet highly skilled. There were too many variables for Wook to understand. As the poet had said in the story, their stones were all alive and breathing. Wook replayed the game three times. Some question about their moves still remained. He decided to ask Nak about it next time they met. Nak would know. Wook then started on Master Wu's game records. It took him over two hours to replay one game. Here also, there were many moves he could not understand. He realized why Nak had insisted on replaying the games ten times each to understand better. Wook had now convincingly turned into one of the ’nut cases'. The two weeks’ break ended, beginning Wook's final year in high school. During the break, Wook had not been able to see Nak again. Visits to his rented room proved futile, and Nak never came to the YC club. Strangely, Wook could not find Dong at the club either. Even Ikoo said he had not met Dong again. The final year at K school was unique. All school activities were centered around successfully entering S, the best uni­ versity. Teachers, students, and parents had one common goal. Wook felt sorry for his classmates, studying hard yet not

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knowing why. They had to study seventeen hours a day because it was expected by others, not because they saw the need them­ selves. He felt different now that he was the only one in school who had figured out what to do in the future. Wook studied Mr. Wu's games rather than math or English. Naturally, his grades suffered. Mr. Chang, his homeroom teacher, wanted a private meeting with Wook. It was a few days after the first monthly exam. Mr. Chang had also been his homeroom teacher in the first year of high school. He was surprised to see Wook's low grades, remembering Wook had been at the top of his class two years before. Thus, a private meeting was set. "Wook, do you have any problems these days?" "Not really, sir." "Mr. Kwon and the business are all right, I suppose?" "They are, sir." "Hmmm, then, you must have a girlfriend, right?" "... No, sir." Wook thought of Inae for a moment. But knowing she was not the problem the teacher was looking for, he denied the alle­ gation. "Then, what the hell is the reason your grades are like this?" Mr. Chang was now shouting, demanding an answer. If you are always on the defensive, you cannot win a go game. Wook decided to take the initiative. "To tell you the truth, sir, I have given up the idea of going to university." "Really? Why? Do you have some other plan for your future, then?" "Yes, sir. I do. I will promise one thing, though. I may have given up university, but I haven't given up school altogether. I won't fail a course or anything. But I won't study in order to go to university." "What nerve you have! Then, tell me about your plan for the future." Wook could not answer.

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"See? You don't even have a plan. Tell you what. I know it's frustrating and the pressure is there. But you have to go to uni­ versity first while you have the chance. Furthermore, think about your family, your brothers and sisters. Aren't you supposed to complete the tradition of the KS family?" "I doubt it should be called tradition! It's rather stubbornness." "You think you are smarter than rest of the world, don't you? I tell you, you will regret this later if you pass up this only chance of going to university, S university. You will be really stupid if you cannot see this plain truth, unless you have a definite plan..." "I do have a plan, sir." "Tell me about it, then." "You can't tell me because you don't have one." "I do, sir, but..." "Tell me please, then!" "Well, I want to become.... a professional go player." "What? Go player? Do you know how to play?" "Yes, sir, a little." "How strong are you?" "First kyu..." "Oh! I see. I am running into another one of these! You mean you want to enter the qualifying tournament?" "Yes, sir." "Dammit..." Mr. Chang could not seem to find appropriate words. He lit up a cigarette, staring at Wook silently. After a moment of silence, Mr. Chang spoke, slowly. "Listen to me, Wook. About ten years ago, when I was working at P High, there was a kid who wanted to make pro. He too was a first kyu, a rarity I guess. He quit school to try out in the qual­ ifying tournament. I still check the names of the current pro­ fessional players once in a while to see if he has made it yet... I don't see his name. Well, he was going to P High — making pro would have given him a better future than graduating. But,

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you... you are different. Giving up university from K High because of go? It is not right. From student at the best high school to professional go player is incomprehensible." "I am not to become a professional go player because I am in the best school, is that what you are telling me, sir? Well, then K High is only a hurdle in this case. If the best high school acts as an obstacle to one's future, it should not be called the best high school!" Wook's voice was trembling. Mr. Chang had just been defeated in logic by his student. But it is not a good idea to defeat someone with absolute power over you. "Well, talking back, too? I will pretend I have not heard any of this. Instead, if your grades stay this bad until the next month's exam, I will talk to your father. You got that?" Wook had to shut up on hearing Mr. Kwon's name. Mr. Kwon would not even listen to his son, unlike Mr. Chang. Wook therefore gave in strategically, so as to keep the matter between him and his teacher. He assured Mr. Chang he would do better in the next exam. Wook however could not study for the next month's exam. In ten days, he was to enter his first professional qualifying tour­ nament. Wook studied the games of Wu instead of math or English.

TH E PRO FESSIO N AL Q U A LIFY IN G TO U R N A M EN T

The qualifying tournament. It made a lot of people cry. Twice a year, strong first kyus from all over the country, around three hundred in number, gathered to compete in the tour­ nament. Out of the three hundred, only two ended up smiling. The rest of the 'nut cases' ended up crying. Their girlfriends, the owners of the soju bars they frequented, and sometimes even their parents all cried for the unsuccessful ’nut cases'. Maybe it was a good thing that the Korean Go Association held the tournament twice a year only, not more. Wook entered the qualifying tournament for the first time. He felt a bit remorseful about the lie he told Mr. Kwon: three thousand won 'to spend on text books' was used instead to pay the entry fee. Wook was nonetheless excited to participate in the most prestigious go tournament in the country. He had to skip school on tournament day, changing out of his uniform at the bakery near the school. He left his school bag and uniform with the owner of the bakery. The Korean Go Association's huge tournament room was crowded. Dong was already there, but Nak could not be found. The first preliminary round schedule was posted on the wall. Wook went to find his division. For the first round, participants were divided into divisions of four players. The winner of each division would advance to the

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second preliminary round. Within each division, the four players all played against each other, playing three games each. The same format was used in the second and third preliminary rounds. After the three rounds, eight players would survive. They would then join the two seeded players from the previous tournament to play the final ten-man round robin. The top two finishers would become professionals and the next two would be seeded for the next tournament. Wook lost all three games in the first round. After losing the first two games convincingly, he lost the last one, although having had some chances, by one-and-a-half points. Wook felt disappointed with his own strength, realizing how much he would have to improve to make pro. He was not good enough even for the first round. Three thousand won seemed to have disappeared rather easily. But Wook was able to calm himself down quickly, assuring himself this was to be expected, for now. He felt a strong desire for more study. With nothing to do, Wook went over to Dong’s division to see the results. Dong had won two games already, and the last game seemed to be going well for him. He would make the second round. Feeling better at Dong's record, Wook left the asso­ ciation building to go back to school. The owner of the bakery, a middle-aged woman in her fifties, looked at Wook changing back into his uniform with sorry eyes. Wook ignored her and left the bakery, his school bag stuffed with his clothes. One good thing about being eliminated outright from the first round was that he would not have to skip school again tomorrow. Skipping school two days in a row might make Mr. Chang call Mr. Kwon. Wook had a late lunch at home, prepared by the maid. Fortunately nobody was home to question his early return from school. After taking a brief nap, Wook strolled down to the YC club. To his surprise, he found Nak reading a newspaper alone. "Brother, how come you haven't been around? I have dropped by at your place a few times as well. Also, more importantly, how come you were not at the qualifying tournament today?"

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"Hahaha, slow down, Wook. You must have entered the tour­ nament as I told you. Very good. One win and two losses? Or all three losses?" Nak was ignoring Wook's questions, asking his own instead. "Well, three losses. But I am asking, how come you weren't there?" "I finished third last time and was seeded, remember? I don't have to play until the main round, which starts the day after tomorrow.” Nak smiled as if he could read Wook's mind: Wook had worried Nak might have given up even before the tournament. Wook felt a bit silly and relieved. "How about a coffee, Wook? Tell me about today's tour­ nament." Wook felt a bit disappointed that Nak wanted coffee instead of a game. Talking with Nak, however, did not seem like a bad idea. Wook followed Nak to the Lake. The Lake was quiet. They were just about the only people there. At least they could stay a long time today without receiving 'hints'. After ordering coffee, Nak offered Wook a cigarette. To Wook's surprise, it was Chungja, not Swan. Nak lit Wook's cigarette with —another surprise —a gas lighter. Nak seemed to enjoy Wook's surprised face. "Since the day we met, I have been making better money. Well, for your information, I smoked Swan not because I liked them, but because I had no choice." "You must have found a better job, then. How did you find a job with only one month to go before you join the army?" "Hahaha, you still don't know what my work is. I made the money playing go." "Giving go lessons?" "No, no, no. What kind of a drunk would give you money for teaching go? It was bangneki.” Bangneki is a go game played for money, where the amount of money won is determined by margin of victory. Wook felt

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slightly disappointed. Nak, the strongest player known to him, was a gambler. The respect Wook had for Nak seemed to dis­ appear. Nak could see Wook's disappointment. "Well, Wook. I know it is not right to play bangneki. But you also have to understand a guy who depends on bangneki to survive. I only know one thing, playing go. Had no school or job training like others did. Yet I have to make a living somehow. I had to resort to bangneki to survive in this world, feeling rather sorry for myself. But as time went by and I played more bangneki, it worked for me not only as a way to survive, but also to relieve some of the stress and agony I have acquired because of go. I sometimes tell myself, when I am playing bangneki: 'Pay-back time, Nak'. I have spent all of myself on go with almost nothing in return. Bangneki is the only com­ pensation I get from go. Well, am I a hypocrite?" Wook began to understand Nak better. He really was in a way a true victim of having learned the game. He deserved some compensation, agreed. "Well, Brother Nak. You could also lose money playing bangneki... there is no guarantee you will win all the time. Some compensation, isn't it?" "A good player will never lose. I will explain to you in detail before I join the army. But not today, Wook. I really do not want to talk about bangneki two days before the qualifying tour­ nament. It’s almost like visiting a brothel two days before your wedding." "Oh, do you know what happened to Dong today?" "I think he at least made it to the second round. He had won two games already when I left, and had a good game going in the third." "Great. Dong may even make pro this year. Sometimes a winning streak can push you far, even when you are only as strong as Dong. Also, Dong was REALLY studying hard for the tournament in the last month or so. Didn’t you know?" Wook could now understand why Dong had been hard to find.

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He must have stayed home all day studying hard. Wook remembered Dong’s nervous face whenever the subject of the qualifying tournament had come up. Wouldn't it be nice if Dong and Nak made pro together this time? Wook prayed it would become true.

BAN CN EKI

Dong made it to the main round after passing through all three preliminary rounds with nine straight wins. He was among the eight new people who joined the two seeded players from the previous tournament, Nak being one of the two. The ten players then played for three days in a round-robin format to select two new professional players. Neither Nak nor Dong was one of the lucky two. It was a small consolation, though, for Dong to place fourth, becoming a seeded player. Dong would not have to go through the hellish three preliminary rounds in the next tournament. Nak, assumed to be the most likely player to make it this year, did not play well at all. He did not even make the seed. He would have to enter from the first preliminary round next time, just like Wook. "Oh, well, I won't be able to enter the tournament from the army anyways." Nak tried to laugh it off. Wook could tell he was crying inside, though. He would never enter the tournament again as he had said. Go had been too cruel to Nak. He would probably want to end the relationship, where his unconditional love for the game had been all but ignored. "Can you come to the tea house ’the Road' near the train station tomorrow evening around eight o'clock? It would be even better if you could spend the night with me. Can you arrange that?" Nak asked Wook unexpectedly. Wook could not answer right away, for staying out overnight required Mr. Kwon's prior approval. Wook promised Nak he would try his best. Wook now

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now wanted to do anything Nak wished. To do that, he would have to come up with some plausible lies for Mr. Kwon. The lie of studying overnight at a 24-hour library gained Mr. Kwon's approval rather easily. Mr. Kwon was almost impressed by his son's voluntary efforts to study. He even gave Wook some money for a late-night snack. The next day after dinner, Wook went to the library. At the library, he changed into the clothes he had brought along, then hung his uniform jacket over the back of his chair. This was a precaution against Mr. Kwon's possible inspection trip. With his books left open on the desk, Wook left the library, practicing the line, 'You must have dropped by while I just stepped outside for a snack'. Wook was thankful for the government curfew that would ensure Mr. Kwon went home before midnight. It was risky, but Wook was prepared to accept any consequences, even if his plan should fail. It was probably Nak's last request. Wook would do anything for him now. Nak was waiting for Wook at the Road. "Hey, Wook. You really made i t Thank you! I wanted to show you this before I join the army. This too is part of studying go." "What are you going to show me?" Wook was curious. Nak smirked as he spoke, "Bangneki." "Bangneki? What bangneki?" Wook looked around the tea house as if looking for people playing bangneki. "Today I want you to watch the bangneki I am going to play. I have obtained permission from my opponent to bring a friend of mine along. So it is all set." "Then, are you playing in a nearby go club?" "No... You cannot play a big bangneki at a club. We will play in a motel, the Seven Star Motel across the street." Wook felt uneasy. He had never been in a motel. Going into a motel to play bangneki was scary. What if the police came to break it up? Nak did not seem to notice Wook's anxiety. He went on to explain the rules of bangneki: "I am sure you know what

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bangneki is about. But I will just go over a few important details. You know each unit, 'bang', is ten points of territory, don't you? So between one and ten points is one bang, from eleven to twenty is two bang and so on. "As you know, the most common practice is to limit the units to ten only — ten bang, also called manbang. So the smallest win that will get you manbang is ninety-one points. Winning by more than that, say three hundred points, is still only manbang. "Before the game starts, both parties agree on the value of each unit, plus the base amount. The base amount is the money the winner will receive from the loser regardless of the number of units. To make the bet, it is customary to say it in two amounts: the base first, and then the unit value. So if I say 'one hundred, twenty', it means the base amount is one hundred won and each unit is worth twenty won. Let's do a little practice. If I won a game of 'one hundred, twenty' by twelve points, how much would I win? One hundred and forty won. Easy, isn't it? You can only resign if you concede that you have lost the game by manbang. The most important thing in bangneki! Before you start the first game, both parties have to 'bury' an amount equal to a manbang loss under the go board. This is to prevent the loser from playing on after all the money he has is gone, ready to declare he cannot pay if he loses. So if one player runs out of money in his pocket, and has to pay using the 'buried' money, the bangneki comes to an end." "How big is today's bangneki?" "Five thousand, one thousand." "Wow, a five thousand base and a thousand per unit? Then a manbang would be fifteen thousand!" Wook's surprise was natural. The starting salary of a university graduate in a big firm at the time was just under thirty thousand won a month. Wook felt noticeably uneasy. He now remembered some newspaper articles about raiding a gambling joint, showing pictures of the gamblers and the money con-

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fiscated. Looking at Wook's worried face, Nak smiled. "Please! Don’t worry. The sergeant in charge of the district dispatch sometimes comes by for cigarette money. And there will be a referee for tonight as well.” Wook felt relieved. But he had one more thing left to worry about. "What if you lose, Brother Nak?" "I won't lose." Nak sounded confident. "I know you are a good player. But you could lose in a game no matter how good you are. Plus, the guy you are playing must think he too has chances. Otherwise he wouldn’t have agreed to play bangneki with such a high stake, would he?" "Of course. That's why I have taken some preparatory measures for the past five months." "Preparatory measures?" Nak looked around, making sure nobody would hear what he was going to say. "This man I am playing today wouldn’t be able to win against me even at a seven-stone handicap. About five months ago I started a small bangneki with him, ten won per unit, at a fourstone handicap. At the very beginning, we agreed that the handicap would change accordingly if one of us won three games in a row. I have been controlling the wins and losses so that the handicap would move back and forth between three and four. He now believes that he would beat me rather easily at four, with a fighting chance at three. "A few days ago when we went at a bar drinking soju together, he finally asked me a question I had been awaiting patiently for five months. He asked me,'If you use every imaginable nasty and tricky move, what would be the maximum handicap you could give me?' I gave him the answer I had prepared five months ago, 'Maybe six?' This answer, as expected, really ticked him off. He raged, 'Six? You have never even pushed me higher than four, and now you just said six? Be real! Nobody can give me six! If you are so good to say six, why don't you

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challenge me to a bangneki at five thousand, one thousand? Scared? Hahahaha, then don't even breathe a word like six anymore.' I replied, 'Well, why don’t we then?’ He was sur­ prised at first that I agreed. But he soon figured — of course with faulty logic —that I had accepted the challenge purely out of my own stupid ego. You should have seen his happy face, expecting to win a lot of easy money, hahahaha. So the bangneki I had planned finally became reality. His pride, or rather self-delusion, trapped him. It never ceases to amaze me how weak players all have a pride of some sort in their game, so clumsy and bad... So, that is the reality. A guy I can easily beat at seven is playing at six, with a false sense of confidence. How can I lose, Wook?" "Hmmm... That is almost a fraud, isn't it, Brother?" "It could well be. But I won't feel remorseful at all. He deserves some punishment. He made all his money after getting really lucky on the stock market. His attitude of looking down at people with less money is sickeningly rude and arrogant. I once saw him teasing a beggar by waving a five hundred won note in front of the beggar's face, yet not giving it to him —inhuman. He should pay for it through the thing he values the most — money." "By the way, how much money do you have on you now, Brother Nak?" "About fifty thousand. You need at least that much, considering the needed strategic losses at the beginning." "Strategic losses?" "Yes. If I kill him straight from the start, he will cry foul and may not even pay. Also, you need to let the opponent win at one or two units to boost his unrealistic confidence. Then at the third or fourth game, you hit him hard at, say, seven or eight units. Then he will lose all his reason fast, wanting to get his money and wins back in a hurry. Manbang will come about after he loses his reason. Once his mind enters into the noreturn-to-reason state, you continuously kill him, relentlessly, until his money runs out. One regrettable thing about tonight is

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that he is not going to bring much money. Fifty to sixty thousand, maximum, for he would never dream of losing money. I could win really big if another match can be arranged. But a rematch would be a bit dangerous, he might be able to see through things by then. Well, let's go, Wook. It's almost time." Wook followed him. His silhouette seemed scarily huge. A scary man, getting his revenge about go in his own way. Scary yet respectable. One should at least respect his patience for the five months of pretending and planning, Wook thought. At the Seven Star Motel, Boss Park, the opponent, was waiting with the owner of a go club who was the referee for the night: both were in their late forties. The venue, a medium-sized room with a double-sized bed in the corner, was neat and clean, contrary to Wook's expectation. After exchanging the usual greetings, Nak remarked as he was 'burying' fifteen thousand under the go board, "I must have been crazy to agree to this bangneki at six against you, Boss Park, sir!" "Well, it has been agreed, hasn't it? It is six today, hahahaha!" Boss Park seemed overly excited at the prospect of his forth­ coming easy wins and taking Nak’s money. As Boss Park buried his money as well, the referee dutifully declared the start of the first game. Nak lost the first game by thirteen points, two bang. And the second game by seven points, one bang. Losses came naturally, but Wook knew it was all part of Nak's plan. As he had told Wook, Nak won the third game big, by five bang. "I was a bit too careless at the end... If I had not played the ko fight I would have won again..." Boss Park, not realizing everything was being played out as Nak had planned, regretted his first loss, but still sounded quite confident. Nak was careful not to wake him up to reality, "Sure, but I need some luck like that to beat you at six..." "Well, it won't happen again, sorry." Boss Park already seemed annoyed. He hurriedly placed the six

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handicap stones on the board. It seemed he wanted to get the next win in a hurry so as to forget the loss, which should not have happened. Losing at six must have been an insulting blow to him. But the insulting blows came continuously from then on. Boss Park lost the next five games by six or seven bang each time. Manbang finally occurred near dawn on the sixth game. As he was counting the money to pay for his loss, Boss Park found he had run out of money in his pocket. He had to use the buried money to pay for the manbang. He looked frustrated, for he could not continue any longer. He asked Nak for mercy, "I will pay you back as soon as the bank opens. Please let me play one more game!" Nak, probably more frustrated than Boss Park that he could not win any more money, was firm, "Sir, you know better than that. We could continue tonight, but no more games now!" The referee, realizing that it was time for him to intervene, declared the end of the match for the day. "OK, but I will see you at the club tonight, eight o'clock sharp!" Boss Park shouted to Nak as he ran out of the room, slamming the door. Nak smiled with satisfaction. He counted five thousand won and handed the money to the referee. "Thank you for your trouble, tonight." "Nak, I KNOW... You know what I mean? So don't come to the club tonight. He has had enough punishment now." "Yes, sir. I was not going to show up tonight anyway." The referee left the room, thanking Nak for the generous tip. Wook and Nak looked at each other for the first time in a long while. Wook could only say one thing, "Wow..... " "Well, about sixty thousand, maybe?" He was accurate down to every detail, even to the amount of his winnings for the night. "Gee, still only five o'clock in the morning? Well, let's sleep here for a while now. Maybe a good breakfast in the morning together, OK, Wook?" Wook felt tired too. He welcomed Nak's suggestion. Watching

