A game was the best at getting rid of the awkwardness between two people. My chess friend Jo Hye-Jin was helping with the joint training, so the chessboard in my office had done nothing but collect dust over the year.

I couldn’t help but recall that man who left the world after becoming a public enemy, but this was a different situation than at the time because I was trying to build a rapport with Mikhail rather than turn him into a public enemy.

“I think that’s a great idea,” Mikhail said and nodded. He sat quietly on the other side of the table. I fetched the chessboard and laid it on the table. The chess pieces that the dwarves had created themselves were on the chessboard.

The chess pieces were kind of different from the average chess pieces, but they wouldn’t hinder the game. They had an antique and slight fantasy feel to them, so they were definitely eye candies.

“I got it as a gift,” I told him.

Mikhail looked up at me with an expression that seemed to be saying—when did I ask?

I felt embarrassed, so I said,...