Chapter 61
The fact that Yu Ayeon had competed in the French youth chess tournament began spreading beyond the chess community to other communities as well.
With news of the Millennium Prize ceremony being reported, Yu Ayeon had recently been getting mentioned a lot again.
But then, there was her name, suddenly racking up wins in a chess tournament that had absolutely nothing to do with mathematics.
Yu Ayeon's fans rushed over in droves and started watching the French chess tournament broadcast.
And then.
Those watching the broadcast discovered something else.
A girl who, like Yu Ayeon, was also on a winning streak: Yu Arin.
In the communities, speculation circulated that this child was Ayeon Yu's younger sister.
And they were stunned to see that, despite being the youngest participant at just four years old, she was defeating high-level European kids one after another.
[Title: Round 7 pairings are up lololol]
[Board 1 : Ayeon Yu (KOR) vs Arin Yu (KOR)]
You could basically call Board 1 the final.
- ?
- Are they really matching up actual sisters?
- They both went undefeated?
- No, this is a French tournament lol
- Seeing Korea, the chess powerhouse, sweeping European tournaments like this... it just feels weird somehow...
[Title: I Used to Kind of Hate the National-Pride Hype]
The Yu sisters absolutely dismantling the Europeans and making it to the final
and the commentators having their mental states shattered and clutching their heads
is making me kind of understand the national-pride-hype mindset...
- For real lol
- I didn't really think much of all the hype over Yu Ayeon before, but I might become an Ayeon fan?
- Ah, so this is what national-pride hype is
- Those old-fart bastards kept all this good stuff to themselves
[Title: But Arin Yu Is Super Cute Too]
She's like a mini version of Ayeon Yu.
- Cute
- The way she's munching on snacks is adorable lol
- Soon the vicious little-kid mob will be swarming in
- No problem, the 24-hour unpaid eraser slave will handle them
[Title: But the Older Sister Will Win Anyway, Right?]
Her opponent is a super-genius who solved the Riemann Hypothesis.
- Facts
- How do you break through an IQ 160 wall?
- Watching Yu Ayeon's game records, she's insanely good. I have full confidence I'd get absolutely wrecked.
In the chess community, the prevailing expectation was, of course, that the older sister would win.
For one thing, she was two years older than her younger sister, and she had made her genius known worldwide by proving the Riemann Hypothesis.
But.
The result was the younger sister's victory.
The name Yu Arin started blazing through the communities.
Yu Ayeon's younger sister, Yu Arin.
The child whose face and name had even been kept secret in the special documentary.
At just four years old, she had been issued a FIDE ID and was overpowering much older participants in official tournaments.
And she had a striking cuteness that resembled her older sister's.
It was the moment people's attention shifted from Yu Ayeon to Yu Arin.
[Title: The tournament results are out, holy crap]
Yu Arin, 7 wins in 7 games
Undefeated champion
- What, the younger sister won?
- Yu Ayeon got absolutely wrecked lol
- No, ???: "The older sister is terrible at chess!"
[Title: Yu Arin's performance rating hit 2150, holy crap]
It turns out this tournament had quite a few promising prodigies in it too, and she wiped the floor with them as well.
At this point, she's already at pro level
and there's basically no precedent for a four-year-old doing this.
- At four years old, this much?
- (cute kid making a silly face meme)
- How did a kid like that suddenly appear out of nowhere?
- So Yu Ayeon's blood runs in her little sister too
✒️✒️✒️
After the final, seventh round ended.
The tournament director came up to us and rattled something off in French.
“Arin.”
“Hm?”
“It’s time to take the first-place commemorative photo, receive your winner’s medal, and get applauded by everyone here.”
Hesitantly.
Arin looked at me, twisting her index finger around awkwardly.
She had a slightly embarrassed expression.
“Hng. I’m embarrassed.”
“That’s what makes it good.”
“It feels kind of scary.”
“Everything’s scary at first.”
But I kept trying to convince Arin.
I wanted Arin to understand how good it felt to get a lot of applause, too.
“Arin, you know.”
“Yeah?”
“When a lot of people clap for you, it feels really good.”
“I’m not sure… Can’t I just be satisfied with getting applause from Mom, Dad, and you?”
“No. It feels amazing. Really. Like your chest gets warm and cozy, and you feel like you’re floating around in the sky.”
Blink, blink.
Arin blinked.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Really. I worked hard to get lots of applause from people. I want Arin to feel this feeling, too…”
Arin thought about it carefully.
Then she nodded.
“Okay… if my sister says so much…”
Arin turned toward the waiting organizer and said.
“Woo!”
The organizer guided Arin with a gesture.
✒️✒️✒️
Arin received the medal from the organizer with both hands.
“Merci!”
Arin's eyes sparkled as she fiddled with the medal, touching it this way and that.
Her hands were still so small that even when she held it with both hands, the medal stuck out beyond them.
“Oh…”
The photo zone with the FIDE logo on it.
The organizer set Arin in place.
The cameraman set up the angle.
“Souriez!”
“Arin, they’re telling you to say ‘kimchi’! Kimchi!”
Arin looked at the camera and gave an awkward smile, lifting the corners of her mouth.
Then she naturally raised both hands and did a double peace sign.
As expected, growing up watching her sister from such a young age meant she'd copied her sister's habits exactly.
That's my little sister, all right!
Click-click!
The shutter went off.
And at that moment.
Pow-!
That exploded.
You know, that effect where tiny, colorful bits of confetti are packed into fireworks and sprayed everywhere. That one.
Anyway, confetti particles went pop-! and scattered to celebrate Arin.
