[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 118

Unexpected situations happen more often than we think. Life can take a significant turn due to events that derail our initial plans or sudden occurrences. From the smallest changes that alter our mood to monumental shifts that change our present and future.

Humans are inherently imperfect beings who cannot control even their own lives. To think that uncontrollable situations happen only occasionally is nonsensical.

If there is a God, He must surely be mocking human arrogance.

After finishing my workout at the gym and feeling satisfied that the day was going according to plan, I headed to Enrique’s laboratory.

Honestly, I was about to face an unexpected situation.

“I’m here, Hyun-a… I missed you.”

“Ji-hyun…?”

As I sensed someone silently approaching me and looked up, there she was—Jihyun Lee—who should have been in Korea. She called my name in a voice so pitiful that I couldn’t discern if it was sadness or joy.

Even though I didn’t blink, hot tears flowed down the cheeks of the nineteen-year-old girl, cooling as they ran.

Emotions embodied by tears are challenging to understand whenever we encounter them. I could only imagine what events or emotional turmoil she had to overcome for that intense outpouring of feelings to escape her. But it was something I could only dare to imagine, with no possibility of full understanding.

Thus, I could not say any comforting words to the weeping Ji-hyun. That would have been overstepping my bounds. Offering words of comfort when one is incapable of grasping the pain or events that transpired could sometimes become poison in itself.

Instead of words of comfort, I chose another means—something that could be warmer than words and effectively convey sincerity.

A hug.

I stroked Ji-hyun’s back as she buried her face in my embrace. They say that trying to comfort someone often leads to more tears.

Her small and fragile back was continuously trembling, as if the dam of emotions she had contained had burst.

I wonder how long it has been since that moment of reunion. Ji-hyun gradually lifted her head as she dabbed at her tears. Despite using her sleeve to wipe her tears away, her bright eyes were continually glistening with dew.

This wasn’t the right situation to say anything… But seeing her cute face, already so adorable, tearing up made her even cuter than I could have imagined.

I desperately suppressed a smile that spread from within me, but even that managed to escape, leaving a small smile on my lips.

I spoke to Ji-hyun, whose sleeve had become utterly soaked from wiping her tears.

“I missed you so much too, Ji-hyun.”

This was not a lie. It wasn’t meant to be said as Jin Hyun-woo, who had to play the role of Mr. Yooihyun. It was pure and heartfelt sincerity from Jin Hyun-woo living as Mr. Yooihyun.

On the first day I entered Mr. Yooihyun’s body, our first meeting, our first kindness… All of those moments gifted to me by her made it impossible for me to utter such words insincerely.

“Ugh… I… I want to… Waaaah!”

“Ji-hyun, are you okay? Why are you crying again…?”

Among the busy sounds of the laboratory, Ji-hyun’s distinct high-pitched cries broke through sharply like a needle poking out of my pocket. As a result, all the employees in the lab turned their gaze toward us.

Oh, this isn’t good…

Ji-hyun began to cry even more sorrowfully than before, making it seem impossible to comfort her any longer. The container of her emotions had emptied, leaving her to stop her tears on her own.

Lee Myung-jin, who looked a bit embarrassed as he glanced this way for some reason, and Enrique, who understood the situation and stepped away. Meanwhile, Mr. Won-jin stayed behind, sporting a blissful expression, oblivious to the situation.

In our close friendship, straddling the roles of engineer and driver.

Ji-hyun and I had an unexpected reunion.

*

*

*

Ji-hyun and I were walking side by side in the beautiful garden of Ferrari, adorned with an array of nameless red flowers.

“So… You came because of the program supported by the academy and F1?”

In the moment where only the rustling leaves in the wind enveloped us, I finally spoke up.

I couldn’t have a heartfelt reunion and chat about the void we had felt back at the laboratory, so I had asked Lee Myung-jin, who was giving Ji-hyun a tour of Ferrari, for some time alone with her outside.

Ji-hyun, still sniffling, rubbed her reddened eyes with her finger and quirked her dry lips.

“Yeah… If I get my engineering certification, I can apply to any F1 team in an internship-like capacity. Not everyone who applies gets accepted, though.”

“So you independently applied to this Ferrari?”

“Yeah. Why?”

Why… Why in the world did you make such an invaluable choice, Ji-hyun? You should have survived, at least. You should have gone to Renyo, if not Mercedes. This place is hell, I tell you—hell! You crawled into the engineers’ grave. One more living corpse has been added…

Oblivious to my dark thoughts, Ji-hyun gave me a bright smile, innocent like a child seeking unconditional praise.

I couldn’t muster the courage to tell her the truth about how I felt.

