[TS] Formula One Streamer - Chapter 97

The tension of someone facing an exam is always proportional to the preparation period.

When someone says they have prepared for a long time, it means the weight of the effort put in is significant, and the level of urgency is different as well.

Someone who has prepared for half a year will have an urgency that matches the length of that preparation, just as someone prepared for a year or two will have an urgency commensurate with their time spent.

It’s an obvious statement, but for this to hold true, one prerequisite condition is necessary.

The condition is whether they have staked everything they have to ensure that urgency is not meaningless.

No matter how long the preparation period, there is no tension for someone who hasn’t put in the effort.

If they haven’t prepared and haven’t felt that urgency, what qualification do they have to hold expectations and tension about the results?

In that sense, the duration of preparation is important, but perhaps it might not be as important a factor as one might think.

Harry, who entered the pit with Yooihyun to prepare for the main race, had been thinking about such things.

“Can I really do this…?”

Harry clutched her snow-white hair and shook her trembling body vigorously.

It had been two weeks since the 14th. That was a relatively short time for her preparation for the main event.

It was a time that could be seen as either short or long, but two weeks was truly very brief.

Moreover, it was an absurdly insufficient time to prepare for anything.

There were still countless things to understand and to get accustomed to. Facing her pink race car while ignoring those thoughts, she was overwhelmed with all sorts of distracting ideas.

However, those two weeks, brief as they may have seemed, had more significance than just their duration.

Hadn’t she poured enough time to push herself to the brink?

The magnitude of her effort was so immense that it rendered the two-week period insignificant… or so it would have been nice to think, but Harry didn’t have the luxury to think that way.

“What if I make a mistake?”

“Should I avoid trail braking?”

“Should I be as defensive as possible? Max and the teacher said to be aggressive…”

“If only I had a little more time…”

“Ah, I really don’t know now.”

“Harry, in Monaco we are in pole position, so as long as we defend well, it’s fine. Just be aware of undercut and overcut…”

At the end of her thoughts, Yooihyun’s words didn’t even reach her ears anymore.

Could this be called burnout?

The brief moment of relaxation she got just before the race caused her stagnant thought processes to overheat and burst.

In short, her mental state had broken down.

Of course, the breakdown of her mental state was due to a complex mix of reasons.

The biggest influence was the self-loathing for not having prepared perfectly, but the pressure of participating in her first tournament was also not to be neglected.

The racing of streamers and the racing of contestants is not fundamentally different in the sense that it’s in front of an audience.

However, approaching a tournament is not something that can be done in such a simple manner.

Even when racing, the mindset changes when it’s a tournament.

Participants dive into the race with a personal sense of mission, as if they were brave warriors fighting for victory.

Of course, it’s not comparable to real warriors, but the earnest resolve from the participants makes any comparison utterly useless.

So, while this tournament might just be entertainment for others, to Harry, it was a battleground where she put her life on the line.

As her sense of mission deepened, so did her burden and pressure.

Moreover, Harry knew better than anyone that a tournament inevitably comes with viewers’ evaluations, and being the subject of such scrutiny is not a pleasant experience.

When she first declared her desire to become a streamer, her acquaintances had hurled countless criticisms at her before even the viewers did.

There were comments about how coming from a prestigious university only to do that was ridiculous; how her broadcast was painfully uninteresting and would flop soon; how she had transitioned to being a cyber sl*t based on her pretty face.

There were times when she lived with tears from personal attacks that went beyond mere criticism.

After ending her broadcast with a smile, the ensuing silence felt like a razor blade slicing through her heart, and she would end up being engulfed by waves of sorrow.

Her bed was her only refuge, and tears were the only screams she could express.

Harry recalled how deeply she experienced the saying “Ignorance is bliss.”

Negativity breeds negativity, and once the cracks in her mental state began, they started to accelerate without an end in sight.

The cracks that began from mere insufficient preparation led her to the worst of times she wished to forget, bringing her to the brink of collapse.

Hugging.

“…”

A warm touch gently enveloped Harry in silence. The small heartbeat of Yooihyun resonated like a wave of psychological comfort, caressing Harry.

The pleasant scent of skin wafting from her neck soothed Harry’s mind.

Despite its abruptness, she felt calm as she slowly closed her eyes in Yooihyun’s embrace.

“Just rest a little.”

Now there was one more bed.

So she thought.

***

Even the most solid person can fall into panic.

Every human is like a candle before the wind when faced with rapid changes in situations or emotions.

What matters is whether one overcomes it or succumbs to it.

“…Yes.”

“No…”

“…”

Harry nodded slightly, responding with short answers to my words, to the point where even if I didn’t pay attention, I wouldn’t notice.

Yes, she was clearly plunging into panic.

To be honest, it was unexpected.

With her prestigious university background and high self-esteem, and being known for her unpredictable personality, I didn’t expect Lee Haeri to be this mentally shaken.

