Keep Going Crazy Chapter 2

“Good afternoon.”

Aiden smiled and greeted the team members inside the pit.

“Ed, why are you so late? You missed our cute rookie’s test.”

“Aiden! About that sponsor logo position I asked about last time…”

“Aide, good afternoon~!”

“Mr. Carter, did you come alone? The weather’s looking gloomy, isn’t it? Can I get you a warm cup of coffee?”

The team members swarmed around him, and in an instant, Aiden was surrounded by people. As if used to it, he smiled and chatted with them.

Ryeoun stood at a distance, blankly listening to their conversation. His heart pounded with nervousness.

‘He sure has a lot of nicknames…’

The first thought that dominated his mind was this utterly useless one.

In the media or official settings, he was mostly referred to by his last name, ‘Carter.’ The same way Ryeoun was called ‘Han.’

He knew that fans sometimes called him by the affectionate nickname ‘Aide,’ but he hadn’t realized there were this many different ways the team addressed him. It was dizzying. But Aiden, the one on the receiving end, didn’t seem bothered at all.

Ryeoun thought that said a lot about the person called Aiden. Basically, nicknames like Ed or Aide were affectionate terms that people could only use if they genuinely liked him.

“Hey. Hey, look over here!”

Young-hoo made a fuss in a small voice and poked Ryeoun in the back.

“I know…”

Ryeoun answered his fidgety manager using ventriloquism and met Aiden’s eyes.

He seemed to have spotted Ryeoun while looking around the pit. As soon as their eyes met, Ryeoun instinctively gave him an eye-smile.

“Smile, smile.”

Young-hoo made a fuss again. This time, Ryeoun didn’t reply and simply stomped on his precious sneakers. A strange ‘kwack’ sound came from somewhere, but he decided to ignore it.

Even without being told to smile, Ryeoun would automatically curl the corners of his mouth whenever he made eye contact with someone. It was because, from a young age, people had often told him to smile more.

That he looked too cold without an expression, that he had a hard-to-approach impression… He’d heard that sort of thing more than a truckload. So Ryeoun often practiced smiling while looking in the mirror.

‘I don’t think my impression is that bad, though…’

He always thought that whenever he smiled.

It felt like their eyes were locked for quite a while, and his palms grew clammy. But unlike Ryeoun, who was smiling, Aiden’s expression was blank. He’d hurriedly smiled to make sure Aiden didn’t feel uncomfortable, but getting no reaction in return left Ryeoun feeling awkward.

In the end, unable to endure the few seconds of tension, Ryeoun lowered his head first. And when he looked up again, Ryeoun was a bit flustered.

“What?”

It was such a small voice, but he couldn’t help letting the Korean slip out.

“Huh? Why?”

“…Nothing.”

The clueless Young-hoo pressed him, asking what was wrong. Ryeoun silenced him by stomping on his sneakers once more. They were some limited-edition collaboration shoes or something… well, that wasn’t Ryeoun’s concern.

When Ryeoun raised his lowered head again, Aiden’s expression was somewhat subtle.

For some reason, he narrowed his eyes and stared at Ryeoun for a moment. Then, with a motion that could only be described as a ‘slight nod,’ he dipped his head barely noticeably before turning his gaze elsewhere.

‘Why’s he acting like that?’

The thought that something was wrong naturally arose. People have instincts, don’t they? Especially for a Formula One driver, that instinct is even more developed than for ordinary people.

From that brief reaction from Aiden, Ryeoun could guess. The fact that he wasn’t pleased to see him.

Originally, Aiden Carter wasn’t the type of person to act like this. Meaning, he wasn’t the kind of jerk who’d just blankly nod at someone who smiled and greeted him!

They weren’t close, but as Ryeoun steadily built his career from F3 to F2 and then to F1, he’d collected a lot of information about Aiden, whether intentionally or not. There were just so many stories floating around.

He was fundamentally a kind person. He was famous for being unfailingly kind not only to fellow drivers, but also to members of rival teams, fans, and the media alike.

