[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 33
“Ugh, I returned to reality, but my body feels sluggish. Is it just me?”
Returning to his officetel, Yooihyun threw himself onto the living room sofa in his pajamas, whining.
The race started when the sun was up, but outside, the moon and stars adorned the dark sky.
Kang Ho-yun sat across from her and sighed in response.
“Well, it’s a competition, so it can’t be helped. One mistake, and you lose, and if you lose, you’re out.”
“That’s true, but the waiting time is driving me crazy. Can’t we just get it over with?”
Kang Ho-yun let out a chuckle as he watched her flail her arms and legs.
On the circuit, she exuded an intimidating presence, but in reality, she was just a young girl of nineteen, so there was bound to be a sense of dissonance.
Moreover, she was picky like a girl.
“I’m too lazy to cook, so let’s order in. Senior, is there anything you want?”
“Well… what should we eat?”
“I’ll eat anything.”
Anything.
Could “anything” simply mean anything?
Many meanings of “anything” flashed through Kang Ho-yun’s mind.
“How about chicken?”
“No, we had that last time.”
“Then pizza?”
“At this time of night?”
“How about jokbal? With naengmyeon.”
“Jokbal… sounds good, but it’s too heavy.”
“…….”
The way girls converse can really leave someone speechless, even someone as patient as Kang Ho-yun.
But what can be done?
The duty of a disciple is to find something that pleases the master.
“Ah, I want something spicy, with a little broth. Is there anything like that?”
“Broth… broth…”
Spicy, hot, and with a bit of broth.
Something flashed through Kang Ho-yun’s mind for a moment.
Bubbling—!
They sat face to face at the kitchen table, drooling as they stared at the food placed on the burner.
What was bubbling away, giving off a savory and spicy smell, was none other than spicy gopchang stew!
It was a menu suitable for Yooihyun’s request for something spicy, hot, and with a bit of broth.
“Senior, you have great taste.”
“Of course. I have a knack for this kind of thing.”
“Have you dated a girl before?”
“No, not like that….”
Kang Ho-yun suddenly became bashful after Yooihyun’s compliment.
She placed her left leg on the chair, resting her arm on it, and burst into laughter.
“I’m just kidding. Why are you shrinking away like that?”
“W-who says I’m shrinking away?”
“Okay, okay. It seems like it’s ready; let’s eat quickly. We have tasks to do afterward.”
Yooihyun skillfully turned the burner down to low heat and filled his plate with stew.
“Eat a lot.”
“If someone saw this, they’d think you bought it.”
“I cooked it, didn’t I?”
“No… never mind… enjoy your meal.”
Kang Ho-yun wanted to say something about Yooihyun’s audacity in saying that just because she turned on a burner, but he held his tongue.
“It’s delicious!”
“See? This place is a hidden gem.”
The gopchang stew was surprisingly tasty for delivery food.
The gopchang was chewy yet tender, providing a satisfying chew, and the fat that seeped out blended into the broth, enriching its flavor.
Just like how ramen, eaten after swimming, is the best.
After a grueling race, for Yooihyun, it could hardly be called anything other than a tough experience.
Anyway, there can be no disagreement that food eaten after hard work is always a treat.
Moreover, when something is delicious, sharing it makes you even happier.
They quickly finished the stew.
*
*
*
“Let’s just tidy up quickly and watch the matchups on the living room TV.”
“I’ll clean up, so you prepare everything, Senior.”
After a satisfying dinner, they immediately began preparing for tomorrow’s race.
Preparation consisted of straightforward information like who the opponent was, what circuit it was, and what the weather would be like.
Knowing this in advance and having a thought about it was certainly different from finding out on the day.
“Should we check the matchups, Senior? Bring it up.”
Kang Ho-yun searched for his name on the 128-player bracket and brought it up on the screen.
128 Player Bracket
[One Man Show] VS [New Age]
Circuit: Barcelona-Catalunya
Weather: Sunny, partly cloudy.
The circuit was Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain, with a manageable level of difficulty.
With a good mix of high-speed and low-speed corners and straights, it could be called a track rich in fundamentals.
It was sunny, but seeing that there were a few clouds made it clear that there could be variables in tire strategy, but there wouldn’t be any major issues to worry about.
That meant the focus should be on the opponent.
“Not too much to worry about, so how’s the opponent?”
“New Age… he might be tough.”
“So he’s skilled?”
“He’s super famous. Right now, he’s ranked in the 200s, but he’s also been in the top 100.”
Given the scale of For One, he was indeed famous, but is ranking in the 200s really that noteworthy?
I tilted my head, expressing my confusion to him.
“Being in the 200s doesn’t seem that impressive.”
“Well, he’s still about 300 ranks above me. Plus, he’s 13 years old.”
“13 years old?”
Yeah, there’s a reason why someone becomes famous, and in common sense, a 13-year-old is still a kid that hasn’t even entered middle school.
“That makes sense…”
“He supposedly self-taught himself F1. I mean, they say self-taught, but what can a 13-year-old really comprehend about engines or tires? The driving sense he’s got must be natural, like you.”
