The Man Who Builds Champions
"Nice to meet you, Kim."
He took the outstretched hand. It was enormous, and rock-solid.
"The pleasure's mine."
He answered briefly and dipped his head.
Toto Wolff.
Team Principal of the Mercedes F1 team, and the visionary who had built the Mercedes of today. When the power unit regulations changed, he had prepared perfectly and devoured the Constructors' Championship year after year — anyone who lived through that era knew his name.
One of the few men in Formula 1 who could make a driver's career — or end it.
And that man was standing in front of a seventeen-year-old F2 driver.
"Make yourself comfortable. You're not here to sign a contract today."
"Understood."
"Of course, you know why we called you here, don't you?"
Toto said it with a smile. His tone was light, as if trying to ease the tension — but his eyes weren't smiling at all.
The gap between the two hit Yihyeon hard.
It was proof enough that Toto Wolff was not a man to be taken lightly.
"I do."
Kim Yihyeon answered.
"You want to test whether I'm worthy of the Seat."
Toto's eyebrows rose slightly.
"…That's very direct."
"Am I wrong?"
"No. It's refreshing, honestly."
A short laugh burst out of him.
Just then, the man standing beside him stepped forward.
"I'm Bono."
A plain, understated greeting.
…Bono.
Anyone with even a passing interest in F1 knew this race engineer. On the far side of the radio, behind the drivers they called the best in the business, this man was always there. In the team that forged champions, the voice that had whispered into a champion's ear.
And in his first life — he had been Yihyeon's race engineer too.
"I'll be running your test session today."
"I look forward to working with you."
"The car you'll drive today is a race car from two years ago. Regulations won't allow us to run the new model. Even so, it will be nothing like what you drove in F2."
He knew.
As Kim Yihyeon gave a calm nod, Bono continued his briefing.
"Simply put: this morning is system checks and basic running. This afternoon, you'll drive two hours flat-out, like a real race. Any questions?"
"Just one."
Kim Yihyeon looked Bono and Toto in the eye.
"When does the test start?"
"We could start right now if you wanted. But you'll need time to settle your nerves and prepare, so—"
"No. Then I'd like to start now."
For a moment, the garage went quiet.
"…Right now?"
"Yes. My apologies if I seemed impatient."
Kim Yihyeon added, level and unhurried.
"But in the end, what the team wants is my real data, isn't it? I want to prove my worth as well, so I don't see the need for a long conversation."
Silence.
At the somewhat abrupt remark, Toto and Bono exchanged a glance.
It could have come across as rude at first brush — but somehow, it didn't to them.
If anything, they liked the confidence it showed. And besides, they wanted to see for themselves where that confidence came from.
After a moment's consideration, Toto uncrossed his arms.
"Very well."
The decision came fast.
"It suits us fine, too. Get ready."
The garage sprang to life all at once.
Tire warmers came off, air guns whirred, and mechanics swarmed around the car to begin setup.
In the middle of all that noise, Kim Yihyeon changed and stepped out.
A fireproof race suit in silver and black — Mercedes colors. Team sponsor logos ran in a neat row across the chest.
It was a test-issue suit, so it didn't fit his frame perfectly, but it was close enough.
Just a touch long in the sleeves, that's all.
He was pulling on his gloves and taking out his balaclava when someone came up behind him.
"Yihyeon."
It was Louise, who had come along with him. She offered a soft smile.
"Nervous?"
Nervous. It would be a lie to say he wasn't, but it wasn't anything major. If anything, excited was probably the more accurate word — though saying that might make him sound like a bit of a weirdo.
"A little?"
"Really? Impressive."
"What is?"
"Being only a little nervous. I'm not the one being tested, and I'm shaking like a leaf over here."
"Why are you shaking on my behalf?"
"Tell me about it. It's not my problem, but I guess I think of it like it is."
She's always been like this.
Cheering from beside him as if it were her own fight, celebrating with him when he won, grieving with him when he lost.
She was like a deep-rooted tree you could lean on.
In his first life, he should have treasured her a little more for it.
…And all that's left is regret.
He decided not to dwell on those thoughts. Things would be different this time anyway.
"Yihyeon."
"Yeah?"
"You look like a proper race driver in that."
"I am a race driver?"
"Silly. I mean an F1 driver."
Louise straightened his collar once, then smoothed the wrinkles from his shoulders with her hands.
"I've been thinking about this the whole way here."
