DOWNTOWN.
chapter fifty-two | the aftermath (finale).

My eyes shot open and I was in my bedroom. Silence overcame my surroundings although my eyes were frantic, searching for a sign. Nothing could be found: just my teddy bear that gawked back at me like a fool. Was it all a dream?

I scattered around my bedroom, finally seeing my helmet sitting on the floor by the door. I sighed of relief, heart palpitating, but at least I knew I was still grounded in the right timeline. Opening the door, several people–if you want to be exact, Donghyuck, Chaewon, Chaeyoung, and Taeyong–were sprawled in my living room, Dad sipping his coffee, staring at them. "Dad?" I announced, causing him to look my way. He smiled, grabbing a cup off the hanger, and handing it to me as I entered the small kitchen. "What are they doing here?"

"I'm surprised you don't remember–well, you came home exhausted anyway," Dad explained, beckoning to them. "I was watching some movies when your whole group came in, Donghyuck wearing your weight around his shoulder. He told me you guys won the grand race, and I said congrats. Then, I let them crash here. I figured you'd be worried in the morning, so here's your confirmation that nothing has changed."

I poured my coffee, eyes locked on the four familiar faces. Dad nudged me, but I didn't budge. "Those are real friends, all of them," Dad added. "Even the ones who you hang out with regularly. Maybe having you race all these times you lied to me wasn't so bad."

"I'm glad you feel that way," I snickered, putting creamer inside the mug. "But it's already too late for any of that to continue. I think all of them have begun to drive racing out of their head."

"Ji..." I heard a soft mutter, attracting my attention mid-work. I heard my boyfriend grumble, eyes slowly fluttering open. Dad side-eyed me, beckoning for me to help our guests get comfortable. I grimaced, walking over. He rubbed his eyes, hair messy, Taeyong's leg sitting in his lap. At the sight of me, he shoved Taeyong's leg off, earning a heavy grunt from his friend. I leaned forward, flattening down his hair, a grin making me laugh. "Did you get enough sleep?"

"Yeah, I did. It's an hour before noon," I looked at the clock on the wall, gazing back at him. "Did you get a lot of sleep? Was it comfortable? You could've just laid in bed with me."

"Mm, no, it's okay. You needed the rest more than I did," He smiled, reaching his hand up to my cheek. His thumb slowly rubbed my skin, back and forth, grinning. "Are you happy?"

I nodded, patting his hair. "Yeah. Aren't you?"

"I am," He nodded, finally getting up. His motion seemed to wake Taeyong up, his lowly groan causing us to turn his way. But, Donghyuck stared at me again, a big smile. "What?"

"I can't believe you won first place, that's all," This again? "Not that I was ever doubting you, ha... It's just rather... Lee Know would've won, but he fell back."

"Can you guys shut up?"

"Remind me why you're at my apartment if you live across the floor?"

"Remind me why we're talking about last night's race so early in the morning?"

"It's eleven in the morning, dipshit."

"You do not get to call me a dipshit this early in the afternoon, Strawberry head," My dad was already gone–I was going to ask him to yell at this idiot for saying such a name. He must've gone to his room. "Oddly, I wonder what the Luminaries are up to. After we decided we were leaving as a group, they gathered at the barrier, talking amongst themselves. I don't think they're that bold to burn the rest of my circuit, but at this point, do I even care?"

"You should open it for public use now, Taeyong hyung," Donghyuck said. "Now that we're all... you know."

Taeyong hummed, unsure. Our conversation was interrupted by Taeyong's phone ringing, waking up the two cranky women beside him. Chaewon kicked his hip, earning a painful groan from him and a whine from his sister. Chaeyoung just put a pillow over her ears, muttering for him to turn it off. "God, these two," Taeyong uttered, answering the call and placing his phone to his ear. "Hello– oh, uh, Minho..."

That came as a surprise, not only to me and Donghyuck but the two awakened girls next to him. They seem to shoot up, wide-eyed. "You want to go where? Oh, the place we used to go when we were younger–the restaurant by your– oh, okay. Yeah, we'll meet you there."

Taeyong ended the call, muttering. "Well, let's all get ready. We have to go meet the Luminaries at our old little hideout."