“Hmm…”
If I were to argue, I wouldn’t say I’m at a natural level, but I decided not to press the issue for fear of sounding arrogant.
“I can tell you about his driving style without even seeing it.”
New Age might not be Korean, but the characteristics of young players are likely the same worldwide.
“He’s super aggressive. If you want to say it negatively, he’s reckless…”
“That’s how young players are. And considering his age, he’s probably drowning in arrogance.”
“But he’s skilled enough to be arrogant.”
Kang Ho-yun was humble, yet seeing him so worried suggests he acknowledged that New Age was better than him.
However, if it were Kang Ho-yun, he wouldn’t back down but would clash fiercely until he broke.
“Let’s watch a driving video of New Age.”
You can always find some sort of answer by brainstorming a seemingly unsolvable problem.
That’s the power of collective intelligence.
– Waaaaaaah!!
The video of New Age at Barcelona-Catalunya began to play on the screen.
Being young had its advantages; he had a fast start, didn’t seem intimidated, and even showed cunning in utilizing the positions of other race cars.
He really was gifted.
However, there’s no such thing as a perfect driver.
How do I know that?
Because I’m not perfect, so it’s natural.
No one is better than me.
Still, though I remained in first place, as the video progressed, New Age’s habits or shortcomings began to emerge.
He had unnecessary wheel-to-wheel encounters that damaged his chassis significantly.
He became overly conscious of his opponents and ruined his racing line in the process.
Whether it was an obsession or not, his racing line seemed too rigid.
To sum it up, he was overly emotional as a driver.
By engaging in fights that didn’t need to be fought, he wore down his tires, leading to slower lap times.
Moreover, he apparently hated being overtaken to such an extent that he obsessively defended against trailing vehicles.
Youth was an advantage, but it was also a weakness.
Controlled anger and competitiveness foster human growth; if not, it’s simply a maggot that eats away at emotions.
From my perspective, New Age was merely covering up his flaws with his innate physical talent.
“Senior, do you know the most effective way to deal with young players?”
“What is it? Is there some clever trick?”
“A clever trick? Yes, there is.”
A clever trick to beat a young player.
There’s an age-old, highly effective method when dealing with young players.
And that is…
“Provoking them.”
Nothing is more effective than that.
Though I made the suggestion seriously, Kang Ho-yun’s expression was blank.
“…Are you joking?”
“I’m not joking; I’m serious.”
“What’s provoking them during a race?”
I adjusted the video so he could understand, then calmly continued speaking.
“Look, pay attention to this part of the course.”
A corner that bends gently to the right.
Two race cars engaging in wheel-to-wheel, closely tailing New Age.
One takes the inside line while the other takes the outside line, and as they enter the straight, they split on either side of New Age.
Using the slipstream and DRS, they attempt an overtake or wheel-to-wheel maneuver, but with them penetrating from both sides, New Age becomes flustered.
In the end, he didn’t get overtaken by both, but he did lose position.
“He ends up finishing in first place, but right after that, he gets emotionally shaken. His handling of this situation is already emotional; even in a wheel-to-wheel, he positions himself in a situation where he can only lose at the last corner.”
As the replay began, New Age’s inability to leverage his excellent physical attributes while being swayed by emotions was plainly revealed.
“Being young is a weapon but also a weakness. As you know, driving is a mental battle too. The race car matters, but who the driver is also matters.”
If you’ve experienced it, you know a driver must have a strong mentality.
In a constricting flameproof suit, a suffocating helmet, and bearing the heat of an engine, you have to maintain composure in situations that don’t go as planned.
No matter how outstanding the skill, if the mentality is trash, even finishing the race is impossible.
“If the opponent is like a reed, shouldn’t we shake them up?”
Provoking is easily understood at face value, but the real meaning was to disrupt the opponent’s rhythm.
What I meant was to keep provoking New Age’s strong sense of pride through driving.
“So… I should induce a wheel-to-wheel from my side and drive arrogantly until New Age’s mentality breaks?”
“That’s right! Finally, you get it. The point is to annoy them, annoy.”
“Okay, annoy… I’ll give it a try.”
Kang Ho-yun nodded, albeit somewhat begrudgingly.
His personality probably made him lean towards honest and fair racing, and the thought of resorting to such tactics against a 13-year-old must have made him feel guilty.
But isn’t this all part of strategy?
This is how ruthless the world of competition is.
“But there’s one problem.”
“What is it?”
He pretended to be serious as he switched the screen to the bracket.
As it flipped to the next slot, the opponent’s name emerged.
If Kang Ho-yun made it to the 128-player stage, he would face the winner of this round.
I laughed lightly at him, who was usually so worried, and turned my gaze back to the screen.
“Who could it be…”
[KING] VS [Mach]
“Ah…”
As soon as I saw it, an involuntary sigh escaped my lips.
Without saying a word, I moved close to Kang Ho-yun and hugged him, patting his back.
“I’m sorry… I have no answer for that either.”
“……”
“Just think of it as bad luck…”
Somehow, I felt a heaviness on my shoulders.