Translator: Wan ED/PR: Personal Ghost
26. Chess Player (4)
Was it because I walked slowly to chat with the dormitory children?
When I arrived in my dormitory room, it was a bit late.
‘It’s regretful that Min Geurin wasn’t there.’
Min Geurin drew my portrait for support.
I also wanted to buy dinner for Min Geurin.
And also eight people who had yet to come to school.
‘Is it still difficult?’
As I activated the device, I saw a pile of unread messages.
First of all, I decided to send a message to Min Geurin.
[Me] I like the portrait very much, thank you.
[Me] Is there anything you want to eat? I’ll buy it tomorrow.
Seeing as the message was marked as unread, she would be sleeping very early or was in a situation where it was difficult to check messages right away.
If there is no reply, I will have to just buy a cake or cookies at the west gate handmade bakery, ‘MITRON’.
I left the message room with Min Geurin and decided to deal with the unread messages.
The very first to catch my eye was the group chat room with Jang Namuk and Yu Sang-hun.
[Yu Sang-hun] (link)
[Yu Sang-hun] cg
[Jang Namuk] What is that link? Chess competition results?
[Jang Namuk] Ah, Uisin is participating, huh! Congratulations on winning today!
The link Yu Sang-hun sent were today’s match results published by Stalemate.
It looked like he was congratulating me on winning the 1st and 2nd round, but it was unexpected that Yu Sang-hun knew about it.
[Me] Thx, how did you know?
Yu Sang-hun was a bit slow to reply.
[Yu Sang-hun] yu sanghui-ssi
Yu Sang-hun calls Yu Sang-hui like that, huh?
If I think about his reaction every time he heard the title ‘Sang-hui noona’, it wasn’t strange.
[Jang Namuk] You heard it from Sang-hui noona? Is Sang-hui noona also interested in chess?
[Yu Sang-hun] n student council junior support
[Jang Namuk] Yes?
[Jang Namuk] Ah, you mean that Sang-hui noona doesn’t have a particular interest in chess, but she went to the chess competition to support her Student Council’s junior and learned that Uisin is also participating, huh?
[Yu Sang-hun] y
[Jang Namuk] … Sang-hun, even though it’s annoying, please write in an easy to understand manner. I have to always think what are you saying.
[Yu Sang-hun] k
[Jang Namuk] … I’m done.
It seemed that Jang Namuk’s ability to figure out Yu Sang-hun’s short messages improved.
Because he faithfully understood all of them like this, it seemed that Yu Sang-hun would make even shorter messages.
Even if I explained that point, Jang Namuk would try to sincerely translate Yu Sang-hun’s messages, so I decided to stay quiet.
‘Yu Sang-hui also came to the chess tournament, huh?’
The Student Council junior Yu Sang-hui was said to come to support was probably Yeom Junyeol.
My disciple Yeom Junyeol easily passed the 1st and 2nd round.
I guess Yu Sang-hui came to support Yeom Junyeol and then saw me.
Checking the message record, there was also a message of support and congratulations from Yu Sang-hui.
‘She also helped with Jeok-ho‘s matter and… I want to give some sort of gift to Yu Sang-hui.’
It seemed that Yu Sang-hui would refuse grand gifts, so I had to try to figure out a gift that wouldn’t feel like a burden.
Next were messages sent by Geun Chansol and Wang Chansol.
[Geun Chansol] Suspicious junior-nim won! Congrats.
[Wang Chansol] Congratulations.
‘Suspicious junior’? No way, did they see that support phrase our class children put up?
I guess GeunChan&WangChan duo came to support Yeon Garam.
[Wang Chansol] We thought that if that monster Cheon Dongha didn’t come this year, No.1 Garam would win.
[Geun Chansol] Because you got there after winning against our No. 1 Garam, you have to win!
[Wang Chansol] Right! If junior-nim loses, it will make No. 1 Garam look weak. Win!
[Geun Chansol] Win 1st place! Suspicious junior-nim!
Was the previous year’s victor Cheon Dongha?
Cheon Dongha was currently a 2nd year Guideline Club member and a Playable Character.
I guess he was writing his legend as described in the game.
But I had no idea he was a participant in the previous year’s chess tournament.
[Me] Thank you for your support. I’ll work hard.
[Wang Chansol] ? We never supported you?
[Geun Chansol] ? What nonsense. There is no support??
[Wang Chansol] Where does it look like support? In any case, if you lose, you’re going to be punished, junior-nim!
Even when I tried to read the messages again, it looked like support.
Ignoring the two people’s grumbling, I read the next message.
It was a message sent by Bak Seung-hyeon.
[Bak Seung-hyeon] I also survived.
[Bak Seung-hyeon] Looking at the results, we won’t be able to meet until the finals…
[Bak Seung-hyeon] See you in the finals.
It looked like Bak Seung-hyeon also safely broke through the 2nd round.
