Convince the Childhood Friends

“HUH? BEAT YOU? WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?”

Jin Hee was frowning at Dae Woong after he said those words to her. She was trying to convince these young lads in front of her and yet Dae Woong is now trying to challenge her.

The latter didn’t respond instead, he went out of the glasshouse. Clueless about what the heck is going on, Jin Hee looked at Eui Chul in a chance to make him explain the situation but instead, the latter smiled at her and encouraged her to come with them.

They left the glasshouse and followed Dae Woong.

“Uh, no offense Eui Chul since I know you’re partners with Dae Woong when it comes to business and I don’t know anything about you since I am the new girl in class but why are you always with him? Why are you always together? And just because he doesn’t want to go to the Outside School doesn’t mean you’re not going as well,” Jin Hee said. You’re not even twins, to begin with. And don’t tell me, if he’ll jump on the cliff, you’re jumping as well just because he did it? That’s ridiculous.

Eui Chul smiled at her and responded. “I know it’s against the “laws of the elite” since we consider everyone that was involved in our businesses as “partners” but you see, Dae Woong is my childhood best friend. Because of my clumsiness, I get myself into trouble and of course, in every people in distress, there’s always a hero. That’s Dae Woong for me. When I get myself into trouble, he’s the one who always saves me. That’s why we promised each other that we will never leave each other’s side in anything we’ll do. I was supposed to study in England but I forced my parents to let me stay here because I don’t want to leave Dae Woong’s side. So, until now, we’re still close.”

“Wow. Your friendship is really that deep? You’re indeed best friends, like sworn brothers that you couldn’t even attend the Outside School because of him,” she told him. Of course, Eui Chul could tell that she sounded so bitter on the last sentence but he just laughed it out and Jin Hee finds his laughter contagious so she couldn’t help but giggle as well.

“We must really hurry up. Dae Woong doesn’t like it when we keep him waiting.”

“Now that you’ve mentioned it.”

“Chess club?” Jin Hee muttered the moment they stopped outside a certain room and saw the name of the said room on the door. She looked around before her eyes settled on Eui Chul. “Wait, Eui Chul-ssi, why are we here?”

“You’ll see. Come in,” after opening the door, he gestured his hand and let Jin Hee enter the room.

As soon as they’re finally inside the room, Jin Hee was shocked.

She knew that Empire Academy’s interior designs in the buildings, classrooms, and club rooms were like interiors from royal palaces but she just couldn’t help but feel astonished at how the chess club alone is huge that one-third of it is the size of her house in South Jeolla.

She looked at the students, who she presumed as the members of the chess club. They looked so silent and serious while playing chess. The tension, seriousness, and silence make it harder for Jin Hee to breathe.

Her eyes settled on Dae Woong who’s now sitting on a single couch and in front of him is a chessboard on a mini table.

Even the chessboard and chess pieces looked so expensive. It looked so expensive that Jin Hee felt astonished by just looking at it.

“If you want to ask about my chessboard and its pieces, it’s the Royal Diamond Chess Set. It costs me $500,000,” he picked up the queen and stared at it then he looked back at Jin Hee. “Did you know that Bernard Maquin, along with thirty skilled craftsmen, spent over 4,500 hours handcrafting these pieces? These handmade pieces in total utilize almost 1,200 grams of 14-karat white gold. In addition to this, 9,900 white and black diamonds encrust its pieces in a blanket of sparkling royalty. When you put it that way, this chess set only costs about $111 per hour in labor. That’s not so bad, right? 120,000 won per hour.”

“I know…” Jin Hee muttered anxiously. She cleared her throat and spoke once again. “I-I know how Bernard Marquin put so much effort in making that chess set that’s why it’s one of the… rare chess sets… ever released.”

Aish, what the heck am I saying?! Obviously, I’m trying to tell him that I know about that chess set he was trying to flex so he won’t suspect me that I am not rich! Dang it, this is harder than I thought! And now I even told him that it’s a ‘rare’ one? I don’t even know about that chess set! Dang it, Jin Hee, you’re such an idiot! He’ll end you! He’ll end you for sure!

Dae Woong smirked, amused. “Yeah. It made it to the Top 5 of the rarest and most expensive chess sets ever released. Impressive, you knew about that.”

Jin Hee gave him a tiny smile, trying to cover up what she really felt inside.

She really felt like dying.

I’m saved! I’m saved!

“You’re forcing us to attend to that Outside School, might as well do some efforts,” Dae Woong said as he looked at her. “So then, let’s settle it with a game of chess then.”

“So… are you trying to say, that I’m going to play with you?” Jin Hee asked, jaw slightly agape.

“If you can beat me in this game, I will follow what you’ve said. I will join the Outside School with Eui Chul. But if you lose, you will stop pestering us and you will never bother us about our businesses. Is that a clear deal?”

She swallowed the lump of nervousness on her throat and nodded in response. “O-Okay.”

“Jin Hee-ssi,” she could hear Eui Chul whispering beside her. “Have you ever played chess?”