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the games of bangneki had drained him almost as much as the players. Nak called in the motel's houseboy. After paying for the playing room, Nak whispered for a while with the boy. The boy gave Nak a deep bow as he left. Nak must have tipped him big. The boy soon returned and ushered them out of the room and upstairs. There Wook and Nak were led to individual rooms, adjoining each other. Wook felt it a bit odd that Nak had arranged for separate rooms. Maybe it was better, Wook thought, for it would be awkward to sleep in the same room. "Must be hungry too, aren't you Wook? Some pastries and soju will be brought up. It will help you sleep better. Good night, see you in the morning." "What's wrong with drinking together?" Nak ignored Wook's remark and went to his own room. Wook soon discovered why. In about ten minutes time, there was a knock at the door. A girl in thick makeup was at the door with a tray of soju and food. Nak had arranged for a girl for each of them. No wonder they needed separate rooms: Wook understood now. But Wook felt really uneasy, for he had never experienced sex before. This was too much, Wook thought. Wook even hoped the girl would go back out after leaving the soju tray. Contrary to Wook's hope, the girl sat by Wook in a matter-offact manner, arranging soju and food in front of Wook. "Played go tonight? Must be really tired by now, sir. Don’t drink too much if you are tired." The girl, though looking at least four or five years senior to Wook, used polite speech in a soft voice, as she poured soju into the glass in front of Wook. Wook drank it down in one gulp, then spoke to the girl in an awkward voice, "Uh... Would you like to have some?" She looked at Wook for a moment, smiling slightly. Then she poured the drink into a glass, only a tiny amount, then drank the soju slowly. "Take some food as well, sir. Drinking soju alone is not very

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healthy." She went over to take the mattress and blanket from the storage cabinet. She pulled them down and laid them out neatly in the center of the room. She turned off the main light, and turned on the pink night light. She then started to undress. It seemed everything she was doing was quite routine, as she showed no hesitation carrying it out. But Wook could not look at her undressing. He kept filling his glass with soju and drinking. "Please come in here to rest. You need sleep now, sir." The girl, probably totally naked by now, whispered. "Well, in a while...maybe..." She did not seem to understand his hesitation. "Sir, would it be better if I undress you?" Wook jumped up, really surprised at this unexpected offer. He began undressing himself. Almost naked with his underwear still on, Wook felt thankful for the dim night light, which subdued his awkward feelings somewhat. He picked up a corner of the blanket carefully to crawl onto the comer of the mattress, far away from the girl. The girl, however, came to him with a gentle motion. She pulled down his undershorts. Wook's attempt to resist was overcome by her gentle hands. Suddenly Wook could overhear some noise from the adjoining room, Nak's room. The passionate breathing of a girl... Wook understood what it was. Wook's girl embraced him tightly. Wook, embarrassed yet aroused, began to respond. He soon found himself on top of the girl. Sounds similar to those he had just overheard from the next room began to come from his girl's mouth...

L05T FRIENDS

Wook, Please forgive me if what I did last night offended you at all. But I wanted to treat you to something. That sort of thing is the only way I know how to treat a friend... So, please try and understand. June is a nice girl, a rare one to find in a place like this. That's why I had asked them to send her specifically to you. If you like her too, please come to visit her once in a while. She will appreciate that. All the expenses at the motel have been paid in full, including tips. So do not give them any more. I now have to go back to my home town to join the army. By the time you are reading this, I will be on the train home. One more thing. Please do not feel offended. I left some money from last night's winnings for you. I just want to give you some, that's the whole reason why. Besides, your presence really helped me through the night, believe me. Also, I won't need any money in the army anyway. Though it is quite possible we may not see each other ever again, I somehow believe that we will run into each other some day, as long as we keep on playing the game. I want to remain as your teacher, although we have played only one game. Please take good care of the book, Game Records o f Wu. I am sure some day you will be stronger than me. Let's hope we meet again then. Nak Nak had left, saying good-bye in his own way. The envelope

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June handed over in the morning contained, besides the letter, forty five-hundred won bills. It was an amount Wook had never possessed in his life. Wook gave June ten five-hundred won bills. "No, no... Your friend has given me more than enough already. Besides, this is also too much to receive, sir." "Please, please. Just take it to make me feel happy." Wook felt great seeing his first woman feel grateful and happy. He would probably come back soon to see her. It was already approaching ten in the morning. Wook, suddenly coming back to reality, hurried out of the motel. He took a cab back to the library, appreciating the convenience of suddenly having plenty of money. To Wook's relief, Mr. Kwon had not made an inspection trip the night before. He changed back into his uniform and took the cab again to get home. Upon arriving home, a feeling of fatigue settled all over his body. He went to bed right away. Lying down with his eyes closed, he could see June's face. She was naked. He was aroused again. In a second, Inae's face over­ lapped June's. She too was naked. Wook shook off the half­ dream with sudden remorse. Instead, he brought Nak's face into his mind's eye. Nak on a train to the army... Private Nak, what an inappropriate title for him! He was Wook's teacher, the only teacher he had... Wu's game records... Wook fell into a deep sleep. He slept till late in the afternoon, then went down to the YC club. Dong was there. "Hey, Dong. Congratulations on making a seed. Let's go. I will buy you a drink." Dong did not look very happy. Why? Wook wondered. It really was an achievement to make a seed. Dong, indifferent to Wook's doubting face, followed Wook. After they had almost finished a bottle of soju, Dong broke the silence slowly, "Wook, I don't think we will see each other for some time..." First Nak, now Dong. What could it be? Dong was not yet old

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enough to join the army. "I was really studying hard for the qualifying tournament... Probably that's why I got a seed. Now that I am a seeded player, I suddenly became famous, sort of famous...attracting flies..." "Flies?" "Yes, of a sort. A wealthy man wanted to interview me after the tournament. He said he wanted to help me out. Do you know how he offered to help?" t»

M

"He offered to let me continue with my education, giving me a scholarship..." "Isn't it good news? Why such a long face?" "Well, the problem is, he is going to let me restart school from the first year of high school. I know I dropped out during the first year. But all my friends will be graduating in the spring. I would be in high school uniform, in first year... It is a bit too much." There was a big difference between being in high school and having graduated from one. All the restrictions were placed on students until they graduated high school. One was treated as an adult only after high school. Wook could understand Dong's attitude. "Well, Dong. If you were going back to first year, you wouldn't need his help, would you?" "I do, Wook. I dropped out of school because I could not afford it... This scholarship, a go scholarship, will guarantee me freedom from financial worries, as long as I enter the annual high school go championship tournaments." "Wook, I won’t be able to go out at all until graduation... I’ll just stay home after school, studying go maybe. I won't meet anybody, including you." "If you say so, Dong... I still think it's too much, to cut us off like this. Let's just keep in touch, by phone or something at least." Dong did not answer, implying disagreement. Wook knew only

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too well how stubborn Dong could be. Wook gave up, hoping Dong might change his mind soon. "Sorry, Wook. It hurts me, too. But please try and understand me... Oh, by the way, did you know Ikoo has left town for Dongdoochun, the US army village, for a job?" Ikoo too? Wook could not help feeling powerless and disap­ pointed. Dong never came to the YC club from that day on. The story about Ikoo was confirmed to be true. Wook could not understand Ikoo, disappearing like that without even letting Wook know. Wook too stopped going to the YC club. Without Dong, Nak, or Ikoo, there was no reason to go there any more. Wook studied Master Wu's games at home. It took him six months to go through the games once, all three hundred and some games. He needed to go over them nine more times, without the help of Nak or Dong. He decided to persevere. Wook had made up on his mind firmly now not to go to uni­ versity. Making pro was his only goal. It was a good thing that at least Inae was still around. She cheered up Wook, who was depressed over his lost friends. Wook went over to her house frequently, mainly to help her with math and English. Wook felt the disparity in schools as he tutored her. Her hard problems in her third year were simple ones Wook was used to in his first year. Volleyball players could go on to universities without taking the entrance exams. Yet Mr. Park insisted Inae should take the exam. In America, athletes all had to take exams, Inae told Wook. Inae found it strange that Wook, who knew enough to be her teacher, had decided not to go to university. She never ques­ tioned his decision, though. It was the strong point in her per­ sonality. Influenced by her father that way, Wook surmised. Despite having Inae around, Wook felt lonely at times. Especially for Nak. The book of Wu's game records, and the money Nak had left, gave Wook a feeling of Nak's presence around him. Wook went to see June two more times. She reminded him of Nak somehow, Wook rationalized. Wook still

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had over ten thousand won of the money Nak had left him. He did not yet know how to spend money. Time still passed despite everything that had happened. Wook's high school graduation was two months away. It was December already.

TH E SEOUL CLUB

The last winter vacation before graduation came. Wook was on his way back from school, walking slowly. As he was passing through the N district, he kept running into hand-made posters on power poles along the way: 'Newly Opened, Seoul Go Club' The rather amateurishly designed poster included a crude map showing the club's location. Not having anything in particular to do that afternoon, Wook decided to explore this new club. The Seoul club was nearby. It must have been opening day, for there were no players inside. Instead, a middle-aged woman in rather heavy make-up greeted Wook cheerfully. She was in tra­ ditional Korean dress. Despite her heavy make-up, an air of elegance surrounded her. "Please do come in. Oh, my! A K High student! There are no players here yet, for we just opened up less than two hours ago. Would you like to have a cup of tea? Come this way. By the way, how strong are you?" "Well, a first kyu..." "Oh, really? A first kyu is a very strong player, I have heard!" She did not seem knowledgeable enough about go to run a club. Wook thought she might be better able to run another type of business, a tea house or something in that line. "Where do you live? The K district? A bit too far from here, isn't it? Still, I hope you can visit often. I have heard first kyus should not be charged for admission. Is that correct?" She must have been informed of some of the basics of how to run a go club. Wook liked her soft voice and kind attitude. It would be an ideal place to study Master Wu's games. There

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were no opponents for him at the YC club anyway. Also, Mr. Kwon had been openly expressing disapproval of Wook's go studying at home. "Don't you know how to play, ma'am?" "Not at all. Isn't it a shame, though?" "Then, why have you chosen to open a go club?" "Well, I was in the 'water business’. But I had to deal with too many of dirty and dishonest people, and finally I got really tired of it. So I have decided to run something with class." Something with class? Wook suddenly remembered the face of Boss Park as he stormed out of the motel room. If, however, what she meant by 'water business' was running a bar of some kind, Wook could agree with her sentiment. Wook hesitated a little, wondering what might be the right way to address her. One never addressed an elder by their first name, so one usually used a descriptive title like "teacher" or "uncle". The simple "owner" did not seem right. Wook pondered a while, then came up with "madam owner". It seemed very appropriate. "Well, the winter break just started today, and I should be able to come often." "Isn't that nice! Please do, please do!" Madam owner seemed to be overreacting, yet very pleased. It took Wook, however, another two weeks to pay his second visit to the club. The twenty-minute walking distance from home to the club had made him put off the visit. But remem­ bering the owner's happy face in expectation of his frequent visits, Wook finally forced his lazy body to make the trip. Not much different from two weeks before, the Seoul club was almost empty with only a couple of people playing in the corner. But there was one big difference. Madam owner, who had been kind and cheerful on opening day, was in tears. A little bewildered at this unexpected sight, Wook sat quietly in an empty seat near the door. What had happened, Wook wondered. Could she have been dumped by a guy or something? She noticed Wook's presence, and approached him. Her face brightening somewhat, she greeted him, "Welcome back.

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Please have some tea." She tried to conceal her predicament, but without much success. Wook had to ask, "Something happened, ma’am? You look...eh.. .different." "I do, don't I? Something happened today... something out­ rageous. I had thought go players were all gentlemen. Well, maybe not! Have you been to the Number One club across the street? No? I see. Anyway, two young guys from the club came over here just a while ago. They seemed a bit drunk as well. Now, these two demanded to know why they had never been informed of our club's opening. Why should they have been? Then they asked me if we had a resident master in the club. As I said no, they laughed hard and said, 'How can you call this a go club when you don't even have a resident master?' I replied that we might not have a resident master, but our club is as good as, if not better than, theirs. They just laughed at me! Then they dared me to prove my statement. They challenged our club to a match, saying if nobody from our club could beat either of them, that would prove the club's inferiority. They promised to return by nine o'clock tonight for a match. I have thought about calling the cops. This is extortion! But when you come to think of it, it's probably their strategy to bring down our club. They would spread rumors about how inferior our club is compared to theirs. But, that's not really why I am upset. Do you know why they try these outrageous things so boldly? Only because they don't think much of a woman running a business alone. That upsets me more than anything." Tears came back to her eyes. "Ma'am, can I take up their challenge for you?" "Wow, really? Can you do that? Can you beat these scoundrels for me? To tell you the truth, I was a bit worried about losing the new customers who will be here around nine o'clock." Wook felt filled with the proud spirit of Ivanhoe, who was to fight Gilbert, the notorious knight, for the life of a Jewish girl. Wook left the club, promising madam owner to return by nine.

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It was only half past one. He thought about what to do until nine. Inae easily came to mind. She was home, and liked his sudden unexpected visit. "Hey, Wook. Come on in. I was just bored to death, sitting here alone. Dad's at work and Mom's out shopping." Inae claimed she loved to read books. Her book case was filled with books of all kinds. Wook also had been an avid reader before taking up go. Once he even had a plan to read all the books in the school library. Although unsuccessful, he had managed to achieve about half of his goal in the span of about two years. These days, Inae was in the midst of reading Demian by Hermann Hesse. Hesse, wow! Wook was impressed. "I like the part where the bird flies over to the Abraxas. I wonder what it is like at the Abraxas..." Hesse was a bit out of reach for Inae, Wook thought. "Well, Inae. I think the Abraxas is only an abstract state of being. It could be anything: heaven, hell, university, marriage, a bar, or even a dog house. The more important thing in this case is, I think, the inevitability that the bird has to come out of its shell." Wook’s conceited quibble put Inae at a loss. He enjoyed her confusion. But he soon felt guilty and decided to rescue her. "Want to walk to the Duksoo Palace?" She welcomed the idea. They walked along the path in the J district to the Palace. Inae’s long creamy coat looked just right on her tall, slender figure. Wook reached out for her hand. Though he felt a bit uneasy holding her hand in public while wearing his uniform, her hand was warm and welcoming. "Wook! This is just right, running into you!" A loud northern accent stopped them. To Wook's surprise, it was Mr. Chang, his homeroom teacher. Just great, Wook thought. What luck to run into Mr. Chang of all people. Wook felt uneasy, remembering that he had denied having a girlfriend during his meeting with Mr. Chang a few months before. "Well, we have to talk, Wook."

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The northern accent had now disappeared from the teacher's voice. Wook told Inae to go back home, but Mr. Chang would not allow it, "No, no, no. You, too, follow me." Wook could not understand his teacher's behavior. According to the rules of K high school, Wook could be punished by indefinite suspension for publicly dating a girl. But it did not seem to be Mr. Chang's intention to pursue that route. The two 'arrested' students were taken to a nearby bakery store. After placing an order for some tasty buns and milk for Wook and Inae, Mr. Chang lit a cigarette. He looked at Inae and asked, "Which school do you go to?" Having learned that he was Wook's teacher, Inae looked scared. Wook tried to reassure her with surreptitious signals. But her big eyes stayed scared. Wook had to help her out. "She goes to S high, sir." "Oh, I see..." The teacher seemed interested at this unlikely match up of two students from such disparate schools. "Have you known each other long?"

What the hell was this? Wook felt agitated. Was it marriage counseling or something? Then Mr. Chang surprised both kids. "Well, I have to go. Enjoy the buns. I always wanted to buy you some buns, Wook." Mr. Chang walked up to the counter and paid for the order. He then left the bakery without even looking back. Wook was stunned at this sudden move. He could not figure out why his teacher was acting in such a mysterious way. There was a rumor among the students that Mr. Chang was an active member of the famous North-West Youth, a group known for its courageous and dangerous battles against the North Korean communists during the War. But even allowing that the rumor was in fact true, his behavior today did not make any sense.

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Inae had brightened up considerably, and was now enjoying the tasty buns, complaining that her school did not have a nice teacher like Mr. Chang. Wook too felt relieved, but with some anxiety lingering in his mind over the inexplicable events of the day. They gave up on the walk to the Palace and returned home. Inae's mother had already come back from shopping. "Hello, Wook. Nice to see you again. Please come on in. Join us for dinner tonight. You should have heard Inae's dad com­ plaining how you don't visit often enough, depriving him of the chance to play go with him!" "Thank you, but I can't today...I have an appointment..." "Mom, ask him if he has a date!" "No, Inae, no such thing. I just have a go match at seven. I will give you a call tomorrow, I promise." Wook had to lie a little to the disappointed Inae, for he did not want to hurry to the Seoul club for an important match. He wanted some time to relax and prepare. He had about two hours to spare. Eating at a Chinese restaurant near the Seoul club, he began to regret that he had jumped into a rather serious situation out of naive chivalrous spirit. He recalled the faces of numerous strong players he had met at the qualifying tournament. He relaxed a bit after a moment of uneasiness. He had to face the match in any case. There was nothing much he could change now. He comforted himself with the thought that madam owner had not had a player for the match anyway. Wook walked into the Seoul club just before eight to meet madam owner, who was eagerly waiting. She brought a cup of coffee for him as soon as he found a seat. As Wook was skimming through a go magazine sipping the coffee, two men in their early thirties walked in. Wook sensed immediately that they were the ones he was waiting for. One of the men walked toward madam owner, smirking. "How are you, ma'am? We were just kidding this morning. Forgive us if it offended you in any way. Instead, why don't you

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hire us as resident masters. We won't ask for much money. We guarantee to get this place booming." Madam owner snapped back, "It won't be necessary. I have hired a resident master already. That's him over there." She pointed at Wook with her chin. The intruders looked startled at this turn of events. However, once they saw it was just a high school kid, the smirks came back to their faces. "Wow, are you the master, sir? Well, would you like to teach us a game, then?" A bold challenge. Wook tightened up mentally and spoke softly, "Well, it is rather late. Could I play just one of you, sir?" The two seemed surprised that the 'kid' was accepting the challenge without backing down. They went over to a comer to consult in whispers, deciding who should be the one to teach the kid a lesson. The one who had started conversation with the owner was selected to challenge Wook. He and Wook settled themselves at a board to draw colors. Wook drew white. The game started with their exchanged bows. The patrons at the club, five or six in number, gathered around the table to watch, for they had all been listening to the exchange with interest. Wook felt greatly relieved after about ten moves to see that his opponent was just an ordinary first kyu. Wook was sure he could even give the man two stones comfortably. As Wook had anticipated, the game was over rather quickly. A huge black group he was chasing died without much of a struggle. The two unsuccessful intruders ran out of the club in a hurry as soon as the game was over, deeply embarrassed. "Oh, my! You must really be quite strong! Thank you very much, Wook. How can I repay you for this? I regret you are still under age. Otherwise I could treat you to real drinks!" "Never mind that, ma'am. They were the ones asking for trouble, weren't they? So, it has worked out for the best. I just feel happy to be part of the process." Wook tried to sound as mature as possible, for he was slightly offended by her remark about him being under age. He felt

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great nonetheless, for he had meted out justice for the day. Justice obtained by means of go. It felt really good. "Please come by as often as you can, Wook. I will treat you as the resident master of our club from now on. I will of course pay you for the service, although it won't even be close to what I owe you." Wook left the club a hero. Madam owner followed him to the street to see him off, thanking him over and over again. The Seoul club had just become Wook's new home. It was a much cleaner and nicer place than the YC club, with no gambling in the back room. Furthermore, he would be the respected resident master, with the full support of the kind and likable madam owner. Wook felt cheerful throughout the walk back home. He would let Inae know about this great news tomorrow. An unexpected event was waiting for him at home, however.

