I Have Too Many Money-Making Talents - Chapter 51

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Too Much Money-Making Talent Episode 51
“Pair Go?”
Honestly, I’d never considered it.
Go had always struck me as an individual sport.
The very concept of forming a team felt foreign.
“A major sponsor came on board this year. Because of that, teams participating in the world Pair Go championship aren’t selected by the Korea Baduk Association anymore—the champions and runners-up of the Soo-yeon Cup now automatically qualify.”
Win the domestic championship, and you earned a spot in the world tournament.
It was a bigger stage than I’d expected.
“Well, the world championship is still far off.”
Park Jin-woo smiled as he continued.
“The important thing is, even if In-ha loses in the first round, reaching the quarterfinals or better in the Soo-yeon Cup secures promotion points. Since both amateur and professional Pair Go players can participate.”
Park always made my professional promotion his top priority.
Beyond skill, it was about assuming the worst first and preparing accordingly.
That was his style as the head of the Gisung Research Group.
As for me.
‘I have no intention of losing.’
It didn’t matter if my opponent was the world’s number one player or anyone else.
If I was going to face them anyway, I’d step onto that board willingly.
No one challenges something while already expecting defeat.
But not losing sight of that minimum goal—professional promotion.
And honestly, I was grateful for Park’s consideration in calculating that possibility to the very end.
“Besides…… the real reason I suggested this is because I think it’ll help both of you.”
Park’s eyes deepened slightly.
“In Pair Go, you have to constantly infer not just your opponent’s moves, but your partner’s as well. In that process, you naturally develop an objective perspective.”
I nodded.
It made sense.
Reading your partner’s moves would inevitably heighten the density of your Move Reading.
“And another thing—you develop the ability to handle your partner’s mistakes, and in turn, cultivate Emergency Response Ability to maintain the flow when you yourself make an error.”
It was a concise but persuasive summary.
“In terms of preparing for the Ciel Bank Championship, it’ll be quite solid training.”
Park’s gaze naturally shifted to Yu Jeuh-ha.
“You didn’t participate last year, did you?”
“No. Woo-bin asked me to go with him…… but I turned him down. I was in a slump back then.”
A brief answer.
Yet as she spoke, her eyes held a deep, gentle warmth as she glanced at me.
“What about you, In-ha? Would you be interested in participating?”
I looked back at Yu Jeuh-ha.
When our eyes met, she smiled softly with her eyes.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I quietly nodded.
“I think I’ll be fine.”
“Me too. I’d like to go with you.”
The corners of Park’s mouth lifted.
“The Soo-yeon Cup will take place during a three-week break between the Ciel Bank Championship semifinals and finals. There won’t be any schedule conflicts.”
Before his words even finished, Park waved his hand to call someone.
“Min-ho, Dong-woo—would you come over here for a moment?”
At Park’s call, the two approached.
It was Kim Min-ho, an 8-dan I’d been close with, and Lee Dong-woo, a 7-dan I’d exchanged greetings with but wasn’t particularly close to.
“Can you do that Pair Go match I asked about yesterday?”
“Sure, that’s fine.”
“Me too.”
Ah, he’d arranged this beforehand.
Park really is thorough.
We quietly moved to the playing room.
Four of us sat in a diagonal formation around a single board.
‘It feels odd.’
Like I was caught somewhere between a player and an observer.
Even my perspective on the board itself felt slightly distorted, as if widened.
“In Pair Go, the rule is that the female player of the team holding Black plays first. And not only conversation, but gestures, expressions, and hints are all forbidden.”
Park set down the Timing Clock as he added this.
“Let’s play rapid Go, just to get a feel for it.”
Click.
We drew stones.
‘Black.’
I picked up Yu Jeuh-ha’s black stone.
The first move settled calmly on the star point.
Lee Dong-woo’s white responded with a small point opening.
‘My turn.’
I placed my black stone at the small point.
Then came Kim Min-ho’s 3-3 Invasion without delay.
A somewhat unconventional opening strategy.
Clack.
Yu Jeuh-ha blocked white’s 3-3 to the right.
‘Wait — she’s blocking that way?’
It caught me off guard.
That single move shifted the entire direction of the opening.
Even though we were on the same team, I couldn’t easily predict her next move.
An unfamiliar rhythm.
But.
‘……This is fun.’
With each stone, my thinking had to branch in new directions.
Having to read my partner’s intentions as well sharpened my Move Reading.
Since I couldn’t know where my moves would lead, I had to place every stone with real purpose — at key points that mattered.
Clack.