I stared at the restaurant, a small little soup and skewer shack off the side of a sandy shore. "You guys went here before all this shit went down?" Donghyuck nodded a big smile on his face. "Seems like something you guys would do, eating at a small place that could still sit all of you at one table."

"Not a lot of people came," Chaewon added, crossing her arms. "That's what made it our hideout. We stopped coming right after Jeno died, so I'm surprised this place is still in business. I almost forgot about it completely."

"It feels like a memorial–" Mark began, but Taeyong shoved through, holding his stomach.

"God, can you guys stop that sappy shit until after we eat? I'm starving," Asshole. I chuckled, following pursuit of him. When we open the door, we see the Luminaries sitting and eating, Jaemin somehow included among them. He should become one of them after this–so that there's less conflict. Or, by the look of Yeosang's grin, maybe he's already started to move on.

"Oh, Donghyuck, Taeyong, oh, Mark, and Chaewon, and–" A grandma appeared out of the curtains, greeting every one of them. Then, she came to me, suddenly grabbing my face. Donghyuck tried to stop her, but I grabbed his hand, pushing him away. "An unfamiliar face. You must be his new girlfriend, right? Donghyuck?"

"Hm?" I widened my eyes, Donghyuck equally confused. "How did you know that?"

Soobin raised his hand, waving at us. "While you guys don't come anymore, we still come regularly," He explained, dimples on full display. "She knows all about you, Jiayi!"

"It's good you chose him," She smiled, patting my shoulder softly. I began to smile, nodding slowly. "I heard you're a very good racer, Jiayi! Minho always tells me so much about you–"

"Mrs. Han!" Minho stood up, interrupting her speech. She caught on quite quickly, cheesing at the fact that Minho was starting to blush. I gazed at Donghyuck, who surprisingly, was smiling too, but upon meeting glances, it fell immediately, covered by a cough.

"Okay, okay, sorry, you guys should come to eat now," Her hands fell to my own, caressing them gently. "It's nice to meet you, Jiayi!"

"You as well, Mrs. Han," I bowed my head softly, stepping around her carefully and taking a seat next to Sakura. She smiled at me, raking back her light-colored hair, one of her hands tapping my shoulder. "What's the event? Why are we eating together so suddenly?"

"It's to celebrate putting things in the past," She muttered slowly, just in case the cook in front of her would have a different idea. Minho still side-eyed her, wordless. "After all, this is our first time eating together as a large group after years of fighting and whatnot. I think that in itself is something to celebrate too."

"Really?" I questioned, grabbing a pork skewer off the plate. As I touched even a wooden splinter, Minho slapped my hand, a face full of distaste. "Hey! I'm hungry."

"They're not cooled down yet, they just came off the stove," Minho gritted his teeth, the same aggressiveness expressing itself even off the race track. He flipped a beef one over, pressing down on it over and over again. "How are you feeling? When we saw you yesterday, you could barely hold yourself up. Donghyuck had to get you home quickly."

It was unfamiliar hearing other people say his real name, you know, besides his racing name. The same thing goes for Minho. It's all just horribly weird, although soon, I'll have to get used to it. "I'm doing okay, I just needed some rest. I'm quite happy, though, considering that I've actually placed first."

"You should be happy, girl," Sakura giggled, poking my cheek. "Especially for a semi-novice like yourself. Although you scared me to hell and back, all I can say is that I'm happy for you."

Minho scoffed, putting his cooked skewer on the plate. "She wouldn't even hurt a fly."

"So you're smaller than a fly, right?" I teased, grabbing a skewer. He glared, aiming to slap my hand again, but I moved away quickly with the skewer still in my hands. Sticking out my tongue, I giggled. "You missed."

"Bitch," Minho grumbled, putting down more raw meat. For a moment, he gazed out to the sandy shore, then looked back at me. "Want to go look at the sun for a moment?"

"What? You're leaving me to cook?" Sakura grumbled, looking between us. Minho grabbed a skewer, nodding, teasing her. "Fuckwad. Fine. Go ahead. Come back in ten minutes max!"

We both stood up and suddenly, I felt a finger hooking onto the back of my shirt. "Darling, where are you headed?"

"Minho and I are going to look at the sun," I said, making him nod. No extra words needed to be said, I guess– maybe he realized that nobody's that willing to fight him for a red-head. Which, in my opinion, is valid. Donghyuck is pretty insane for considering me.