TH E RUNAW AY

The sight at home shocked Wook. The book case in his room had a gaping hole in the middle, showing a section of books was missing. The hole resembled a big laughing mouth, laughing at Wook. He could not understand what had happened. An uneasy feeling overtook him. "Father wants you." His mother came to the room with a grave face. Her usual kind and loving smile was not there. "Father had a meeting with your teacher, Mr. Chang, today. As soon as he came back home, he gathered all your go books and burned them. He also chopped the go board to pieces. I have never seen your father so upset before. You'd better go apologize to him right now. I mean really apologize and ask him to forgive you. Is it true that you told your teacher you want to become a go player instead of going to university?" Wook could now see how things stood. The mysterious behavior of Mr. Chang could now be explained. He had probably wanted to talk to Wook about his meeting with his father. Then he must have changed his mind after seeing Inae looking like a scared rabbit. Wook checked the book case. All his go books were gone, including Game Records o f Wu. Only the poet’s book had survived the stormy events of the day. This was totalitarian, fascist, Nazi-like injustice. Whatever happened to communi­ cation? Mr. Kwon's roaring voice was calling him from a distance. Wook made his decision. He quickly put the poet's book into

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his school bag, then picked up some clothes to pack into the bag as well. Now, what else? In his rush he remembered the need for money. The money Nak had given him was intact. He ran out of the house, and kept running even after he was safely away. Mr. Kwon seemed to be right behind him in the darkness. He stopped and looked around. It was only an illusion. Mr. Kwon was nowhere near him. He ran and ran anyway. Soon he found himself out on a busy street. Where should he go now, Wook wondered with some desperation. The YC club? No, it would be the first place Mr. Kwon would check. It was already eleven o'clock, only one hour before the government curfew. He had to go somewhere soon. June at the Seven Star Motel? Wook thought better of it after realizing he was in uniform, with his school bag. How about Bu, his oldest brother? Yes. It was the place to go. Wook caught the last bus to the K district. It was eleven twentyfive. The K district where Bu lived was about fifteen minutes' ride. "Yes, sir. He is here with me now. I will calm him down and bring him to his senses. Of course, sir. Don’t worry about it, sir. Sure. I will do that, too." Bu had just finished reporting to his father about the missing Wook's whereabouts. It appeared he had received some detailed instructions as to what to do with the runaway. Bu looked at Wook with a big smile. The oldest son of the family, thirteen years senior to Wook, had favored Wook over his other siblings. Old enough to be Wook's uncle, he had taken care of Wook's problems before without their father's knowledge. He was a KS person, bright and ambitious, yet he did not have the expected conceit or overblown pride. He was liked by most people. After Bu chased away his wife, who was full of curiosity, he opened his mouth. His affectionate smile was still there. "Hey, you trouble maker! Is it true that you want to make a

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living as a go player?” II

H

"You don't know father as well as I do. Consider yourself lucky. If he was still in his younger years... Well, it's also sad to realize he is now too old to discipline you the way he used to... He may be stubborn at times, but he is a great man. I want you to remember that, no matter what." "Well, anyway, how strong are you in go?" "...First kyu..." "Really? That good, eh? When did you learn to be that good? How about a game, then? I am a strong sixth kyu. What is the proper handicap? Six? Seven?" He was about to bring the board over. Contrary to his promise to his father, Bu was almost acting like an accomplice. "Brother, I...don't feel like playing now." "I see. Well, I understand your feeling. He smashed the board to pieces, didn’t he? Hahaha..." "And go books, too. Among them, there was one that you cannot find anywhere in the country..." "Don't worry. I will find a copy, whatever it is. It’s silly for a guy to show tears over such a minor thing." "I don't think you could find a copy of that book. It was a Japanese edition that went out of print a long time ago." "A Japanese book, eh? Then, you are really serious about becoming a professional player. I had a friend who wanted to make pro. He too studied Japanese books." "Do you really want to become a go player? Instead of going to university?" "I would like to give it a try." "If you are really serious about it, I can talk to father for you. I believe that going to university should not be the only path, especially if you have such strong belief in becoming a go player...It would still be a bit hard to persuade father..." A bit hard? Wook disagreed. It was more than that. It was

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plainly impossible. Wook was sure Bu knew that as well. "Hey, why don't you give in a little? How about just taking the entrance exam, even if you surely fail? For father's sake..." "That would be hypocrisy, Brother." "Hypocrisy? You have so much to learn. In life, there are situ­ ations where hypocrisy is needed sometimes." "If you don't want to go back home, you can stay here with me as long as you want. Father has asked me to bring you home tomorrow, but I can persuade him. If I tell him that I will per­ sonally supervise your study, he will allow it." "Well, go get some sleep now. I have to go to work early tomorrow." Wook went to the room Bu's wife had prepared. He lay on the bed thinking what to do. He knew he would have to leave Bu's house soon. Despite his confident claims, Bu would take his brother home the minute Mr. Kwon ordered him to do so. Wook had never seen Bu do anything against his father's wishes. There was a knock at the door. It was Bu. He had a bottle of wine with him. "Still awake? I thought so." "Didn't you say you had to wake up early tomorrow?" "Yes, but its not that late. I rarely go to bed before one o'clock anyway. Let's have a drink. Don't tell me a first kyu has never had a drink before." The brothers emptied their glasses together. Wook wanted to thank his brother for being so considerate. He wanted to tell Bu everything. Should he tell Bu about Inae? He would just say 'hey!' with a smile. But Bu brought up something else. "Do you know anything about the board that got chopped up today?" "No...Is there something special about it?" The board had always been in the house as far as Wook could remember. He often used it to do his homework. Sometimes people used the board to put things on, such as fruit or cookie

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plates. Wook was, however, the first person to use the board to play the game. Even Bu who claimed to be sixth kyu had never played at home. "That board was originally our great-grandfather’s board." "Great-grandfather? You mean he knew how to play?" "He not only knew how to play but also was one of the best players in the country." "How do you write his name?" Out of respect, one does not say one's father's name, or especially one's grandfather's name. So one asks how to write it, rather than what it is. "He used the characters "byong and wook". So it's the same as your name, except for the common syllables. Actually, grand­ father, when deciding on your name at birth, gave you the name Wook after great-grandfather's.” it

ii

"I was about to sleep when this thought hit me. The thought that it was maybe great-grandfather's wish that you want to be a go player instead of going to university." "Wow..." "Grandfather had a really difficult childhood due to his father's go playing habits. So he never went near the game. Father, of course, did not learn to play either, probably grandfather's influence." "I may now understand father's dislike for go somewhat..." "Do you? Hahaha. Well, anyway, isn't this an exciting story? Love for go reincarnated after three generations... sponta­ neously too." •i

it

"Grandmother told me once that great-grandfather died because of go. Since she wouldn't tell me any more, I don’t know the exact cause of his death. Grandmother being dead now doesn’t help either. If, during your go career, you run into a story about him, find out as much as you can. I really want to know more about him now." After Bu retired to his room, Wook lay on his bed thinking hard. Some things began to make sense. The strange sensation he had

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experienced when he first encountered go at the Chungjin club could now be explained. Wook was certain that it was him, great-grandfather, looking down on Wook. Wook wanted to know more about great-grandfather. He might be able to find something at the National Library. Wook suddenly remembered Intetsu from 'The Blood Coughing Game'. Was it possible that great-grandfather too died at the board, coughing up blood like Intetsu? Wook could not fall asleep at all.

NEW LIFE

Wook woke up to find Bu had already gone to work. Being unable to sleep at first, Wook had fallen asleep around dawn. It was already past nine o'clock. Bu's wife, feeding the toddler, found Wook coming out of the bathroom. She put the kid back into the playpen and rushed to the kitchen to get Wook’s breakfast. Wook stopped her, "Please, don’t bother. I don’t feel much like eating now. Besides, I have somewhere to go now." "No way. What would your brother say if he found out? I would be in trouble for letting you go without breakfast. Please, wait a while. It will be just a minute." "No, really. I do have to go now. Please continue feeding the baby." Wook almost ran out of the house, leaving his disappointed sister-in-law behind. He had to hurry, for it was highly possible that Mr. Kwon might drop in. Wook was wrong, though. Mr. Kwon at that time was at home, fully confident Bu would bring Wook home in the evening. Wook took the bus to the C district, where hundreds of used book stores were gathered in one stretch of street. He wanted to find another copy of Game Records ofWu. He was, though, not quite convinced he would be successful. The book, containing the necessary study for making pro, had to be found, no matter what. For over four hours, Wook went through the stores one by one, determined to stay in the district until he found a copy of the book. Finally he found one. The owner of one of the stores had to crawl into the storage area

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after persistent and repeated begging by Wook. Among some other ragged books, a copy of the book was sitting there. Wook grabbed it. The shrewd businessman overcharged him, but Wook did not care. The book looked even more ragged than Nak's. Relieved, Wook suddenly felt hungry. He had not eaten since last night. There was a small Chinese noodle house in the area. Eating the tasteless noodles, Wook considered his options for where to spend the night. There were not many options available to him. Bu's house was out of question, for Mr. Kwon would not let Wook slip away again. Wook briefly considered confronting Mr. Kwon as a man. It was not a good idea. Wook dismissed it quickly, realizing that trying to persuade father was like trying to break a rock by throwing eggs at it. Wook tenta­ tively decided he would go to one of the 24-hour libraries, if no other place became available. Having decided on his night's accommodations, Wook now had to kill some time. He thought of Inae's house, but shook his head immediately. He might have to bring up the events of last night and the current predicament he was in. He decided his next stop would be the Seoul club. He would be welcomed heartily there. He could play some games or might check out his newly acquired copy of Game Records o f Wu. "Welcome back, Wook! Have you had lunch yet? Oh, I see. Then have some coffee." Madam owner welcomed him as expected. There was a patron at the club, a man in his fifties, who was about to leave, having been unable to find an opponent. Wook volunteered his services, as if it were naturally expected of the resident master. Wook played three games with the man on a five-stone handicap. After each game, Wook replayed the game to give the customer some comments. The man was delighted to be shown some new variations and pointers by Wook. He left promising to return. Madam owner too was very pleased with Wook's efforts. "He had been pouting about the lack of opponents. How timely

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it was that you walked in and helped me out! Thank you again, Wook. Can you come every day? To play games with cus­ tomers or just to keep me company...I have told you about salaries already..." "Well, madam owner, I will come often, I promise. But I wouldn't take any money... I would feel awkward being paid. "Well, well. We can discuss money later. By the way, is something the matter? You look awfully sad! "Nothing is the matter..." "Come on, Wook. I am the one who was in the 'water business over ten years. I CAN tell! Have you broken up with a girl­ friend? Or, did you have some problems at home with your parents?" Being in the 'water business' must have been interesting. She was seeing things accurately through his facial expressions. Wook decided to tell her the whole story. She listened to Wook quietly without interruption. She refrained from making any comments, even when Wook became emotional over the injustice of being forced to fulfill 'KS family' tradition. She sat quietly throughout, and let the runaway say his piece. After Wook was finished, she opened her mouth slowly, "Where are you going to stay tonight, then? At your brother's house?" "No... I may go to an overnight library or a friend's house...But not brother’s house." ti

tt

"In any event, I am not going back home for a while. Both father and I need some time to cool things off..." "I have been thinking about this. How would you feel about staying at my place? I have a three-bedroom apartment and I am the only one living there. There is no problem for you to stay there if it's for a few days only. What do you say, Wook?" Wook hesitated. It was an offer hard to turn down. Yet, he felt reluctant, for he did not want to be a burden to her. Wook protested mildly, "Still, I don't even know you well..." "Never mind that. I had been wondering how I should repay

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you for what you did for me the other night. Please let me have a chance to thank you. No more discussion on this subject, OK?" Wook nodded slowly. Well, it was going to be only for a few days anyway, as she had said. It would be a crime to sleep on a library desk when there were rooms available, Wook ratio­ nalized to himself. Wook stayed at the club until closing time. Madam owner locked up the premises around eleven o'clock. Then they took a cab to her place in the D district. Inside the cab, Wook was silent. It was natural for an eighteenyear-old to feel uncomfortable on a ride to spend the night at an unfamiliar place. Madam owner seemed to understand his feelings. She too stayed silent. Wook was also concerned about Bu. Mr. Kwon would by now be on Bu's case for losing Wook. 'Sorry Brother, but I had no choice,' Wook mumbled to himself. Upon arriving at the apartment, located on the third floor of a four-story building, madam owner headed to the kitchen to make her new guest something to eat. Wook sat on a couch skimming through newspapers. "Wook, please do not worry about things too much. Your father will cool off in a few days, I am sure." "Sleep in tomorrow. I will go to work early by myself. Watch TV or just relax. Rest will make you feel better. I will give you an extra key to the apartment, so do whatever you want, go freely in and out. Here is the key. Also, I said 'for a few days' before, but you can stay as long as you want. I don't mind at all. Don't feel burdened about this at all. Think of me as a big sister or an aunt, OK?" Wook appreciated her kind gestures. Yet he was not sure he would stay here any longer than a few days. Though he did not have any place to stay even for a few days, he felt it would be impolite to take advantage of her indefinitely. Maybe he should pay her rent if he had to stay longer than a few days. Her pork cutlet was excellent. Wook thanked her and retired to

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the room given to him for the night. The fatigue of walking around for a few hours in the C district in the morning now overcame Wook. He fell asleep as soon as he lay down.

TH E SECOND TEA CH ER

She had already left when Wook woke up. She even made the breakfast for him before she left. It was almost one o'clock in the afternoon. Wook helped himself to the breakfast on the table. Where should he go, He pondered. There was no need to go anywhere. He could stay there and relax as madam owner had suggested. School was to start in three days, though. He had to make some decisions by then. Wook opened the book he had bought after so much trouble. As he was about to replay some of the games in the book, he discovered there was no board in the house. It was ironic that an owner of a go club did not have a set at home. She certainly failed as a go club owner. It was not an important issue to Wook, though. She was the one of the very few people sup­ porting him through his current predicament. Wook also realized he did not even have a toothbrush. He decided to go out to a store. He found the house key in his pocket. Her apartment was on top of a hill. Wook strolled down to a comer store at the bottom. Carrying the go board and set of stones he had just bought, he felt some security. Somehow the game of go gave him peace. Back at the apartment, Wook resumed his studying. It was by now the second time around going through Master Wu's games. Many of Wu's moves were still incomprehensible to Wook. He wished Nak had been around, for he would probably tell Wook the meanings of the moves. But he might not be able to tell

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Wook, even if he had been there. He himself had said so. Wook tried to figure out the difficult moves on his own. It was a hard task. Compared to go, school subjects such as mathematics or English were very easy to study. At least there were clear answers to the problems in those subjects. The hard and tedious task of studying Master Wu's games made Wook feel sleepy. He decided to take a break on the couch. He lay down, dozing off. In a while he realized that a couch is not as comfortable to sleep on as a bed. He got up and walked to his room to lie on the bed. He soon fell asleep. The previous two days' fatigue and anxiety were the best sleeping pill for him. Wook opened his eyes in surprise. He was totally naked. He was not the only one naked. Madam owner was beside him, also naked. "You must have fallen asleep studying go books." She was whispering to him, not even bothering to explain why she had to strip him in his sleep. She was caressing his body. Wook, though embarrassed at first, slowly became aroused by her active body, so unlike June, who was rather passive. There is a theory that says the most ideal sexual encounter physiologically is between a teenage male and a female in her forties, if one ignores any socio-psychological implications. That theory was proved over and over on that night at the apartment. Wook realized the sex he had had with June had been nothing but a business transaction. Her desire seemed to have no limits. Wook had the power of fast recovery, the gift of a teenager. The seemingly everlasting acts of lovemaking finally came to an end near dawn. Wook fell back asleep, totally spent. From that day on, their sexual festival repeated every night. Tireless madam owner went to work every morning. The lack of sleep did not seem to affect her even slightly. On the other hand, Wook always woke up around noon to eat the breakfast already prepared by her. Afternoon was for studying Master Wu's games. Wook studied diligently without

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taking any breaks. The only task she gave him was to make their dinner before she came back home. At night, it was more like lessons for Wook. Wook learned many new things from her. She was his second teacher after Nak.

M R. CHANG

Wook woke up past one o'clock. It was Sunday afternoon. He lit a cigarette first. It had been six days since his new lifestyle began. School had already started three days before. Wook had not been back to school. It was not because he could not wake up early enough to go to school. There were reasons that made it impossible for him to go. First of all, Mr. Kwon would certainly be waiting at the gate every day. Wook did not have the courage to deal with the possible encounter with his father. Also, Wook did not feel it was appropriate to go to school in high school uniform in the morning, after having spent the previous night engaged in dishonorable activities. Despite all these reasons, Wook had to go to school if he wanted to graduate. K school did not allow unauthorized absences. If the absence continued without notes from a parent, the student would be expelled. Wook did not care much about graduation. But he did not want his three years of troublesome schooldays to be wasted through being expelled now, a month before graduation. He could have quit school long before if he had chosen to. But he wanted to finish what he had started. Since he had come this far, he might as well finish it. Yet he would soon be expelled if his absence from school continued. Wook decided to implement an emergency measure. A first kyu would not just face a loss sitting down when the flow of the game was against him.

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Mr. Chang's house was not difficult to find. Wook hesitated a bit before sounding the door bell. This meeting with Mr. Chang was Wook's emergency measure to dissolve his current problems. Mr. Chang was home. Though a bit surprised to see Wook at his house, Mr. Chang welcomed his student. "Hello, Wook. What brought you out here? Come on inside." His wife came out of the kitchen, greeting Wook, "Sorry about the mess in the house. Our kids are still young and I can't quite keep up with the mess they create." "Never mind that, ma'am. It was I who walked in without any notice." "Come inside anyway, Wook. Why don't you bring out some tea or something. Also make sure the kids don't come near this room." Mr. Chang was getting himself ready for the occasion. He must have sensed something serious was pending since Wook had been absent from school the past three days. It was also unusual for a student to visit his teacher at home without notice. They sat quietly facing each other. Mrs. Chang had just been to the room to leave a tray of cookies and tea. The silence lasted a while. Both parties were reluctant to make the first move. Wook soon realized he had to move first. "Sir, I came to ask you a favor." Wook's opponent kept his silence waiting for Wook to expose a weakness. "With your permission, I would like to stay home and study until the end of school. I am here to obtain your permission, sir." "Your father knows about this, does he?" "...Of course, sir." "Then, it's simple. All we need is for your father to come to the school to sign a paper to that effect." "Well... its... not possible because he is...eh... on a business trip now."

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Mr. Chang lit a cigarette, then slowly said, "You'd better tell me the truth, Wook. Isn't it true that you have run away from home?" The old member of the North-West Youth still kept his sharp senses. Wook was now a communist spy, arrested and being interrogated by a member of the North-West Youth. He had no other options but to tell the truth. Wook started by telling his teacher how and why he ran away from home, then described the details of his life since. He did not, however, have the guts to tell the teacher about the rela­ tionship with madam owner. But he told everything else, even including the match at the Seoul club with the scoundrels. Mr. Chang did not speak even after Wook had finished his story. The teacher was chain smoking, silently looking at Wook. Wook felt like having a cigarette as well, but he could not dare to smoke in front of the teacher. Wook's mouth was drying up. "So, you are not coming back to school at all?" Finally, Mr. Chang broke the silence. "No, sir. I would not want to run into father..." "That means you cannot account for your own actions to your father, proving you are the guilty party!" "Not really, sir, if you don't mind me disagreeing with you. The current culture and customs of Korea would not allow me to resist if father wants to force me to come home with him, no matter how right I am. I would have to follow his orders, no other choices, if and when I run into him. I am trying to avoid such a situation." "In other words, you are sure you can account for your own actions. Is that correct?" "Yes, sir." "Can you elaborate on that?" "Well, I should be able to prove that I can hold my own inde­ pendently, since I chose to be on my own. Then, eventually I

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should make pro, to prove that I did not have to go to uni­ versity." Wook surprised himself by sounding so confident of things that were not easy to achieve. But this meeting with Mr. Chang, his only and last chance, gave Wook some courage. Mr. Chang again became silent. After a while, he surprised Wook with an unexpected question, "How close are you to the girl I ran into the other day?" "Well, it seems to me, there isn't much there. At best, holding hands together would be all there is, I am sure. I can usually tell these things just by looking at faces." Odd he had to mention Inae in the middle of all these problems, Wook thought. What had she to do with all this? Mr. Chang continued. "All right. In my younger days, trust among guys was the most important thing in the world. I have just decided to give you my trust. Here is the deal. I will take care of your absence. You will graduate without coming to school any more. There are just under thirty days left until the end of school. It won't be hard to take care of that. "But you have to promise me one thing in return, man to man. Promise me that you will never come to see me if you do not make pro. You have to make pro to account for your actions so far. If you do not make pro, your graduation is void, at least to me. I don't want to become the accomplice who destroyed your future by helping you give up university. I won't accept you, if it means anything to you, unless you are a professional go player or a university graduate. I do not care how long it takes you to become either of the two: thirty, fifty, or a hundred years. But don't come back to me unless you have made it in either one of the two. Can you promise me that?" "I feel better seeing you hesitate. It means you are seriously considering all the implications...You don't have to give me your answer now. Take your time and tell me in a few days."

