Keep Going Crazy Chapter 20

“Yes!”

Ryeoun answered as if shouting, without waiting even a second.

“You just met a friend who’s important in your life, and if I felt bad about it, you were going to apologize?”

“Exactly that.”

Finally, it seemed like they were getting somewhere. But before Ryeoun could even catch his breath, Aiden once again smacked him right in the back of the head—not with his hand, but with his words.

“I don’t understand why I’m not the top priority.”

“…?”

Ryeoun experienced in real time the saying that when you’re too shocked, you’re left speechless.

“Why should you be my top priority…?”

‘What are you to me?’

The words rose to the tip of his tongue, but he barely managed not to spit them out and swallowed them back down. He truly couldn’t understand it. Why on earth did Aiden think he should naturally be the top priority? He was so self-assured it was baffling.

“Because it’s race week.”

“What…?”

“It’s race week right now.”

“What the hell are you talking about…”

“Shouldn’t talking with your teammate naturally be the absolute top priority? What could be more important than that during race week?”

“So what does that have to do with anything?”

“….”

Aiden said nothing and just shut his mouth tight. Only Ryeoun felt like he was going to burst. It seemed like Aiden himself didn’t even know what he wanted to say.

“Just because it’s race week, I have to make you my top priority no matter what? Why? Is talking to you going to suddenly put me on the podium? What, are you some kind of wizard?”

Ryeoun let out a deep sigh. He couldn’t believe he was wasting time fighting over something this stupid right before practice.

In the end, it was Ryeoun who raised the white flag. He didn’t want to waste any more time on this pointless argument.

“Let’s make this clear. First, I decide my own priorities. Second, I don’t know how you found out about my appointment, but don’t ever talk to me that way again. Finally, since you don’t seem angry about me changing the appointment, I’m going to head back now. If you want to reschedule, text me your available time. I’ll work around it.”

Having said everything he wanted to say, Ryeoun turned around. Just as he was about to leave the meeting room, Aiden’s voice caught him.

“What are you doing this evening?”

Ryeoun turned back to look at Aiden. His expressionless face gave away nothing. Ryeoun let out a short sigh before answering.

“Nothing much…”

And at that moment, realizing that today was Friday, Ryeoun stopped talking. Tomorrow was qualifying day. After a brief hesitation, Ryeoun added.

“I don’t have anything, but if you have something to say, it’d be better to meet before ten.”

He didn’t have any regular partners in China. The Chinese Shanghai Grand Prix and the Japanese Suzuka Grand Prix usually happened back-to-back. Ryeoun didn’t keep any regular partners in China or Japan.

He used to have one in the past, but they’d ended things badly. After that, he decided not to make any partners in Asia. He’d realized that the closer the country was to his homeland of Korea, the more inconvenient things became.

He could easily find a guy to spend the night with at a club or bar anytime. So during Asian Grand Prix weeks, Ryeoun tended to devote a little more time than usual to his own rituals.

Normally, he would have wandered into clubs or bars alone after dinner, but he could put that sort of thing off easily enough. Improving things with this exhausting, impossible-to-communicate-with teammate seemed more important than that.

“So before ten is good?”

“Yeah.”

“What do you do after ten?”

“…I’m just planning to sleep early.”

Ryeoun brushed it off vaguely. It wasn’t anything so wrong that he needed to hide it, but it also wasn’t something he felt the need to spell out. He didn’t know what kind of nagging this Brit—who acted like a total stick-in-the-mud—might start up again.

Aiden narrowed his eyes and stared at Ryeoun. Receiving that look, Ryeoun frowned.

“Hey. Could you stop looking at me like that?”

“…What do you mean, how am I looking at you?”

“You’re looking at me with a reeeally suspicious look. Aren’t you?”

“It’s just a habit.”

Aiden said that and relaxed his expression.

“I don’t like that habit.”

“Why?”

“It makes me feel bad.”

“I see.”

Fortunately, Aiden didn’t add anything more.

“I’ll go first. Let me know what time we’re meeting.”

“Will do.”

