A Boy: Part VII

It snowed. Snowed all day and all night for three days. The news reporters said it was the biggest snow storm in decades. The streets of New York were covered with innocence hiding city's dark side when I took a cab to the congee place where Keum worked. Despite the bad weather, I had to hear what happened to the tournament in Kwang Joo.

When I arrived at the restaurant, the place was empty as I expected except a few waiters sitting at a corner table playing majong. I ordered the usual dish, a bowl of steaming congee and fried shrimp wanton. While I was eating, Keum sat across the table and told me the story I was dying to hear.

--------------------------------------------------------------

The night before the biggest underground Baduk gambling in Korea's history, each player was given a black overall robe complete with a head mask also in black with small openings for eyes, nose and mouth. The fabric used was light cotton for easy to breathe and so players wouldn't feel uncomfortable while playing. It has two large intertwined golden dragons embroidered in front and a large number in Chinese on back. Keum was told that it was necessary to make gamblers not to bet heavily on some obvious winners such as himself. Keum's robe had number 4.

For next five days, the entire hotel turned into some sort of a dungeon of pleasure and agony. During the day, the players played, and the gamblers gambled. So much money involved, most games lasted more than 8 hours. All players' strength were close to each other, they played to the end. Even when the result was clear, since the gamblers bet their money based on points (bang-nae-gi), the unwritten rule was set as no-resign. Most of players also betted their own money. It seemed that only person who wasn't betting was Keum.

On the first day, Keum saw his father producing bundles of cash from his bag and placing bets. Keum had the thoughts of introducing himself to the man and told him that he was the man's son. He, at one point, considered telling the pro that there was his father he was looking for all these years in the same room. But then, he gave up on the idea simply because he got too involved with his first game.

Keum's opponent seemed an old man by listening his frequent sighs. Almost on every move, right before he placed his stone, he made a strange noise sounded much like distant foghorn. Keum played with his moves accuracy of well trained sushi chef. Every move becomes a slice, every move turned into a chop. He didn't hurry. He took his time until the fish was ready to skin and cut and open and dice. When the game ended, Keum's opponent's dragons were all dead except two in the middle. The counting was finished at 85. 6 hours and 20 minutes passed since the start. When Keum looked up, he saw his father standing right behind him laughing with joy. Obviously, the father made the right choice and won large sum of money betting on the player number 4.

As a rule, the loser should unmask himself after the game's over. When his opponent took off the mask, Keum saw an old man about 70 years old, with a small opening right below his chin right above his Adam's apple, his breath hole might have been the result of years of heavy smoking. Keum noticed that the old man was crying and the breathe hole made rapid wheezing sound. Keum stood up, held the old man's hands for a long time before left the table.

At night, the 12th floor of the hotel turned into the Pleasure Island. At the center stage, topless dancers danced to fast beats of popular Hip Hop music, at tables occupied by gamblers, expensive champagne and cognac were consumed. Winners and losers all got drunk dreaming the same dream for tomorrow; winning. Players, however, weren't there. They were invited to a separate room and after the fancy dinner and brief announcement of winners and losers by the fat man with a pink tie, sixteen of them were sent out through the back door.

The second day came.
The room had only 16 of previous day's winners but still crowded with now all sober gamblers.
Among them, Keum's father was standing at a table betting at a player who carried number 19.
Keum's own opponent played strongly at first. He played smart moves on Posuk (Fuseki) stage. The game looked even when it was well into Joongban-jun (mid-game). Keum played at steady pace and his stones made almost no sound.
At move 209, Keum saw the momentum of opening to his opponent's big Se-ryuk (Moyo) on the left. His moves danced once again like a chef's knife. It jabbed through the opening and cut a large part of Dae-ma (Dragon) and killed it. It was a quick death, it took Keum's opponent a few minutes before he realized that he lost the game. Again, Keum won by big score by 43. When the man took off and revealed his face, Keum saw a familiar face through magazines and newspapers, once famous professional player in Japan.

It wasn't until the fourth day, Keum finally met someone at his own strength. By looking at the size black robe, Keum thought his opponent must be a small person. His sleeves were too long for his arms, he frequently rolled them up throughout the whole game. His robe carried number 19. Keum smiled faintly thinking his father had been lucky.

It was a tough game from start to finish. Both players spent long time before each move as if each move was the final move. Neither of them talked, and the gamblers around their table became totally silent. Little after the beginning of the Joong-ban-jun (midgame), Keum heard a big cheering from the gamblers at now the only other table left. Keum looked over and noticed the loser of the table was no one but Nalle himself standing and laughing his big laugh. His opponent was still sitting without a move. The person, Keum thought, resembled the quiet sea from his hometown. Keum somehow knew then, he would play with the person at the final. The game lasted a long time. There were Pae (Ko) after Pae. There was no death of Dae-ma. It was like a competition of two well-made computers calculating. After the sixth Pae was settled, the two played painful but precise Ggut-nae-gi (Yose). When the game was finally over, Keum had two points more. Keum's opponent was a boy with a set of bright eyes with apple like cheeks, from China's Sendeung Province, a son of a farmer father and a teacher mother.

Keum looked around to see his father but he couldn't find him. His father lost the bet, Keum thought.