[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 137

Beep- Beep- Beep- Beep…….

“Hmm…”

I woke up from a dizzy sleep, hearing a sound reverberating peacefully in the white, quiet room. I wanted to look around, but the slightest movement brought waves of pain, preventing me from doing so.

All I could see was the unfamiliar ceiling that looked white and warm.

The voice that came out reflexively was stuttered, as if the dry ground without a single weed was cracking apart.

“Unfamiliar… ceiling…?”

An unfamiliar ceiling, huh? Then this must be a hospital room.

It seems I passed out right after crossing the finish line on the last lap. I don’t remember the details since my mental strength had reached its limit before that, but perhaps the relief of achieving my goal allowed my mind, which had been barely holding on, to finally shut down.

It felt a bit embarrassing to have fainted in the race car as a driver. But anyway, I achieved the intended goal of completing the race, so I guess I could hold my head high.

Since I also set a new personal best lap time in the middle of the race, there’s no reason not to feel proud.

I was thirsty and wanted to drink water, so I attempted to wiggle my fingers. Suddenly, I felt a soft, gentle grip tightly holding my left hand.

“Is that Ji-hyun…?”

I assumed it must be a girl with such a hand and rolled my eyes downward, only to find Won-jin, not Ji-hyun, on my left. More precisely, Won-jin was on my left, and Ji-hyun was on my right.

Both were seated on a cramped chair, holding my hand and leaned against the bed, peacefully asleep. Their quiet breaths were rhythmic.

“Hmm…”

The tests must have ended early in the afternoon, and I must have been moved to the hospital room right after…

To gauge the time, I looked out the window; the bright stars were already poking through the darkening sky. It seemed they had been guarding my side since the day I was admitted. As evidence, there were four lunch boxes on the table next to the bed.

Two of them must have been for lunch, and the other two for dinner.

These two likely had a rough time worrying about me, considering there wasn’t a single tear in the plastic wrap of the disposable chopsticks and spoons still resting on top of the lunch box lids.

“Just eat…”

Feeling sorry, I slightly squeezed the hand I was holding. It wasn’t a strong grip, just enough so that they wouldn’t notice I was trying to wake them.

I didn’t want to wake them up anyway, and besides, I had no energy left to apply more strength.

However, it seemed they reacted sensitively to even that small movement.

“Hyun-a? Hyun-a, are you awake?”

“Su, Sister…!”

Ji-hyun leaned in, caressing me while looking up, and Won-jin stood there with a face that seemed ready to burst into tears, as if feeling guilty. Seeing that expression, it was clear the guilt was weighing heavily on him.

Well, they couldn’t help but think that it was their fault I ended up like this. Whether it was the double turn crank or the extreme suspension. Regardless of how groundbreaking the idea might be, it’s true that they pressed on with a technology that everyone was shouting was dangerous.

In fact, it was a stroke of luck that today’s test ended with me fainting. If I passed out while experimenting with a race car, an extremely dangerous machine that exceeds 300 km/h, and came out without any injuries, that’s honestly a trivial outcome compared to the risk involved.

If the foundational design of the two additional features added by Won-jin had been wrong or if there had been fundamental issues like unexpected collisions between various drive components, this test would not have ended so lightly.

The race car might have been wrecked, and I could have been on the brink of d*ath.

There’s a reason why FIA regulations are exceedingly strict about safety. No matter how well-maintained the track is or how safely designed the race car is according to strict rules, F1 remains a dangerous sport that involves the use of an engine.

Regardless of whether the results of this test were a success or a failure, Won-jin must have felt something while looking at me in this state.

“Water… a bit…”

“Uh, okay…! I’ll bring it right away!”

Ji-hyun quickly brought water and gently poured it into my mouth. It must have been the exhaustion and the water I was drinking, but it tasted sweet like syrup despite being just plain water.

I savored the sweetness of the water coming in on my tongue for a while and then smiled at Won-jin.

“Are you okay? Why do you look like that? I’m not dead or anything.”

“……”

Won-jin didn’t respond. No, it’s not that he couldn’t, but rather that he wouldn’t.

Tears welled up in Won-jin’s large eyes and finally began to pour out like a waterfall. Perhaps it was his atonement for the consequences brought on by his own bravado, arrogance, and superiority complexes. Once he started to cry, the tears showed no signs of stopping.

Yeah. Go ahead and cry, you brat. I asked for the fastest car; who asked you to make a dangerous car that could eat its driver? Accept the price of looking down on life with your whole body!

Actually, it’s better this way. I hope this opportunity helps him fix his wild, reckless nature and instills in him the essential teamwork qualities like cooperation, collaboration, and consideration for others.

