ch 4

As he set the piece down, Old Master Kim's heart skipped a beat.

The previously deadlocked game suddenly opened up before him.

Shocked, he lifted his head to stare at Kim Taehyung again and again, but the boy merely watched the board in silence. Tae's expression was soft, pure, and almost tender, as if gazing at a child.

This was terrifying. His supposedly good-for-nothing, troublemaking grandson—who had never shown the slightest hint of talent, always appearing like such an innocent, naive boy—could play chess? And solve a puzzle he’d been stuck on for ages?

What kind of absurd world was this?!

After all, the highest rank in chess was Grandmaster (GM), with a rating above 2500—only a handful reached that elite level. Below that were International Master (IM) and FIDE Master (FM). Old Master Kim, though not officially titled by FIDE, was still a cut above most amateur players.

If Kim Taehyung could solve a puzzle he couldn’t, didn’t that mean he was close to a professional level? Near FM?!

That was impossible! Even if the Kim family were to produce a genius, it shouldn’t be him! Kim Zhaoye and Kim Zhaosi at least had sharper minds!

His voice trembled with disbelief. "You... you know how to play?"

Taehyung gave a soft, pure nod. "Just a little."

He picked up a piece—one he had been maneuvering effortlessly since he was sixteen.

By the time Kim Kaichang and Kim Yingjie arrived, they were panting heavily, completely out of breath.

The car could only go halfway up the mountain; the rest of the way into the estate required a shuttle, but today’s scheduling was a mess. Their ride had already been taken—by Kim Taehyung, of all people.

The mere thought of who had taken their seat made Kim Kaichang’s blood boil. He and his cousin had no choice but to sprint the rest of the way. Old Master Kim valued punctuality above all else—arriving late meant a scolding.

"Grandpa, Grandpa, we didn’t mean to—it’s just that there weren’t enough cars today—"

Kim Kaichang rushed in, gasping for air as he launched into a pitiful apology, his mind already spinning a dozen excuses. But halfway through his plea, he realized—no one was paying him any attention. The room was dead silent.

His lungs were on fire from running, and now he was just baffled. Where was Grandpa?

Exchanging uneasy glances with his cousin Kim Yingjie, he mustered the last of his strength to take a few steps forward—only to freeze in shock.

There, by the lakeside, sat Old Master Kim, usually so dignified and untouchable, now hunched over a chessboard like a monkey, his old cloth shoes tucked under him as he perched on a chair. His hands shook as he clutched a piece, unable to make a move, his mind clearly overheating from the intensity of the game.

Both cousins stood rooted in place, disbelief flooding their minds. Kim Kaichang stumbled back a step, bumping into Kim Yingjie.

Who was sitting across from Grandpa, playing chess?

Old Master Kim himself was on a folding fishing stool, yet he had dragged out a grand carved chair—reserved for honored guests—for Kim Taehyung to sit on, as if the precious boy had "nowhere else to stand."

Kim Kaichang’s fury erupted instantly.

What right did he have to sit there?!

Having a seat in front of the old master was a special privilege, so it was no wonder Kim Kaichang was furious—he had never been granted such an honor himself. Only occasionally, when playing chess with his grandfather and executing a couple of clever moves that pleased the old man, was he allowed to sit on a small stool.

What was Kim Taehyung thinking? Did he have no sense of propriety left? Seeing an empty chair and daring to sit in it—no wonder his fiancé, Jeon Jungkook, looked down on him so much. Jungkook, the powerful heir of the Jeon family, would surely find such unrefined behavior unacceptable for a future partner.

"Kim Taehyung, what do you think you're doing?" Kim Kaichang frowned, not even wanting to touch the pure boy as he looked down at him and commanded, "Get up."

Finally hearing his words, the two at the chess table lifted their heads, their concentration broken as they turned to him with varying expressions.