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"That won't be necessary, sir. I promise to become either a pro­ fessional go player or a university graduate! Also, I will remember your help as long as I live, even though I may not ever see you again." Mr. Chang stood by his door to see Wook off. Even after Wook had gone completely out of sight, he stood there for a while. He liked Wook, an anomaly at K High school. He had never seen anyone like Wook in his ten years of teaching at K High. Bright yet different, the teacher thought. He would be willing to take the kid as his thirteen-year-old daughter's future husband. Mr. Chang hoped that the lady who was taking care of Wook now would help him without any reservations or ulterior motives. He felt uneasy at having just thrown Wook into the uncertainty of the real world. Well, he would make it no matter what. Mr. Chang believed in his best student.

PART II

PLAY INSIDE FIRST BEFO RE A N Y O TH ER M O V E A go proverb says, 'Play inside first before any other move.' It is often vital to play a move in the middle of the opponent’s area to create weakness for subsequent exploitation. The first of the three moves ghosts were said to have revealed to Jowa in 'the blood-coughing game’ was an inside move.

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Wook finally graduated from K High school. As expected, he did not attend the ceremony. Mr. Kwon himself came to the school to pick up the certificate after the ceremony. Despite continuous efforts by Mr. Kwon, Wook had never run into his father. Mr. Kwon eventually had to give up on finding his son. The life in sin with madam owner ended in less than a month. Mysterious and exciting at first, it was not really satisfactory. The older woman began to try to control his life more and more as their relationship went on. Wook began to realize how impossible it was to satisfy the woman completely. She wanted to be more than just his lover. She wanted to be his mother, older sister, and mentor in all aspects of his life. One day, he just quietly disappeared from the apartment while she was at work. She missed him terribly, yet it was not possible for her to find him again. She had to give up looking for him, just as his father had. Both, however, still believed he would return someday. Wook rented a room in the H district, not very far from where Nak had lived. His room was even more poorly furnished than Nak's old room. All he owned were a few pieces of clothes and a go board and stones, plus a few books. He even had to buy a blanket and a pillow. Since he could not afford a bed, he chose to sleep on the floor. He had no means to cook for himself, not even a pot. He had to eat out for every meal. It was very inconvenient as well as costly. He had no other choice. For the first time in his life, he realized one could starve when money ran out. He had only twelve hundred won left a few days after he had paid the first month's rent. Wook changed his brand of cigarettes from Chungja to Swan. For lunch and supper, twenty-won instant noodles took the place of fifty-won Chinese noodles. One day, seductive images of his mother's special hot pot and madam owner's pork cutlets came unbidden to his mind. To taste those, he had to either declare unconditional surrender to

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Mr. Kwon or gave in to madam owner, agreeing to wear the funny-looking pants and red shirt she had bought for him. Shaking his head, he opened the door of the instant-noodle house. It was about a week since Wook had become independent. Bored with his monotonous routine, he decided to stop by at the YC club. There, he ran into Ikoo! "Wow, Ikoo! How long has it been since I last saw you?" "Hey! Wook, is it really you? You have changed! Guess you have graduated, a real adult now. I have been hanging around this place, hoping to see you! Dong, that stubborn kid, does not even answer my phone calls. It's not as bad as he makes it out to be, being an overaged high school student, I am sure. Well, he is impossible, you know how he is sometimes. Anyways, let's have a drink. We need to celebrate!" The two went to a soju house in the area. Ikoo had changed considerably. He looked mature and confident. It was almost a dream come true for Wook to meet Ikoo like this. Wook was not alone in the world any more. He now had Ikoo with him Wook felt like shouting with joy. It seemed Ikoo shared the same sentiment. He wore a big smile on his face, telling Wook about his days in Dongdoochun. "You must have been disappointed in me when I left without even telling you and Dong. I am really sorry if that upset you. I hadn't meant to stay there for good when I left. I was just trying to check out the city. Then I realized a lot of money, I mean really a lot of it, could be made there. So I decided on the spot to stay for the money." Ikoo took out a cigarette, an American brand, and handed it over to Wook. Lighting one up for himself as well, Ikoo con­ tinued, "Guess what I was doing to make big bucks, Wook?" "Tell me, Ikoo. I am curious." "Well, it was doing business with the American soldiers there, those Yanks were really stupid!" "What sort of business?" "I arranged private poker games for them. It doesn't sound like

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a big business, does it? But it is! Do you know how much I would usually make a night? Two hundred dollars on average. Two hundred dollars is sixty thousand won! I charged user fees during the game, one percent of the bet each time there was a raise. Seems trivial? Not so. Do you know how many times they raise their bet in one night? An astronomical number! The winner of the actual poker game usually wins about a hundred dollars at most. That means the guys have been working their butts off to pay me, hahaha. These Yanks, stupid as they are, never realize this simple fact. Understandable, though, for most of them did not even finish elementary school. The winner of the night usually feels great and thanks me for providing the venue, for cleaning out the ash trays, and also for the coffee service. So he would say 'Mr. Choi, number one! But people take turns winning poker games. So I became 'number one’ to everybody after a while. So whenever any of my customers saw me on the street, he almost begged me to set up another poker night. No promotion for my business was needed, hahaha." "Can't they arrange a room for themselves? That would save them your fees." "It's not that easy. They cannot rent a place on their own. The army regulations forbid high-stakes poker inside the military facilities. Outside, there were all kinds of nasty people waiting to skin them alive. I was the only one with some conscience. The bad guys usually charged about a hundred dollars for a room alone. It would not be so bad if that s all there was. Some guys, working with corrupt M.P.s, raided the room they had just rented out to confiscate all the money on the table, to share it among themselves. So, to prevent such things, I always used to have some local muscle guarding the place outside. So among the Yanks, mine was known as the safest place to play poker. Further, I never let the guys who had lost all their money go home disappointed. I arranged a girl for each loser in the morning, an after-service. These tactics made them believe I was someone almost like Christ. So all they said to me if they

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ran into me was 'Mr. Choi, number one'." "Then you must have made a fortune." "Not really. Out of two hundred, thirty went to the muscle who guarded the room, twenty for the rent to the owner of the house, and five dollars for each girl: this is in addition to the money the guys pay for their girls, sort of to ensure good service. So the net profit was only about a hundred." "Still, it IS a lot of money, isn't it?" "Right, but it was really tough to save. The city makes you spend money... I've spent most of the money on booze and girls. Got almost no money left now. No regrets, though. I was having a grand time." "Then, why did you leave the city, if you were having such fun? You could have stayed at least a few more years..." "Well, you don’t know what it is like up there... It’s a place where human garbage has all gathered. There is not a single soul that can be trusted. Not a place to stay for long... I was mixed up in something unpleasant... I had to leave, almost ran away from the city." Ikoo looked a bit uncomfortable as he spoke. He changed the subject. "Do you still see that girl? The volleyball player from the S high?" "You mean Inae. Yeah...off and on. Haven't seen her for over a month, though. How about you? Do you still see Won?" "Gee, you still remember her name! You and your brain! I haven't seen her since I left for Dongdoochun. Planning to look her up, though. Heard she now plays volleyball for a bank." "She had a brother, who was supposedly very tough, didn't she?" "Not so! That was a white lie. Girls sometimes make up stories for no reason. She was from C city, and living by herself at that time. By the way, you have, of course, laid your girl by now, haven't you?" "No...I haven't, Ikoo. How about you?" "Is the Pope Catholic? Done that on the third date. To break a

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girl in, you have to lay her before you do anything. Chicks, too arrogant, too proud or hard to handle, all behave like sheep once laid. Hey, you, a first kyu, do not know of this cardinal rule? I've heard there is a go proverb telling you the very rule!" Ikoo, as bad a go player as he was, was talking about 'Play inside first before any other move'. Nonetheless, he seemed to be right. The proverb seemed to apply to girls as well. Wook thought about Inae and the rule. Soon Inae’s innocent face was overlapped by those of June and madam owner. Wook imme­ diately felt guilty and shook off the thought. Inae should be dif­ ferent from them, he thought. "Hey! Don’t look so serious, man. Let's go to another place for better drinks! I still have some money, enough to get you drunk." They went to another bar, quiet yet not too expensive. Wook had persuaded his insistent friend to come here instead of going to a 'real bar'. Having heard Ikoo's adventure stories, it was Wook's turn. He told Ikoo his stories of being a runaway. He did not have the courage, though, to tell Ikoo of his sinful relationship with madam owner. He just said he moved out of her house so as not to be a burden to her for too long. "Then you must be really hard up now, Wook. Take this." Ikoo pulled out a bundle of five hundred-won bills from his inside pocket and pushed it toward Wook. It was ten thousand won. Wook restrained himself from taking it, with some effort. "Ikoo, please! I cannot take your money like this. I have not told you my stories to get sympathy from you..." "Shut up and take the money! I wouldn't usually give anybody money. But it's you, Wook. Wouldn't you have done the same if you were in my shoes? I will never see you again if you don't take this!" Wook took the money, reluctant yet thankful. He was deeply moved. Ikoo was truly a friend with class. "Hey, Wook. All you have to do now is make pro. They say you can make a living out of go, if you make pro. I will support you

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until that time, nothing to worry about." "I cannot have you look after me indefinitely, Ikoo. I was going to look for a job, as a matter of fact..." "I don't think so, sir! The only jobs available for you would be working as a gofer in a company. Working as a hard laborer would be out of the question, considering your physique. Well, if you want to make some money on your own, I suggest bangneki." "Bangneki? I’ve never played bangneki before." "Well, there is a first time for everything. You can learn. If you are interested, I can arrange opponents for you. In fact, I did that several times for Dong, whenever we needed some cash. I may be only tenth kyu, but I am one of the best managers in bangneki." Wook decided to follow his advice. It seemed to be the only way he could survive. From the next day on, Wook started playing bangneki against opponents carefully selected and negotiated by Ikoo. The matches were not as big as Nak's. Mostly it was around 'fifty, thirty'. But that was enough to allow Wook to give up Swan and instant noodles. The opponents were usually weaker players, third or fourth kyus. The negotiated handicap ranged from two to four stones higher than the standard handicap, to lure the weaker players into money games. Gifted as he was in go, Wook soon mastered the skill of handling weaker players in handicap games. On the advice of his manager, Wook let his opponents win a game once in a while to maintain his 'base customers'. There were enough people with inflated egos and delusions of strength to keep the new business flourishing. The player and his manager traveled all over the city to meet generous opponents. Ikoo was, as he had claimed, astute. He only selected easy opponents for Wook. Opponents with unconfirmed strength were all turned down, unless some 'practice runs' were tried before the actual match for money. Wook found his personality gradually becoming rougher and

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more cold-blooded. The stakes might be smaller, yet it was still a world where only the cold and rough would survive. Luxuries like warm hearts or a caring attitude were not allowed, if one wanted to win. Only winners could survive in that world. The Lake tea house by the YC club was used for business planning and accounting by the two. There, they discussed the strategy and stakes of the oncoming matches. Profit sharing was also part of the activities. Ikoo insisted on 3-7 against Wook’s idea of 5-5. As usual, Wook had to give in to Ikoo. Ikoo rationalized that the player was the one who actually made the money and deserved the seventy percent. Ikoo's generous terms for the partnership were greatly appreciated. But Wook still felt Ikoo's thirty percent was unfair, for Wook could not make any money at all without Ikoo's expertise. To Wook, Ikoo was more than just a friend —almost a big brother. Madam Kang of the Lake was a widow in her early thirties. She had had an eye for Wook, and had made some suggestive moves. Wook, who had never been actively involved in such matters, did little to make anything come of it. Naturally Ikoo, the manager, had to be involved. He successfully arranged a romantic dinner for the two prospective lovers. With Madam Kang willing, it was easy even for Wook to become her mate. The two new lovers met once a week on Wednesday night, the night before her weekly day off, at the motel 'Longevity'. To her, Wook was a blessing from heaven: a twenty-year old younger man with exceptional skills in bed. A month’s hard training by madam owner had given Wook a new asset. Their rendezvous once a week was ideal for Wook, for the rela­ tionship did not interfere with his irregular and uncertain schedule. The bangneki matches often required him to play through the night. Wook's independent life was thus settling down rather com­ fortably. There was enough money to get by, and an attractive mate in his life as well. All he had to do was to study Master Wu's games to make pro. Wook was now on his third review of the book.

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Wook now began to appreciate the truth of the go proverb, 'Play inside first before any other move’. Leaving home was actually an act of 'playing inside first'. Madam Kang became glued to him after the inside placement as well. Suddenly he thought of Inae. Should he apply the proverb to her as well? Wook shook his head with a bitter smile and opened the book of game records.

CR EED FO R A WIN TAKES TH E W IN AWAY The first of the ten go commandments says: Greed for a win takes the win away. The meaning is clear. If one's desire for a win is so great that proper planning and strategy are forgotten in the emotion of the game, the desired win will not be obtained. Maintaining one’s calm, especially in a must-win situation, is always critical. The ultimate goal for a competitor is winning. But the desire to win must be controlled by balancing it with calm strategy and coolly calculated decisions. Once the desire for a win grows bigger and becomes greed, a loss will certainly result. This cardinal rule is too often ignored by many go players, yet the offenders rarely realize the cause of their losses.

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m k The spring qualifying tournament was coming in two ( j weeks. Wook of course registered for the tournament. He had missed the previous fall tournament that fell in the middle of the examination schedule of his final year of school. Dong would certainly enter again, he thought. As a seeded player in the last tournament, Wook had heard, Dong had played poorly, losing more than half his games in the final round. Dong would have to enter from the first round again. That was, however, all Wook had learned about Dong since they had last met about a year before. Wook was careful not to go against his wishes, knowing full well how his bottled-up friend would feel. Dong had never made any attempts to get in touch with Wook, either. Even Ikoo had agreed to leave Dong alone for the time being. Though Wook did not have to smoke Swan any more, he was not well off enough for Chungja. Ikoo, too, did not seem to be comfortable in his financial situation. Playing small-stake bangneki alone was not quite enough to support two people. Wook, however, tried to feel content that he no longer had to depend on Swan and instant noodles. Ikoo by nature never complained about anything anyway. One day at the Lake Ikoo looked excited. He had a radiant look on his face, indicating he had found a 'big fish’, an opponent wanting a higher stakes game. "Wook, finally we got Stupido, Sr.! Do you know who that is? A big fish, probably the biggest we will ever get!" "Oh, really? Who is he?" "Hello, sister-in-law! Looking more beautiful every day, which means there may be another guy in the picture, other than my brother here! Hahaha!" "Oh, you and your foul mouth again! Watch your manners talking to your elders!" After Ikoo had chased away Madam Kang with his usual jokes, he looked serious again. He lit a cigarette slowly. "You know the breakfast district near the Independence Gate, a few blocks away from here, don't you? He owns a drinking

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joint there. An old guy, around sixty or so. He's been in business there for a few years, selling drinks, food, and girls too. He is said to have made a small fortune at it, yet is a notorious miser. He happens to like bangneki, though, and is always looking for easy opponents to make some easy bucks. As careful as he is about money, he always demands an unreasonable handicap in bangneki. That's one of the reasons he doesn't get to play very often. Not many people would want to play him." "How strong is he?" "He is a fifth kyu. But he is very experienced in bangneki, plus really good at life-and-death problems. People say he can read almost at second or third kyu level in life-and-death problems. He also has his own rule when playing against first kyus: unless it is a nine-stone handicap game, he would not play with a first kyu. Nine stones! How can anybody give a fifth kyu nine stones? Well, I have some connections and finally had a meeting with him yesterday. He says he will play if the handicap is nine stones... at five hundred, two hundred! Big chance, yet I am not sure we can handle him on nine... What do you think, Wook?" Ikoo did not seem to want to pass on this chance, the biggest stake they had ever encountered. Yet, he also did not want to pressure Wook into a match against Wook's will. A five hundred, two hundred was indeed a big bangneki. But Wook did not feel very comfortable about playing a fifth kyu on a nine-stone handicap. Nevertheless, both Wook and Ikoo could use some money now. Ikoo seemed more in need of it than Wook was. His eyes were almost begging, as if Wook might possess some miraculous ability to break this rich miser. Wook made up his mind. "Well, let's give it a try, Ikoo. I think we need at least about fifteen thousand for the match. I only have about ten. Do you have five thousand or so?" "Sure do. Here, ten thousand. Let's go for it, Wook. At worst, we would lose twenty thousand, and we can live with that!" Ikoo showed full support for Wook's decision.

