[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 2

A certain poet said that accepting a human being is like being submerged in that person’s waves.

It means that you should feel that person fully with both your body and mind soaked in the waves.

Accepting Yooihyun was not just waves; it felt like a tsunami, and I thought I would drown and sink in that abyss.

2031.01.01

I want to d*e.

2031.01.02

I want to d*e.

2031.01.03

I want to d*e.

The brief diary entry “I want to d*e,” which continued from January 1, 2031, likely persisted until today, Friday, May 2.

If this body is not suffering from mental illness, it would be normal for there to be at least a slight change in emotions over such a long period of 121 days, considering it’s human.

“All I see is talk of wanting to d*e.”

I couldn’t find anything else except that sentence about wanting to d*e.

I was shocked to close the diary, expecting to find some family relations of Lee Hyun or some sad story that anyone might have.

What kind of life could one lead while writing such a diary made my heart heavy, but now the owner of this body is me.

It might sound shameless, but isn’t that the truth? So, Lee Hyun’s past, filled with depression and despair, is not important.

If I live happily, then Lee Hyun (though just the body) would also become happy in the process, wouldn’t she?

Originally, humans become happy through great interest and love.

Living as Jin Hyun-woo, having received attention from all media and living the life of a driver, I knew that fact better than anyone.

Moreover, this world’s interest in F1 is soaring so high that they even established a Formula One Academy in Korea…

A genius driver who has never lost a victory since debuting.

Three consecutive championships in F1.

Korea’s Michael Schumacher.

That’s me. I have confidence that I can be happier than anyone in this world.

“Let’s bury the past, Lee Hyun.”

I put the diary in a drawer, in a place deep out of sight.

***

“Hyun-a, class is about to start! Hurry up and get ready.”

I was jolted awake by a strong shaking sensation, as if I were facing d*ath and waking up as Lee Hyun again.

I had a restless sleep filled with a lot of thoughts, and my body was still tired.

Under the fresh morning sunlight, I saw the girl who must have woken me up changing from pajamas to a school uniform with a name tag that read ‘Jihyun Lee.’

“……”

Even in a drowsy state, I clearly watched my only friend, Jihyun. It shouldn’t be so, but a man’s instincts cannot be helped.

Anyway, I confirmed that the friend that Lee Hyun had was Jihyun.

“What are you staring at? You’re going to be late.”

“Ah… yeah.”

“You’re acting weird today. You’ve never overslept before.”

As Jihyun threw her school uniform at me from the closet, I couldn’t help but grimace as I picked it up.

The uniform was not what I knew as the usual kind. The top consisted of a shirt with boys wearing ties and girls wearing ribbons. The bottoms were generally what you would expect, either trousers or skirts…

However, the uniform here was like a thick full-body suit that fit snugly like the fire-resistant suits worn by F1 drivers.

Fortunately, it wasn’t plastered with sponsor names.

The only things were the name tag with my name Yooihyun written on the left chest and the embroidered Formula One Academy and F1 Academy on the bottom.

Still, even if it’s called a uniform, wearing this in daily life would be unbearable.

At least the good thing was that it was split into top and bottom, and I wasn’t the only one wearing it.

After Jihyun changed, she looked in the mirror to tidy up her outfit. The latex-like stretchy material of the uniform clung to her body, highlighting her figure.

The stunningly streamlined line dropping from her neck to her waist, the curves of her hips and chest, and her long legs were all revealed without filters.

My thoughts changed.

The uniforms here have positively evolved.

***

“…So, it’s important to use tires strategically. Depending on the wear condition, even if you complete the same lap, the difference can range from 0.5 seconds to as much as 1 second.”

The class was extremely dull. Perhaps because it was Lee Hyun’s class level, or maybe the academy’s offerings were just at this level.

The content was very basic, and sitting in a static classroom listening to things I had learned from thousands of trainings and real combat was just frustrating.

In contrast, Jihyun and other classmates, except for me, seemed determined not to miss a single word, diligently taking notes as if recording the teacher’s words on their smartphones.

By my standards, the level of the class was abysmal, but I couldn’t help but admire their enthusiasm for learning.

Moreover, seeing F1, something I performed best and loved, being so welcomed even in my hometown, which had previously looked down on it, filled me with more than just pride; it was pure emotion.

“Is it fun?”

I impulsively asked Jihyun, who was focused on her notes. She continued to write without taking her eyes off her notebook while answering.

“Is it fun?”

“Uh, yeah?”

Her response was completely unexpected.

With slightly surprised eyes, Jihyun sighed and added.

