[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 15

Wihwagam.

People referred to the clumsy feeling of disharmony as wihwagam.

Contrary to the appearance or explanation, when the inner reality is completely different, we feel wihwagam.

The spectators watching the For One Korea team’s event felt wihwagam from the race start.

To the Yooihyun, who introduced himself as Jin Hyun-woo rather than Han Joo-hyuk:

“How can the start be that fast? The reaction is faster than the players.”

“Look at how he’s flooring the accelerator without lifting a foot.”

“The reaction time could be faster, too. And what’s difficult about flooring it on a straight track? You just press it.”

“Right? Isn’t he overdoing it because people are watching?”

That’s true, but once the straight track ends, there comes the corner.

Entering the corner with inadequate skill results in being thrown off, or to avoid that, one has to decelerate heavily, making it unreasonable either way.

However, that’s the case when lacking skill.

Contrary to people’s expectations, Yooihyun’s car began to decelerate at a threshold they would never understand, and emerged from the corner as if it had turned inside out.

“Wow… wasn’t that trail braking? Is that even possible?”

“Isn’t that crazy? Is that F7?”

“Why are you making such a fuss? It’s probably luck.”

Her race car takes the racing line against the players and perfectly tackles the first corner.

It truly is the ideal movement that achieves both offense and defense simultaneously.

“That’s definitely not F7. I swear on my account.”

“Did you just see that movement? Is someone who thinks that’s luck blind?”

Although it’s still the first lap and just the first corner, the movement she displayed for a few seconds after the race start was on a different level, noticeable to anyone proud of themselves in the For One community.

Even though the opponent was a player.

Grrrrr!!!

After the first corner, people stared blankly at the screen in silence, holding their breath, while the host’s words gradually dwindled.

The tension should have been with the racers, Han Joo-hyuk and Yooihyun, but an exhilarating tension rose among the spectators instead.

Up until now, the event matches were merely that—event matches.

But this time, it was a real event match.

A competition that makes viewers grip their hands in anxiety.

For the spectators, it was a true event match.

As the first lap that sent chills down the spectators’ spines ended, the information window updated with names and lap times.

Name / Time / Lap

① eventaccount1 1:25:233 2/10

② Red hare 1:25:313 0.080 2/10

The wihwagam that the people felt was clearly displayed on the large screen, showing it as truth without a shred of doubt.

“Is that luck? 1 minute 25 seconds?”

“Surely, she didn’t even activate DRS once… Could she be a ranked player?”

“That can’t be. All the ranked players are guys.”

“Then how do you explain that record?”

“How would I know?”

With a commoner like Yooihyun leading the first lap, the host couldn’t keep up her words, and soon the silence spread even to the audience, with only a chilling quiet remaining.

Grrrr!

At that moment, what echoed was the engine sound of the race cars driven to their limits by Yooihyun and Han Joo-hyuk.

Screeeech!

It was just the deafening scream of the brakes.

***

Vrooooom!!!

“Pretty good at keeping up, huh?”

I was quite surprised when I saw the lap times.

The gap between us was only 0.080 seconds.

A difference that could instantly flip the rankings with even a minor operational mistake, but I didn’t expect him to keep up this well.

Since I started in a favorable position leading the race, I felt that if Han Joo-hyuk had been given clean air, he could certainly be running faster than now.

That meant I couldn’t afford a single mistake before the end of the 10 laps.

I steadied my racing heart and grasped the steering wheel tightly.

The tires were sufficiently heated, reaching maximum grip, and the brakes were glowing red and screaming.

I and the race car were completely ready.

The first lap was a reconnaissance in assessing the opponent’s level, and now was the actual race start.

I entered the chicane, completely blocking Han Joo-hyuk’s lead and securing my defense.

Having lost the lead in the sharp chicane corner, his options were two.

Either he could risk an incredibly difficult and dangerous maneuver of delving into the line for a wheel-to-wheel battle with me…

Or he could decelerate and follow my lead.

The former was a choice so difficult and risky it could be considered impossible, while the latter was a stable choice as per usual.

I, who originally drove in an aggressive style, chose a defensive play with curiosity about Han Joo-hyuk’s next move, leaving him room.

Grrrr!! Grrrr!

As expected, he took the latter option.

Entering the second lap with still 8 laps left in the race, he figured there was no need to take a dangerous gamble.

While a professional would see that as a very rational and reasonable choice, I felt disappointed inside.

If I were him, I would have made the illogical, irrational choice of the former.

That stemmed from my confidence that I could pull it off, but it was also instinctual.

Ironically, because he’s a pro, he felt the necessity to make the pro’s choice.

Humans have emotions that drive them to challenge the impossible, and sometimes they succeed.

And that always delivers tremors and chills to the spectators; only the driver can show that on the circuit.

Overtaking and comebacks in corners are always the highlights of racing that make spectators’ hearts race.

I always ran for that, so I couldn’t help but feel regret over Han Joo-hyuk’s choice.

“If you keep that up, you’ll just be dragged along to the finish… Should I push him further into a corner?”

I intentionally gave up aggressive driving and strengthened my defensive position.

Keeping open the possibility of overtaking, I gave him the opportunity.

Go ahead, try to overtake! Now’s your chance! Right now!