Even on team radio, he was a polite man who’d never once been known to utter a proper curse. So much so that one of his nicknames was ‘Gentleman Ed.’

Aiden Carter was highly renowned as a talent with both skill and character. Add that personality to his driver narrative and flawless face, and it was only natural that his popularity would skyrocket.

‘But he greets me like this?’

Ryeoun simply couldn’t understand what had just happened. To treat a rookie driver who was just barely shedding his novice status, and a teammate who was about to share the same boat—no, the same car—with such disregard?

Having experienced something beyond common sense in just a few seconds, Ryeoun’s mind went blank. It was the team director, Rowan, who called out to the dazed Ryeoun.

“Woon!”

“Ah. Yes.”

Ryeoun, who had been standing there blankly, suddenly snapped out of it.

Aiden, standing next to Rowan, looked at Ryeoun. As he approached them, Ryeoun tried hard to compose his complicated feelings.

The nickname ‘Woon’ was how foreigners often called Ryeoun.

Foreigners had a hard time pronouncing his full name, ‘Ryeoun.’ He’d corrected them several times because of it. But since he’d gotten tired of it and started letting it slide, at some point, it became a sort of nickname, and he was called ‘Woon.’

Besides, in official settings, everyone called him ‘Han.’ In a cultural sphere completely different from Korea, what did it matter whether he was Han or Woon?

Fans even called Ryeoun by the affectionate nickname ‘Ray.’ Come to think of it, he had just as many nicknames as Aiden. Suppressing a sudden laugh that nearly escaped, Ryeoun stood next to Rowan. It was a position facing Aiden.

“This is your first time greeting each other properly, right? You’ll be pushing each other all season long, so let’s start with at least a handshake.”

Aiden and Ryeoun’s eyes met once more. This time, Ryeoun neither smiled nor lowered his head. He simply stared back at him as if in a staring contest.

It was Aiden, unexpectedly, who extended his hand first.

“I’m Aiden Carter.”

“…I’m Han Ryeoun. Call me whatever’s comfortable.”

“I will, Ryeoun.”

After a light handshake, Ryeoun quickly pulled his hand back. Because the name ‘Ryeoun’ that flowed from his lips sounded so natural and smooth.

He’d briefly forgotten that Aiden was of Korean descent. The ‘Ryeo’ and ‘un’ sounds in Aiden’s pronunciation were flawless.

Because of the man who had called his name more perfectly than anyone else, Ryeoun found himself unconsciously scratching the back of his neck. It felt oddly ticklish.

“Ed, it’s a shame you missed Woon’s test because you were late.”

At Rowan’s words, Aiden smiled gently.

‘He can smile like that, so what was that just now, seriously?’

Tilting his head, Ryeoun grumbled inwardly once more.

“May I take a look at the telemetry?”

It was a very polite question. Aiden’s question was directed at Ryeoun, but his face was turned toward the director.

“…Go ahead.”

No sooner had Ryeoun’s words fallen than Aiden took the lead with Rowan and walked off. Even as he passed right in front of Ryeoun, Aiden didn’t look at him.

‘He’s treating me like I don’t exist.’

Bewildered, Ryeoun just stood there blinking.

At this point, the reason why Aiden was treating him like cold rice was one thing, but he couldn’t help feeling stupid for having been excited and looking forward to meeting him.

Ryeoun had run into Aiden more than once or twice while walking through the paddock.

He’d even been in a few shoots with all the drivers together for official Formula One driver interviews or online content.

‘He was fine back then…’

Until now, whenever he’d exchanged greetings with him, Aiden had never shown this kind of reaction. So it was all the more baffling.

In any case, Ryeoun had never met him in a private setting. Aiden was the type who didn’t show a single hair outside the circuit or the filming locations.

Even when other drivers with whom he had some acquaintance arranged such gatherings, Aiden never attended.

Instead of going to clubs with other drivers, drinking, gaming, or playing golf… he was a rather unique man who immersed himself in driving simulations, frequented Helix’s headquarters, and went around watching other racing events.