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"Well, we'd better have a meeting with this man, Ikoo. We'll have to decide on a place for the match and other things. Also I want to see him before the match." Wook found himself rushing a bit, for he was excited at the prospect of the biggest bangneki in his short career as a hustler. The drinking joint was not busy, as it was only about eleven in the morning. Wook was served a cup of tea, while Ikoo and the old man he had called Stupido, Sr. were working out the details. The venue and time of the match were set: nine p.m. on Thursday at the motel 'Longevity'. Wook felt amused. He was to meet Madam Kang at the same motel the night before. It might be better this way, he thought. He could stay over till Thursday, taking a nap or resting for the night's match. Wook agreed to the time and location. "Oh, are you the one I am going to play? Nice to meet you. Such a young first kyu, I am impressed. Have you ever entered the qualifying tournament before? No? Well, still you must be a strong player. Me? I am a bad, bad player, playing just for fun. Well, I will probably blow some big money, hahaha." Stupido, Sr., was a shrewd gambler all right. He even exercised the precaution of checking out Wook’s objective strength as a first kyu. Wook lied about his experience in the qualifying tour­ nament so as not to give him any advantage. Still, Wook felt quite uncomfortable about the coming big match. Maybe he should have told his opponent the truth about his qualifying tournament, three losses in the first round. The old man may have lowered his guard a little after having learned the truth. Wook regretted a little not telling. After Ikoo had left to take care of some other business, Wook returned to the Lake. Sitting at a comer table with the coffee Madam Kang had brought, Wook went into deep thought. He tried to come up with a strategy to win this coming match. But he did not even know exactly how strong this Stupido, Sr. was, let alone his style of play. Nak, who had planned for five months for a match, would laugh at Wook's silliness. Wook's face suddenly brightened. Yes, he could use Nak’s strategy. The

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strategy where Nak let his opponent win by one or two units a couple of times to boost his ego and false belief in his own strength, followed by a win by six or seven units to stir him up emotionally. It might work against Stupido, Sr. Wook tried to recall the exact words Nak used to increase the effects of the strategy. Those words were also vital weapons to be used in the match. Wook felt much better already. "What are you contemplating, dear?" Madam Kang was at his side, pinching his thigh below the table. "Let's go to Pines Island tomorrow night. It would take less than an hour by taxi. We can come back on Thursday afternoon," she whispered in his ear. "Not tomorrow, sorry. I've got business on Thursday afternoon." It was a tempting offer, yet he did not mess up the chance of a big match because of a woman. Thursday afternoon was part of the match, for he needed that afternoon's rest to play through the coming night. "Oh, I see. Then we could go next Wednesday. Anyway, we do still have our date tomorrow there, don't we?" Wook nodded with smile. He liked the way she accepted his refusal of the trip. She never pushed him for detailed expla­ nations. He felt a bit guilty, thinking he could take her somewhere even nicer next Wednesday, if he was successful in the coming match. Wook faced two battles of different kinds on two successive nights. Wednesday night's battle was a romantic one. Yet it too was a battle of a kind. In the battle, Wook had the duty of an executioner and she was the prisoner to be executed. He was to execute his prisoner. She had the duty of reviving after each execution to demand another. Both fulfilled their duties faithfully throughout the night. The battle ended peacefully at dawn. It was a battle where there was no clear winner or loser. In this battle the end result was not as important as the process

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of the battle itself. Wook slept through the Thursday afternoon to be ready for the next battle, where the end result was all that mattered. After waking up around four in the afternoon, he started his prepa­ rations. He went out for a bath and haircut. On his way back to the motel, he picked up a carton of Chungja. It was almost six thirty. Wook called in the houseboy and selected a new room. The houseboy set up a go board and stones under Wook's orders. Wook tipped the boy with a five-hundred won bill, requesting that he not put guests in the next rooms if possible. It was not desirable to suddenly overhear ecstatic groans in the middle of a serious game. The boy left the room thanking his generous guest with a deep bow. Ikoo arrived shortly after seven. "How do you feel, Wook? Don't worry about losing tonight. I really don't care even if you lose, you know that. It would only be twenty thousand... By the way, did you meet her yesterday here as usual? What the hell have you done to her to make her go crazy head over heels? You must have some secrets for handling girls!" Wook knew that Ikoo was trying to relax him by bringing up light subjects. Wook just smiled back at his nervous friend. Wook did not need Ikoo's help now. He was far from nervous. Rather, he was beginning to feel some belligerent spirit rising within himself. Evidently Wook was a natural competitor. Stupido, Sr. arrived at ten past eight. "Been waiting long? Let's get started. We don't really have to start at nine sharp, do we? Let's bury. Five hundred, two hundred. So twenty-five hundred each, right?" Wook followed him and buried the amount under the board. Wook sensed his opponent was in a hurry. He must be full of confidence. Obviously Stupido, Sr. did not think much of Wook. It was an encouraging sign. Underestimating the opponent was a thing to avoid in a big match. The old man's style was, however, solid. His long experience

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of playing bangneki against stronger players was evident in his moves. He was always on the defensive in response to Wook's exploratory moves. It was usually very hard to win a nine-stone game if black stayed conscious of his defense. Winning was hard against this style, but losing by a little was relatively easy. Wook carefully played to follow his strategy of losing by a small margin. The first game was over rather uneventfully. Black won by eight points, one bang. "Gee, nine stones ARE unreasonable, five or six would be the right handicap..." Wook tried his best to mimic Nak's line as he handed over the money lost, seven hundred won. "Well, a promise is a promise!" Stupido, Sr. placed the nine stones on the board in a hurry, as if to prevent a possible demand from his opponent to change the handicap. In the second game, Stupido, Sr. continued his defensive style. Unlike the first game, however, he occasionally tried to fight back a little, a sign that he now felt more confident. Wook let a few stones of his own be captured on purpose to build a stronger fighting influence in the centre. It served two purposes. By sacrificing a few stones for more power, Wook actually gained in the exchange. His opponent, not strong enough to assess the outcome of the exchange correctly, felt a false confidence in his own fighting ability. The second game ended with black's win by five points, one bang again. Stupido, Sr. looked puzzled that his winning margin did not change even after his successful local battle. "Only one bang? Strange..." "Isn't it? Even I thought it was a loss by at least three bang..." Wook helped his opponent feel even more confused. The effect was remarkable. Stupido, Sr. must have questioned Wook's strength as first kyu. He had never encountered a first kyu who would miscalculate the outcome of a game by that much. He now felt he was just wasting time by being defensive.

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He became suddenly aggressive, fighting to kill Wook's large group and win by a bigger margin, maybe even manbang —the ten-unit maximum allowed. Wook thanked God his patience during the previous games began to pay off. He ignored his opponent's attacking move against his group to play elsewhere. Wook had read out that his group could not be killed, for there was a move within the group that would make two eyes, the requirement for uncondi­ tional life. The move was difficult enough that a player of his opponent's strength would be unable to find it, Wook was certain. The old man's eyes began glittering, like a predator's eyes spotting the prey. He started his all-out attack, chasing Wook's group into his own prospective territory. He was confident of the pending capture of the big group. The sound of his stones hitting the board became louder and louder. His heart began to thump hard in anticipation of manbang, twenty-five hundred won in one shot. Wook took his group well into his opponent’s territory for a while. Then after reducing black's huge territory to a small one of about ten points while being chased, Wook went back to the original spot using the move he had prepared long before to make his group live. His opponent was stunned and did not play his next move for five long minutes. Finally black gave up his hope of manbang and continued, to finish the game for counting. Wook won by sixty-two points, seven bang. As it was a seven-unit win, Stupido, Sr. had to pay Wook nineteen hundred won, five hundred more than his total winnings from the two one-unit wins. Although he was fully aware of the workings of bangneki, Stupido, Sr. was upset: He was in the red despite the fact that he had won the first two games and he could have just won the last by manbang against this fake first kyu. He believed firmly that it was his own mistake, not Wook's brilliant move, that made the white group live. This amplified the weak player's frustration and anger. "I must have been really stupid to let the group live. There was no way for it to survive!"

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"Well, sir, you are right about that. But I need all the breaks I can get at this unreasonable handicap. Otherwise it would be a loss by manbang every time." Wook encouraged his opponent to continue with his wrong belief, stressing the word manbang to plant it deep in the old man's subconscious mind. The fact that the white group was alive even before the attack started was a top secret the old man must never find out. Finally Stupido, Sr.'s drive for manbang started in full force. He had forgotten his opponent was a first kyu. He wanted to get back the manbang he had almost obtained in the previous game. The groups of Stupido, Sr. began to behave like Madam Kang the previous night. Wook again became the executioner. Wook repeated the task of repeated execution just as he had the previous night. The only difference was, in tonight's exe­ cutions, there were no such things as peaceful truce or romantic revival. There were also the clear winner and the loser. Each execution made Wook's pocket bulge with additional bills. The manbang the old man wanted so badly actually happened several times, yet they were all against him. In the history of bangneki, there had never been a case when the loser, once frustrated and enraged at his own stupidity, had recovered his cool to get back into the game. This match was no exception. Around eight o'clock in the morning, Stupido, Sr.'s money had run out. He had to use the buried money to pay for the last loss. The first two wins of the night were all the old man had been able to manage. Still confused and angry, Stupido, Sr. demanded a return match the evening of the same day. Highly unlikely, Wook thought. Yet he gave the loser some vague answer resembling a yes. The loser stormed out of the room and disappeared. Wook smiled for the first time at Ikoo, who had been stifling laughter. "Wow, hahahaha. The old man did bring a lot of money. From about dawn, I started worrying about his money running out

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any moment. He kept on bringing out more and more money! Have we been really lucky or what? By the way, I am really impressed with you, Wook! How could you be so good, killing the old guy on nine stones thirteen times in a row, with four manbang? Even Dong never wanted to play the man on nine." "Well, we were lucky. The man lost his composure at the right moment. Believe me, Ikoo. He is not an easy kill." Wook pulled out a handful of money from the pocket and handed it over to his friend. There was no need to count it. Wook wanted to give his friend as much as possible, for Wook had usually been on the receiving end of Ikoo's generosity. "This much, Wook? Thanks! Actually I needed some money today. This is great!” "Need more, Ikoo? Here take this." Ikoo stopped Wook. "I've got more than enough already. Buy your chick something with the money! I have to run now, though. I will call you at the Lake in the afternoon. If I don't show up or there is no call from me, call the girl, April, at 'the Blue Rock’. I will keep her informed of my whereabouts. See you later, Wook. Thanks!" Ikoo left the room in a hurry. Wook was left alone in the room. The two large ash trays next to the battleground of the previous night were full, signifying how fiercely the battle had been fought. Stupido, Sr. had lost big only because his desire for a win was too great. If he had kept to his style, greed subdued, to win by a little at a time, the previous night's tragedy would never have happened to him. Obviously he had never heard of the first commandment, 'Greed for a win takes the win away'. These rich weak players, ignorant of such commandments, were generous supporters of poor first kyus like Wook. It was also the privilege of the first kyus to receive such support, having learned such com­ mandments through diligent study of the game.

KO FIGHTS If the configuration of the stones is such that black and white could capture each other repeatedly without end, the local shape is called ko. Since the rules of go forbid endless repe­ tition, the player has to play somewhere else, a ko threat, before taking the opponent's stone again. Upon seeing the threat, then, the opponent will face a choice between resolving the original ko fight or responding to the ko threat. This particular shape, ko, increases the possible permutations in the game astronomically, one of the reasons why computer programs have still only reached the level of a beginner. Ko also creates unexpected side effects, since playing somewhere else using a ko threat has implications that will affect not only the local battle but also the whole board. Ko has been a central mystery in the thousands of years of the game's history. A top Japanese player in the 17th century is known to have said on his death bed, "If only there was a ko, I could extend my life..."

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It was past two o'clock in the afternoon when Wook came out of the bath house. He went back to the Lake.

There was no message from Ikoo waiting for Wook at the tea house. Wook decided to wait a bit. Madam Kang found Wook and brought his coffee. "Just taken a bath? How did it go last night? Did you have to play all night?" "Yeah, had to play till about eight in the morning. Things went well, as planned. How about it? Still want to go to Pines Island next Wednesday?" She pressed her hand hard on his thigh and whispered, "Of course, darling!" "I will be here around nine on Wednesday, then." "But, Wook. Is this really all right with you? The tournament is only about ten days away. I don't want to disrupt your studying schedule." "Never mind that. This coming tournament will be only for practice. Besides, I wouldn't have asked you if it was a problem." Wook felt grateful for the way she respected his priorities more than her own. There was a customer at the cash counter needing her service. She ran back to work. Ikoo did not show up by five. Wook called April at 'the Blue Rock.' She didn’t sound very cheerful, just repeatedly saying 'come over here as soon as you can’. Something must have happened to Ikoo. Wook felt uneasy. He ran out of the Lake and took a cab. April, who had just recently become Ikoo's new girlfriend, was in shock. She related the details to Wook in a hurry. "Ikoo was arrested this morning on an assault charge! When he was in Dongdoochun, he tried to protect a girl from a thug. One day, the thug confronted Ikoo and Ikoo had to punch him a couple of times in self defense. Ikoo left the city and came back to Seoul after that. This thug is suing Ikoo now, and the police came to take Ikoo away, in handcuffs. What do I do now? Please get him out. Please!"

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It was a shock to Wook. Contrary to April’s belief, Wook had no power to authorize her boyfriend's release. The best he could do was to visit Ikoo. Wook's request to see Ikoo was turned down at the police station. The detective Wook finally got to talk to after almost two hours' wait was not friendly. "No visitors, unless you are an immediate family member. A friend? That is not family, is it? Possibility of release? Are you kidding? Not a chance. He needs a good lesson in the slammer." Wook had no choice but to leave the station, feeling powerless. His best friend was in jail and there was not a thing he could do to help. From April's description, the charge did not seem to be serious. If Ikoo had had the help of someone influential, he could be released, Wook was certain. But neither Ikoo nor Wook had these kind of connections. Mr. Kwon might be able to help. Wook hesitated, but he was willing to go back home begging, if Ikoo could be released. Then he thought of Mr. Park. Yes, Mr. Park, Inae's father, certainly could help. Definitely a better alternative than his father, yet Wook was still hesitant. He had not contacted Inae for three months. Besides, he had done things Inae would never forgive him for. A few times with June might be forgivable, but not the relationships with madam owner and Madam Kang. It would be dishonest to hide these episodes and meet Inae. Inae came out to meet him at 'the Blue Rock' in an hour. Dishonest or not, Wook had to help Ikoo. He had finally given up his principled stand and given Inae a call. He had to ratio­ nalize to himself repeatedly, before making the phone call, that being dishonest was better than surrendering to Mr. Kwon unconditionally or leaving Ikoo in jail. Inae had changed. Her old 'high school hair' had grown down past her shoulders and the badge of'S Women's University' was shiny on her chest. Wook felt almost intimidated. "Wook! How come you haven't called me all this time! Got a new girlfriend, right? No? Then why? You look great with that new hair style! I like it."

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She was the same old Inae, cheerful and perky. "Forgive me for having been such a jerk... But I had reasons... A lot of things have happened to me since I saw you last...Why don't we go out for lunch? I have so many things to tell you." They went to a nice restaurant near the tea house. Wook told her his stories over lunch. He told her in detail how and why he had to leave home and why he had to give up university. He also told her about his new lifestyle, playing bangneki to survive, but carefully kept Madam Kang out of the picture. "To me, it seems a bit cowardly to run away from home like that... But I'd like to respect your decisions. You have always been right. By the way, where do you live now? Know how to cook? I see. But how can you eat out all the time? How about laundry?" Inae was genuinely concerned and curious. She kept on firing questions at Wook, who was getting anxious trying to find the right moment to bring up Ikoo's predicament. Inae wanted to visit his place. "Show me how it looks. I really want to see what it is like. Please, Wook?" "There is nothing to see there, Inae." "Please, Wook, I don't care. Take me there please." Wook had to give in. He thought about her house with the enormous garden and the living room with the tiger hide. He smiled bitterly to himself. Inae became silent sitting in Wook's room. Apparently she was in deep shock. It was much worse than she had imagined - so small and shabby, with no furniture, not even a bed or desk. She ran her fingers through the bowl of go stones for a while without saying a word, then pulled Wook toward her. She embraced him tightly, trembling. Wook, too, held her tight. They kissed. Wook felt ecstatic, to his surprise. He had expe­ rienced much more erotic encounters than just a kiss. Yet a light kiss with her made him ecstatic. He could not help himself. He unbuttoned her blouse. She did not try to stop him.

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She was clumsy and inexperienced, compared to the women he had been with. It did not matter, though. Wook felt for the first time the real passion of love. He learned that sex could be beautiful as well as gratifying. She held him tight throughout,

quietly bearing the pain of her first experience. So the day ended like that. Wook took her back to her house on a bus. During the bus ride, they were silent all the way, over­ whelmed by the new experience and the new status of their relationship. On the way back home, Wook realized with frustration that Ikoo's problems were still there. The events of the day, though, never gave him a chance to bring the subject up with her. A new

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problem had just surfaced instead. Wook now faced some tough decisions. Wook thought of the relationship with Inae as a ko fight. Madam owner and Madam Kang were merely ko threats. He had been ignoring the original ko fight, Inae, and busy with the ko threats instead. The original ko fight now had grown much bigger after today's event. Wook had no other choice but to ignore all the ko threats on the board and win the original ko: a first kyu's decision to resolve the ko fight.

SLOW DOWN, BEWARE OF SPEED Rushing will achieve little. Another of the ten go com­ mandments warns the players: Slow down, beware of speed.

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Ikoo was smoking triumphantly at his table at the Lake. Wook, who hadn't been able to sleep at all the night before, worrying about Ikoo, could not believe his eyes. He felt like flying. "Hey, Ikoo! What happened? Are you really out for good?" "Of course! I must have worried you sick. Look at yourself. You look miserable. I heard you were at the station, Detective Lee, the S.O.B., told me this morning." "S.O.B. is about right! But he told me it was impossible for you to be released... How did you get out?" "The guy dropped the charge, agreeing to settle the problem differently. Oh, hello, sister-in-law! How are you this morning? Too bad I won't be able to tease my big sister any more." "What do you mean by that, Ikoo?" "I have to go back to Dongdoochun on business for about a year. You will take good care of Wook, won't you?" "Oh, my. It's so sudden..." She had to get back to work despite her wish to continue the conversation. A customer was complaining loudly about the taste of today's coffee. She ran to the table. Back to the city of the US army? Wook was surprised for the second time that morning. He pressed Ikoo for more details. "In exchange for dropping the assault charge, he wants me to work at his laundry for a year without pay. He must have figured that he would get his revenge much better that way. Running me as his slave for a year will give him all kinds of satisfaction. Well, I did not have much of a choice. It will at least be better than being in jail..." Ikoo looked sad. Wook felt frustrated at losing him again so soon. Wook took out all the money he had in his pocket. "Take this, Ikoo. This is all I've got. It's about fifty thousand. I won't consider you a friend of mine if you don’t take this." Wook stuffed the money into Ikoo's pocket. Ikoo's eyes were wet. It was the first time Wook had witnessed Ikoo’s tears. Wook, too, was holding back tears. Ikoo suddenly got up and briefly shook hands with Wook. He then almost ran out of the

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tea house, not even saying anything to Madam Kang. Ikoo left just like that. "Has Ikoo gone for good? I just saw him running out." "Yes, he is gone. For now, that is. He will be back in a year, I am sure... By the way, we have to cancel our trip to Pines Island next week...I am really sorry to say this." "Why? More business?" "Not really..." Wook could not tell her he had no money left for the trip. "I know. It's because of money, isn't it?" "I saw it all from over there. You are a nice man and must have a very warm heart. But, men are like little kids sometimes! Giving him ALL your money without even thinking...I bet you don't even have money for lunch today." She then placed in his hand a piece of paper she was holding. A certified cheque for twenty thousand. "It's a loan. Make sure you pay me back." She ran back to work. Wook sat stunned for a while. It was a really nice gesture. Though he had already decided to leave her for Inae soon, things were happening to make the implemen­ tation of the decision difficult. She too was still very much part of Wook. He bit his lips hard. This ko threat was too big to ignore. The next Wednesday night at Pines Island, Madam Kang's desire for Wook was endless. She must have sensed his decision somehow. She did not let him out of her arms all night. Wook, as if denying it all, returned her passion with fierce love. On returning from the trip, Wook locked himself up in his room for the next seven days to study for the qualifying tournament. He had called Inae to inform her of the schedule. The games of Master Wu gave him more than enough to study. He stayed in the room replaying the games, only taking brief breaks for meals. Finally it was the day of the tournament. The second floor of

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the Korean Go Association was filled with prospective profes­ sional players as usual — about three hundred of them. Dong was there as well. Dong looked a high school student, probably because of the required short hair. Wook greeted him cheerfully. "Hey, Dong. What do you think of this tournament? I am sure you can make it this time." "You know better than that, Wook. I’ve heard you have improved a lot. Ikoo told me before he left. Do you know he went back to Dongdoochun again?" There was a big gap in communication between them that could only be filled if they had the time and space to sit down, undis­ turbed, over a few bottles of soju. The day would come some time in the future, Wook hoped. Wook made it to the third round. The games of Master Wu had improved him considerably. Yet, Wook realized how weak he was after scoring only one win in the third round. There was still a long road of improvement ahead of him. He was not there yet. Dong must have studied hard as well. He made it to the final round after scoring nine straight wins in the preliminaries. The wall of making professional was still too high for even Dong to jump over, though. With a score of six wins and four losses, he had to be contended with becoming a seed for the next tour­ nament. Walking out of the association building, Wook ran into Inae waiting at the door. "Inae! How did you find this place?" "I read about the tournament in the paper and asked Dad." "Nice to see you here. Let's go somewhere for lunch.” He had to rush her out of there, for Dong was about to come out any minute. Inae would probably understand Dong and his short hair, but Dong would certainly be upset to be seen like that. In a western-style restaurant nearby, she ordered a pork cutlet, madam owner’s specialty. Out of remorse, he ordered an omelet

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instead. "How did it go, Wook?" "Well, two good players have become professional first dan, and the rest of us are still first kyus, hahaha." "Dad says making pro is even harder than passing the lawyer’s exam. Is that true?" "Of course, the lawyer's exam cannot even compare!" "Wow, then it IS truly hard. Do you think you can make it, Wook?" "I don't know. I just try my best. It has become my only visible goal by now. You may call it being stubborn, but there is more than that. For instance, I may have received some influence from my late great-grandfather. Wanna hear about it?" He told her the story his brother had told him. Inae looked excited afterwards. "Wow, that is some story! I can even feel your great-grand­ father looking down from heaven, taking care of you! I’m gonna tell Dad about it. Oh, I forget! Dad wants to see you at home today, if you are free." "Why? Does he want to play go with me?" "Not really. Well, I hope you don't mind... I have told Mom and Dad about you. Is it O.K.?" "About me running away from home?" "Yeah... And all the other things as well." Wook felt uneasy. She must have told her parents even about the other day's event. Her and her American way! Wook followed her to her house, feeling like a criminal waiting for his sentence. Mr. Park greeted Wook cheerfully. He did not at all resemble a judge who was about to hand down a death penalty. "How was the tournament? Third round? Wow! That's fan­ tastic." "There is a long way yet to go, sir. I need to study harder." After chasing Inae and her mother out of the living room, Mr. Park looked at Wook quietly. "I am sure you are familiar with the commandment: Slow

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down, beware of speed. You are now dealing with two issues that require you to heed the advice of the commandment. "The first one is Inae. She is still an innocent kid, ignorant of things in the real world. But one fact is certain. She is deeply in love with you. I do not have the traditional Korean attitude that would make me demand responsibility from you. It is, to me, a beautiful thing if love between two people has materi­ alized physically. Yet, you have to understand that I am her parent. As a parent, I do not want to see her hurt through this supposedly beautiful relationship. That's why I am asking you to take careful and slow steps in this relationship. I know both of you are a bit too young to get married. As long as you take this relationship seriously, I would be grateful." Wook felt deep respect for Mr. Park's character. He was asking Wook not to regard Inae as just one of his playmates. Wook almost promised that he would marry her, but restrained himself, remembering Mr. Park's admonition to be mindful of the commandment. Mr. Park continued. "The second one is your go career. You are much stronger than me in the game itself. But sometimes, it’s desirable to listen to a weaker player’s advice. I respect your decision to choose go over university, especially because I know, vaguely maybe, how hard it is to make pro. Also, your decision not to be tied by old set ideas should be respected. On the other hand, you are violating the same commandment in pursuing your goal. Leaving home without a proper plan for being independent was a rushed action, to put it mildly. Also, beginning to study seriously for the qualifying tournament only a week before the tournament does not show a solid plan.” Mr. Park was pointing out how haphazard Wook had been in his effort to become a pro. Wook felt ashamed. "I am not telling you, though, to go back home. You are an adult now. Your responsibilities as an adult are as important as your rights. So I believe you will be responsible for your actions. "Let me make a little suggestion. I know a small Buddhist temple in the mountains, not very far from Seoul. About two

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hours' drive. Why don’t you study there until the next tour­ nament? They do charge for room and board there. It is desirable that you come up with your expenses on your own. If that is not possible, let me know. I could lend you the money you need. Now, what do you think of it all?" "Give me some time to think about it, sir. I will let you know by tomorrow evening." "If I have offended your feelings by going overboard, forgive me please. I just wanted to be of some help." "Not at all, sir. I really appreciated your interest." On the bus ride back home, Wook thought about the com­ mandment: Slow down, beware of speed. That was exactly what he needed at the moment. He felt deep appreciation for Mr. Park's timely advice. Wook had just met his third teacher.