With DRS blocked, there were nearly no variables on the straight track, so I kept exposing gaps in the corners, and Han Joo-hyuk seemed to be eyeing for an opportunity but didn’t take it.

I was puzzled by his strangely defensive attitude, but since each driver has a different style, I decided to wait it out.

Ultimately, both he and I entered the third lap without updating our lap times.

***

“Heh.”

While watching, I let out a gasp.

I’ve never seen such a beautiful person in my life.

She looked stunning on screen, seemingly prettier than a celebrity.

Gorgeous lady, I could d*e!

ㅇㅇ(123.633): Hehe~ Hyunwoo, gorgeous lady, I could d*e…

ㄴㅇㅇ(187.779): Me too, I could d*e…

ㄴ응Git*: EungGit~~!!!

ㄴ포랑해*: Who the hell is going to take care of these guys?

Vroom vroom*: If you can’t do For One, I’m not interested.

ㄴ포창인생*: Seriously. You seem to know something, so I’ll appoint you as a For One life fan.

ㄴ부릉부릉*: Is there something I’m supposed to like?

ㄴ포창인생*: That gets revoked.

The For One gallery was buzzing with the unexpected appearance of an extraordinarily beautiful woman at the event.

With hundreds of millions of users enjoying For One, there were many female users, and just like in other games, they did not receive preferential treatment simply because they were women, but this time it was different.

A pretty woman.

There are many women who play games, but beautiful women who play games are indeed rare.

And pretty women have always had the power to turn men’s heads, regardless of the era.

(Han Joo-hyuk, shaking hands and smiling with Jin Hyun-woo)

Is he a participant?

He seems to have forgotten his duty and is enjoying himself haha.

Come back to your main job, you red horse!

By the way, the girl is stunning. Is she a trainee?

포랑해*: Trainee viral.

성이름*: Hahaha, her smile reaches her ears like a traditional mask.

ㅇㅇ(176.861): Let me shake hands too!

Is this the For One gallery or the Yooihyun gallery?

Every post was decorated with pictures or GIFs related to Yooihyun.

Yet, just as firewood burns out, so do hot topics fade.

Moreover, for gamers, being unable to play the game is akin to saying they’re not worth watching.

As interest in Jin Hyun-woo faded amidst all this.

<Hyunwoo, lady……?>

The posts from users covering the event match reignited the flames of interest in Jin Hyun-woo.

Thus, as the second and third laps continued, the For One gallery began to fill with speculation about Jin Hyun-woo.

To generate hype for the event, it circulated that someone other than Jin Hyun-woo was playing on his behalf or that they had changed the performance of the race car as part of the setup.

Amidst all the nonsensical discussions, a user with a fluctuating ID posted:

This post became a sacred place.

ㅇㅇ(177.129): The sacred place is nonsense. Get lost and d*e.

Shhhshhhshhh*: The driving style is completely different; what’s the basis for that?

ㄴㅇㅇ(223.88): Do they have a basis? They’re just talking nonsense.

포랑해*: Our KING cannot be a woman!

응Git*: EungGit!!

The post quickly disappeared amid countless rebuttals and downvotes from gallery users.

***

On the large screen in the event hall was an information window indicating that the race’s end was imminent.

Name / Time / Lap

① eventaccount1 1:24:492 9/10

② Red hare 1:24:504 0.012 9/10

Leading the race to this point, Yooihyun had maintained her position, and Han Joo-hyuk was steadily closing the gap.

While the venue was enveloped in silence, there was simultaneously a keen excitement and anticipation in the air.

The one who had brought the spectators to this point was Jin Hyun-woo.

Could there truly be a commoner capable of pushing a player this hard?

What seemed like a scene straight out of a novel or movie, she was bringing to life.

“How are you going to handle the aftermath?”

“She might as well be thinking of dropping out.”

Only Kang Ho-yun and Jihyun Lee, who had the secret, were watching the race with a heavy heart.

“Seeing her continuously opening up the line, it doesn’t seem like she wants to win.”

“Right? It seemed a bit strange while watching; I got it immediately after you said that, senior.”

If they knew Yooihyun, she wouldn’t indulge anyone.

But the Yooihyun now was quite different from the one they knew.

“What the hell is she trying to do?”

The last remaining lap.

Kang Ho-yun secretly hoped Yooihyun would give a last-minute push and showcase her skills, but her movements remained unchanged.

“If you’re going to show it, show it properly…!”

His clenched fists echoed his frustration in his mind.

***

“If you don’t overtake this time, I’ll really go all out.”

Yooihyun bit down on her teeth as she entered the final lap.

She had grown angry at Han Joo-hyuk for not challenging her after giving him numerous opportunities up until the ninth lap.

In the last lap, as she entered corner 1, she braked early, maximizing deceleration, and inadvertently ruined the racing line, making two mistakes.

This was a signal saying, “Please overtake me!”

At that moment,

Grrrr!!! Vrooom!!!

Han Joo-hyuk’s race car finally attempted the overtake, marking the moment the lead changed for the first time since the race start.

① Red hare

② eventaccount1

As soon as she was overtaken, Yooihyun regained her composure and floored the accelerator with a sly smile.

“Let the games begin.”

Her race car began to accelerate even more.