Kim Kaichang frowned even deeper. Though he was from the second branch of the family, he was actually close in age to Taehyung. They usually interacted as equals, and he even felt a vague sense of responsibility over him, more like an elder brother than a cousin.

He rapped his knuckles against the edge of the chess table. "I told you to get up. Didn’t you hear me?" He scowled. "Do you really think you’re worthy of sitting in front of Grandfather?"

As the de facto "eldest son" of the Kim family’s current generation, Kim Kaichang carried this sense of duty—he was supposed to oversee the behavior of all his peers, correcting them with a tap on the table or a low cough when they stepped out of line.

The feeling of having others immediately obey his subtle cues was satisfying. It was showy, yet carried the weight of leadership.

Kim Kaichang didn’t even bother to check Taehyung’s reaction—he wasn’t important. Instead, he turned to his grandfather, softening his tone as he greeted him.

"Grandfather, Yingjie and I are here to keep you company. Don’t worry, with us here, you won’t be bored today—"

The old master turned away, rummaging for something as if he hadn’t heard a word.

Kim Kaichang paused, momentarily embarrassed, but quickly rationalized it. He slowly retracted his hand from where it had been braced against the table—only to suddenly feel a gust of wind brush past his face.

Then came a sharp, searing pain. Smack!

Old Master Kim had whipped him across the face with a fly swatter.

The swatter was solid, made of soft silicone, and brightly colored like a child’s toy.

Kim Kaichang was stunned. He jerked his head back, the burning sting spreading across his cheek. Clutching his face, he winced in pain, too shocked to even touch the welt. His voice cracked in disbelief. "Grandfather?!"

There weren’t even any flies or mosquitoes around—the old man had artificially bred some just to swat at, finding the sterile environment too lifeless otherwise. He carried the fly swatter on his back at all times, no different from the elderly men strolling through parks.

Without hesitation, he had left a bright red mark on his eldest grandson’s face, shoving him aside impatiently. "Get out of the way. I’m playing chess with your brother—since when do you get to interrupt?"

"Since when do you get to dictate things? Who else but Taehyung even plays with me?"

The authority of the Kim family patriarch bore down, and Kim Kaichang was utterly dumbfounded. He couldn’t process the injustice—a man nearly thirty years old, struck like this?

Why wasn’t Kim Taehyung the one being hit?!

Tossing the fly swatter aside, the old master ignored the stunned expressions of his grandsons, refocusing entirely on the game.

He was anxious. His hands were still trembling—Taehyung’s skill was far beyond what he had anticipated, and he still hadn’t figured the pure boy out.

Kim Kaichang was too noisy. Who asked him to come here and disturb his train of thought?

Only then did Kim Kaichang snap out of his daze, staring at the chessboard in shock.

This was the most humiliating moment of his life. He couldn’t fathom why the old man would let Kim Taehyung keep sitting there. What was the meaning of this?

Wait—what did he mean, Taehyung was playing with him?!

The game had reached its endgame, and from what he could tell—having studied chess to curry favor with his grandfather—Kim Taehyung was actually winning!

Kim Kaichang’s pupils constricted. Taehyung? Since when did he know how to play chess?

Did he even have the patience for it? Every time he visited the old man, he was either taking cute selfies on his phone or acting like a soft, innocent boy who didn't care about complex things. When would he ever sit still long enough to master something this complex?

Only the brothers ever gathered to play against the old man. Kim Zhaoye and Kim Yingjie were the best, while he and Kim Zhaosi were slightly weaker—but there was no way Kim Taehyung could...

No, even if he could play, to take it a step further—how was he winning? None of them had ever beaten the old man! How could Taehyung possibly outplay him?

Taehyung, who had been ignored all this time, finally let out a soft, pure laugh—just that slight, sweet sound drawing all attention back to him.

He seemed completely unbothered by the interruption, perfectly composed and delicate.

Taehyung moved the final piece with a gentle, slender hand.

"Grandpa, checkmate."

Kim Kaichang’s eyes widened. Checkmate?!

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