“Looking at your condition, it looks like simple exhaustion… It’s a relief you’re not seriously hurt. You should rest well until tomorrow. I wanted to rest a bit anyway, so this works out.”

“…I, I’m sorry… hic…”

Ji-hyun was fidgeting, unsure whom to comfort between the injured me and the crying Won-jin. I subtly pointed towards Won-jin with my eyes. Ji-hyun, who had a worried expression, seemed to relax a bit when I nodded, and then she approached Won-jin.

Holding him, Ji-hyun said that comforting him would only make him cry worse, and Won-jin began weeping louder than before.

I didn’t expect him to cry so sadly…

While I said it was a good thing that this situation would lead to Won-jin’s change, seeing him cry didn’t exactly bring me comfort. It was complicated.

“Don’t cry, I’m okay.”

With a heavy heart, I lifted my tired body and reached for Won-jin’s hand, gently comforting him.

“Hey, why are you crying so much… I’m about to cry too… sniff!”

Suddenly, Ji-hyun started crying profusely as well, following Won-jin. Now, the sorrowful cries of both young men and women filled the hospital room.

Why do women cry when someone else is crying? Is crying contagious?

“Ji-hyun…! Why are you crying? Both of you, stop it.”

That day, I fell asleep together with the two of them, who had cried themselves out in the hospital room.

For the first time in a while, I had a dream, and it was so warm and cozy.

*

*

*

“If everyone’s gathered, let’s get started right away.”

In the F1 Ferrari meeting room, filled with the director Minoto, lead engineers, the driver, and Leclerc, a heavy silence lingered in the air.

Given the circumstances of the day, no one could easily speak up.

“I will begin the meeting.”

The meeting finally started under the direction of the lead engineer.

Minoto took his seat at the 12 o’clock position of the round table, flanked by Logan and Shin Juhyun. Across from them, at the 6 o’clock position, were the rookie engineer, the ace, and of course, the guilty party, sitting with his head down.

He was none other than Won-jin.

Even while Won-jin was caught up in his guilt, the meeting continued. It seemed like the relevant discussions would come towards the end of the meeting.

The meeting format resembled interviews where Minoto or Logan would engage in discussions with the engineers responsible for particular parts or devices.

“The efficiency of the aerodynamics has increased by up to 20% compared to the previous model. Thanks to this, we have secured positive indicators in overall performance, including acceleration, deceleration, cooling, and downforce generation.”

“20%? Wasn’t the original target 30%?”

“Yes, the initial target was indeed 30%. However, we have yet to resolve issues in the corners, hence we remain at 20%.”

“What problems were there?”

“The problem lies in the coordination between the aerodynamic design in corners and the hybrid suspension system. While it’s straightforward on the straight track and doesn’t pose any issues, the corners vary in depth and length, and thus we have not yet established the system’s pattern. Therefore, the two functions are not yet perfectly compatible.”

“Hmm… Right. It’s likely faster to adapt the system to the aerodynamics rather than the other way around. In the long run, this will help establish a unique Ferrari race car design.”

“Currently, the direction for revisions is focused on changes to the system, so team leader Enrique is actively cooperating with the modifications. In reality, we had been modifying things even before the tests, but due to time constraints, we couldn’t finish everything. I apologize for the poor excuse.”

If one had experienced society, they’d know that saying “we ran out of time” would be taken as a poor excuse. It means you failed because you didn’t allocate enough time, and that’s all you were capable of. It leaves a very negative impression.

However,

“It’s alright. Let’s hear the next one.”

This time was an exception.

Minoto and Logan waved their hands dismissively, signaling to move on to the next item. It was a sign of understanding.

How could it not be?

Ferrari had too many issues, and there was a lot less time. Everyone knew that the engineers and mechanics had forfeited their vacation time to pour all their energy into the race car development.

Everyone practically lived in the laboratory, and the makeshift sleeping quarters in the lab were always filled with people trying to catch some rest, to the point where even those temporary accommodations had to be expanded. It was a comical yet sad turn of events.

In the face of absolute time constraints, people had done everything they could to utilize time effectively.

This time, the term “running out of time” could truly be accepted at face value.

After all, the director, Minoto, and head engineer, Logan, had also set up makeshift beds or sleeping bags in their offices and had been living in the laboratory. They were well aware that it would be too little to simply thank everyone for their dedication.

Therefore, the engineer who had finished the presentation sat down without any sense of guilt.

“Our department…”

“The side pods were redesigned with curves…”

“The rear and front have been refined to manage the vortices for vehicle performance…”

After a few more presentations, as we reached the final turn, Minoto interjected.

“Last but not least, it’s time for the engine. Let’s hear it quickly.”

“Let’s get started.”

The presentation from the engine department, the heart and everything of the race car, was the main event of the tests conducted the day before.