Keep Going Crazy Chapter 16

Wednesday morning. At exactly 6:30, Aiden naturally opened his eyes. The moment he woke up, his phone alarm went off.

Waking up automatically around the same time his phone alarm rings had been going on for years.

He wasn’t the type to live a strictly regimented, planned-out life, but Aiden had never once missed a training session.

Even before becoming an F1 driver, Aiden had always woken up at the same time and gone for a jog.

After running, he felt his whole body come alive. Rain or shine, snow or blazing sun, cold or hot—Aiden went jogging at the same time at least three times a week.

At the Shanghai park, which he’d grown fairly familiar with after running there several times, Aiden started his jog again today.

It was only after circling the park several times without stopping, bright and early in the morning, that he finally stopped and exhaled.

“Something on your mind?”

His manager, John, who was sitting on a park bench, handed him a water bottle and asked. Aiden plopped down beside him and shook his head.

“Not really.”

“Then why are you like this? You only run like a madman like this when something’s bothering you.”

“…I do?”

“Yeah.”

“Just, well. Got a lot on my mind.”

“You?”

“Yeah.”

John widened his eyes and looked Aiden up and down. Despite his delicate appearance, Aiden wasn’t really the brooding type.

It wasn’t that he had no thoughts—it was more that he rarely had things to agonize over. He often felt that even time spent worrying was a waste. Aiden just did what he had to do, and didn’t do what he shouldn’t.

The only things he ever really deliberated over were… maybe racing car setups? Beyond that, he wasn’t one to worry much.

Even the decisions he made during races—he didn’t agonize over them at all. He judged and moved on instinct. Countless data had long since accumulated in his body under the name of instinct. And that was Aiden Carter.

That didn’t mean Aiden was a carefree guy, though. How many worries he was engulfed in, how anxious and precarious his racing could be—John, as one of the closest people to him and his manager, knew that very well.

Anyway, Aiden’s words about having a lot on his mind were rather intriguing. John leaned a little closer to Aiden and asked back.

“What’s going on?”

“…Nothing big.”

“Of course it’s nothing big. But wouldn’t you feel a little better telling me?”

“….”

Watching Aiden, who seemed to be pondering for a moment, John smiled inwardly in triumph. When he coaxed him gently like this, Aiden would eventually spill his thoughts. Especially with someone close whom he’d spent a long time with, he didn’t hesitate for too long.

The answer that came out of Aiden’s mouth was unexpected.

“Because of Han Ryeoun.”

“…Huh? That, what, the new driver who just joined?”

“Yeah.”

“Why him all of a sudden?”

“Honestly, I really don’t like him. But if I just leave him alone like this, I trust him even less.”

“Why don’t you like him?”

John already knew that Aiden and Ryeoun had an awkward relationship. But he wasn’t too worried. Jamie and Aiden had been awkward at first too.

He figured that as time passed and Ryeoun started scoring points, things would naturally work out. Conflict between a newly joined driver and an existing one wasn’t unheard of.

However, looking at Aiden’s pensive expression, John felt a chill run down his neck.

Aiden’s profile as he blankly stared at the lake was full of coldness. John had occasionally seen Ed with this expression. That is, to be precise… it was the expression he wore when he was “highly displeased.”

“It’s complicated to explain.”

Aiden tossed that out as if it were nothing. His eyes were radiating coldness.

Fundamentally, Aiden was closer to a soft impression than a cold one. He was a strikingly beautiful man with elegant features, and he also showed a smiling face to the media most of the time. The freckles that streaked from his cheeks across the bridge of his nose like a galaxy made his impression even warmer.

If even a hint of coldness appeared on Aiden’s face… that meant it was a fairly serious matter.

John first asked Ed for more information, to gather more data. It seemed best to get rid of this “source of worry” as quickly as possible. No matter how he thought about it, it didn’t seem like it would have a good effect on the racing.

“Have you talked to him?”

“About what?”

“To Mr. Han.”

“Me?”

“Of course you have to talk to him. You said you don’t like him and can’t trust him, right? There must be a reason for that. I can’t talk to him when I don’t know anything, can I?”

“…I have talked to him, actually.”

“And?”

“We didn’t exactly see eye to eye.”

As he said that, Aiden recalled the conversation he’d had with Han Ryeoun. That guy didn’t seem to understand even 0.1% of his concerns.

Sure, he knew that having sex once wouldn’t be strenuous enough to ruin qualifying. To be precise… he hadn’t really known, but he supposed he knew now.

Anyway, whatever the case, Aiden truly could not understand the driver named Han Ryeoun.

If he were Han Ryeoun, he would never do something like that at a hotel the night before qualifying. There was plenty of time from Monday through Thursday… Why on earth would he do that on Friday evening? He just couldn’t understand it.

If there’s even a 0.5% chance of ruining qualifying, shouldn’t you not do it? No matter how hard he tried to understand, he couldn’t.

If they weren’t on the same team, he truly wouldn’t have cared. And, surprisingly, Aiden had actually already seen Ryeoun entering a hotel with a man in the past. Twice, even.

Back then, he genuinely, completely! didn’t care… As Han Ryeoun said, he was an adult, and he had the freedom to have sex with whoever he wanted, whenever, wherever, on whichever day. Even if it was with different men every time.

‘But it’s a problem when it’s Helix.’

However, the moment he became Helix’s second driver, it became a truly “relevant” issue.

“Would talking to him make a difference?”

Aiden asked John seriously. John nodded his head off.

“Of course it would. If there’s something you don’t like, ask him directly. Ask if he can fix it. Well, that much you can ask, right?”

“…Yeah.”

John’s words didn’t seem wrong. He didn’t like the guy, he didn’t seem reliable, and honestly, he didn’t even want to get close to him—to the point where he wished he’d just disappear on his own… but just leaving things as they were didn’t seem entirely good either.

At any rate, Aiden’s nerves were slowly being worn down as well.

From the moment the guy who’d confidently declared he’d never ruin anything spun out and veered off on the Melbourne circuit track, separate from disliking him, worry had started to take the lead.

No joke, he couldn’t afford to be held back by Han Ryeoun like this. If the guy would just get his act together, the Constructors’ Championship win wasn’t out of reach.

This year’s Aiden Carter was in far better condition than last year. He could feel it himself—his performance had improved, and his chemistry with the racing car was the best it had ever been.

If he just didn’t drive like an idiot, winning the World Championship seemed within easy reach. So the problem was the Constructors’ Championship.

Thinking of an unreliable second driver who might get his act together who-knows-when, Aiden bit his lip anxiously.

“Are the two of you on really bad terms?”

John asked in a cautious voice.

“I don’t know? Is there anything bad about it?”

Aiden replied lightly. He didn’t think they were even close enough to judge whether it was good or bad.

“First, try talking to him. I think that would be good. You have plenty of time—how about contacting him today?”

“…I’ll think about it.”

“Sure, sure. But I’m sure you’ll handle it well.”

Standing up, Aiden slowly started jogging again.

‘I should try contacting him.’

It was a decision that would make Han Ryeoun, who’d bet 2,000 dollars that no contact would ever come from Aiden, jump out of his skin in disbelief.