Racing Girl Jin Na-hee and the Fierce Drift Video (2)
The group arrived back at Namsan Fortress. Han Dae-jin immediately set up the camera and prepared to interview Jin Na-hee.
Kim Ji-hyun lit a cigarette and pulled out a folding camping chair from the car trunk before sitting down.
"Alright, let's get started then."
Han Dae-jin said that to Jin Na-hee and jumped right into filming the opening.
"Today, I'm introducing a female car enthusiast driving the Morning Z35 again! Whoa, isn't this lady famous? I saw her at Jod FC too! Hey, hello!"
"Yes, hello. I'm Jin Na-hee, round girl and racing girl."
The interview continued for a while, and soon it was time to get in the car.
While the camera was off after boarding, Jin Na-hee slipped on her racing shoes and racing gloves.
Once Jin Na-hee was ready, Han Dae-jin turned the camera back on, prepared to capture her driving.
As soon as they passed the tunnel, Jin Na-hee whipped the front of the car left, then countered the steering to slide right, pulling off a pretty slick maneuver.
In the following corners, she kept the drift going, switching the nose with braking and throttle.
Finally descending to the straight with the speed camera, Jin Na-hee floored the accelerator, dodging the enforcement cam with a reverse run and tackling Namsan Fortress's S-bend blind corners.
Jin Na-hee wasn't quite at Kim Ji-hyun's level, but she ran lines hugging the walls and guardrails razor-close.
After the blind S-bend forest section, it was the right-slope downhill. Jin Na-hee grazed the shoulder lightly on her line and stomped the pedal.
In the next left corner, she eased off the throttle a bit to turn. Then, in the immediate hairpin, she full-braked before threading the inside ditch cover line to clear it.
Right after the hairpin, another left hairpin followed. Jin Na-hee attacked from a line slightly off the center line, with a bit of slide carrying through.
A car whizzed by from the opposite direction, climbing the hill.
Now a right hairpin—Jin Na-hee snapped branches as she blasted through. She took the big left corner slightly over the center line.
Somehow, Han Dae-jin and Jin Na-hee made it down to the final stretch.
As soon as the road widened to four lanes, Jin Na-hee yanked a power slide U-turn and headed back up the hillclimb.
On the hillclimb, she drifted every corner, feeding Han Dae-jin some ferocious footage.
By the time Jin Na-hee reached the hairpin section again, headlights appeared from above. As she cleared the first hairpin, she brushed past the oncoming car in a drift clearance that made for killer visuals.
A moment later, Jin Na-hee rolled back into the rotary parking lot where Kim Ji-hyun waited, billowing white smoke. Kim Ji-hyun smirked.
Han Dae-jin fanned away the tire smoke and stench as he got out. Soon after, they shot the ending scene and wrapped filming.
"How was it?" Kim Ji-hyun asked Han Dae-jin.
"Why's this noona so damn good at drifting?" Han Dae-jin asked.
"Eh, I've been street racing for damn near ten years," Jin Na-hee said quietly, pulling out a cigarette.
Kim Ji-hyun lit it for her.
"By the way, this is gonna get a shit-ton of hate comments, right? You know that?" Han Dae-jin asked.
"Doesn't matter. The DMs I get every day are already full of the lowest scum bullshit anyway." Jin Na-hee chuckled through her cigarette smoke.
"Got it. Let's hang out a bit more then head back. Gotta edit the video and all."
Han Dae-jin said that as he packed up the gear. Kim Ji-hyun and Jin Na-hee prepped to get back in their cars.
Back at his Osan officetel, Han Dae-jin edited the video for a while. For Jin Na-hee's safety, he set the date to "BC" from the start and changed the location to weird shit like Mesopotamia or Golgotha Hill.
Once the video went up, as expected, Han Dae-jin's channel shattered view records again.
All sorts of comments piled up, and soon feedback started rolling in from Jin Na-hee too.
Han Dae-jin pinned the satisfying video to his channel front page. Watching it all unfold, Yoon Ha-rin started getting antsy.
She'd uploaded circuit footage, but it barely made waves compared to Han Dae-jin's.
As Yoon Ha-rin pondered her options, she stumbled into some domestic autox group's Star page. She'd tried gymkhana before but quit midway because the courses were too fiddly—autox looked simpler and way more approachable.
She DM'd the organizers to set up a meeting.
They seemed keen and proposed a meetup that very evening.
No hesitation—Yoon Ha-rin locked it in and prepped to head out.
Evening. The meeting spot was a car cafe in Yongin, a place that showcased race cars.
Yoon Ha-rin parked and slipped quietly inside. On display was a Radical SR3 she'd driven once before.
She ordered coffee, sat, and waited. Soon, the autox organizers joined her table.
"Heard you've got about 50k YouTube subs, and damn near 100k Star followers?" They cut straight to it.
"Yeah, that's right."
"How about this: we cover your entry fees, you commit to the full season and drop steady videos—say, one short-form and one long-form minimum each?"
Yoon Ha-rin ran the numbers in her head.
"Sounds good."
"Great. What car you planning?"
"Avante 3 Sport over there. LSD tune, intercooler, full setup."
With that, Yoon Ha-rin and the autox crew stepped out to check her ride.
Her driver's seat was swapped for a Sparco carbon bucket with a 6-point Sparco harness. Most impressive: steering buttons bracketed off, quick-release hub, and a 330mm wheel.
"Most Avante 3 Sport drivers don't go this hard. You got prior experience?" one organizer asked.
"Once upon a time..." Yoon Ha-rin said bitterly.
"That's a shame."
Meeting wrapped, Yoon Ha-rin blasted the infamous Magic Course in Yongin at speed, lost in thought.
Stories from when she left that world. Tales she'd buried.
"Dad! That was my money for Japan! How could you?!"
"Sorry... Dad'll... win it back just once more..."
"Ugh, this pisses me off so much! I hate it!!! I couldn't go to Japan because of you!!! What are you gonna do about it?!"
"Sorry..."
"I can't stand looking at you! Get out, please!"
Memories from her climb onto Yeongdong Expressway flashed by. Yoon Ha-rin gripped the Alcantara-wrapped steering wheel, grinding her teeth as she floored it.
Back home, Yoon Ha-rin opened her closet and tried on her old racing helmet and balaclava.
It was sized for her at 20, so it fit, but it was ancient. Probably past cert standards too.
She stepped out to the balcony, smoked, and brooded for ages.
"You get it too... this feeling. Han Dae-jin."
Yoon Ha-rin muttered to herself, stubbed out the cigarette, closed the window.
As Dori barked, she quietly fed him and refilled his water.
That's what life was.