Walking out the open door, Minho took a bite of his food, chewing on it. I did the same, staring out at the horizon, or really, the calming waves. "You don't usually ask me to speak in private–or rather, imply it–unless you have something important you have to tell me," I said, catching his stare. He averted his gaze quickly, taking another big bite. "So, Minho, what is it this time? Looking to rewind and reminisce?"

"As if," Minho scoffed. "I'm glad it's all over, Jiayi. I'm glad that if anyone were to win, it was the Neos–again, I don't think the Luminaries and I would've deserved it. Everyone was in favor of you from the very beginning, and it wouldn't be right for our main character to not get some of her glory."

"Shut up," I mumbled, taking another bite. I furrowed my eyebrows in annoyance, looking at him, but Minho kept his eyes on the sun. "What's your plan after this, anyway? Are you going to continue street racing?"

"No, I'm going to become an adult now," Minho sighed. "I was caught up in this little dream of mine from a very young age that I never realized how old I was. I should've left this in the dust at eighteen, but things seemed to pile up, and– I could never simply give it up."

"Oh," Was all that could leave my mouth at first, silence ensuing. Then, I stopped walking. He seemed to follow that cue. "Are you going to continue working at that restaurant?"

"Yeah," He exhaled through his words, lowering his skewer ever-so-slightly. "I think that's my fate."

"I think this is all fate," I replied. "From loss to racing, to giving in, and finding something new. Although they were all good memories, this is your fate, and who knows? Maybe you'll be brought back to some pieces of your history."

"Yeah, if I get lucky. Unless I magically get cast for a racing team, I think that dream's crushed," We chuckled in unison. "But, if we're talking about memories... Jiayi, you're my favorite memory."

"Me?" Minho nodded. I know what he meant, or at least, what I thought he meant. It made me wince, almost at the sheer thought of what romantic advance this could be, but I think he read right through me. "Don't overthink it, it's just... you served me a good purpose. You made me willing to change, even when I'm unchanging to advice. Well, it wasn't that you served me– I think you gave me a purpose, Jiayi, and for that, I have to thank you."

That dreadful wincing became softened eyes, heart aching. "But I also have to let you go," Minho added softly, face turning to my own. In this light, he looked majestic–it reminded me of the first time I met him at the circuit. How light shined on his face, how his eyebrows raised had expressed himself to be someone of power, and how in the end, he was always a lot more gentle than people perceived himself to be.

Now, his expression was exactly like his personality–weak. "If I don't leave you now, I think I'll hurt more, and I'll definitely be unable to move on," I frowned. "So, this is the last time I'm seeing you–and everyone else. I'm aiming to live alone for a few months so that I don't have to see any of you and I won't change my mind. You especially, though."

I huffed. "You're a bastard, Minho. For real this time."

"I'm happy to hear that," Minho grinned, a hand reaching up. He hesitated for a moment, but I didn't move, waiting for him to touch me–and he did. A singular finger reached out and poked me in the middle of my cheek, my face contorting into confusion.

He's never touched my face like this before–actually, at all. Not even when he scared me that night. "What's that for?"

"Your trophy," He pressed his lips together, quietly clearing his throat. "We should go back in now. I'm getting hungry–"

"HEY!" We heard, causing us to jump. Turning around, we see Sakura waving from the doorway, frantic. "HURRY UP! TEN MINUTES IS OVER!"

And I chuckled. Minho seemed to laugh, too, although such a sad moment between us occurred. Then, he stared at me, a sweet little smile tugging at his lips, and he grabbed my shoulder.

"Let's go."

I stared at the sun rising over the horizon, silence in the breezy afternoon. Although today ended with happiness, or well, resolution, something in me still wasn't satisfied. Was it because everything had ended so abruptly? That there was no build-up to a proper, eventual ending, so it felt like I didn't do enough. I'm not so sure. Maybe it's the adrenaline that I miss, or maybe the circuit. Something about being downtown gave me that sense of home.

But as Minho had said, we begin new things once something else has ended. Now, I'm putting down this book and opening a new one, writing it as we go. But, there's something I have to add to this ending: a little thank you to the people who brought me here.