I also left the words wishing him fighting spirit, while saying to meet in the finals.
Next were the messages sent in the group chat room with Eun-ho’s three descendants siblings.
[Eun Niho] Uisin oppa! Congratulations on passing the chess tournament’s 2nd round!
[Eun Seoho] We heard from Hwangho-nim, congratulations!
[Eun Jaeho] Congratulations, hyung.
I guess Hwang Jiho passed on the fact about my participation after he went home.
But it seemed there were too many piled up messages to express simple congratulations.
I moved the scroll bar to check the latest messages.
[Eun Seoho] We also decided to learn chess.
[Eun Niho] Today we played chess on a hologram with a device!
[Eun Seoho] Hwangho-nim decided to buy the chess set as a gift. He was agonizing between the wooden or otherworld metal chess sets and then said he would buy both!
[Eun Jaeho] (photo)
Looks like Eun-ho’s three descendants siblings planned on learning chess.
In the pictures sent by the youngest Eun Jaeho, Hwang Jiho was explaining something, and Eun Seoho and Eun Niho were manipulating the device to play chess on a hologram.
‘My siblings also played like this against each other on the side while watching me play chess.’
When I fell into thoughts about this and that, while saving pictures.
‘What is that?!’
I discovered an extremely unexpected picture.
In the picture, Hwang Jiho and Baek Ho-gun were playing a chess game.
Looking at the game situation in the picture, they were on equal level.
The development, not inferior to even a pro chess player’s fight, was continuing.
[Eun Niho] Baekho-nim is outstandingly good at chess!
[Eun Seoho] Even Hwangho-nim was very surprised. He didn’t know that Baekho-nim could play chess so well.
[Eun Jaeho] (photo)
Even for Hwang Jiho it was unexpected that Baek Ho-gun was playing chess.
Baek Ho-gun had an image of a silent martial artist.
Since old days, it was a common occurrence for martial artists to play mind sports to train their minds, but Baek Ho-gun played not go or janggi but chess?
[Eun Seoho] Baekho-nim won by a narrow margin.
As expected, there was nothing my Playable Character couldn’t do.
While I was worrying whether I should send a congratulatory message or not to Baek Ho-gun’s device code I exchanged with him previously.
I discovered a video file sent in the chat room.
‘A video?’
As I playbacked the video, I saw Hwang Jiho knock down his king with an odd expression and sparkling eyes, even though he was bitter.
It looks like it was the moment when Baek Ho-gun checkmated and Hwang Jiho admitted defeat.
[Woof woof!]
After the king was knocked down, from the side of the screen Snare appeared.
I guess our bright Snare knew when the game ended.
Snare ran to the victorious Baek Ho-gun to start showing him its charms.
I saw Snare’s small body roll around on Baek Ho-gun’s knees, and then the video ended.
‘Did our Snare even know who won?!’
I was once again amazed by Snare’s genius.
[Eun Niho] Even after this video ended, the divine beast continued to act cute in commemoration of Baekho-nim’s victory!
Our Snare’s victory commemoration cuteness!
There was even that?!
Will I be able to see Snare’s cuteness if I win?
One more reason I have to win this chess tournament was added.
I have to win by all means.
[Eun Seoho] The divine beast continued to linger around the chess board. Perhaps it wants to play chess?
[Eun Jaeho] I guess it wants to play.
[Eun Jaeho] (photo)
In the picture the youngest, Eun Jaeho sent, Snare was trying to stare at the chessboard hologram.
Okay, if our Snare wants to play chess, we naturally have to play, right?
Until I went to sleep, I searched through all kinds of shopping centers to buy Snare usable chess, but I couldn’t find it.
I lamented my incompetence, while I bought a baby chess set as a substitute, and then I fell asleep.
***
Next day.
Checking the device in the morning, Min Geurin sent me a reply: ‘anything’.
‘Anything is the most tricky to choose.’
After finishing morning training early, I visited MITRON.
After consideration, the selected menu was cream cheese cake baked in Boston style and tart with golden kiwi and green chinese plum.
The green chinese plum tart sourness was so powerful that the sweet lover Han Yi couldn’t take even a bite, but other menu items received positive reviews.
‘And thinking about it, even today the patissier, not a part-timer, personally did the check-out.’
Looks like that patissier Player was quite free these days.
***
After classes.
Newspaper Club room.
Today also two chess matches were scheduled, but I participated in club activities as usual.
“I’m not sure if you’re free or not.”
Hwang Jiho commented like that after looking at me, who was reading Kwon Jane’s materials given by Mun Saeron.
‘The interview with Kwon Jane is important, so it doesn’t matter if I’m free or not.’
The Kwon Jane’s materials given by Mun Saeron were about thousand pages long.
The summary was about 50 pages long, but I decided to read all thousand pages.
‘There is also a description of supernatural violins.’
