[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 85

The outside scenery was unfamiliar.

The bare branches of the street trees shook coldly, and the sight of people briskly moving about in their clothes somehow felt sad.

It would take quite a long time to return.

With less than two months until the season starts, my joining Ferrari was undeniably late.

As such, it was a foregone conclusion that there would be no trip back to Korea before the first Grand Prix.

I had to adapt to the race car as well.

I needed to build rapport with the team members, including Leclerc, engineers, and mechanics.

So, the process of integrating into the team would require a lot of time.

Moreover, forming human relationships as a woman is not as easy as it sounds.

The kindness I received felt subtly different from that when I was a man, often compelling me to draw lines.

It’s not just an issue of being a woman; it probably has to do with being Yooihyun.

No matter what embellishments I attach, this body, irrespective of gender and age, elicits infinite affection from humans.

Moreover, as the first woman to step into what was considered a male domain in F1, the popularity is something I can’t express in words.

Anyway, being too successful can also be a problem.

As I struggled to sip my smoothie with a face full of worries.

“Everyone will like you, so don’t worry. I wonder if there’s anyone who dislikes Lee Hyun among the F1 fans?”

Myung-jin, with his characteristic gentle smile as an elder, patted me on the back.

While I was somewhat distant from that worry, feeling cared for is indeed a pleasant thing.

“I hope so.”

“The team atmosphere is good, so you’ll adapt quickly.”

“It’s good atmosphere?”

“Yes. Everyone has been working together for a long time…”

We ended last season in 8th place, and he said it had a good atmosphere…

It seems Ferrari might need some mental reconditioning.

*

*

*

People often want to weigh the size of their hearts on a scale, and one of the easiest methods to do that is to measure how long they have known each other.

In a romantic context, for example, one month feels too light, half a year is adequate, and over a year carries significant weight.

Duration can serve as a metric of weight and sincerity in a relationship.

Maintaining a relationship for a long time implies a good match in personalities, which reasonably leads to many shared memories.

“Whew…”

However, based on that standard, Kang Ho-yun’s feelings are utterly inexplicable.

In fact, the intangible sensation of the heart is often illogical and difficult to trace causality.

The fact that a person can feel love at first sight for a complete stranger serves as proof of that.

He was just staring blankly at the estimated time of arrival at Incheon Airport as Park Ha-jin and Jihyun Lee chatted in the car.

Had it only been about a month since he got to know Yooihyun?

Their relationship began when he saved her from a crisis at the academy’s practice room.

What could’ve been a fleeting encounter became complicatedly entwined with a piece of paper—a contract.

From seniors and juniors to contractual partners, from teacher and student to fellow streamers, and finally, beyond friends sharing the same dream.

The month spent with Yooihyun could certainly be called short, but it was by no means light in its weight.

Despite being brief, the density of the feelings we shared was profound.

The car kept driving, getting slowly closer to its destination.

Along with that, the time for Yooihyun to leave was drawing nearer.

“Will the flight be canceled…?”

Kang Ho-yun found himself expectantly hoping for a cancellation.

*

*

*

There were… so many people at the airport.

I stepped forward, flanked by the bodyguards that Myung-jin had prepared.

“Yooihyun fighting! Ferrari fighting! Tifosi fighting!”

“Please be the First Driver too!”

“Yooihyun, please broadcast often!”

“Me, me! I’m Mr. Science No.5! I came with my younger brother, Mr. Science No.3! I’ll support you!”

“I love you, Yooihyun!”

People packed the airport terminal like ants, holding up banners with my name, clapping, and cheering me on for my debut.

I knew there would be a considerable crowd due to my recognition.

But this was beyond what I expected.

People were crowding together, tightly packed as if grains of rice in a bowl, shouting at me…

Even though I wasn’t heading into a race, it stirred my emotions.

While all the love and attention I received from fans is the same, the support from my fellow countrymen feels even more special.

Especially since F1 had been nearly non-existent in Korea in previous years, the current support felt even more significant.

This treatment in Korea was something I had never experienced before.

“Skill equals popularity… it seems like you’re already incredibly popular, Miss Lee Hyun. It looks like everyone is here to see you.”

With this kind of crowd, I doubt calling myself a star would be seen as self-absorbed.

As a newly minted star, I waved at those who had come to see me.

With gratitude for the trouble they took to come for me, I sincerely promised to meet their expectations.

I made eye contact with each person, holding their hopes and desires in my heart.

So that whenever my body and spirit grow weary, I could vividly remember this moment.

For drivers who cannot afford to stop, the sense of purpose and motivation towards victory is fortified by such moments.

The countless fans anticipating my win, and the hundreds of F1 team members busily moving for my race car.

Among them, only I could sit in the race car.

Occasionally, on those rare moments of fatigue, when the urge to give up would arise, I would think in the cockpit.

Not to forget the people who paved this process.

Only I could bring results.

This heavy sense of responsibility becomes a whip, propelling me forward with powerful force.

As I actively sought to take in as many people as possible with my eyes.