“You know best, the theory exam top student. Do you think we’re doing this because theory is fun?”

“Then?”

“We do it because the real thing is fun. We study theory to apply it all in the real thing, right? To break a lap time by even 0.001 seconds. Just think about how great it feels to set a new record.”

After a brief pause, she casually threw out the line.

“It’s like beating myself.”

I really liked Jihyun’s response. It accurately penetrated the essence of racing, which is motorsports.

Racing has always been a battle against time. It is a struggle to push myself and the race car harder to chase after that flowing time just a little faster.

Simply put, it might seem crucial to run faster than others and achieve a high rank, but those who truly believe in their fate as F1 drivers, including Hamilton, whom I met in the F1 Championship, gave the same answer collectively.

“To be a faster version of myself than yesterday…”

That is the essence of F1 and the mindset that a driver should have.

***

With Jihyun’s unexpected response making me tremble with excitement for the upcoming real combat, the teacher announced.

“This concludes the theory class. Everyone, please move. The circuit we’ll practice today is the Paul Ricard Circuit in France!”

That would originally be my competition stage and the French Grand Prix where I would lift the trophy for the fourth consecutive time.

“The circuit length is 5.842 km, the race distance is 309.69 km with 53 laps. The fastest lap record is 1 minute 29 seconds 241, set by me…”

So much had been pent up in me that I could rattle off information about the circuit.

As I cheerfully followed Jihyun, who was holding my hand and leading the way, I suddenly felt something strange.

This was clearly Korea, so why were we practicing on a French circuit?

Is there a scaled-down version made according to the circuit?

Even if there is, if the circuit isn’t completely identical, it wouldn’t be of much use, would it?

F1 circuits vary in shape and course. Therefore, to practice a specific circuit, you must move to that country.

Yet, here we are in Korea practicing on a French circuit. It would make sense if this was a Korean academy located in France, but that is far from likely.

Beyond that, the most peculiar thing.

Why are we going up over buildings to get to the circuit?

The earth in the year 31 has advanced so much in architectural engineering and science that it has built cities in the air and created circuits on top of them?

Many questions arose, but I thought if I voiced them, I would be treated like a crazy person, so I quietly followed.

Eventually, those questions were resolved in a way that was very difficult to understand.

***

Black machines neatly aligned in rows, forming rows and columns. The machines were sized just right for one person, and inside was like a massage chair, allowing you to lie down comfortably.

“Of course, you need to log in with your academy account, and the channel is practice channel number 108, password 1111. Don’t mess around and go straight in.”

As the teacher and the other classmates entered this egg-shaped device they called a capsule, soon the door closed.

“See you inside, Hyun-a!”

When Jihyun, my only friend, disappeared, I looked around and touched the capsule curiously.

I had a rough idea of what this was. Virtual reality. A common element in many web novels and occasionally addressed in dramas.

Virtual reality appeals to everyone because it satisfies humanity’s endless desires within a system that closely resembles reality.

Interest in virtual reality had been high even in 21, and given the temporal limitations of F1 drivers constantly flying across countries, this was technology I had longed for.

If the limitations imposed by physical constraints and interests were lifted, wouldn’t that be fantastic? I was not the only one who thought that.

“Has it developed this much in ten years?”

I was curious about how much more refined virtual reality could have become compared to the awkward 21st century which had just started incorporating this technology.

At the same time, I felt uneasy. Just as all sports require, F1 is a “motorsport” where the driver’s sensory abilities are crucial.

A sport that pushes the vehicle to its limits by synthesizing minute elements like the texture of the tires and the vibrations of the chassis.

This is not a category where only “I” control the outcome; I have to understand the conditions of the race car too. I must feel the signals sent by the vehicle with my whole body and synchronize with my partner, the race car.

So, if the sensory aspects differ even slightly from reality, the operability will inevitably drop to extreme levels.

Like archery, where points can be divided into extremes by just a single page of paper.

I entered the capsule, half expecting, half worrying. As I lay comfortably, the capsule’s door closed.

[Please say your name.]

A distinctly mechanical female voice resonated, echoing off the walls of the capsule.

I calmly replied, feeling a strange sensation as if I were in a cyberpunk setting.

“Jin Hyun… No, Yooihyun.”

[Starting voice and iris recognition.]

After waiting a moment with my eyes open, the recognition finished shortly.

[User information verified.]

[User Yooihyun, you have one account, the Formula One Academy Seoul branch account. Would you like to log in?]

“Yes.”

I answered without hesitation.

[Starting session: Formula One, For One, F1.]

Soon, the capsule went dark, and my consciousness gradually faded away.