"Yeah?"
"We've known each other since we were kids, remember? When you came over to Europe and ended up living with us, back when you were racing F4."
Her hands paused on his shoulders.
"And that little kid is standing here wearing this now. I'm so proud of you."
"……"
When he just looked at her, she scratched her head, embarrassed.
"…Did I sound too much like your mom? Anyway — don't think about anything today. Don't strain to impress anyone, either."
Then she stepped closer and pulled him into a light embrace.
"Just drive the way you always do. That'll be more than enough. I believe in our Yihyeon."
Her voice at his ear trembled, just slightly.
Kim Yihyeon closed his eyes for a moment.
"……Noona."
"Mm?"
"Just believe in me, and sit back and watch with Uncle. I'll show you."
He had to answer that trust.
He wouldn't crumble the way he had in his first life, neglecting her, hurting her.
"I know. I'll be waiting."
Louise tapped his shoulder lightly with a finger.
"Go get 'em."
With her send-off, Kim Yihyeon pulled on his balaclava, settled the helmet over it, and lowered himself into the cockpit.
And the moment he slotted the steering wheel — handed over by the mechanics — onto the hub—
Click.
[SYSTEM CHECK]
As the mechanisms locked together, the steering display lit up in his field of vision.
A familiar screen.
One he hadn't seen in three years since being thrown out of the Mercedes seat in his first life — and was seeing for the very first time in this one.
"Kim, do you read me?"
Bono's voice echoed inside the helmet.
"Loud and clear."
"Good. How's the seat fit?"
"Fine."
"Give the pedals a press, one at a time."
He pressed the accelerator, then the brake.
Both were in a different league from any ordinary road car — remarkably heavy.
"Good. Pedals all check out. We're going to fire up the power unit now."
"Copy."
A low vibration rose from behind his back.
And then—
Vrooom—
The V6 hybrid engine woke.
The exhaust note slammed against the garage walls, and the vibration traveled up through the seat and into his spine.
"……"
Kim Yihyeon held his breath for a beat. Beneath the exhaust note, the thin, high whine of the electric motor layered itself in.
"One last thing before you go. Your out-lap will be slow. Focus only on bringing the tire and brake temperatures up, and getting used to the car. Pushing comes after that."
"Understood."
"And Kim."
Bono paused for a moment.
"If you do get nervous, you can say so anytime."
Nervous.
"…No. If anything, I'm excited."
"Excited — I like the sound of that. Then let's begin."
Before long, he felt the car, which had been jacked up, settle down onto the ground.
And the instant the mechanic waved him out of the garage—
WHAAANG—!!
The silver race car carrying Kim Yihyeon slipped out of the garage like a blade drawn from its sheath.
As he made his way down the pit lane, Kim Yihyeon focused entirely on the feel of his fingertips.
…The steering is light.
As expected, an F1 race car was on another plane from F2. Even with the pit lane speed limiter engaged, he could feel clearly how much more responsive the car was.
And the circuit he'd be driving this hyper-sensitive machine around was… the Red Bull Ring.
Relatively short compared to other circuits.
Not many corners, and the straights are long.
The elevation changes were drastic too, which made it a contradictory track — difficult and easy all at once.
Meanwhile, the race car finally emerged from the pit lane.
Turn One came straight at him. Beyond the corner stretched a long uphill straight, and as he ran through it, flicking the car lightly left and right in weaving—
"Tire temps looking good. Brakes are coming up too."
"Copy."
The tire temperatures climbed right into the window.
At the same time, with every braking zone, the pedal grew a touch softer under his foot. Proof that the temperatures were coming up properly.
Then through Turn Three and into the downhill run.
On the Red Bull Ring's signature straight, he buried the throttle to the floor — and the car shot forward in an instant.
……This is insane.
The sensation was completely different from F2. It wasn't just the setup — the sense of speed itself was on another level.
And at the same moment, the downforce pressed the car into the tarmac.
While he was busy readjusting to a Mercedes race car for the first time in three years — counting his days before regression — a full lap had somehow already slipped by.
"Kim, all temperatures in the normal range. You brought them up faster than we expected."
"Copy."
"Then you're clear to push from this lap on."
"Copy that."
The instant after — the final corner spat him out, and the long straight of the main stretch unrolled before his eyes—
WHAAAMMMMM———!!!!!!
Kim Yihyeon's silver race car surged forward, a raw howl of engine note in its wake.