Yokai Come to the Countryside Café

Chapter 61: Divine Move (6)

-Rumble rumble rumble.

A yellow van with the words ‘Han Sewoon Kuksu’s Children’s Baduk Class’ was rattling along the road, its engine sounding precarious.

Inside the vehicle that looked like it could break down at any moment sat Han Sewoon Kuksu, who held the title of Korea’s Kuksu, and Park Gidong Sabom, who always barely scraped into the main rounds, side by side in the driver and passenger seats.

“You know I’m the Baduk Association’s info guy, right? I scanned the radar thoroughly. Click click click.”

“Unless you’re planning to visit a grave, just keep your hands on the wheel.”

Whenever he got excited, Park Sabom couldn’t keep his hands still. As he kept taking his hands off the steering wheel, Han Kuksu scolded him.

“Seriously, with that kind of playing style, someone would’ve gossiped about him at the Baduk Center, but no matter how hard I searched, nothing came up. If you look up Dangsan-ri, only a few countryside villages show up. It’s driving me nuts. But then—bam! I got a hit.”

“Wheel.”

“I’m holding it. I’ve been driving for 30 years, I know what I’m doing. Quit cutting me off! Where was I again? See, you made me forget.”

“You said you got one hit.”

“Right! What I found was that one of Yang Sabom’s researchers was playing a game and just got curious about the ID and asked where Dangsan-ri was. The answer? Gyeonggi Province.”

“Gyeonggi Province?”

-Beep. Beep.

“Hey now, why are you fiddling with the GPS instead of just searching it on your phone? I already set it all up.”

No matter how much they searched, there was no place called Dangsan-ri linked to Gyeonggi Province.

“There’s nothing.”

“Of course not. There’s no Dangsan-ri in Gyeonggi Province. But Go Sabom said there definitely was one back when he lived in Namyangju. That’s when I had a hunch. Sometimes there are places like that. The elders have a name for it, but then some government official comes and assigns a completely different name for administrative reasons. So officially, it’s like the place doesn’t exist.”

The tale about having found the real name of Dangsan-ri came bubbling out of Park Sabom, clearly thrilled.

“But why is that kid searching so hard anyway? Let’s be real, he’s not that skilled. A few of those games were lost because the saboms just got curious and played around.”

“Listen to you dragging him just because he beat you. The screenshots of you getting owned are already all over the group chat from the gallery.”

“What? Dammit, who did that! I swear, it was a misclick because of lag!”

It was him.

But Han Kuksu didn’t confess. If he did, there was no way he’d be driven to the destination in one piece, so he changed the subject back to the main point.

“I don’t know why he’s searching. At first, I just thought I’d try one game, but since he’s so popular, even that seemed difficult.”

“Tell me about it. The rumors spread like wildfire that day, and now I hear there are folks using something called Macorn or Macron or whatever to book games with him.”

“Still, if we’re both on the Baduk board, wouldn’t he agree to at least one match if I introduce myself? I’m not dead yet.”

“Show up in a tournament before you say that. How many contests have you skipped now? I’m embarrassed even to face the juniors anymore. I thought I’d at least catch some crumbs being around you, but no, I’m just stuck cleaning up your messes and barely getting by on the kids’ leftover money. If you’d done even one TV commercial when you were hot, we’d be driving a Benz now!”

“That story again. I’m sick of it.”

“Oh? And that’s coming from you, Han Kuksu?”

“If you hadn’t tempted me to retire from Baduk for Bitcoin, I’d have used my prize money to buy at least two studio apartment buildings.”

“You wanted in too, don’t act like you didn’t!”

There was a reason their bickering sounded like something out of a married couple’s quarrel.

Having lived as pro Baduk players since childhood, both were utterly clueless about real-world affairs. Naturally, every business or investment they touched ended up in scams or complete failures.

In the end, they had become an economic unit tangled in a mess of investments and debt.

“We’re about there. Han Kuksu, keep an eye out on those buildings. See if any Baduk centers or classrooms are around.”

“Didn’t the Association give you the address?”

“Huh? Uh, they didn’t?”

“Then that means there’s no registered center.”

“C’mon, what kind of gambling den where old men play Baduk registers with the Association? Just look properly! We came all this way for you.”

But no matter how far they drove along the road, all they found was an expanse cleared out for redevelopment. The few buildings they did see were covered in banners announcing upcoming demolition.

“From here on, it’s a different neighborhood.”

“Come on, I’m sure up to that spot it was still Dangsan-ri. Don’t tell me that kid just plays at home?”

“He has a teacher. I’m sure of it. His moves gain power at the end of each match. There’s no way he learned that without reviewing games.”

“Wow, we got ourselves a shaman here. You’re guessing teachers and centers without even seeing the kid’s face. Might as well take down our Baduk classroom sign and open a fortune-telling shop instead…”

“Why’d you stop talking? Come on, keep teasing.”

-Growwwwl.

A thunderous growl echoed from Park Sabom’s stomach, overpowering even the van’s noisy engine.

“Ha, Han Kuksu. Bathroom.”

“There’s no bathroom around here. Just stop anywhere and go.”

“You want me to end up featured in the Baduk News or something?!”

“You’ve never even been in the Baduk News except in the group photo when a tournament starts…”

-Growwwwl.

“Ugh!”

“There’s a café over there.”

“Where!”

“But is it even open? Looks like it’s under construction.”

