check your king | @dolhwne
there’s a room in the student union, off to the side, just one hallway from the east exit, with a handful of square tables and exactly double the number of chairs. there’s an old filing cabinet in one corner, with a shelf full of puzzles, board games, and playing cards beside it. the sunlight filters in, dust particles hanging in air. it smells old, like cardboard and paper and glue.
this is one of dongha’s favorite places to sit between classes — a discovery he made while trying to find his classes freshman year. no one comes around, most days, except for a few of his friends. it’s a nice kind of quiet, having a place only he knows.
there’s also a surprisingly nice chess set on that shelf of games. it was hidden behind the poker set, just behind the backgammon board.
the pieces are heavy, clean, beautifully carved — there’s even a well-cared-for chess clock in a burgundy velvet bag. it eats up batteries in a number of days, but that’s alright. the small moments of peace dongha gets, challenging himself to think up potential plays and strategies in his breaks between lectures, is worth the cost of a new pack every month or two.
at the moment, it should still be fully charged. he pulls the clock out of its bag, sets the board on one of the game tables. there’s no one else around. he puts the pieces on the board, slings his backpack over the back of the chair. today, he’ll sit behind the white side of the board. he cracks his knuckles, contemplating which of his primary competitors he should use the black pieces to imitate today.