GIVE UP A LITTLE TO GAIN BIG Another of the ten commandments advises us: Give up a little to gain big. One should be willing to sacrifice a little to achieve something bigger and more meaningful. This seemingly simple advice is too often ignored by many who stubbornly hang on to smaller things while missing out on much more important ones.

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SUNG-HWA HONG Wook decided to go to the mountains. He went to see his big brother at work.

Bu was hard to persuade. But after seeing his brother’s determination and stubbornness, Bu finally gave in. Two hundred thousand won was a large amount for an assistant supervisor of a big company to come up with on short notice. The faithful big brother in the end came up with the money after having gone through all of his limited resources, mumbling repeatedly, "I will be a dead fish if father finds out..." Wook was now ready to go. But before leaving for the mountains, he had a few small things to give up for the bigger. He wrote a letter to Madam Kang, using her first name: Young! I have to leave without even saying good-bye. I have really appreciated your help during this time and enjoyed your company. I am going away for six months or so to concentrate on studying go. I hope we meet again when I return. Will miss you enormously. Wook P.S. I have left the money with the receptionist at the Lake. Thank you for the loan. Wook thought about how she would look reading the letter. She would take it calmly. Even if he had dropped by to say good­ bye, she would not have tried to stop him. Wook regretted betraying her trust this way. He felt a need to write to madam owner as well. Dear Madam, I still feel sorry for disappearing like I did. Please forgive me if that was rude. I am leaving Seoul for a while to study go. I will never forget the kindness you showed me during my hard times. Thank you and goodbye. Wook

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Wook mailed the letters, relieved at having done the things he had been meaning to do, yet hesitating. Inae too was one of the small things he had to give up for a while. Inae did not need a letter, though. She came out to the bus depot to see Wook off. She brought along a map to the temple that Mr. Park had hand-drawn for him. In a bakery near the bus depot, they sat together. "Well, Inae, this is it. It will be hard for us to see each other for the next six months or so. I have to study out there in the mountains while you have to go to school." "What's wrong with me visiting you?" Inae brought up the problem Wook had anticipated. Wook gave her the speech he had carefully prepared beforehand. "You are more than welcome to visit, Inae. But it should not be more often than once a month. More frequent visits would defeat the very purpose of going into the mountains to con­ centrate on studying. But you HAVE to come and see me at least once a month. Otherwise I might run out of the mountains to see you!" The prepared speech paid off, for she did not complain about the visitation rule too much. "O.K. If you say so. But I will be there once a month. Plus, I will write in between visits. You don't have to write back, Wook. You need all the time to study." "I know how you will feel. Please try and understand. Six months will go by somehow." He held her hand tight. She too held his hand tight. A sudden urge to forget everything and stay in Seoul with her struck him hard. But he remembered in time the proper commandment: Give up a little to gain big. The temple was not hard to find. It was about thirty minutes' walk into the mountains from the bus stop. At the temple, a familiar looking car, a large import, surprised him. Mr. Park was waiting for Wook. "Hahaha, don't be surprised. I am NOT here to study for the

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tournament. I just came to introduce you to the chief monk. Even Inae doesn't know I am here. See the house over there? That’s where the chief monk and his family live. This temple belongs to the denomination that allows monks to get married. The monk's family are not vegetarian, so your meals will not be strictly vegetarian. The small house on this side over there is where you are going to stay. The room and board is six thousand won a month. I have paid for the first month already, to sort of welcome you here. Oh, here comes the chief monk from the ceremony room. Go talk to him. He already knows who you are. O.K. My job here is done now. I am leaving, see you." He turned toward the monk in the distance and shouted, "Your eminence! I am leaving now. Thank you for everything!" After a deep bow toward the monk, he left the temple in his car. The chief monk led Wook to his room. Mr. Park had left a package with a letter attached to the outside. Wook, I appreciate your accepting my advice. I am leaving you The Games ofTakagawa, a series of seven volumes. I bought them in Japan. I am sure you know who Master Takagawa is -- the one whose famous words are ‘Flowing water does not compete to be first’. These words teach you not to fight the natural flow of things. Master Wu's talent and balance plus Master Takagawa's resilience will make you a great player, I am sure. Sangsoo Park P.S. I have also left ten cartons of Chungja to save you some trips down the mountain to the store. Mr. Park was someone to look up to. He must have thought about Wook and the mountain trip a lot, even the little details. It seemed his motivation for all this came from more than just the love for his daughter. He was a caring person. He cared for things and the principles he valued. Wook started to unpack. There was not much to unpack —a few

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items of clothing, two go sets, and some books. Wook opened up Mr. Park’s package as well, and rearranged the room a bit. The books of Wu and Takagawa were placed side by side, along with the poet's thin book containing the story of Intetsu. The training in the mountains began. Six days had gone by. The training consisted of ongoing battles against boredom, loneliness, urges to give up, and twisted rationalizing to deny the need for training in the mountains. In short, it was a battle against himself. Wook wrote in large letters 'Overcoming the self on a piece of paper and posted it on the wall. The biggest obstacle in the battle against himself was the fact that he had money available to spend. He soon realized two hundred thousand was an amount far beyond his basic needs. He paid the chief monk the next five months' rent in advance, thirty thousand won in total. After taking just two thousand won as an emergency fund, he decided to send the rest of the money back to Bu by mail the next day. But he did not have to go down the mountain to mail the money. Inae came to visit on the seventh day. "Hey, didn't we agreed to limit the visits to once a month?” Wook was really happy to see her, yet he had to protest. "Well, this is not a violation of the agreement. Once a month, yes. But we never said when the first visit would be. So I will come back exactly one month from today. The roads are rough out here, so Dad let me use the car, saying he would allow me the car once a month only. He is just like you, Wook. Well, I will keep the agreement faithfully, so don't look so scary, please! You do like to see me here, don't you? Hey, you are smiling! I missed you so much..." Inae in the middle of the deep mountains shone with radiating beauty. Her continuous chatting did not bother him at all. The chocolate and cookies she brought along showed Wook how much she had missed him. Wook just sat with her, listening to her chatting with his hand holding hers tightly. Finally the chauffeur came to inform Inae reluctantly that it was time to go-

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Wook gave her the money and Bu's address, adding that never in any circumstances was she to tell Bu where he was. Bu could be trusted, but he would not be able to keep the secret if asked by his father. If Mr. Kwon showed up here, it would be the end of everything Wook had struggled for. After Inae left, he had a difficult time getting back to work for a while. He opened the book of Master Wu's games, pulling the board toward him. He had to persevere. There was no money - the obstacle —on him any more. Inae would not be here for a month. Studying was all he could do for now. Wook bit on his lips, clenching hard. He placed the first move of one of Master Wu's games on the board.

BE ON Y O U R CU A R D A M O N C ENEM IES Often times people forget that they are deep in enemy territory. This usually results in unexpected tragedy. The commandment says to be extra careful when one faces a formidable opponent: Be on your guard among enemies.

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One day during his fifth month in the mountains, Wook suddenly experienced higher understanding. It was during his eighth time reviewing the game records of Master Wu. The experience was the go equivalent of Buddha under the tree, or Jesus after forty days in the wilderness. From that day on, Master Wu's moves started to make perfect sense. The questions he had had were being answered one by one, easily. Woo had finally reached the next level. He realized how clumsy his games had been. The game of go finally revealed some of its secrets to Wook. Wook felt gratification suffusing him —the same gratification Einstein must have felt when he looked in the microscope to witness colloid particles, the existence of which he had deduced through calculation alone. Confucius stated: Every book will reveal its truth if read one hundred times. Wook achieved the goal after reading through the book eight times. He considered himself lucky. The remaining month was spent polishing up some loose ends by going through the book two more times. As Nak had requested, Wook had gone through the book ten times, over three thousand games reviewed. Wook finally came down from the mountain, and back to the capital city. He went to see Bu at work first, still carrying his luggage. Bu came down to the company tea room in a hurry. "Wook! Finally. How was life in the mountains? Hard, wasn't it?" "No complaint, I volunteered to do it anyway." "Still, it must have been rough on you. How has studying go been? I admire you sometimes. The very existence of your kind in our family amazes me. By the way, why did you return the money after all the trouble I had gone through for it?" "The money was in the way when trying to concentrate... " "In the way? Wow! You must have been studying really hard! Oh, the girl who brought the money. Is she your girlfriend? Yes? I see. You must have trained her really well. She would

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not tell me where you were, no matter how hard I pressed! Anyway, let's go home for a nice meal and hot bath. I also want to know all about life in the mountains." "Sorry to say this, but I can't go with you... Can you lend me some money, instead? I need about twenty thousand to rent a room." "All right, I won't even try to argue with you. I should know how stubborn you are by now. Twenty? That much will be easy. Just wait here a minute. I will be back with the money right away." Bu disappeared to get the money. Wook felt thankful for his brother's unconditional support. He also felt sorry to do things always his own way, against Bu’s suggestions. Wook found a room in the H district again. After resting the first day in his new room, he went to the Association early next morning to register for the qualifying tournament. The tour­ nament was to be held in a week. Wook stayed in his room for the next week, polishing up what he had acquired in the mountains. Only once, he went to Inae's house to report his return to Mr. Park. After having dinner there, Wook took Inae out for a walk for the first time in a long while. They walked along the walls of Duksoo Palace holding hands. Wook felt a warm happiness to be with her. If he made pro this time, he would take her to Mr. Kwon to get his permission to marry her. Mr. Kwon would probably forgive Wook if he finally made pro. Wook was ready to ask for forgiveness from his father if he had to, to get his father's blessing for their marriage. He told her his plan as they walked. Finally it was time for Wook to go back so he could catch the last bus. He promised her a better outing after the tournament, maybe a trip to Pines Island. Inae loved the idea of the trip. She could hardly wait the next few days. Finally the day of the tournament came. The tournament Wook had been studying for over the past six months saw the usual three hundred or so participants. Wook bulldozed through the three preliminaries with nine

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straight wins, making it to the final round easily. There were eleven players altogether in the main round, including the pre­ viously seeded Dong. The main round featured strong players. Wook, even with his new awakening, could only score four wins and four losses, with two games remaining. One of the remaining games was against Dong, who by then had scored six wins and two losses. If Dong won the next two games, he would make pro without any tie-breaking. The remaining games were important for Wook too. He had to win both to get seeded in the next tournament. Dong and Wook faced each other with the board between them. Both kept their composure, yet there were many feelings that weighed heavily in their hearts. Wook drew white, and the game began. As the game unfolded, each gradually realized how strong the other had become in the interval of their interrupted friendship. They had joined the top players in the country. Out of respect for his friend's strength, each proceeded carefully. Dong made a small mistake as they were entering the early endgame. Maybe he was a bit disconcerted to find out his old friend had become a formidable player. Wook seized the chance to turn the position to his favor. As the game neared its end, Wook’s win, however small the margin might be, was certain. Both, as top players should, were predicting the pending outcome correctly. Feeling confident, Wook took his eyes off the board for the first time since the start of the game to look at his opponent. Dong looked pale. His short hair on his pale face looked tragic to Wook. Wook began to feel remorseful. A competitor must not give away a game out of personal feelings, Wook knew. But it was Dong, not just an opponent. This game was more important to Dong than to Wook. Dong could make pro with the win. Wook slowly made up his mind. Since it was a close game, there were places where Wook could give away a few points to reverse the outcome. Wook looked

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over the board. "I resign." Dong said clearly, and gave a bow. That surprised and disap­ pointed Wook a great deal. Why didn’t Dong wait for a few more moves? Wook was going to give away the win. Wook's score was now five and four, Dong six and three. Wook could at least be seeded with one more win. The prospect of Dong making pro this time became uncertain. Sipping coffee in a corner waiting for the next game to begin, Wook saw Dong coming toward him. He looked upset. "Wook, I advise you to pull out of the tournament. You don't deserve to be here." "What? What are you talking about, Dong?" "You were going to let me win, weren't you?" "I could read your intention in your face. That was why I resigned right away. I would never let anybody win, Wook. Never. Even if it was my father or my son." Wook felt ashamed of himself. Dong was right. Wook had a long way to go to be a real competitor. Wook apologized to Dong sincerely. Dong was still a stronger player than Wook. Both Wook and Dong won their last game. Fortunately for Dong, another player with a six and three record unexpectedly lost his last game, so Dong made pro with a seven and three record. Wook congratulated Dong from his heart. For the first time Wook could remember, Dong showed a big smile, tears in his eyes. Wook was seeded with a six and four record. It was better than being eliminated back to the first round. Wook had also learned an important lesson from Dong in this tournament. Thinking back, if Wook had let Dong win, Dong would have made pro, of course, but Wook wouldn't have been seeded —a wasted win, that Dong would not have needed anyway. As Wook walked out of the association building, feeling rather good, a man in his fifties approached him. "Mr. Kwon? Can we talk, please?"

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"I haven't seen you before, sir..." "I know. It’s nothing unpleasant, believe me. Here is my card." The First International Trade Co. Won Y. Hahn, President 73-4567 Apparently he owned a small exporting company. What could he want from Wook? Wook was curious and followed the man to a tea house nearby. Mr. Hahn introduced himself to Wook as a sponsor of contest go. Contest go was a kind of money game where go was played for a large sum of money. The players in this case were all employed by sponsors like Mr. Hahn on a commission basis. The sponsors were always looking for a good player to employ for more profit. Often the qualifying tournament was the best place to pick out good players. Having just made a seed in the tournament, Wook had become a hot commodity among the sponsors, and Mr. Hahn was the first to approach Wook. Mr. Hahn was a man in his early fifties with gentle manners. He addressed Wook with the utmost politeness. Wook began to like the way Mr. Hahn carried on the conversation, yet Wook was being cautious. Wook had heard so many stories about contest go and ugly sponsors. He decided to hear Mr. Hahn out before making any decisions. "I have never played contest go before, sir. I am not sure I would be the right player for you." "Do not worry about it, Mr. Kwon. A person of your strength would not have a problem adjusting. I am sure you have some experience in bangneki. It's not much different from the usual bangneki. Well, sir, would you be interested in working with me?" Wook was hesitating. Although he was feeling uncomfortable about starting something new, he needed money. Money to support himself at least until the next qualifying tournament. He could not ask for Bu's support indefinitely.

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"How much is the stake? And what would my commission be like?" Wook showed his interest in accepting the offer by asking some business-related questions. "The stakes in the coming match I want you to play in would be about one million; I will give you more details if you accept my job offer. Your share will be fifty percent of the winnings. I will be responsible for all the expenses, win or lose. If you ask around, you will find my rate is the best in the business." Wook knew Mr. Hahn was telling the truth. According to Wook's own information, the usual going rate for the player was around thirty-five to forty percent of the winnings. It was really the best rate. Wook felt a bit suspicious, for the rate was too generous. "I know why you look slightly doubtful of my intentions, offering such a high rate. Believe me, I am involved in this contest go to help out gifted players as well as making some profit myself. You can easily verify my reputation by asking around. I have been supporting several players in need of help. I just want to add your name to the list now." Wook made up his mind to believe Mr. Hahn's word. He could check out Mr. Hahn easily enough by asking around, as Mr. Hahn had just suggested. Most of all, Wook needed work right now. Big money, one million won, was the stake! One could buy two small houses in the suburbs with that kind of money! "All right, sir. I will give it a try. Tell me more about the match I will be involved in, please." "Have you heard about 'three-way', Mr. Kwon?" "No, sir. And please call me Wook, I am young enough to be your son!" "Well, you are my business partner, regardless of your age. But if you feel more comfortable that way, I will call you Wook." Mr. Hahn put on a fatherly smile and continued. "I will explain about three-way, Mr. K... eh...Wook, because this coming match will be a three-way. In three-way, there are three player-sponsor teams playing the match. The three

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sponsors wager equal amounts, in our case half a million each, before the start. Since only two players can play at a time, the third player waits for his turn. Two players play a game of bangneki. After the game is over, the waiting player takes the loser’s place and plays the winner, while the loser waits his turn. The amount won in each game is recorded on paper. This goes on until one player wins all the stake or the time limit is reached, usually seventy-two hours." "Why do you do it in a round-about way? Wouldn't it be simpler if just two people played?" "Because this way, one can win bigger with a smaller stake." "Seventy-two hours seems long... Also, it is quite possible that nobody would make any money after seventy-two hours, winning and losing about the same number of games, right?" "In theory, yes. But rarely the case. Because, as you well know, emotions will become part of the game as the games are played. In most cases, the winner is decided on the second day, around the fortieth hour." "What is the stake for each bangneki?" "Twenty thousand, ten thousand." "How strong are the other two players?" "Don’t know yet. We will soon find out. But one thing is certain: You will probably have to give two or three stones' handicap to your opponents, probably first kyus, because of the fact that you have just made a seed. The handicap will be part of the negotiation with the other sponsors, yet I do not have much leverage having you, a well-known player, as my player." "That makes me feel uncomfortable, for there are many unknown first kyus whom I can never give two stones' handicap." "I understand, but I have faith in you. To tell you the truth, I have done some research on you before approaching you. I know you are a graduate of K high, a rarity in this kind of business. I believe in the advantage you would have over other go players. Possessing additional qualities will benefit us. I cannot predict how and when, but it will be to our advantage

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somewhere along the way during the match. I am certain of this — one of the reasons I have chosen you over others. In any event, do not feel pressured to have to win for me. I will accept the consequences either way without any reservations. Just do your very best. That is all I am asking." Wook felt relieved hearing his sponsor's assurances. He might have been lucky to run into a sponsor like Mr. Hahn. "Have you heard the commandment: Be on your guard among enemies? I am sure you have. That commandment will be espe­ cially true in the case of three-way." Wook could not quite follow Mr. Hahn. Why was it so? "In three-way, each player is outnumbered by opponents, one against two. This is a very important point to remember. It is safe to regard everybody but me as your enemy once the match starts. For example, do not take any food or drinks given to you, unless it’s from me. There have been cases where food or drinks have been tampered with. Also, in other cases, two players secretly gang up against the third player to knock him out first." Wook began to understand the cruel world he was about to step into. He wondered how ganging up against the third player worked, but did not feel like asking Mr. Hahn about such unfair practices. He could guess vaguely that it would involve something like giving advice signs or cheating during counting. He felt a bit uneasy. "Please, don't be concerned about that. I will take good care that no such thing happens during our match. For your part, just remember the commandment: Be on your guard among enemies." "I will keep that in mind..." "There is one more thing I should mention, Wook." "Yes, sir?" "It is customary in three-way to have a girl waiting in the next room for the player not playing. I don’t know about you, but some players would rather be with a woman than watch others play. But if the player with the woman cannot be back in time by the end of the others' game, he will miss his turn.