Ryeoun opened the meeting room door and left without looking back. He could feel Aiden’s gaze following him, hot on the back of his neck, but he didn’t turn around.

He felt completely drained.

∞ ∞ ∞

His feel for it was good from the practice sessions. Ryeoun left the circuit in a good mood, heading toward the hotel.

“Qualifying tomorrow feels promising, don’t you think?”

Younghoo spoke up first in an excited voice. Ryeoun nodded in agreement. His lap times today had indeed been very good.

Aside from a slight understeer in the corners, there wasn’t much to complain about. He’d already discussed the issue with Li Wei, his mechanic. It was something they could check during the final practice tomorrow.

If he didn’t make any mistakes in qualifying, he thought he could aim for around P5. The Shanghai Circuit’s track also suited Ryeoun’s driving style.

After arriving at the hotel, Younghoo, who had delivered tomorrow morning’s training schedule, left first. He needed to adjust the schedule for Ryeoun’s sponsor media shoot.

In the meantime, a message had arrived from Aiden.

[W Hotel, 38th floor. How about 9 o’clock?]

“…Is this copy-paste or what?”

Ryeoun muttered to himself without realizing it as he opened the message. Scrolling up, he saw the exact same content written again. He thought he’d misread it, but it really was identical.

[Did you hide some honey on the 38th floor of the W Hotel or something?]

[Is 9 o’clock bad?]

[Fine, see you then.]

He waited for a moment, but no reply came back.

“Leaving people on read is a habit, a habit…”

He shook his head in disbelief. How did he end up meeting such a boring guy who couldn’t even trade a proper joke?

Ryeoun clicked his tongue and entered his room.

∞ ∞ ∞

“When did you get here?”

On the 38th floor of the W Hotel that Aiden had mentioned, there was a small private bar. Ryeoun had no idea such a place existed. He arrived ten minutes early, but Aiden was already seated.

“Just now.”

Ryeoun ordered a simple cocktail from the menu and settled comfortably into his chair.

“….”

“….”

Silence flowed between them.

It was Ryeoun who spoke first.

“Your lap times were good today, weren’t they?”

He tried to break the ice with talk about racing, the thing Aiden lived and breathed for. Aiden’s lips curled into a smile. The way that handsome face of his made that expression was a talent in itself.

“Helix has a good car this year.”

For the first time, Ryeoun nodded in agreement.

“I agree with that.”

“How does it compare to Horizon?”

“…Are you asking seriously, or is that a joke?”

“I’m asking seriously.”

“It’s like night and day. The budget is on a completely different level; it’d be a problem if they were the same.”

“It seems to suit you better, though?”

“Really?”

“Your record today was quite a bit different from your record last year.”

“And when did you see that?”

Ryeoun let out a huff of amusement. He couldn’t tell if Aiden was interested in him or not. Given that he knew records like that, it seemed like he was very interested… It was funny. He usually acted like he didn’t have a single ounce of interest.

“Do you think you’ll do well in qualifying tomorrow?”

Aiden asked, swirling his whiskey glass. Ryeoun nodded.

“As long as I don’t make mistakes? Technically, there shouldn’t be any problems. Most of the things that felt off were adjusted in today’s practice.”

“….”

Aiden silently stared at Ryeoun.

In the meantime, a small cocktail glass was placed in front of Ryeoun. Ryeoun savored his cocktail as he waited for Aiden to speak.

He didn’t feel like rushing him. After all, it was Aiden who had called him here because he had something to say. He figured if he waited, Aiden would eventually bring something up.

“I have something to ask you.”

Aiden, who had seemed lost in thought for a moment, finally spoke. Ryeoun set down his cocktail glass and met Aiden’s eyes.

“What is it?”

“There’s only one thing I’m curious about.”

Ryeoun quietly waited for Aiden to continue, but Aiden looked away as if hesitating about something.

“…What? What is it? Ask me. I’m fine.”

At that, Aiden let out a small sigh. Then, as if resolved, he directed his question at Ryeoun.

“That thing about sleeping with different guys every race week. Can’t you stop?”