Clap clap clap clap!
Applause broke out at the same time.
The tournament staff, the child participants, and their parents gathered to congratulate the tournament winner.
Arin stood in the middle of it all, holding her medal.
Arin, who had first been standing there with an awkward expression,
began to slowly, little by little, change her expression.
“Huaaah…”
Exhaling and inhaling softly.
“Uhehehe…”
Grinning goofily.
The corners of her mouth lifted.
And once they went up, they didn't come back down.
Arin was soaked in joy amid the sound of applause.
From the stands, I watched her while adding my own clap-clap to the applause.
Arin, you felt it too.
That feeling of getting a ton of applause from other people.
✒️✒️✒️
Once Arin’s turn was over, I, the runner-up, also went into the photo zone.
Apparently the chess world is generous with prizes for first, second, and third place. So they said they'd give me a medal too.
“Merci~.”
Bow.
I received the glittering medal.
Heavy.
Once I put the medal around my neck, it felt subtly heavy.
Could it be so heavy that it keeps me from growing taller?
At this rate, I might end up as pint-sized Yu Ayeon for life.
Click! Click!
Clap clap clap clap clap clap clap-!
“Huh-heheh.”
Anyway, I got a medal and a ton of applause, so I'm happy!
Once the awards ceremony ended,
the organizer handed each of us an envelope.
“Sis, what’s this?”
“They say it’s prize money.”
“Prize money? We got money? Wow!”
Arin tore open the envelope with a rip-rip.
“Huh? A card came out.”
“What is it, what is it?”
Inside was a gift card that could be used at places like major French department stores.
According to the organizer, youth tournaments pay out gift cards instead of cash because of tax issues.
The amount Arin received for first place was equivalent to 1.5 million won.
The amount I received for second place was equivalent to 1 million won.
“Sis, what’s this?”
“They say you can use it to buy things when shopping at places like department stores.”
“Oh! I see!”
Arin fiddled with the medal hanging around her neck and the gift card.
I asked Arin.
“Arin, how was it? The tournament.”
Arin raised her head.
The medal swayed back and forth on her chest.
“Yeah! It felt super good! I want to get applause again!”
Arin smiled brightly.
Then,
our mom, who had been waiting in the parents’ lounge, came over.
“Mom!”
Pitter-patter!
Arin ran up to Mom and hugged her.
“Hey, hey, listen! I got a medal! And lots of applause too, and also… I got a gift card!”
“Arin, you worked hard.”
Pat-pat.
Mom vigorously patted Arin's head while holding her in her arms.
“Ayeon worked hard too. You were both amazing.”
Pat-pat.
Still holding Arin, Mom also patted my head.
“Huh-heheh.”
“Uheheh.”
✒️✒️✒️
After the tournament ended,
while we were padding along the streets of Paris,
Arin fidgeted inside her pocket and said,
“Sis, this card really can be used, right?”
“Yeah. It’s yours, Arin.”
“Can I spend all of it?”
“Yeah. You can spend all of it. It only works in France anyway.”
Growl.
At that moment, the stomach clocks of our mother-daughter trio went off.
“I’m hungry! Let’s eat first!”
✒️✒️✒️
While walking, Arin picked out a suitable restaurant.
It was a restaurant with a savory, salty smell drifting from it.
Mom looked at the store reviews on her smartphone and said to Arin,
“Arin, this place is Michelin-starred.”
“What’s Michelin?”
I explained.
A place that’s widely rumored to be a delicious restaurant in France.
“Expensive?”
“Probably a bit expensive.”
Of course, if it were a pricey three-star place, a family of three could easily burn through 1.5 million won in just one meal.
Luckily, this one was a relatively cheap one-star place, so it seemed to be around 100,000 won per meal.
“Heh-heh.”
When Arin heard that, she pulled out the gift card from her pocket and held it up with a flash!
“Then I, Yu Arin, will treat Mom and Sis to a meal at this famous delicious restaurant!”
“Ooh!”
Clap clap clap clap.
The three of us went into the restaurant.
Fortunately, it was a restaurant where the gift card could be used.
White tablecloths and elegant candles.
And quiet classical music.
It gave off a very upscale vibe.
Arin held the menu and studied it seriously.
“Hmmmm…”
She probably couldn’t read any of it, but at least she made a serious show of looking.
“Sis, the letters on this one are pretty, so I want this one! But what is it?”
“Let’s see… it says restaurant special course.”
Arin nodded and said,
“Okay! Then special course!”
The dishes began coming out one by one.
Some kind of savory soup, some kind of salty nuts, some kind of fragrant vegetables, some kind of melt-in-your-mouth fish, some kind of sweet-and-sour meat, and some kind of sugary fruit.
Anyway, they’d served up a full land-sea-air spread.
Click-click!
Most of all, the food was pretty, which I liked.
First-class in-flight meals had their limits when it came to making food look pretty, since they were made on an airplane.
But at Michelin places, the chef arranges the food beautifully, one meticulous detail at a time, as if building a tower of playing cards.
First my eyes were pleased, and then my mouth was too.
Arin’s eyes sparkled each time a plate came out.
Mom emptied her plate with munch-munch and said,
“I’ll enjoy the meal that Arin is treating us to for the first time. Thank you!”
I also said while munching,
“A meal bought by my four-year-old little sister for the first time! It’s so delicious!”
Proud~
Arin puffed out her chest with a confident look and thumped her chest lightly as she said,
“Ahem-. I’m Yu Arin, who officially earned 1.5 million won at age four-!”
Arin looked very proud of herself.