“Screw it! If it’s closed, I’ll go in the construction site!”

With his face gone pale, Park Sabom had no energy left to worry about such details.

-Screeeeech.

The yellow van took a rough turn and came to a stop in front of a café under active construction.

Then they stormed into the café.

“Welcome.”

“B-Bathroom, please!”

“Go left past the kitchen.”

While Park Gidong Sabom entered the bathroom with pitiful and cautious steps, Han Sewoon Kuksu looked around the café slowly before sitting down, just like the other customers who had visited Jinseong’s café.

‘Is this one of those places that go on Insta?’

It really was a café.

Not one of those places clumsily mimicking a concept, but a real café with traces of time.

Among the scenery that met his eyes, the only new additions were the POS system at the counter and the slogan hung next to the business registration certificate.

『Let’s pay for coffee with money.』

『If there are customers, let’s act like decent people.』

‘What is this? A gangster hideout?’

No matter how he looked at it, they weren’t slogans that belonged in a café.

Had it not been for the few scattered customers, he might have seriously considered paying a bathroom fee and fleeing.

Fortunately, the young and handsome man who seemed to be the owner was surprisingly normal in his service.

“The menu’s over there. Let me know when you’re ready.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Two water cups were politely placed on the table next to where he awkwardly stood.

‘Coffee, milk, Ssanghwa tea… even ramyeon?’

The menu couldn’t be simpler.

“Two coffees, please.”

“Alright.”

3,500 won per cup.

Depending on perspective, that could be considered cheap or pricey compared to low-cost coffees.

Of course, 7,000 won total was more than fair for saving his pants from disaster.

“Wow, that was a close one. I thought I was gonna stain my pants.”

“Jeez, do you have to say gross stuff out loud?”

“Ahem, think anyone heard?”

“What do you think?”

Since the embarrassment was shared, Han Kuksu scowled deeply at Park Sabom, who had whispered the question too late.

“Ahem, so what did you order for me?”

“Coffee.”

“So coffee as in what? Americano? Latte?”

“No, just coffee.”

“What are you saying? Huh? It really is just coffee?”

Looking at the simple menu on the wall, Park Sabom quickly understood.

Soon after, two thick glass cups filled with coffee were placed on the table.

“Wow, this is just like the coffee my grandfather used to drink when I was a kid. First time in a café like this, huh, Han Kuksu?”

“I’ve been to one before. We’re only five years apart, you know.”

“Five years is a lifetime!”

“Whatever. If you’re done, let’s go. Riding around in that junk van all day’s killing my back.”

“Oh no… so it’s your poor back that’s stopping you from playing Baduk. I should’ve noticed sooner.”

“Check, please!”

Before Park Sabom could start teasing again, Han Kuksu cut him off.

And just like any ordinary customers who came for a cup of coffee, the two of them got back in their car and left.

Completely unaware that the person they had desperately wanted to meet was none other than the handsome young man who had served them coffee.

“Come out now.”

I called out to Sanyi hiding on the second floor.

“They’re gone?”

“Yeah.”

“Phew, that was a close one. I didn’t expect them to burst in like that.”

“But it’s strange. The Divine Tree’s energy is intact, and I put talismans around the area so normal people shouldn’t have noticed…”

“Maybe it’s just that he really had to go?”

“Then what about the guy with him?”

“That’s true.”

“Monk-Agent, did you make a faulty talisman?”

“If I did, we would’ve had customers all weekend.”

When it came to business, our café was nearly a fortress wrapped in two to three layers of camouflage.

Just like Haedong Sinyuh had said, the energy emitted by the Divine Tree blended into the surroundings and made the café itself appear hazy—an illusion of sorts.

The second layer of defense was the talismans stuck in various spots along the road.

Since they were powered by the Divine Power from the Divine Tree, the talismans had a similar effect.

And the third layer was the pure appearance of our café.

The sign had faded so much it was hard to tell what it originally said, and the back was a mess due to ongoing interior construction.

Very few would dare open the door, confirm it was open for business, and then order coffee. At least, until now.

“Maybe that man was just really desperate to come into the café.”

I wasn’t in the habit of eavesdropping.

Especially not on the conversations of café customers.

But one of the voices had been far too loud. Loud enough to force unwanted information into my ears.

Since he was called Han Kuksu, it wasn’t hard to guess who he was.

Baduk player Han Sewoon, 9-dan.

Even I, who wasn’t familiar with the world of Baduk, had heard of him.

Though his fame came with a slightly unfortunate slant.

-Human Kuksu couldn’t overcome it either. Han Sewoon loses his first game to AI Jaypha

-A new era in AI Baduk: Han Sewoon Kuksu suffers shocking mid-game loss to Jaypha

-13-time Kuksu champion Han Sewoon bows to Jaypha

-“The last bastion of humanity has fallen.” Han Sewoon Kuksu soundly defeated by Jaypha

…….

That was the first page of search results when I looked up his face.

In the news photos, Han Sewoon Kuksu sat with a face that looked as though he had lost everything, the camera zoomed in on his expression.

“I need to find out what exactly he was so desperate to find in our café. That way, he won’t come back.”

It didn’t take long to realize that what Han Sewoon Kuksu was looking for was none other than my Baduk game ID.

Because Han Sewoon Kuksu wasn’t the only one looking for it.

The problem had started with a thoughtless username.