Familiar faces began to appear.

“Kang Ho-yun? Ji-hyun…?”

Jihyun Lee and Kang Ho-yun, along with his friend Park Ha-jin.

They stood at the end of the long line of people, waving at me with bright smiles as our eyes met.

Although no words were exchanged, I felt like I understood their intentions through their gazes.

I simply couldn’t… move my feet.

I had clearly said they didn’t need to come.

Even though it wasn’t far, if they wanted to meet me, they could just see me at For One, and I told them not to go to such trouble.

Yet, despite having said that…

Seeing them, who had been my only support in a world without any kin, I felt tears welling up.

Was my statement about it being okay not to come a lie?

I guess I had also deceived myself to deny my own weakness.

I wiped away the tears streaming down my cheeks with the back of my hand and smiled back at them.

“I’ll be back safely.”

Although I had flown countless times, today felt harder than usual.

“Now, we will move to the circuit.”

On the afternoon of the 21st, with me as the only applicant, it was essentially the day of the Ferrari Second Driver announcement.

Thus, my Ferrari join announcement at Monza Circuit went by without much fanfare.

I greeted Minoto, whom I hadn’t seen in a while, respectfully in front of the reporters.

I stood side by side with the First Driver, Charles Leclerc, for pictures.

I sat on the podium and shared my feelings about joining Ferrari and answered the journalists’ questions in a rather cliché manner.

According to Myung-jin, thousands of reporters had gathered, and over a hundred thousand Tifosi and F1 fans had shown up.

However, when the scale exceeds a certain level, it seems like there’s a limit to how much shock the brain can handle.

It didn’t really feel tangible.

It was just that so many had gathered just to see me.

That overwhelming scale only became perceptible when I entered the circuit, dressed in the custom-made racing suit provided by Ferrari.

Every stand had people packed wearing red shirts, the symbol of Tifosi.

When my figure appeared on the screen, the stadium erupted with cheers.

I heard that the Monza Circuit could accommodate up to 150,000 people, and to come just to see me and Charles Leclerc, the number seemed staggering.

“Wow… why are there so many?”

“They’re all here to see you. Whether it’s KING or Yooihyun.”

“I didn’t expect there to be this many.”

With Leclerc, who had already built a sense of kinship as a teammate, we waved as we walked around the circuit like a welcoming ceremony.

Normally, twenty people would fill the space, but now it was just the two of us, so it felt distinctly different.

While I spoke casually, it seemed Leclerc was just as nervous as I was.

Interest can be a strength, but it can also become a burden if it becomes excessive.

Yet, he was a champion, and having decided to become a champion, he needed to handle this nonchalantly.

A small mentality wouldn’t produce champions.

An endless sense of challenge.

The tenacity to launch at the slightest hint of possibility, tearing into the opponent.

A gambler’s spirit that knows how to bet on life at the peak moment that can overturn everything.

With all of that, I was just who I am.

As soon as my legs began to hurt, staff brought in the news.

“The event race will begin soon. Yooihyun and Charles Leclerc, please proceed to the pit.”

The event race served as a substitute for the canceled Ferrari test, designed for the audience who had traveled a long way.

The event race entailed completing fifteen laps around the Monza circuit with soft tires, and it felt distinctly like an event.

We would casually drive the Ferrari race car around the Monza Circuit, providing a spectacle alongside Charles.

“Just race comfortably. The race car isn’t fully optimized yet, so don’t push too hard. You know about Ferrari, right? The engine isn’t great. It might break down.”

“Is that a joke?”

“Well… it’s half a joke and half the truth.”

As we moved to the pit, Leclerc lightened my burden with a silly joke, given that he was five years younger than I.

Or perhaps he wasn’t joking at all…

Arriving at the pit, we just needed to put on our safety equipment and sit in the race car.

The tires were predetermined, and since this wasn’t a game, I didn’t need to set anything up.

“It’s more comfortable than I thought.”

The seat position, which I expected to be awkward, fit perfectly.

It seemed to be custom-made based on data from For One.

The position of the pedals under my feet, the height of the seat, and my overall posture felt comfortable.

While I touched the steering wheel and adjusted my posture, I heard Myung-jin’s voice through my in-ears.

-Ah, ah. Can you hear me, Hyun? This is Myung-jin. Please respond if you can hear me.

“I can hear you well, scout.”

-For the event race, I’ll be taking the microphone today. There won’t be special directions from the director; just race adequately and safely. You need to realize this isn’t a game; it’s reality.

“Don’t worry.”

Don’t worry. I’ve raced on the circuit thousands of times in reality.

What I was worried about was something else.

The request to race adequately.

Even if it’s an event race, I am the relief pitcher meant to revive Ferrari, and my fans came expecting KING.

That means I need to prove I have the skills to match.

Vroom!!!

With the loud voice signaling the start of the event, the race cars on the grid roared violently.

I felt that pulse as I closed my visor.

“I will race safely.”

I need to race safely.

But there’s no such thing as “adequate” in my vocabulary.