Yu Jeuh-ha’s moves were fluid yet aggressive.
Light but unshakeable, daring yet not easily broken.
It was like watching the unfinished Go of my earlier self — clumsy but resolute, rough-edged but strong.
‘Go on. Fight as hard as you can.’
I supported her offensive play.
Where her Move Reading seemed weak, I reinforced it; when her pace slowed, I shifted the tempo to keep the momentum flowing.
Go from behind a partner — supporting her back.
But even as I did, I wove in my own Position Evaluation and Leading Moves, keeping everything balanced.
Then, in the middle of it all.
‘This move…….’
Yu Jeuh-ha played a reckless stone.
One that exposed a weakness.
A dangerous move that could tilt the board state in an instant.
Sure enough, Kim Min-ho seized that gap.
I kept my composure and carefully considered how to counter.
Clack.
After deliberation, a single move.
It subtly turned the tide and broke white’s momentum.
‘This is really helping.’
Maintaining composure.
Follow-through and responsiveness.
The focus you find in actual combat.
That sense of emotional control and immersion even under psychological pressure.
“Let’s stop here. The outcome looks clear enough.”
At Park’s words, we quietly withdrew our hands.
A moment later, Kim Min-ho crossed his arms and tilted his head.
“You two — why do you two have such perfect rhythm?”
Lee Dong-woo nodded in agreement.
“Seriously, do you even share the same sensibility? I could’ve sworn it was one person playing.”
“Especially you, Kim In-ha. It was incredible.”
“Me?”
“You filled in the weak spots, and when it was time to attack, you pushed forward together. It was so precise I just had to admire it.”
“Is that so.”
I simply smiled without saying anything.
Lee Dong-woo turned to Yu Jeuh-ha and spoke.
“Yu Jeuh-ha, you’ve really improved, haven’t you? It wasn’t for nothing that you broke through the women’s bracket and made it to the main tournament.”
Yu Jeuh-ha smiled shyly.
“It’s all thanks to Kim In-ha.”
“That’s right. You’ve picked up his style quite well. You both worked hard. Well done.”
Kim Min-ho 8-dan and Lee Dong-woo 7-dan stood to leave.
Park Jin-woo wrapped things up.
“Since it was your first Pair Go, there will be plenty to adjust. Take your time reviewing the game and talking things through.”
And so the two of us were left alone in the game room.
I quietly began placing stones back on the board.
One by one.
The flow of the game moments before came rushing back.
I spoke first.
“We matched up better than I expected.”
“Pardon?”
“Our rhythm.”
Yu Jeuh-ha blinked, then smiled and nodded.
“Me too. It’s strange, isn’t it? We didn’t say a word, but I felt so secure. I found myself leaning on you.”
Her fingertip traced across the board.
The spot where she’d made that risky move just moments ago.
“I pushed too hard here, didn’t I?”
“Yeah. But I liked that kind of fight. I’ll handle the recovery.”
I smiled as I said it.
Yu Jeuh-ha laughed quietly, then hesitated before speaking.
“Actually, while we were playing, I felt something strange.”
“What kind of feeling?”
She took her time finding the words, then spoke carefully.
“Like we were sharing something with each other.”
“…”
“And like we were deeply connected to one another.”
I looked at her without speaking, then nodded quietly.
“I felt that too.”
At my words, Yu Jeuh-ha’s eyes grew wide as a deer’s.
“It was like being swept away.”
“Huh?”
Yu Jeuh-ha looked at me with surprise.
For a moment, her embarrassment was plain to see.
I deliberately continued in an easy tone.
“In our go.”
“Oh… what? No, don’t tease me.”
She turned her head away quickly, then laughed softly, her expression a bit calmer.
“I’m counting on you, partner.”
“The feeling’s mutual.”
We looked at each other and smiled.
Really, she’s a good partner.
Maybe even better than I’d thought.
Then.
Click.
At the mechanical sound from the door, both our heads snapped reflexively toward it.
Jung Soo-yeon raised one hand with an awkward smile.
“S-sorry.”
“…”
I’d forgotten.
We were still being filmed.

* * *
On the bus.
Holding the handrail, swaying with the rhythm of the bumps, I was on my way to work.
The scenery beyond the window blurred past, but nothing registered.
My mind was completely filled with the promotional video Jung Soo-yeon had sent yesterday.
-After work, he dreams of becoming a professional go player.
-A bank security guard takes his first step toward the world stage.
—A bank that invests in people, a story of an employee who invested in dreams.
Cheesy captions alongside the thumbnail, and keywords.