The description of the supernatural violin was very similar to the item I received through Power of Fate, ‘Unknown Fate’.
As if Mun Saeron dug it out somehow, she also brought materials about the supernatural violins Kwon Jane possessed.
‘Kwon Jane is an owner of dozens of supernatural violins. Ten supernatural violins are for performance purposes. She would play other violins depending on her mood of the day, huh?’
As the supernatural violins were possible to cardify, she could easily bring with hundreds of them with her, so it wasn’t a particular problem.
In additional material, the picture of Kwon Jane with a room full of blue violins in the background was included.
‘Worthy of the nickname ‘Blue Violinist’ as she said she ‘only uses UR blue supernatural violins on stage’.’
I continued to read the materials.
Was it because the speed of going through the pages was a bit fast?
Hwang Jiho, who was looking at the hologram’s screen conversion speed, stared at me with sparkling eyes.
It was a bit eye-catching, but I wanted to finish the investigation quickly.
‘This…’
Thousand pages gathering all kinds of Kwon Jane related materials.
In it even the list of staff during Kwon Jane’s Hoyeon building Korean performance came out.
On the last page of the staff list, me, Sawol Seeum, Lee Lena and Kim Yuri, the names of the four of us and the school name were included.
Was it because the staff selection was made in a hurry? Besides that, there was no other information written.
The next page summarized the information about Kwon Jane’s new piece ‘귀향 (Homecoming)’.
Lastly with Homecoming’s music score, the thousand pages of materials ended.
‘Perhaps that feeling of incongruity I had… Wasn’t it implying that?’
Kwon Jane’s comments and actions.
Incidents connected to Eternal Lake.
Experiences I had in this world.
And these materials.
As I organized them one after another, the identity of the feeling of incongruity became clear.
‘It’s like that, huh… If so, Kwon Jane would have to take such actions.’
There were too many weird points to call them a coincidence.
“It’s strange.”
“What?”
After Hwang Jiho ended up reading a thousand pages faster than me, he examined me.
Hwang Jiho’s eyes were shining ominously.
“It’s a face that realized something, but doesn’t smile suspiciously.”
Of course, there was nothing to smile about, so I couldn’t smile.
***
After club activities ended.
I left Hwang Jiho, who was thinking strangely, and headed towards the entrance to the chess tournament grounds used by players.
Even today, there were two matches.
Was it thanks to our class children’s support?
When I tried to unfold a chess board on the hologram as a test, the phenomena of disappearing colors or twisting surrounding no longer occurred.
‘The headache is terrible like before, but I can endure it.’
The first opponent didn’t appear in the game, and even in this world it was a 1st year student I had no contact with.
I knocked them down within 20 moves and moved to the next round.
The second opponent was the Guideline Club president, Oh Hyeji.
“Check.”
Oh Hyeji stared at the chess board with a surprised expression and then knocked down the king.
When we exchanged a handshake, Oh Hyeji had a refreshing[1] smile as she spoke:
“As Jinseung said, your hands are a bit cold… It should be fine if it’s to this degree.”
“Yes?”
“My junior was worried about you. The one who lost to you in 4 moves, a bit of a loser?”
I guess Ma Jinseung was worried about me.
Both Oh Hyeji and Ma Jinseung, all of my Playable Characters were kind.
At that time, if I had time to spare, I wouldn’t use Scholar’s mate and play a match worthy of helping to improve his chess ability.
Leaving behind my regretful mind, the second day of the chess tournament ended.
***
1st year class 0, my cheering squad’s selected dinner menu today was street food.
After eating dinner, the children requested to eat beef tomorrow.
‘I want to feed them beef even if I lose tomorrow.’
If I made an excuse that I made a reservation on that day and I couldn’t cancel it, they would have to drag themselves to eat or something like that.
I unfolded a hologram to make a reservation at the BBQ restaurant and then paid in advance.
Perfect plan.
‘Then, I should contact that person now, right?’
Under the excuse that I wanted to prepare for the last game tomorrow while on a walk, I headed in a different direction than the dormitory children.
While I strolled the walk trail of the central zone, I called that person.
I knew that it was difficult to make a call, but that person responded to the call immediately.
“Helllo, is it possible to talk right now?”
[Yeah, Uisin.]
I never informed the other person about my device code, but it was a reaction as if she knew it was me who called.
‘Were you investigating me? You should have recognized the device code straight away then, right?’
I was bothered by through what kinds of means she investigated me, but I spoke about business first.
“There is something I want to talk about in person, senior Kwon Jane-nim.”
*~*~*
[1] refreshing – could also mean open, clear.
Translator’s note: Author. Author, listen to me. You can’t feed people only with rice cakes. Look at this chapter. Full of rice cakes. Rice cakes upon rice cakes. You can’t do that. The people’s digestive system will be fucked up. Give them some meat. Proper meat. Full meat. I beg you.
Did you see a mistake? 🐞
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