Endurance Race Prep (2)
Several days later, at Inje Circuit. Han Dae-jin slipped into the Sabelt suit Kim Ji-hyun had bought him, pulled on a balaclava, then the HANS device and helmet. Standing beside him, Min Hee-yeon watched with an irritated glare.
Han Dae-jin glanced at her for a moment before climbing into the Avante N race car. It was a race car in name only—mostly stock interior with a four-point roll cage added, the driver's seat swapped for a racing bucket seat, and six-point belts installed. Oh, and the steering wheel was a custom OMX 270mm formula-style unit fused with various buttons. The transmission was a DCT.
Han Dae-jin awkwardly fiddled with the paddles to downshift into first, then rolled out of the pit garage.
As he approached the pit exit, the signal light turned green. He floored it, blasting off like a madman.
Entering corner 4, Han Dae-jin marveled at the grip of the B720 tires—a sensation he'd only felt once before. It was like scraping over each lump in the asphalt individually. Heading into corner 5, he clipped the curb lightly, drifted out a bit, then rode the middle line toward corner 6.
Full throttle. By the time he powered through corner 6 and into 7, he was deep on the curb, then straight to 8. Braking. Accelerating. The car launched as it crested the curb, floating gracefully to the opposite safe zone. Han Dae-jin could vividly recall the feel of that curb even now.
After the final corner, his lap time flashed up: a devastating 1:51.932. His personal best, but over the radio, Kim Ji-hyun ordered him to hold that line.
Han Dae-jin focused intently on her incoming instructions, braking just before corner 1. The rear twitched—he countered it smoothly and dove into 1-2-3.
Then, he fumbled the paddles again, slamming down to second in an instant! Harsh engine braking kicked in. He upshifted to third, but the lap rhythm was already shattered.
Kim Ji-hyun barked "Hey!" over the radio the second she saw it, snapping him out of it. Kim Kyung-jun, the deputy team leader, watched her silently from the side, sighing and shaking his head.
Han Dae-jin recovered decently, clocking a 1:54 next lap, but the flow was gone. He pitted in. Mechanics pushed his neutralized car back to the garage, smoke wisping from the front tires. The brake discs were glowing red-hot.
Min Hee-yeon felt a thrill from the raw heat of the racing scene—something she hadn't sensed in ages—but she consciously suppressed it.
Han Dae-jin climbed out, and Kim Ji-hyun marched up, smacking his helmet with her fist. "Paddle shift!"
"Sorry," Han Dae-jin muttered.
"You do dun-dun! Why the fuck dun-dun-dun!? Are you insane? You love those paddles that much?" Kim Ji-hyun grilled him as he peeled off the helmet, HANS, and balaclava.
"I don't even know," Han Dae-jin admitted.
"Jesus... what am I gonna do with you? Take a break first. Hop back in soon."
Kim Ji-hyun geared up herself—balaclava, helmet, HANS. Han Dae-jin slumped in a folding chair, chugging water. Once the mechanics finished checks, she hopped in, yanked the bucket seat rail lever to adjust position, and prepped to launch.
The deputy signaled go. Kim Ji-hyun spun the tires, billowing smoke, and shot out.
Han Dae-jin jumped up, heading to pit wall to film her out-lap. She appeared soon after; he captured it.
Meanwhile, the deputy called him over to watch Kim Ji-hyun's live onboard feed.
Smooth, firm braking into corner 1, then threading 1-2-3 like a KTX train splitting a junction—flawless line. Down to second precisely at 4, turn-in. She went wide, then clipped a late apex. Her lines through the rest were textbook perfection for Han Dae-jin.
Her lap: a monstrous 1:49.432. Mechanics cheered and snapped pics.
"No fuss. With B720s, coilovers, and mapping, that should've been the baseline," the deputy said. Still, Blue Motorsports techs whispered about how she really drove the car.
Kim Ji-hyun pitted, ignoring the time to review vehicle data beamed to AIM2SOLO and Three Seconds. She chatted with the deputy.
"B720s are solid. Still room from 1 to 3."
"Han Dae-jin, get it now? That's the gap between pros and you," the deputy said.
"Nah, Dae-jin, you're pulling near semi-pro times. Just..." Kim Ji-hyun compared their data. Verdict: Han Dae-jin wasn't fully exploiting the B720 performance. No unity with the tires.
Testing wrapped. Han Dae-jin and Min Hee-yeon headed back to their Inje Circuit hotel room.
He showered, emerging to see her silhouetted against the open window, smoking.
"What're you thinking?"
"You, them... why do you all go so crazy for cars?"
"I told you before."
"That's addict excuses. I need the real reason."
Han Dae-jin scowled, annoyed. "Doesn't change it. Infinite potential. Because we can win."
"You can win outside too."
"Then why'd you come today?" he snapped irritably.
"Just... wanted to see why you push so hard. I'm not interrogating—I'm protecting you. That racing suit? 5 mil on card installments? Rational spending?"
He sighed, collapsing onto the bed. "That's..."
"Cheaper ones existed. Saw plenty elsewhere."
"No, those are..."
"What? All excuses. Dae-jin, snap out of it. You should be interviewing, tweaking resumes, self-intros. I know you nail career histories, but think what companies want now."
Han Dae-jin stripped to underwear and flopped onto the bed. Min Hee-yeon shifted beside him, perching.
"What about new grads?"
"They work harder than you, but too robotic. No heart."
A mix of relief and irritation washed over him. Insult or praise?
"I want stability with you. Not this daily thrill-ride anxiety."
"Yeah... stability's nice..." He muttered, avoiding her eyes.
She lay beside him.
A bit later, they joined Kim Ji-hyun and the team for dinner at a nearby restaurant.
Han Dae-jin's table: Kim Ji-hyun, Min Hee-yeon, deputy, chief mechanic.
"Objectively, Dae-jin, your talent's solid," the chief said, grilling meat.
"Thanks."
"No bullshit—real talk. Know you beat the team leader in spots today?"
Han Dae-jin blinked, surprised. "Where...?"
"10 through 13. Insane in that technical section. Just a second off in high-speed bits."
Kim Ji-hyun, embarrassed, told everyone to eat.
"Still, tons to learn. Needs tempering. Stamina's key. Endurance means at least an hour; past 30 minutes, average fitness tanks hard," Deputy Kim Kyung-jun said.
Han Dae-jin nodded.
"So no pussyfooting tonight, kid. Early bed, meet at dawn. Track walk and chat."
"Got it," Han Dae-jin replied.
Min Hee-yeon shot Han Dae-jin and Kim Ji-hyun a glare.