Even if it was her first tournament, it was still a national tournament, where she had won with confidence.

Given her courage, I thought she would dismiss the main event as child’s play.

But seeing Harry’s eyes that were devoid of focus, it seemed quite serious.

Her replies were dwindling, and eventually, even the head that used to nod reflexively stopped moving.

It couldn’t have gotten to this point without a more significant reason.

At this rate, it seemed that a normal race would be impossible.

I wanted to offer her some warm words, but since I didn’t know what pain she carried within nor could I gauge its size,

Hugging warmth.

“…”

I approached and gathered her into my arms without a word.

Offering comforting words without understanding is the worst form of small talk.

This was the best I could do within the bounds of acceptable subjects.

“Just rest a little.”

I said, sincerely hoping she would be alright.

Harry closed her eyes, resting her head against my chest and trusting her body completely.

She was as comfortable as if she were lying on a bed.

That sight made her look pitiful, like a baby who had cried herself to sleep.

I cautiously raised my hand to stroke her hair, moving in a slow, even rhythm with her heartbeat.

The expression that relaxed under my touch was dramatic. Negativity was filtered out, leaving only positivity on her face.

I waited a few more minutes.

For Harry to return to being Harry.

“Now… I’m okay.”

Harry looked up at me with a gentle smile.

So she could make a face like that.

I also smiled slightly in response and nodded.

“Sorry, but please explain from the beginning, teacher. I didn’t catch anything earlier.”

“This is the last time.”

“Yes!”

With a strong voice, Lee Haeri responded.

Only then did I see her as Harry.

“Monaco is boring as hell.”

“Really…?”

Harry reacted with a blank expression to my statement.

[For real, Monaco is super boring]

[KING acknowledges it as a boring circuit = Hynamako]

[Is there a circuit with an average speed of 161.5 km/h!?!!? Zoom zoom zoom]

[Disgusting]

[A mad circuit where you can ab*se tires with a one-stop strategy and still win]

[At this point, a highway might be more fun]

[Me]

[I cried and screamed in every direction upon seeing it was the first day of the main event at the Hynamako circuit…]

[Is it magic that qualifying rankings become the main race rankings? Hynamako does the impossible]

[Ko]

[Stop the Macau hate!]

[Smash Monaco and smash Hungaroring too, puuhh]

[I genuinely think Yeongam Circuit is 183852 times more fun]

The viewers fervently agreed with my words.

“The circuit is so bad that it’s boring for both racers and viewers. There’s a saying that qualifying rankings equal main race rankings. Have you heard that, Harry?”

The Monaco circuit was indeed supremely boring.

The layout couldn’t be interesting at all.

As mentioned in the chat, the average speed is 160 km/h, with the highest speed in the fastest section only reaching 280 km/h.

The track width is very narrow, with many hairpins and sharp corners that require rapid deceleration, and the surface even consists of materials typically used on regular roads, resulting in decreased tire grip.

In summary, it was incredibly challenging to pick up speed…

How could such a circuit be entertaining?

“So, you mean I should focus on defending my rank while being aware of the opponent’s pit strategy?”

“Maybe you’re clever, you seem to get it.”

Given the circuit’s difficulty for overtaking, it was great news for Harry, who took pole position by winning the first mission.

As long as she doesn’t lose leading at the start, the first place is essentially guaranteed.

“You have to start really sharply. If you lose the lead, the pole position advantages will turn against you.”

Basic race operation seems like something Harry has grasped by herself, so there’s no need for me to emphasize it.

Harry’s movements during the practice race were definitely different from before.

It would be accurate to say she had opened her eyes.

Her perspective on racing and driving techniques had expanded to a whole new level.

“Anyway, I’ll handle the call, so you can focus on the race. You won’t have much to worry about aside from pit stops.”

Although it’s a tournament, the level won’t be particularly high, so the calls will be short.

Rather than focusing on strategic elements, it would continue in a way that corrects the occasional issues, like during the educational broadcasts.

“So what about the starting tires?”

“The basic strategy is obviously one-stop; both tires will be S, soft tires. I’ll adjust the pit-in timing flexibly according to the situation. By the way, you don’t need to conserve the tires too much.”

[In 5 minutes, the race will begin. Participants, please take your positions on the grid.]

As we talked about various things, the time to leave approached before we knew it.

I handed Harry her helmet as she settled into the cockpit.

“Do well.”

“I’ll definitely win, teacher.”

With parting words, the pink race car vanished from sight.

Soon, the race user information window popped up.

Name / Time / Laps

① Haerari – –

② Rallyking – –

③ Sukimechuwal – –

“It’s finally starting.”

The main race after two weeks.

It was time to showcase the results of those two weeks of effort.

KING: Let’s go, Lee Haeri.

The process has passed. Now it’s time to show the results.