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Nonetheless, the sponsors have no say in this matter. It's the player's right to choose how to spend his waiting time. I, of course, will honor your choice either way. The players also have the right to ask for a different woman as well." Mr. Hahn explained this strange custom in a cold, business-like manner. It was a totally new world. Wook felt somewhat nervous. There were so many things he had not been exposed to in the world of money games. Mr. Hahn left, promising to provide further details soon. The next day Wook learned the details of the upcoming threeway match. The handicap would be Wook giving two stones to the other two players, while the other two would play even. The names of the other two players were not known. The date for the match was set for the coming Friday, three days away. Wook felt uncomfortable about the handicap. The two opponents must have been strong first kyus, for they had accepted the two-stone handicap game against a seeded player. It would be a difficult handicap for Wook. He decided, however, to take the bull by the horns. There was no turning back now. Wook's first contest go in his career was held at the hotel 'New Life'. Located in a suburban district, it was not fancy, but clean and respectable. At three in the afternoon, the members of the three teams met at the coffee shop in the hotel. After the routine of greeting, going over the rules, and clarifying some details, they broke up until the start of the match, set for eight o'clock. Wook and Mr. Hahn had a simple dinner together at the hotel restaurant, and stayed there until ten to eight. Mr. Hahn insisted that it was wise not to go to the playing room too early. Wook, being a newcomer in this business, just followed the advice of his sponsor, although uncertain of the reasoning. Inside the playing room, the living room of a suite in the hotel, the other members of the party were waiting. Wook found a seat next to Mr. Hahn on a couch. Suddenly a girl in traditional Korean dress with heavy make-

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up emerged from the adjoining suite. She gave a deep tradi­ tional bow toward the people in the room and returned to her suite. It was the girl available to the third player in waiting. Wook felt his composure shaking a little, yet managed to regain his cool right away. Wook made some observations about his opponents. The first one was a man in his thirties with a mustache and heavy build.

The other was also in his thirties, a thin man with glasses. No other distinguishing characteristics could be observed, for they kept their 'poker faces' throughout. Wook decided to call them Mustache and Glasses respectively. Some sort of nicknames, although only for his own use, were needed to distinguish the opponents, in order to set up customized strategies for each, for it would be a long match lasting possibly for the full seventytwo hours. The three players sat around the board to decide the first two players by draw. Wook, supposedly the strongest player of the day, grabbed a handful of white stones from the bowl. The other

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two called the numbers. Mustache chose one and Glasses chose three. Wook automatically became number two. Wook opened his hand to place the stones on the board, then started to count by repeatedly removing stones, three at a time, from the main bunch. The player who had chosen the number matching the number of remaining stones at the end of counting would be the first to sit out. Two stones remained at end of the counting. Wook was to wait. The other two set themselves at the board for the first match of the night. From the couch, Mr. Hahn was silently asking Wook his intentions, by pointing at the adjoining suite with his chin. Wook shook his head to let him know he was not interested, and sat near the board to watch the game. Mr. Hahn, upon receiving Wook's response, stayed expressionless. Wook was not stupid enough to give up an ideal chance to find out his opponents' strengths for some cheap amusement. Wook watched their game with interest. As expected, they both were strong first kyus. Occasional crudeness in their moves told Wook they were not as strong as him, yet they were strong and experienced. Wook realized it would be an uphill battle to play them at two. He bit his lips hard. Mustache won the first game by two bang. The respective sponsors exchanged score sheets. Glasses, the loser of the game, cleared his stones off the board without showing any emotion, then switched seats with Wook in a matter-of-fact way. He did not even look in the direction of the adjoining suite. Wook could sense Glasses' long experience in this business through his cold behavior. As Wook started his game with Mustache, the door of the suite opened after a careful knock. The houseboy of the hotel came in with six glasses of orange juice on a tray. Remembering the warning Mr. Hahn had given on their first meeting, Wook decided not to drink the juice placed by his side. Everybody else, however, including Mr. Hahn, drank their juice down in one motion. Mustache was strong. He maintained the advantage of the two-

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stone handicap through the middle game. Wook felt some frus­ tration, but was patiently waiting for his chance. Then Mustache made a small mistake at last. He ignored Wook's forcing move and played elsewhere. It was the chance Wook had been waiting for. Wook stopped and went into deep thought. Wook's careful reading paid off. The small mistake by Mustache turned into a big mistake. Black's group began to suffer severe attacks. Wook could have gone all out to capture the group, but wisely changed his tactics to just gain some profit by attacking. Wook chose a smaller but sure win, rather than a bigger, more rewarding, less certain one. Wook figured it was not yet the time to take unnecessary risks. He won by twenty-three points, three bang. Mustache switched seats with Glasses, keeping his poker face. As Glasses had done moments before, he too paid no attention to the adjoining suite. Wook started his second game with Glasses. A strange thing happened. Glasses, who was a strong player in his first game, had transformed into a clumsy player. He attacked Wook’s groups without proper reading to back up his plan. He played like a fourth or fifth kyu. Wook was surprised at this sudden change, but won the game easily by sixty-four points, seven bang. Mustache took over Glasses' seat, still poker-faced. Wook's third game started right way. Glasses, to Wook's surprise, stood up and walked to the adjoining room, and disappeared through the door. As the game was still in its early opening stage, Wook could hear squeaking sounds from the bed from the adjoining room. Wook knew what it meant. Glasses was with the girl. He must have stripped her of the nice traditional dress. Wook's concen­ tration on the game faltered. He tried to focus his mind back on the game, surprised at his own stupidity of being so unstable in a match as important as this. The other people in the room looked indifferent despite the

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continuous noise from the next room. Wook felt ashamed of himself. He was the only one behaving unprofessionally. Wook lost the game by twenty-six points, three bang. He blamed himself for the loss. He deserved the loss. Glasses, however, had not returned. He was to miss his turn. Wook and Mustache started a new game. Wook reminded himself of his stupidity in the previous game. The same mistake would not be repeated. The new game was just into the middle stage when there was a knock at the door. It was the houseboy again. He handed a piece of paper to the sponsor of Glasses. The sponsor's face turned grave. He paused for a while, then announced to the other people in the room, "Could I interrupt the game just for a moment? Sorry about this. My player has just informed me that he is pulling himself out of the match." There was silence. That meant the sponsor of the withdrawing player would lose all his money. The sponsor looked angry and frustrated, yet he behaved like a businessman. He placed the required money, half a million won, on the table and left the room. More silence followed. Mustache's sponsor broke the silence, "How about it, Mr. Hahn? I am willing to stop the match at this point. I am sure the players wouldn't feel like continuing..." "I have no objection, Mr. Chun. Why don't we then take care of the details like expenses and winnings now?" "Good idea." The two sponsors sat at the table together. After a while, the money left by the unlucky sponsor was divided between the two, according to the scores of the games played so far. Wook and Mustache started to clear the stones off the board. The match, supposedly three days long, was over just like that, within a few hours. Mr. Hahn took Wook to a beer shop nearby, and gave Wook some insights about the whole event. "I believe the orange juice contained some kind of a drug. The player realized it after he had drunk the juice. He was upset that he could no longer win any games, feeling the effects of the

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drug. That was why he decided to pull out of it." "But, didn't everybody except me drink the juice? Why was he the only one drugged?" "We will probably never find out exactly what happened, though my guess is that the houseboy was in on it as well somehow. Remember the other sponsor, Mr. Chun? I will bet my money that he was behind the whole scheme. He has involved in some shady episodes in the past. I was sure he would not do a thing like that to me, for he owes me some favors resulting from many business deals. Well, you should never trust someone as notorious as him, my mistake. The drugged player must have known about Mr. Chun. He sus­ pected Chun. That's why he gave a game away to you by a big margin before he left. I am not so clear about why he went to the girl instead of just leaving... an urge for violence, maybe." "Why did he suspect Chun? It was more likely he would suspect you instead, for I was the only one who did not drink the juice." "Well, even in this business, reputation exists. I am well known as a fair player. Reputation usually overrides superficial clues in events like this. You will know what I mean as your expe­ rience in this racket grows. By the way, take this. This is your share of the winnings today. Thank you for your work." He handed Wook an envelope. One hundred and twenty-two thousand five hundred won was inside. It was accurate, as Wook's later calculation verified. Wook felt lucky and relieved that he remembered the com­ mandment in time and did not drink the juice: Be on your guard among enemies. But the best way now seemed, Wook thought, to distance himself from situations like this. "Mr. Hahn, if you excuse me saying so, sir... I do not want to be involved in three-way any more. I will play normal bangneki any time you want me to..." "I understand your feelings, Wook. I was about to tell you the same thing. Let's forget three-way from now on."

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Mr. Hahn agreed without hesitation. Wook began to feel a strong bond of trust with his sponsor.

UTM OST CA U TIO N IN ENEM Y T E R R IT O R Y When one contemplates an invasion of enemy territory, extra caution should be exercised, for the odds are usually against the invader. One should never feel overly confident in foreign ter­ ritory, even when things seem to go smoothly in one’s favor. This commandment is too often overlooked, not only in go, but also in real life.

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0 k Madam Kang was no longer at the Lake. Wook was told f } she had left for D city for a better job two months before. ^ He felt disappointed, yet relieved. Wook could now con­ centrate only on Inae. Wook took Inae to Pines Island as he had promised. Unlike with Madam Kang, however, he made it a day trip returning on the same day. He felt fulfilled just being with Inae. Spending the night together would be nice, yet not necessary. Also, he was minding Mr. Park's advice as well. With the next qualifying tournament six months away and having become unexpectedly richer, Wook spent more time with Inae, playing tennis together or going to movies and restaurants. He was happy, but slightly bored with the monotonous days. One day Mr. Hahn invited Wook to a dinner. It had been over two weeks since they last met. Wook wondered if another match had been lined up for him. At the restaurant 'Arirang', Mr. Hahn was not alone. Several young men, about Wook's age, were there with the sponsor. Wook was sure they were all go players, for he could remember meeting some of them at the qualifying tournament. Wook was told they were all Mr. Hahn's players. Wook was shown a seat amongst the young players. "Now that Wook is here, let me introduce him to you all. As most of you probably already know, he was one of the seeded players from the last tournament. He has just recently become a member of our group. I thought it would be appropriate for you all to get to know each other. That's why tonight’s dinner was arranged. "Wook, let me introduce them to you. Starting from your left... Sung, Yul, Hak, Yong, Shin, and Yoon. Remember Yong? He is the one who made seed with you in the last tournament. You may recognize most of them, I am sure, since all of them are regulars at the qualifying tournament. Now, let me say something before the food comes. As you know, I am not just your sponsor as such. Rather, I am a fan of

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all of you. I do sincerely wish you all will make pro someday. Until then, I like to help you out in any way I can. Yet, my financial situation only allows me to be a sponsor for you in contest go games. But, believe me, I have been trying... What was that, Shin? I have a better future as a politician? Hahaha, I get it. Shut up and let's eat, you mean. Sorry about the long speech. I will disappear now. Young men do not need an old guy to spoil the party, I know. By the way, try and bankrupt me today! Because everything tonight will be on me! Have a good time, all of you." What a nice man he was. Mr. Hahn, however, left, despite everybody begging him to stay a bit longer. After he left, food and soju were brought in continuously. The young men started to eat and get to know each other better. Except for Shin and Yul, both twenty-five years old, the rest were all Wook's age, twenty to twenty-one. The twenty-fiveyear-olds were called 'Brother Shin' and 'Brother Yul’, the others all by their first names. All of them including Wook had the qualifying tournament as common denominator. All looked serious and nervous at the mention of 'The tournament', and all loved to talk about their bangneki victims. Wook could blend in really easily. The game of go as usual had the power to speed up friendship, making it closer and faster. After dinner, Shin suggested the second round of bar hopping, implying he would pay. The second round was held at a beer joint. Yul, another senior in the group, suggested the third round. Wook insisted that the fourth round should be on him, as he was the 'newbie'. By the end of four rounds, everybody was drunk beyond their limit. They all checked into a motel nearby in one room, on Shin's advice that it would create a better bond, and slept together. They were by then the best of friends. Shin was a known playboy. He had more girlfriends than he could count. Sung was the hope of his family, learning the game from his father since age six. His mother still prayed every

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night for him to make pro. Yul had been, according to himself, known in T city as ’the terminator' for never losing in bangneki. Hak had just lost his go club after losing big in a bangneki through fraud. Yoon studied go eight hours a day without exception. Yong, married too early, even had a two-year-old kid. Yet he claimed he loved go, more than his wife and as much as his kid. They were truly the real 'nut cases' of go, and Wook was no exception. The poet, the friend of Nak, had stated in his book the five merits of playing go. Wook remembered the first one as 'the merit of getting good friends’. How true it was. Wook acquired six new friends through the game. Of the six, Wook became closest to Yong, who was the same age as Wook. They met often from then on, playing and studying go together. They also had drinks together. On days when they drank together, Yong always dragged Wook to his place. A small rented room was all Yong owned for his family of three. Wook's protest of being a burden to Yong's wife was always ignored by Yong. Yong's wife, Sook, was an exceptionally nice woman. She always greeted, with a big smile, her drunken husband and his friend, coming home near the government curfew time, midnight. Her tea was always hot and delicious. One such day, Wook had a chance to talk with Sook alone, for Yong was already deep in sleep, drunk. They drank some tea together. "I believe in God's will. Everything including Yong's inability to make pro yet is all His will. I pray everyday to God, not asking for what I want, but asking for revelation of His purposes. If making pro is His will, Yong will make it. Do you know I have been praying for you as well, Wook?" Her face was full of confidence. Wook thought he understood her exceptional happiness in the midst of her hardship. God seemed to be acting rather slowly, though, for His faithful follower. She could use some money and friends. Friends! Wook thought of Inae quickly. He made a suggestion.

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"How would you like to go out to dinner with me and my friend? Four, no five of us can have a good time together. I will let Yong know of the details." Sook's eyes lit up. Inae and Sook could become close friends, Wook hoped. The two-year old woke up crying. The conver­ sation ended there. Two days later, they met at a barbecue house. Inae loved Yong's son almost too much. She kept the kid on her lap throughout dinner. Sook and Inae quickly became good friends. They engaged in 'girl talk', laughing secretly and often ignoring the guys. Wook and Yong, according to their prior plan, excused them­ selves after dinner, leaving Inae, Sook, and the kid behind. They hoped the girls would become as close as their male coun­ terparts were. Their plan seemed to have succeeded. From that day on, the two girls often met on their own, shopping or eating out together. The kid now called Inae 'Auntie'. Wook felt an ever closer bond. All seven new friends were at a tea house after studying some game records together in a nearby club. The qualifying tour­ nament was still five months away. Everybody was a little bored. Shin as usual came up with an idea. "How about it, guys? Let's all go to Pusan for a few days. We can even leave tomorrow." Everybody welcomed the idea. It would be refreshing to go to the beach in Pusan for a change. Shin continued as if he had planned it all already, "About five thousand won each will be enough. If money runs out, we all know what to do —get some suckers in Pusan for bangneki. Train is better than bus, for we can play go better on the train. Playing go is the best way to kill time, isn't it? Also, I will volunteer my services to supply each of you with a Pusan chick once we get there. Believe me, Pusan girls ARE easy, from the influence of the ocean winds in their skirts!" Others soon became as cheerful as Shin. "I am volunteering my services, if we have to play bangneki.

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As you know I am the most experienced..." "Hey, stop that! Aren’t you the same guy who lost a club playing bangneki? I should be the one to play. I will show you why I was called 'the terminator'." "Maybe Sung should be the player. He has such a naive-looking face, all the suckers would surely fall for it!" It did not matter which of them should play, for they were all the best players in the country. They knew that. They were just making conversation out of excitement. The next day morning saw the seven go players on a train to the city of Pusan. The five-hour ride did not seem long with Shin along. His lecture on 'how to conquer a girl' made everybody forget about the time. They even forgot to play go, listening to the playboy's detailed instructions. The train arrived in Pusan in the afternoon. The winter ocean welcomed the go players quietly. Yul wanted to start first with bangneki, emphasizing the importance of securing funds before making any plans. "Well, why don't we get some rest today? I feel kinda tired." Hak, with his fragile physique, seemed to have been affected by the long trip the most. Everybody agreed to find a place first. It did not really matter what they did first. They were there to enjoy some free time anyway. After dinner near the beach —some tasty live fish —they came back to the motel rooms. Hak went to his room alone to take a rest. The others gathered around in a big room. Yul enlightened some of the more ignorant about bangneki. "Know how to find a sucker in a foreign town? Who in their right mind would play big bangneki with a guy they have never seen before? You have to know the right tactic to find a sucker." "Tell us, Yul. We are all ears." "Well, I shouldn't give it away for free. But for you guys, here it is. First, walk into a local go club and look for somebody around third or fourth kyu playing a game. If you find one, just go over there and watch the game silently. This is to find out how strong the prospective sucker is. Check out his tendencies,

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style, or weak points, etc." "How many stones' handicap do you give a third or fourth kyu?" "Patience, Sung! I will come to that in time. You act just like you are trying to lay a girl in the middle of giving birth! Well, where was I? Yeah, watching the game part. You just sit there and watch until the guy finishes his game, and tell him as he finishes, 'Wow, sir. You ARE strong! I am impressed by your deep reading!' Mark this. Don't forget to say ’deep reading’. This will boost his ego about the strength he does not have. As the guy feels like a pro, you just snap at him like this. 'But, I think you made a mistake over there, sir.' Hearing this, the sucker will feel offended for somebody challenging his move, the move of a great player with deep reading! The sucker will say something like this. 'How strong are you?' A challenge to restore his pride in front of his friends at the club, you just say, 'Well, a first kyu, but not really a tough one.' The sucker will be a bit taken aback. But nine out of ten will still challenge you like this, 'Would you like to play a game? I usually take two stones from first kyus.' This is the crucial time. When the sucker mentions a handicap of his choice, look at him in the eyes and tell him, 'Sir, I think you need about six stones, not two.' The sucker will hit the ceiling with rage, 'What, six? What the hell are you talking about? I have played a professional on five stones'. As you know, pros never play amateurs hard, for there is no need to win. It's a part of the service to their fans. Pros often win by just a little, or let the amateur win sometimes. Suckers, not knowing the truth, always protest like this, 'I have played a pro so-and-so on five and lost by only six points...' Hahaha, no wonder suckers are all dreamers. Anyway, hearing the sucker's protest, you should now say something like,'We don't have to play if you feel the handicap is unfair. As a matter of fact, I don't play unless it is a bangneki' Then the sucker will continue in his stupidity, 'I can bet even my wife if it’s at six!' Something like that. You just politely say the last words, 'Well, sir. Don't be upset. I was just stating the fact after watching your

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game. If you really want to play bangneki, a big one, you can always find me at the motel across the street.' Then you should leave the club. The rest is as expected. The sucker will come running over to the motel to give you some easy money." Yul's theory might or might not work, but it clearly showed how experienced he was in bangneki. Yul seemed to want to prove his theory to everybody. "Hey, Wook! You have played some bangneki before. Let's go out sucker hunting! No? Too tired? How about you, Sung? Come on! Great! Me and Sung will be back with a sucker soon!" Yul and Sung left. Now it was Shin's turn.