"Wooyoung," I exhaled, smiling. Alone, I placed the flowers on his gravestone, standing straight. "I ended it. I got first place, and we won the last race! I know you're proud of me, you don't really have to say it. Well, the least you can do, though, is tell Jisung, Jeno, and Renjun too. I know they'd be happy to hear that everyone's on good terms again."

I crouched down, fixing a turnt petal. "I'm kind of upset, though, you know? It felt like I just started something only to end it without any resolution–at least, on my end. I thought there was more to look forward to," His silence caused me to continue. "And now, Minho and the Luminaries are all going to do different things, essentially disbanding their racing team altogether now that you're gone. Say, if you were still here, would you try to keep everyone together? Actually, let me not ask you that. I know what you'd say."

It's easy. He'd go his own way, too. He wanted this to end.

"Everyone's kind of fading, Wooyoung, in ways that I didn't expect," I chuckled. "Taeyong's decided he's going to open the circuit out for public use, which is good. Chaewon's returning to her normal office job, but she's taken Donghyuck as her underling, teaching him how to be a proper fixer–so that he can get a job fixing cars either at a race track or at a car repair place. I was surprised he didn't want to go drive."

I could almost hear Wooyoung say me too.

"Yuta's decided to pursue racing elsewhere since he desires to be someone well known–Felix and Yeosang decided to take him under their wings. Jaemin and Karina are going strong, not sure about them... Mark, hm, he hasn't said much about his future, just that it'll be bright. Sakura's going to pursue her dream job as a professional racer, and Soobin decided he'd help her get there. Seungmin's probably going to stay working on cars, maybe helping Donghyuck too–not too sure. Is there anyone I'm forgetting... oh, Chaeyoung, of course! She said she might go back to school, get some extra education."

And what about you, Jiayi?

"I think," I hesitated. "I think I'm going to join Chaeyoung in getting a degree. My education got delayed by my move, by the racing, by all this fighting... I think it's finally a good time to continue it, although both of us will be far older than the rest of the freshmen. Then, I'll get a job."

What do you want to be?

"I'm not sure yet what my career will be, just one that gives you a real good kick of adrenaline," I smiled, nodding slowly. "Yeah. Something like that."

Then it was silent between us, and I laughed. "Sorry. It's just... talking to your grave in utter silence is a little stupid. I probably sound schizophrenic," But he wouldn't care. Actually, he already wants me to shut up. "I'll leave you peacefully now, for a really long resting period. I'm putting this agony between us to rest."

Just like you asked of me. "Thank you for showing me what it's like to be a racer downtown," I whispered, just enough for his ghost to hear me. "And thank you for your sacrifice. Maybe you'll forgive yourself entirely one day. But for now, I'll see you some other day, Wooyoung. Stay happy."

And I felt the breeze draw me into a slight sway. He was listening. He knew that suddenly,

I found my satisfaction.

So, as I went down the familiar brick pathway, I saw my boyfriend, crossed arms and raven-black hair. He wore a simple black jacket, and jeans washed out–something that would look good casually, but not so much for visiting a grave. "You didn't have anything to say to Wooyoung?" He shook his head.

"He can hear me from down here," Donghyuck smiled, kicking himself off his orange Mustang and encasing me in his arms. Kissing my cheek, I giggled, holding onto his face. "Did you two have a nice private talk? What did you tell him this time?"

"Just about the future," I nodded, pinching his cheek. Donghyuck pretended it hurt, one eye closing. I giggled again, my heart filled with happiness. "How about you? What did you yell to him from the parking lot?"

"To take care," Donghyuck said. "And I thanked him. You and Wooyoung's intertwined fate had brought you to me."

I widened my eyes. "I didn't think you believed in that."

"I can believe in anything my girlfriend wants me to believe in," Donghyuck kissed me again, slithering a full arm around my waist. "After all, whatever you want, you shall get."

"Hm... chocolate milkshakes?"

"Hah... I should've expected that," Donghyuck's eyebrows creased, free hand beginning to rub his temple. As an incentive, he pressed his lips on mine, a harsh hold around my waist. I reciprocated, pulling away, and nudging him. "Okay, yeah. We can go get some. Bid your goodbye!"

I turned back to the graveyard, waving to the sun.

"Bye, Wooyoung!"

And thank you... for somehow...

bringing me downtown.