“Umm… I did play once when I was still in 5th Grade,” Jin Hee responded. “I played with my classmates that time because I find it fun… that’s all.”

Eui Chul slightly hissed, as if something was caught in his teeth. “I don’t want to discourage you, Jin Hee-ssi but if that’s your experience in chess, you’re your battle with Dae Woong will be harder than you imagine,” Jin Hee looked at him as he continued. “You see, Dae Woong garnered second place in an international tournament in chess last year in Berlin that’s why when it comes to your level, he’s an expert.”

So, it’ll be hard for me to beat him? Jin Hee took a deep breath before she nodded at Dae Woong’s direction and spoke. “Okay, let’s play.”

Jin Hee sat in front of him and Dae Woong gave her the chess pieces and together, they fixed their chess pieces to play. “Should I explain the rules?”

“I played this once so it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me the rules,” she said and fixed her own chess pieces.

“Oh, I see. Okay then,” he smiled slyly as he finished fixing his chess pieces. “Shijak.” (*start)

Jin Hee silently looked at her chess pieces before she picked the rook. She stopped mid-air and looked at Dae Woong. “Ah, you take your move first, Dae Woong-ssi.”

She saw how Dae Woong frowned at her but she ignored it. With jaw clenched, he moved his pawn.

Jin Hee understood that Dae Woong was annoyed over the fact that she let him move first. She just wanted to see his strategy and not to sound boastful or what but she’s a fast learner so she wanted to see his moves.

“Ah, I forgot to mention… the president of the chess club, the champion of the national chess tournament and the second placer in an international chess championship is your opponent so I think, you know your range of possibility in winning this game, right?”

So, he’s insulting me by flexing his achievement, huh? Is this his strategy to make me anxious?

Well, don’t let him faze you, Song Jin Hee!

Moving her pawn, Jin Hee looked at him in an innocent expression. “So?”

He cleared his throat. “So, I better go easy with you a little so you have the chance in winning this game.”

She moved the night and spoke. “Gwaenchanayo. If what’s your standard in playing, just do it,” she looked at him. “If I’ll be the one to win this game, I’ll gain your respect to me as your class president.”

He scoffed. “You really think you could defeat me with your amateur skills? Not a chance, Song Jin Hee.”

He took the chance to take one of her chess pieces. His pawn managed to get her rook.

Jin Hee finds it weird because the moment they played, he seemed more tense than she did.

He smirked after he got her chess piece. “Now, what you’ll gonna do, Miss Class President?”

She looked at him. Everyone inside the chess club room could feel the intense tension between them that they even stopped playing just to watch them. Even Eui Chul could feel the tension that he couldn’t help but felt fidgety because of anxiousness.

Jin Hee swiftly moved her queen toward’s Dae Woong’s king and muttered. “Checkmate.”

“EHHH???” everyone reacted in shock. The room was filled with mixed emotions of amazement, shock and astonishment. They even rubbed their eyes to see if it really did happen.

“DID SHE JUST WIN?! DID SHE JUST DEFEATED “THE” LEE DAE WOONG?!”

“SEOLMA! MALDO ANDWAE!”

“JINJJA DAEBAK!”

“THAT’S SLICK! IT’S THREE MOVES!”

Dae Woong was so shocked that he stared intently at the chessboard before he looked at Jin Hee. He was so speechless, as if a cat caught his tongue.

Blinking and smiling at him, Jin Hee asked. “So, you want to play again, Lee Dae Woong-ssi?”

“I never expected that game would be challenging, nouveau riche,” Dae Woong said as they finally went out of the building to escort Jin Hee to the school gate. They enjoyed playing chess with each other that they didn’t notice that it’s already thirty minutes before six in the afternoon.

All thanks to my teacher who taught me how to play chess! Jin Hee mentally said, dancing in joy. Seonsaengnim, gomapseumnida!

“Oh, it’s nothing, really. I am just an amateur. I’m just lucky,” she said, scratching her head in embarrassment.

Both Dae Woong and Eui Chul smiled and Dae Woong suddenly spoke. “You know, I learned something from our fight.”

“Eh? What is it?” she asked.

He shook his head and turned his back at her. “Just assure us that we’ll gonna enjoy the Outside School, class pres.”

Her eyes widen the moment she heard those words from him.

Wait, what? Did he-did he called me ‘Class President’?!

Eui Chul grinned at her and waved his hand. “Take care, Jin Hee-ssi! Good luck!” after saying those words to her, he ran after Dae Woong. “Woong-ah! Wait for me!”

Jin Hee couldn’t wipe the grin off her face as she waved at the two of them. When they’re already away from her, she took her notepad where she wrote the list of their names and checked Eui Chul and Dae Woong’s names.

She smiled in satisfaction. She managed to convince the two out of those eighteen boys she’ll be convincing.

Will she be able to do it?

Pumping her fist on the air, she spoke to herself. “You can do it, Jin Hee-ya! Hwaiting!”

Day 1. Week 1. 2 down, 16 boys to go.