From the Bi-ryong Tournament video onwards, footage of me from inside the bank was all there.
‘What do I do with my hands and feet…….’
My face was still burning.
It felt like watching your own life play out on stage.
My interviews interspersed throughout, even narration included.
I was actually considering asking them to delete it seriously.
But it was already too late.
This morning, it was officially uploaded to the Ciel Bank channel.
‘……I don’t think I can bear to read the comments.’
—The next stop is Samil Market. Passengers getting off, please——.
I pressed the bell and stepped off the bus.
Arriving at the bank, I rolled up the metal shutter and disarmed the security system.
The interior of the bank was still dark.
I turned on the lights and headed straight for the changing room.
After opening my locker and changing into my work clothes, I came back out to the lobby.
While continuing my usual morning preparations, the Branch Manager arrived.
“Kim, good morning.”
“Good morning, sir.”
“Mm-hmm. I’ll see you at the meeting.”
The Branch Manager passed by, leaving only a meaningful smile.
Usually he would have added this and that, but today it was just that one remark.
‘Meeting?’
That word kept nagging at me.
For some reason, I had an ominous feeling.
But I pretended not to notice and moved on.
Just then.
Yeon-hee came in making a strange snorting sound and greeted me.
She passed by my side with her mouth firmly shut, suppressing a smile.
‘Ah.’
The chill I felt only grew clearer as time went on.
And when the meeting time came, it reached its peak.
“The Branch Manager has instructed that today’s meeting be held in the conference room. Everyone, please gather.”
At the Deputy Branch Manager’s words, all the staff headed to the conference room.
The Branch Manager, who was already there, was giving instructions to Ha, and
Ha was busily connecting something to a large monitor.
“Please be seated, everyone. We’ve gathered today because there’s something special to show,” the Branch Manager said.
The Branch Manager gestured with his chin.
Ha looked at me with an expression like he’d bitten into excrement, then operated the remote control.
The Ciel Bank channel appeared on the monitor, and the video thumbnail came up.
“This is the video of our Kim, who we at Ciel Bank are proud of.”
The moment the play button was pressed, a familiar logo, background, and face filled the screen.
The Ciel Bank logo.
Me attending to customers at the branch.
Ha handing out coffee and Park smiling awkwardly.
An interview with the Branch Manager.
And.
My face, confident and smiling after winning the Bi-ryong Tournament.
“Until I lose.”
The decisive line.
“Because I’m undefeated.”
My face wasn’t just burning—it felt like it was scorching away.
If I died today, the cause of death would be…….
‘……embarrassment, wouldn’t it.’
As the video ended, the Branch Manager looked around at the staff and spoke.
“What are you doing? Don’t you all—…”
Before the Branch Manager could even finish, applause burst out.
It was Yeon-hee.
Then spontaneous applause erupted from the rest of the staff.
Even the normally distant employees joined in the applause for this moment.
“Congratulations, Kim.”
“Kim as the company’s model—who would’ve thought?”
“That’s really something. Should we get your autograph?”
“At this rate, you’ll be filming commercials next?”
Half-joking, half-sincere.
Faces that would never have spoken to me before now approached without hesitation.
‘Ah.’
I couldn’t lift my head.
Embarrassment, mortification, and self-reproach crashed over me in triple waves.
Regardless, the Branch Manager gazed at me with evident satisfaction and nodded approvingly.
The whirlwind of a morning assembly ended, and employees filed out of the conference room one by one.
Ha and Park looked faintly uncomfortable.
Yeon-hee followed along, suppressing her laughter.
“Congratulations, Kim. This is something else—you’re a star now.”
“T-thank you.”
I replied in a voice tinged with resignation.
It wasn’t a school assembly, but whenever they gathered the staff for something like this, I wanted to disappear into a mouse hole.
“Kim, for lunch today we’re having short ribs… oh, is that a call coming in?”
My smartphone vibrated again in my pocket.
A call.
“Please excuse me for a moment.”
“Feel free to take it.”
I took out my phone at the Branch Manager’s words.
The number wasn’t saved.
“Hello?”
—Good afternoon. Is this Kim In-ha?
“Yes, that’s me. Who’s calling?”
The tone was dry but distinctly official.
A familiar procedural quality hung at the end of the words.
“This is the Ciel Bank Cup Executive Office. We’re calling regarding the opening ceremony and the 32-round pairing draw scheduled for next Monday. Do you have a moment to speak?”
Only then did it hit me.
The Ciel Bank Cup main tournament was just days away.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————