"Yoon, my friend, let's go out together. I guarantee you will get a fresh Pusan Chick!" They too went out, on another kind of hunt. Only Wook and Yong were left behind. Yong lay on the mattress saying he was tired. Wook lay beside him. He too was tired. It was incredible

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how the guys who were out hunting stayed energetic after the trip and all. "All are nice friends. Only, go has made them drift like this..." Yong sighed a little. Wook wanted to change the subject. "Sook is a nice woman, Yong. You are a truly lucky man." "I know, Wook. I don't deserve a girl like that. I am putting her through too much hardship." "Do you ever go to church with her?" "Not yet. She has never forced me to, either. But sometimes I get this urge to go there and ask God..." "Ask God about what?" "In go, you sometimes lose a game seemingly impossible to lose. On replaying it you find there was only one variation that would lead to your defeat —the variation you played. You try to think why you played such a stupid variation, so obviously stupid and incomprehensible. Yet the fact is you DID play the variation you would never play, and lost the game. I am sure you have had this kind of experience too. Almost everybody has, including the professionals. In replaying these games, you wonder if the outcome of a game is always predetermined by someone, God maybe. Yet we all try to win, preparing, studying, or meditating... I feel silly thinking about it. Maybe, the outcome of our life, too, has already been predetermined like a go game..." Wook agreed without saying it aloud. The idea of a prede­ termined outcome of life hit him hard. Maybe there was a fate, unknown to Wook, waiting for him. What could it be? Yong started to snore. Wook did the same in a minute. The noise of Shin and Yoon returning woke them up. It was ten minutes before midnight. "Lost them! Flew away! All because of you, Yoon. Hahahaha." Shin was loud and seemed amused. Yoon was silent, yet looked embarrassed. "We successfully secured two chicks. I even made them say,'We are so tired now!', asking us to take them somewhere! Before I could speak, Yoon cut in and said,'Why don't we let

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them go home? They say they are tired.' Hahahaha! The chicks, hearing this, thought Yoon was rejecting them! They flew away in a hurry, angry as hell. Yoon, you've got so much to learn!" Shin did not seem to mind at all. Yoon was smiling awkwardly. The hunt itself must have been fun. There were loud footsteps outside. It was Yul and Sung returning. "Got one. A real authentic sucker! He is coming over. I need another room. Give me all your money. The sucker says he won’t play unless the money is shown." "Are you sure you got the right one, Yul? What's his strength?" "Don't worry, Shin. Third kyu at most. More likely fourth or fifth kyu. I could even give him nine. To be safe, I offered seven and this sucker almost flipped. He says nobody has ever given him more than three stones' handicap! God bless all these suckers and their illusions! Let's see. Is that all you have, Yoon? Never mind... Yes, this will be enough. You guys just wait here until I come back. See you in the morning." Yul left the room with Sung in a hurry. The remaining four decided to go to sleep. All they now had to do was to wait for Yul to come back rich. They would just pat him on the back for his good work when he returned. Things were going smoothly. Yul and Sung returned at dawn, just past four a.m. They did not look richer or triumphant. "What happened, Yul? Didn't you say it would be an easy kill?" "Lost all the money. But not in bangneki..." "What? Then did you play something else like poker?" "No, just got trapped by the local muscle, I think." "Tell me how, Yul." "Well, we were playing bangneki at first. As expected, I was winning easily. It was no contest. Then one of his friends who was watching left the room. Thought he was just going to the washroom or something. He returned with four more guys. The guys claimed they were the police, threatening to arrest us. They ordered me and Sung to follow them. I knew they were not police. But if we had followed them outside, at best we

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would have been beaten up, possibly worse. I figured it would be best to give them all the money and ask them to just leave. They were going to take the money anyway, whether they beat us up or not. Luckily they just went away with the money, not harming us... I am sorry about all this, guys. My stupidity, being careless about the details... I will pay back your money once I get back to Seoul..." Yong jumped at the words, "Hey, Brother Yul! Is that how you think of us? Paying back? Then you would have kept all your winnings to yourself had it gone smoothly! It's not your fault. Things just happened. No one here wants their money back from you, I am sure!" "Well, thanks, Yong. But I just feel really sorry..." "Hey Yul. Never mind. Just consider yourself and Sung lucky that you guys were not hurt. Look at Sung. He is still shaking, hahahaha. When you think of it, we were not much better than them anyway. We, too, did try to take all their money, didn't we?" Shin was still his cheerful self in the middle of the crisis. But there was not much to be cheerful about. All their money was gone. They checked to see how much money they had left. It was just good luck that Hak had not been involved in this, sleeping alone in his room. They woke him up. Hak had enough money for their train fares back to Seoul. The trip, supposedly fun and exciting, ended rather too soon. The beach and girls Shin had promised had to wait till the next time. They drank soju quietly throughout the train ride. Although they were the top players of the country, they forgot the obvious advice from the go commandments: Utmost caution in enemy territory. The trip was not a total loss, though. Through the trip, they could reconfirm their friendship. Shocking news was waiting for them in Seoul.

J90

SECOND COUNTING In official games, there is usually a time limit for each player. A player who has used up all his allowed time is supposed to forfeit the game automatically. But there is a buffer period at the end to allow some flexibility in the rule. With ten minutes of the allowed time left, a process called 'second counting' begins. If the player plays a move within one minute, the time spent does not count against his allowed time limit. Spending over a minute during this period results in loss of the minute from the remaining ten minutes. Since it is not practical for the player to keep track of this time, a time keeper is used. The time keeper alerts the player during each minute by calling out warnings at intervals. The usual dialogue at the start of second counting goes like this: "Mr. X, you now have ten minutes left. I am now starting to read the seconds. Fifteen... thirty... forty... fifty, last ten seconds, one, two... nine, ten. Now you have used up a minute. You now have nine minutes left..." The last ten seconds of each minute are called out one by one. The crucial time comes after the player has used nine of the ten minutes, and only one minute remains. In this case, if the time keeper pronounces the word 'ten' at the end of the minute, the player forfeits the game. People who have experienced second counting, especially during the last minute, all say they felt their blood drying up.

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The board of directors of the Korean Go Association elected a new chairman. The new chairman was an energetic businessman, head of a large conglomerate group. His ambition and love for go resulted in a few major changes. He first set up a plan to sponsor the existing profes­ sional players, so that they could be free from financial worries. This way the professional players could concentrate on studying the game. In fact there had been cases where some brilliant professionals had had to give up playing go for better jobs. This new plan was a positive change the Korean go world truly needed. It improved professional players' socio-economic status considerably. The new chairman had more plans. He wanted to change the process for selecting professionals as well. The proposed change limited the chance to become a professional player only to the wonseng, eighteen years and under, so that new profes­ sionals would be more refined and well-mannered, having been trained to become professionals from a very young age, as wonseng. Naturally the tradition of the qualifying tournament was to be discontinued. This would stop the nut cases from chasing the pipe dream forever. The changes were to be imple­ mented in one year. From a long term prospective, the change was plausible, maybe even ideal. To people like Wook, however, this was almost a fatal blow. The qualifying tournament was to be held only two more times. Only four more would make pro. The situation resembled second counting in the last minute. There was no buffer. Those who could not make pro in the next two tournaments would have to find something else to do. Yoon claimed he would continue studying go even after the qualifying tournament was discontinued. He believed something would turn up for his efforts, blind though they may be. Yul wanted to go back to T city and would play bangneki for a living. He looked sorrowful while boasting that there were as many suckers as autumn leaves in T city.

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Yong was prepared to work as a laborer in construction. He would do anything for his family. Hak was going to go back home to the countryside to ask his parents for some money to open up a new go club. He added that it would mean his parents would have to sell everything they owned there. Shin was still unique. He would go to Taiwan where there was no clear distinction between amateurs and professionals. According to him, he could become pro by winning three times in tournaments. After making Taiwanese pro, he would return home, and demand the association to grant him equivalent status. He seemed to know well how farfetched his plan was, for he did not look as cheerful as his usual self even while talking about Taiwanese girls. Sung worried more about his parents than himself. They might even commit suicide, he added. Wook was the one who was really in trouble. He could almost hear Mr. Kwon's triumphant voice saying, 'Haven't I told you so?'. Wook had to make pro in the next two tournaments for Inae, Mr. Park, Bu, Mr. Chang, Madame Kang, and madam owner. What if he could not make it? He had no answer to that question. Life was especially unfair to Wook and other nut cases. They could not, however, sit still and keep complaining, for they were in the last minute of second counting. They had to move on, preparing for the two remaining tournaments still available, just as the player in the last minute of second counting had to keep on playing.

FLOW ING WATERS DO NOT COM PETE TO BE FIRST First said by a Chinese scholar, these words were often quoted by the late Takagawa 9 dan, honorary Honinbo. Flowing water signifies the rules of life and the universe. 'Going against the flow' would only result in disaster.

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Wook reopened the long-ignored Takagawa series. Master Wu's games had shown Wook the balance and speed of the moves. Master Takagawa's games showed Wook how a collection of ordinary and simple moves could overcome seemingly brilliant and skillful moves. The master emphasized the importance of truth in the ordinary through his games. The calm moves of Master Takagawa somewhat helped heal Wook's wound, inflicted by the news of the impending termi­ nation of the qualifying tournament. The second-to-last qual­ ifying tournament came within a week. The spring tournament saw the usual number of the partic­ ipants. This time, as expected, the atmosphere was much more serious. Only Shin made it through the preliminaries to join Wook and Yong, the seeded players, in the main round robin. With two games left to play the next day, both Yong and Wook were out of contention with a score of four wins and four losses. Shin, on the other hand, had scored seven wins and one loss. If he won one of the remaining two games, he would make pro. One of the two games was against Ho, an old friend of Shin's. Ho had scored five wins and three losses, with some remote chance of still making pro — providing he won his remaining games tomorrow. The participants in the tournament went out for some drinks at night. Ho was with them as well. Most people just hoped Ho would give Shin the win needed, to make things less stressful for Shin. But it was just a hope, for competitors were never to ask others for an intentional loss. It was up to Ho. After a few glasses of soju in front of each was emptied, Ho opened his mouth slowly toward Shin. "Congratulations, Shin, professional first dan." "What did you just say, Ho?" Shin was in mild shock. "Hey, Shin. Did you really think that I would try to win against you tomorrow? If you win, you are guaranteed. Yet I would only have slim chances, maybe through play-offs, even if I win

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the two remaining games. Instead, you either buy me a drink until I beg you to stop, or hand over one of your chicks. Do we have a deal, Shin?" Shin was crying. It was the first time Wook had seen Shin cry. Shin knew only too well how difficult it was for Ho to give up his chance, however slim it might be. Especially in the second last tournament. Shin could not stop crying. The get-together had now become a 'congratulations party'. Wook forgot about his poor score in the tournament, and felt really happy for Shin. It was a demonstration of beautiful friendship. Wook thought of 'Flowing waters do not compete to be first’. Friendship was like flowing water. It never went against the rule of the universe.

FIVE-PETALLED FLOW ER There is a shape in go, resembling a five-petalled flower. This is a shape to avoid creating, for it is detrimental to one’s position. Even when captured, this poisonous shape can turn around and kill the capturer. There is another shape that is also called the five-petalled flower, although it does not even resemble a flower. This second shape occurs more commonly, and is the cause of many dead groups. There are some five-petal flowers among humans, that are also poisonous and deadly.

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Ho's wife was a five-petalled flower, human version. Ho came back home in a good mood. "So, Shin finally made it this time. He is a pro now. Isn't it great? Don't you feel happy for him?" "Why such a long face? Is anything the matter?" "How come you only do things for others?" "What? You don't like me helping out Shin? Oh, come on. I have to in this case. One win guarantees he will make pro, yet even two wins would only give me a slim chance." "Why give up when there is still a chance, slim or not?" "It's called friendship. Please try and understand." "Let's talk about this later. It's already past midnight. Time to go to bed, isn't it? Come on. I will make it next time, I promise." "Listen to me. I have never been able to buy things I wanted, ever since we got married... All because of that damned game. I have been waiting patiently for you to make pro, because that would mean the end of our poverty. Now are you telling me that you just threw away my hope, all because of Shin?" "I want you to choose now between me and Shin. If you choose Shin you will never see me or your kid again. Which one will it be?" "You are putting me on the spot!" "Which one will it be?" "Why do you want to go to the extreme? It is not a question of either you or him, for God's sake!" "Which one will it be?" "Please, be reasonable...” "Which one will it be?" "Do you want me answer right now?" "Which one will it be?" "I have to choose you, honey..." "Now, call him and tell him you have changed your mind." "Why now?"

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"So that you can't lie tomorrow to me after letting him win.. You would just say you tried but lost. I am dialing his number now." Shin answered the phone. "Shin? This is Ho. I've... just called you to tell you that... I cannot let you win tomorrow, sorry." "That so? What made you change your mind?” "Well, I thought about it and also... my wife said..." Shin hung up the phone, frustrated and angry. Something he had feared had happened. Ho's wife, the five-petalled flower, again. Shin now had no choice. He bit his lips, deciding to do his best. Ho at that time thought things over too. He now had no choice but to try his best to win against Shin. The next day they played as scheduled. Shin was shaking with rage. In a calm state of mind, they had about equal chances. But in his emotional upset, Shin could not defeat Ho. Shin lost the next game as well. Ho on the other hand won the next game. Both Shin and Ho now had identical records of seven wins and three losses. A wonseng participant, a kid named Choi, scored ten wins straight, and became the first one in the tournament to make pro. Wonseng, who would have many chances to make pro in the years to come, still entered this second-to-last tournament. They won some games against desperate adults or even took away an available pro-spot, as Choi did. The remaining spot was to be decided through a play-off between the three players with seven wins and three losses. The three were Shin, Ho, and Chan, another wonseng in an adult tournament. The kid even got lucky in the draw and got the bye, to play the winner between Shin and Ho. Shin and Ho were about to play the fateful game. Shin pulled Ho into the corner. "Listen to me good, Ho. If you and I play now, the winner will certainly lose to the kid, Chan, because of fatigue from this game.

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I am going to give you the win now by pulling out of the play­ off so that you will have the maximum chance. You betrayed me today, yet I am giving you this chance as a friend, on one condition: You have to win the game. If you lose, you will automatically become a person who has ruined your friend's future for nothing. For that reason, our friendship will end the moment you lose the game. Go and win. I really want you to." Shin reported to the organizer his intention to withdraw from the play-off. Ho was to play Chan for the last and remaining spot for making pro. Ho, however, lost the game. With the loss, he lost an old friend as well. After everybody had left, Ho stayed in the tournament room alone, staring at the ceiling for two hours.

CH O KIN G M O V E In a go game, if black and white groups surround each other and neither group has two eyes, unless there is a local stalemate, one of the groups will die. In this situation, both sides fill in the other's liberties to capture the opposing group before his own is captured. This filling-in process is called a capturing race. During a capturing race, one should never fill in one's own lib­ erties, or it can result in the death of one’s own group. This self­ destructive act is called choking or a choking move. Even in real life, choking moves are often played, usually unknown to the player himself.

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Time passed. Six months had gone by in a flash. The last qualifying tournament was to be held in a week. Wook of course registered for the Qualifier. As the tournament drew near, Wook could not keep his com­ posure. After all, it was going to be the most important one in his life: afterwards, no more Qualifiers. If he did not make it this time, he would never become a pro. He had to make it. Even the signs of a go club on the street startled him at times. In a week, his life's destiny was to be decided. Wook took Inae to Pines Island for three days. He wanted to spend some time alone with Inae before the tournament. He had already decided not to see Inae again if he failed. Inae had not been informed of his decision, though. On the first day of their stay, the two sat together on a beach during the day, just looking at the ocean in front of them. After supper, they returned to their room. They lay on the bed together still looking at the calm October ocean through the window, waiting for night to come. As the darkness of night set in, Wook drew the curtain down, and held her in his arms. But that was all he did, holding her tight. He did not do anything further. Inae could soon understand him. He did not want to commit himself yet. Not until the tournament. They held each other tight for a long time, falling asleep with their clothes on. On the second day, the daytime was spent as on the first day. However, at night, Wook began a long talk, keeping his arms around her on the bed. "The game of go has made too many people cry. Yet, it still receives unconditional love from so many. It must be a mys­ terious being. I want to make pro. I really do. After that, as a winner I will take you as my wife. I can explain myself only after I become a pro - to your dad, to my father, or to my brother. If I don’t make it, I will have to start my life again from scratch. It seems an impossible task, yet it may become a necessity. I am not going to see you again if I don't make it. Believe me,

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it is not because of you, but because of myself. I cannot face anybody - including you, Inae —as a loser. Especially when I have so boldly chosen my own path against almost everybody's advice. Remember that day at your house? I told you Abraxas was only an abstract concept and anything could be Abraxas. I, contrary to my own theory, have set the game of go as my Abraxas. Silly, wasn't I?" Wook's words were not organized. He was just talking, almost feverishly. Maybe he wanted to hear Inae protest. Protesting what the hell go had to do with their marriage. Inae, however, did not protest. She was just listening quietly. She was just crying quietly. The last qualifying tournament duly started. The seeded players from the previous tournament did not even enter. Ho was rumored to have divorced the five-petalled flower and become a Buddhist monk. There was a rumor that even the five-petalled flower had become a monk. Nobody had seen Shin. Wook made it to the main round with perfect record of nine wins. Yong and Sung also joined the main round. Yoon, Hak, and Yul, however, were all eliminated in the third preliminary round. Their fate was decided a few days earlier than that of Wook, Yong and Sung. A total of eleven players were selected to play in the main round of the last tournament. In this tournament there was no need to select seeded players. Only the top two players would matter. After two days of the round robin, the possible winners started to emerge. A wonseng named Kil had won nine games straight and took one of the two tickets available. Sung had lost four in a row and was without hope. With one game remaining, Wook and Yong had identical scores of seven wins and two losses. The next highest score was six and three, and out of contention. Ironically, Wook and Yong now had to play the last game against each other. The winner of the game would become a professional player, and the loser

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would never make pro. The game started, Wook drawing black. He felt lucky, for there was some advantage in holding black, even after giving komi, the compensation he had to give for playing the first move. They were friends, yet competitors by nature. Neither could

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give up the chance of a lifetime. Both calmed down as the game progressed. They wanted to play a good game regardless of the outcome. All other remaining games were meaningless. Players finished their games in a hurry and all gathered around the game that meant something. Dong was in the crowd as well. During the middle game, Yong made a mistake in reading. Wook seized the chance without hesitation. The game was turning in Wook's favor. Yong struggled hard, yet the gap was widening. There was only one possibility left for Yong to try, in Wook's lower-right comer. Wook had checked out the comer already, and confirmed that there was nothing for Yong there. Yong was still looking at the corner intensely. A high-ranking player, in a losing game, often plays a move that obviously does not work. On seeing the opponent to cor­ rectly respond, he resigns. This custom is commonly referred to as 'looking for a place to resign'. Yong, staring intensely at the comer, must have picked it as his place for resignation. He would soon play, to resign as soon as Wook made the correct response. The time he was taking now was to ready himself to accept the loss of this all-important game. Since both players had spent considerable time throughout, they were both in second counting. But it was irrelevant, for the game was now over. For the first time since the start of game, Wook was able to lift his eyes from the board. He then was startled. In the comer where there had been no one, Sook was there. She was praying with her hands clasped together. But there was nothing God could do for Yong. Even Jowa's ghosts would not be able to help. The game was as good as over. Finally Yong placed a move in the comer, hearing the time keeper counting the seconds. It was nothing. Both Wook and Yong knew that. So did all the people watching the game. After Wook's next move, Yong was going to resign. "... eight, nine, ten. Now you have only one minute left!" The timekeeper raised his voice a little, urging Wook to get it

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over with. The move will chop Yong's head off, Wook thought As well as Sook’s and the kid's. "Thirty seconds..." Wook picked up a stone. He was hesitating. "Fifty seconds, one, two, three..." The stone was poised in Wook's hand. "Four, five, six..." His hand moved forward. "Seven, eight, nine..." The timekeeper called 'ten' and Wook was still holding his stone. Wook had just lost the game on time "What?" Yong was the one shouting in disbelief. But nobody else was making a sound. Silence followed Yong's outcry. Wook slowly stood up from his chair and and leaned over to Yong. He patted Yongs back gently and left the room, leaving the stunned crowd behind. None of them ever saw Wook again.

Born in Seoul, Korea in 1950, Sung-Hwa Hong graduated from the famed Kyunggi High School, and after serving in the Korean army for three years, immigrated to Vancouver in 1974. He then, in 1981, graduated from the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of British Columbia. Winning the Canadian Go Championship twice, he participated in the World Amateur Go Championship in Japan as the Canadian representative in 1989 and 1995. Married with two children, he practiced family dentistry in Vancouver until his death in 2001. Shortly before he passed away, Dr. Hong made a few small changes to the text for the second printing.