Keep Going Crazy Chapter 12

‘Fucking hell, seriously.’

Ryeoun gritted his teeth inwardly.

Would it have been better if he hadn’t run into Aiden Carter at the hotel? He wasn’t sure. After ruining the race, he felt like blaming anyone he could.

Actually, before the race started, Ryeoun had tried hard not to think about things like the argument with Aiden or Noah’s dejected back as he left.

In the end, he didn’t have sex that night. That didn’t mean he thought he needed to be swayed by superstitions or shaken by Aiden’s attitude. So he’d steeled himself even more firmly.

He believed he’d grown enough to score points without being hung up on things like that.

That night, when he returned to his room and met Noah, Ryeoun was already completely drained.

To put it frankly, he meant he wasn’t in the mood for sex at all.

Noah had done his absolute best to cheer Ryeoun up. He ate with Ryeoun, drank with him, and even listened to Ryeoun’s grumbling despite being a fan of Aiden Carter himself. Of course, Ryeoun didn’t badmouth Aiden to him. He just said they didn’t click well. Noah smiled and comforted him, saying, “He just doesn’t know you well yet.”

But his mood simply wouldn’t improve. Maybe it was just his pride acting up.

He wanted to show Aiden Carter that he could score points without being obsessed with superstitions. So that Aiden would never dismiss him again, so that he’d never look down on him again.

In the end, Ryeoun chose to be honest with Noah.

‘I’m really sorry. I don’t feel like having sex today.’

There’s nothing more embarrassing and apologetic than calling someone who’s worked late all the way over, only to send them back on a whim. Even so, when Ryeoun said that, Noah hugged him tightly. Even though it wouldn’t have been strange for him to get angry, Noah remained gentle to the very end.

Saying he didn’t want to be a burden on Ryeoun’s schedule, Noah left the hotel in the early hours of the morning. The more polite and lovely Noah had been, the more Ryeoun felt a sense of self-reproach. To call over a tired working person and end up doing nothing…

He didn’t even feel like going back to his room. His stomach churned all night long. He felt like he’d truly gone all the way with Aiden Carter.

Mental management is extremely important for a driver. It felt like the mentality he’d carefully maintained all through the pre-season was being shaken because of Aiden.

But Ryeoun closed his eyes and tried to push all of those things out of his mind. Because he thought that was what a professional should do.

The next day, during FP3 and qualifying, he tried to grip the steering wheel with a blank mind, thinking of nothing.

Fortunately, his qualifying result wasn’t too bad. He ended up in P11, but that was close enough. If he just focused and drove a little harder in the race, it would be enough. He was very close to the points-paying position of P10.

After qualifying ended, they made final fine adjustments to the car’s setup. Due to parc fermé regulations, there was nothing more they could do after that.

Until the formation lap began, Ryeoun did his best to review the race and maintain peak condition.

Even Younghoo, who was usually loud, noisy, and clueless, absolutely didn’t bother Ryeoun that night.

Sunday. The long-awaited proper curtain-raiser of the Grand Prix.

He liked the strategy, and his mood was fresh. He did run into Aiden, but he no longer nagged Ryeoun or mocked him. Ryeoun hadn’t expected encouragement from him anyway, nor did he need it. Aiden was in P1. He’d taken pole in qualifying and would be starting from the very front.

After the final setup on the grid, Ryeoun took a long, deep breath. During the formation lap, as he warmed up his tires, his confidence steadily rose. As tire temperatures and brake temperatures climbed, so did Ryeoun’s anticipation.

He returned to the grid and positioned himself in his designated grid spot. Eleventh. He started the engine and did a final check of his settings. Through the team radio, his race engineer, Victor, sent him words of encouragement.

— Show everyone what Helix’s Rey can do.

Ryeoun smiled and replied that he would.

Hot breath filled his helmet. He stared at the starting lights. Beneath the logo of a famous watch brand, five red lights lit up in sequence.

Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack.

Taking the red glow into his eyes, Ryeoun inhaled. Every cell in his body, from head to toe, awakened. His nerves were on edge. The sound of his heartbeat rang starkly in his ears.

The moment the red lights went out.

Ryeoun released the clutch and floored the accelerator. His reaction speed was incredible. He could proudly say it was faster than any race he’d run in his two years in F1.

The roaring engine noise shook the circuit to its core. The cheers of the spectators, who had been holding their breath waiting for the start, merged with the engine sounds. The razor-sharp wind whistled past Ryeoun’s helmet.

Before entering the first corner, Ryeoun focused every nerve on securing his position without colliding with any other car. He made minute adjustments to the steering wheel and concentrated on not losing sight of his surroundings.

Overtake or push out? Hold or attack?

Brake or not?

If that judgment was off by even half a second, it would be him getting pushed back. His fingertips trembled slightly. Before the first corner, Ryeoun boldly carved out space. Because he judged it was fine to go in aggressively.

The driver of the car ahead was the conservative type. Ryeoun figured that if he pushed in aggressively, the other driver would definitely give way. At the same time as positioning himself to block an inside dive from behind, he defended his line with the brakes.

The acrid smell of burning tires seeped through his helmet. Ryeoun’s position climbed all the way up to 7th.

— Excellent, Woon. Defend while targeting the next corner. You should be able to overtake. Gap to the car ahead, 1.2 seconds.

Victor encouraged Ryeoun.

— Understood.

His heart was pounding with excitement as if it might burst, but Ryeoun forced himself to reply calmly.

If he finished like this and scored points, he’d be able to hold his head higher. He didn’t particularly want to get along with Aiden, but at least that bastard wouldn’t be able to dismiss him anymore. If he proved himself a few more times like this, maybe things could even become better between them.

Thinking that, Ryeoun picked up speed. It felt like he’d become one with the racing car. He hadn’t known a car that moved exactly as he wanted could feel this good.

But in the end, Ryeoun… had no choice but to taste the disgrace of a “retirement” at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

To attempt an overtake in the corners, Ryeoun approached cautiously. But it didn’t seem easy. That was because the two cars ahead, ‘Nouce’ and ‘Atlas’, were locked in a fierce wheel-to-wheel battle.

Since there were plenty of laps remaining anyway, it seemed better to overtake on the next lap or on a straight. Watching the two cars going wheel-to-wheel, Ryeoun focused on conservatively defending his own line.

But the accident happened in an instant. Because the Nouce and Atlas cars ultimately collided at the entry to the third corner. In that moment, Ryeoun quickly stepped on the brake and turned the steering wheel, but by an extremely narrow margin, the aftermath of the accident engulfed him.

Like a crash barrier, Ryeoun shielded the two cars, allowing the drivers behind to safely exit the corner.

The feeling of being spun around and buried in the gravel trap was… truly spectacular.

— Are you okay, Woon?!

A worried voice came through the team radio. Victor called his name several times in agitation.

He couldn’t accept the fact that he’d been caught up in the accident.

He’d been in peak condition. He’d secured a good position with a great overtake… It had been a race he felt confident enough to score points in.

Sitting still, unable to let go of the steering wheel until the very end, Ryeoun slowly said to his team, “I’m sorry.” That was the best he could say. It felt like a dream; he couldn’t process it at all.