DOWNTOWN.
chapter eleven | strawberry red and neon orange.

"I heard Haechan took you for a ride in his Mustang," Chaewon said, keeping her speed slow so that she could gossip with me. Chaewon just finished work, and we were heading to practice. Today was Wednesday, and Taeyong's been nursing Donghyuck back to health so he could come today. I rolled my eyes, and she giggled with a slight nudge. "Oh, c'mon, Jiayi! Be happier about this! You may not know, but he hasn't let someone in his car for a year, and a woman in his car for even longer!"

"He's just being nice because I'm the newbie. It's nothing to fan over. I'm pretty sure he hates my guts, too," I crossed my arms. "I mean, what do I have that would make me special to him? I have no special attributes to this team of ours, but he formally said I could get some."

"Wow, he officially called you our teammate?! Yay! I finally have a girl best friend since–" She stopped early, inhaling sharply. "Sorry, I got ahead of myself. The reason I'm like this is that Haechan, back in the early days of racing, had a girlfriend he brought to every race, and she, too, was part of the team. Of course, I have my other best friend, but she doesn't come often."

Donghyuck? Having a girlfriend? Woah. Someone could put up with his bullshit.

Shoot, sorry. We're friends, so I should be nicer.

"But then she cheated on him, and god!- If you could see the look on his face, it was pitiful," She tried to mimic it, but it was horrible. I did get the image, though. "His face completely fell, and in his eyes, all you could see was betrayal. He had given up everything for her–He used to live in Jeju for a while, and followed her back to Seoul for her job. He stayed because he was born here–but sometimes, he fucking hates it here because of her. He moved on, but he's dedicated to racing instead of romance now. Anything that reminds him of her, he gets angry about."

"Fuck, if I got cheated on, I think it'd be upset too!" I exclaimed, defending Donghyuck. I could see the slight smirk on her face. "What? I'm being sympathetic!"

"Your sympathy sounds less like such and more like justification," I groaned, causing Chaewon to cackle. "I'm joking, Jiayi! I love you more than anyone, I swear, but you're just so fun to tease."

"God shut up," I grumbled, opening the car door once we'd made it to the parking lot. Chaewon locked the car door, linking arms with me as we entered together. We both wore dresses, per her request, but I didn't know if that would hinder her work. "Got any mechanical issues today?"

"Not that I know of. I recently fixed Jaemin's motorcycle. He usually goes on rides with Karina, but these days, they haven't hung out as much. I'm glad, though, because he won't push his motorcycle to death," Chaewon said. "Anyway, I'm going to go get a drink from the bar. Need anything?"

"I don't think so."

"She won't need one," The breath had attacked the back of my neck, causing me to jump. Chaewon and I took a few steps forward, looking at who had done such a thing. Yuta and Donghyuck–err, just for now, Donghyuck–looked at us. Donghyuck must've been the one to speak with such a raspy tone. "Jiayi, it's time for you to go pick out your helmet."

"Haechan, can I take her for a ride later?" Yuta asked, poking at his side. Donghyuck glared, still flinching from the ticklish point. "Alright, alright, I'll let Jiayi decide."

Chaewon was the next one to pressure me, poking my back to pick Haechan. I sighed slightly, succumbing to Chaewon's love taps. "I was hoping to drive tonight," I said, smiling. Donghyuck was a bit shocked, maybe because we had been so dismissive of each other not too long ago. "Sorry, Yuta."

Donghyuck began to grin at my words. "There's your answer, hyung."

I can see where Taeyong gets his attitude from. It's from Haechan.

"Well, then I guess me and Chaewon will be getting drinks on our own," Yuta grumbled, Chaewon grinning as she nudged Yuta. "We're going! Sickos..."

Then, I'm left with Donghyuck, who doesn't know how to act now that we're alone. "Well, I guess we should go get you a helmet. Come with me."

"Okay, Haechan!" I exclaimed happily, causing him to stop.

"Haechan?" He repeated, causing me to widen my eyes. "I thought I told you that it's fine if you–"

"Slipped my mind," I cut him off, making him chuckle. "Let me try calling you Haechan just for tonight, okay? It's cool to call you by your nickname."

"Yeah, whatever," He nodded, beckoning me to come with him. I followed, seeing the rack of different helmets set up on what seemed to be their team's side of the circuit. The colors were all of the different shades, some neon, and some dark, and it was great to have options. Haechan had his hands in his pockets, waiting for me. "I suggest you pick something that will resonate well with you. It'll be your helmet as long as you race. Take your time."

"Oh, really?" I whispered, causing him to nod. My fingers looked at each one, dragging in the air–before resting on one that matched my hair color. "Red works. It looks pretty cool, too, with these little points at the edge," I was talking about the additions that looked like wings. I could see him smiling out of the corner of my eye as I inspected the helmet, soon putting it on. Turning to him, his grin fell. "How do I look?"

"Fits," Haechan deadpanned, going around me. I frowned, faking a punch from behind him. He stopped for a moment, so I politely put my hands in front of me. "Yeah, looks fine. Are you going to borrow my car tonight again?"

I bit my lip in silence, making him groan. "Jiayi!"

"We rode in with Mark today! C'mon, Haechan, please?" I begged, making him cross his arms. "I didn't damage it last time, you've got to give me kudos for that, hm? I'm a good driver."

"...Fine," I cheered, clapping my hands together. "On one condition: I'm your shotgun."

What.

"H-Haechan–"

"Make your decision," He crossed his arms, expectant. So, defeated, I nodded, making him scoff. "Great. Let's get going. They're waiting for us."

"You should've told me that!" I jogged up to him and we walked at the same pace, so I slid up the shield and turned to him. "If I knew, I'd pick quicker. Why'd you tell me to take my time?"

"Because the fools can wait," He crossed his arms. "We have all night to practice."

He guided me into the barrier door, opening it as I walked through and closing it behind him. We walked over to his neon orange Mustang "When you enter races, try not to look at the other team," Haechan uttered. "The only nice one's Sakura. The rest will try and scare you."

"Only person I'm afraid of here is you," I teased, causing him to glare. I stuck my tongue out as we made a beeline to his car, Mark greeting me briefly before putting on his helmet. Following his actions, I put down the shield, trying to adjust the strap at the bottom. "Let me help," Haechan sighed, clearly done with me. He came close, blinking a few times before his fingers briefly touched my chin, adjusting the strap by my face. "Feel good?"

"Yeah, thanks," I said, fixing my hair. "Sorry. Not too good at this."

"No need to apologize," Donghyuck replied. "Don't try and kill us, alright?"

"Fuck you. No promises," I replied, getting in the driver's seat. We got into his car, and I strapped myself in. Haechan sat next to me, watched me turn on the engine, and put on his seatbelt. He checked me quickly, making sure I was properly in the seat. "Go the pace you prefer. I don't want your barf in my Mustang," I glared. "Kidding, Jiayi. Take it easy."

"You're the one who should take it easy," I mumbled, putting the gear shift in drive. "Hold on, Haechan–let me show you how well I can drive."