𝐸𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 ── 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗚𝗟𝗢𝗥𝗬

nine

─•❃✾❃•─

"Park the car. Give the keys to the Go house. Take the weekend."

"Thank you. Have a good night, sir." His chaffeur then turned to face the building, Pagoda Go Club, saying, "Mr. Choi is waiting for you."

Do-yeong turned to face the structure and nodded, "Thank you."

...

"For the Jeongbok-dong development, I've secured the land-use rights for you.", keeping his eye on the Go board, Mr. Choi stated, "And I've reached an agreement with the city to open the Go square as soon as possible."

"I guess changing the company slowed us down." Do-yeong said, making a move on the board. He looked up, noticing Mr. Choi peering behind Do-yeong.

Do-yeong looked back, then shifted his focus to Mr. Choi as he began to speak, "You know, most young people aren't very interested in things like Go."

He let out a chuckle pointing to the back, "You don't see that too often."

Do-yeong returned his gaze, spotting a young woman playing Go with Mr. Park, the owner of the rib restaurant. Her gaze was fixed on the game, her face expressionless, framed by a few strands of hair.

"If you look over there, Mr. Park, the owner of the rib restaurant, is absolutely fuming because he's lost two rounds in a row."

"They're betting 20,000 won per round." Mr. Choi continued

"Really?" Do-yeong inquired, his interest piqued.

After his discussion with Mr. Choi, he strolled over to the group of elderly men who had gathered to see Mr. Park lose his game.

Do-yeong stood with his arms crossed, his biceps straining the arm of his tailored suit as he observed the game of Go unfold before him. The woman, with her intense focus and strategic moves, displayed her skill for the ancient board game. Mr. Park, her opponent, seemed equally engaged in the match, but Do-yeong couldn't help but notice something peculiar. As the game neared it's end, the woman deliberately dragged it out, prolonging each move despite the inevitable outcome. It intrigued Do-yeong, raising questions in his mind. Why was she prolonging the game? What was her motive?

The woman made a move that caused the other elderly guys in the room to collectively groan in defeat. Mr. Park was about to make a move when the woman said, for the first time, forcing him to stop, "You won't find any help over there."

"Give up and you'll only lose by ten territories." She continued, finally taking her gaze away from the board.

Mr. Park threw his Go piece in exasperation before pulling his wallet from his pocket and handing her the money. The woman stood up, accepting the money and bowing her hand gently. She moved past Do-yeong without looking at him, despite the fact that he was clearly staring at her as she passed.

His fascination with the woman was purely platonic, that much he knew, but this subtle behavior of hers piqued his interest, urging him to dig deeper into the layers of her mind. The match was already over but she dragged it out. Why, though? He asked himself the same question over and again until he couldn't think of an answer.

He knew there was more to her than meets the eye, and he knew he'd see her again.

─•❃✾❃•─

The next time Do-yeong visited the Go club, he saw the same woman he had seen the previous time, leaving as she passed by him, his eyes following her.

As Do-yeong prepared to enter the Go club, he snapped out of his momentary daze and caught sight of Yoona. His surprise flickered across his features, for he hadn't anticipated her to be a player of Go. Curiosity tugged at him, urging him to approach the table where she sat. Taking a seat opposite her, he couldn't help but speak his mind.

"I must admit, I didn't expect you to be a Go player," Do-yeong remarked, his tone laced with genuine surprise.

Looking up at him, Yoona's lips curled into a small, smile. Her eyes sparkled as she responded, her words carrying a sense of anticipation. "Oh, there are many unexpected things waiting for us in the future."

Do-yeong's curiosity deepened, his interest piqued by her cryptic reply. He found himself drawn to the enigma that was Yoona, sensing that there was more to her than met the eye.

"What about you?" Yoona asked, her eyes glancing over to the exit where Dong-eun just left.

"That woman," Do-yeong said, his gaze lingering on the exit, "the one who just left, do you know her?"

Yoona met his intense gaze, as if delving into the depths of his being to uncover hidden truths he himself had yet to discover. After a moment, she shifted her attention to the Go board, where the game of silent desires and calculated strategies unfolded; where each move held the potential to dismantle the carefully constructed world of their opponent. The stakes were high, each move like a seductive dance, unraveling their desires and laying bare their vulnerabilities.

Her voice was calm and measured as she spoke, "Her name is Moon Dong-eun. We were friends in high school and recently reconnected."

As Yoona glanced back at Do-yeong, she couldn't help but notice his eyes fixed upon her, a flicker of intrigue dancing within them. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips, a playful glimmer in her eyes.

"It seems you're quite curious about her," she remarked and with a deliberate grace, she picked up a stone and placed it on the board, signaling her move. Do-young followed suit, their game of strategy silently unfolding between them.

"Do you not worry that I'll tell your wife about her?" Yoona paused, leaning slightly over the board, her expression holding a hint of mischief.

"I have no interest in her," Do-yeong replied, his words punctuated by a momentary pause. His dark eyes studied Yoona's face, and a rare smile graced his features.

"Besides, my attention is solely focused on one woman," he added, placing his next stone on the board and lifting his gaze to meet hers.

'Lucky woman,' Yoona mused inwardly, a twinkle of anticipation in her eyes.

Do-yeong exuded an air of sophistication and refinement in every aspect of his life. His impeccable manners and flawless demeanor were always on display, meticulously tailored to maintain his image of superiority. He knew how to navigate social situations with ease, effortlessly blending in with the society's upper elite.

While his gestures may appear to others to be kind and nice, they were simply a part of his carefully crafted facade. He knew the value of projecting a specific image, and he believed that kindness was an necessary trait of the elite. But deep down, his actions were driven by a sense of entitlement and a desire to uphold his own elevated standards.

Underneath his polite exterior, Do-yeong had a sharp eye for details, especially when it came to Yoona. He was constantly aware of her presence and his gaze lingered on her in subtle ways, taking note of her attire and the way she carried herself, and analysed her every move and behaviour. It was a combination of possessiveness and interest, motivated by his own sense of superiority. He was good, not entirely, not deep in his heart, but, on the surface of his vivid dark eyes, yes. And they were those same dark eyes that she pretended not to notice following almost her every action, during a family dinner or lunch with business acquaintances; how he analyzed how high her skirt rode up her thighs or how tight her blouse was. He would pay too much attention to what she was doing but deep down knew better than to try to lure her into his arms, after all, she was not his and he was not hers.