“Oh, it’s nothing. I was just curious about why you applied to Ferrari…”

“What? You’re asking that because you don’t know? It’s obviously because of Leclerc! He’s handsome, tall, and he looks so sexy when racing.”

“That’s a pretty justifiable reason for applying. How should I put this… It’s very? Logical.”

I could clearly see that Ji-hyun was speaking words that didn’t reflect her true feelings, trying to lighten the mood. I also knew that she must have suffered quite a bit after I left.

I couldn’t have missed that. Even back when she was sad after leaving the academy, she had looked upset.

Even though she had only moved to an office building a little more than ten minutes away from the academy. Back then, I could see hints of sadness in Ji-hyun’s excited expressions and words.

What must it have been like on the day she left for another country? Her face must have distorted as she said goodbye at the airport.

And so, step by step, walking through the flower-filled garden, I was trying to read and understand the feelings of the nineteen-year-old flower that walked in line with my steps.

Feigning ignorance, I asked again.

“So what’s the real reason?”

“…You fool. Do you really have to ask that? It’s because of you. Well, of course! I’m a Tifosi, and it’s also true that I wanted to see Leclerc!”

“Ji-hyun… You’re not a Tifosi. And you like Verstaphin more.”

“Me? Oh, no! I changed a long time ago. You wouldn’t know because you’ve been abroad, but I’ve changed as of today…”

Bringing up the fact was making Ji-hyun’s nervousness notable.

Trying to make excuses clumsily in front of me. Even without mind-reading abilities, I could read her like an open book.

Not that it was difficult; Ji-hyun was so transparent that I could easily read her innermost thoughts.

“Anyway, I’m glad things are going well. To be honest, I was worried that you were suddenly changing your career path, but you got your certification really quickly.”

“Yeah. I didn’t know, but after trying, it turns out I unexpectedly have quite a talent for this. It’s also fun to have completed something with my own hands.”

Ji-hyun’s achievements were remarkable, not just empty words. Despite having changed her career path only recently, she had obtained her engineering certification up to the advanced level and made it this far. The result she achieved was disproportionately high compared to the time invested.

Perhaps she has exceptional talent, even if she isn’t on par with Enrique or Mr. Won-jin.

“I think it was a good choice. I’m able to experience what I could never have dreamed of if I were a driver. I still can’t believe I’m working at Ferrari! The accommodation is really great, and look at this. I even have an employee ID!”

Like she hadn’t cried at all, Ji-hyun pulled out her phone with an excited expression and showed me her temporary employee ID. The photo on the ID seemed to smile at me.

So, she had become an engineer at Ferrari, albeit temporarily. What would be her next goal? Human greed knows no bounds. There is always another goal, and one after that. The notion of having a final goal is like a bedtime story without substance.

Ji-hyun must have her own personal goal.

“Now that you’re an engineer, what do you want to do? Goals? Dreams? That sort of thing.”

As Ji-hyun gazed at her employee ID on her phone and smiled brightly, her face began to flush. It started from her ears and grew redder.

In such cases, it’s either something embarrassing to say or a goal set too high.

Ji-hyun’s forthcoming answer resolved my curiosity.

“I want to make you… a champion. I want to work hard on the engine to make you a champion and help Ferrari win. That’s my goal…”

Ji-hyun’s aspiration was not neither of those two cases.

Both my achievement as a champion and Ferrari’s victory as a constructor are undoubtedly challenging but not impossible.

Because I am at Ferrari, and Ferrari is with me. Minoto and Logan, Enrique and Mr. Won-jin, you and I. Together, we are at Ferrari.

So, it’s neither an embarrassing wish nor a distant goal.

And I just need to do well.

“You will definitely be able to achieve it.”

Just as fate brought us all together, victory will approach us as a destiny. While I cannot guarantee the process ahead, I can affirm the outcome.

At the end of this path, there will be victory.

“Let’s go together.”

The sun shining in the garden was warm.

Knock, knock!

The sound of knocking on the thick wooden door of Logan’s office, which also served as the laboratory for Ferrari’s head engineer, resonated dully in the room. The sign that read “Sleeping” on the door became meaningless.

Knock, knock. When there was no response, the second knock triggered Logan’s exhausted nerves. Who dared to disturb his slumber? A clueless rookie might not know, but this was something that even the director, Minoto, wouldn’t do lightly.

“Who is it? Can’t you see the sign?”

The sleeping lion, Logan, roared as he got up angrily. Simultaneously, the door swung open.

“Can you still sleep in this situation?”

Despite the rudeness, her tone and behavior were surprisingly natural. As she removed her black fedora, her identity was revealed.

“Long time no see, Logan.”

“Se-Senior?”

Shin Juhyun. It was her surprise visit, alongside Shumi, renowned as a legend in Ferrari.