Welcome to Your Last Race (Street Racers #3)

7. Taehyung

The next day, all four of us are back in our apartment. I guess it's becoming some sort of a headquarters. Which makes this situation unnecessarily serious. I'm not even sure how to treat this guy seriously. Not only because of his past with Wooshik. That alone makes me have absolutely zero respect for him.

But then he sends me a text – however he got my number – with those fucking 'rules'. I'm looking at it now, and I've been looking at it for the past thirty minutes. It's ridiculous. Who the fuck does he think he is? Does he think he can just... come into my life, my community, my place like this, and dictate me what I can and can't do?

I fucking hate how much it reminds me of the time I still lived with my family. They had no right to tell me what was good and what wasn't, what was useless and what wasn't. Yet they invaded my space only to tell me how fucking pointless everything in my life was. Now he barges in, telling me I will quit racing, because he is threatened.

I let them walk all over me before. I'm not doing this again. Even if I'm logically and obviously better than him. Even if he and I both know it.

"Do we have a plan, then?" Yeeun asks, on the ground, playing with Boogie.

"Defeat him and his team. Make the race big," Jungkook says. "Sounds easy."

"Except that it's not," Wooshik says. "The first part isn't, at least. We won't just win."

"What do you mean?" I ask, finally locking the phone, and throw it onto the couch.

"He's a mediocre racer. So he tries in other ways," Wooshik says. "According to the rules, he's only going to race you if we win. Which means he'll do everything to make our team lose."

I sigh. "Yoongi said he's got small crimes on his account. So he's mildly dangerous."

"We gotta do what we did in Tokyo," Jungkook says. "And stay careful. We can do it."

"What about the team?" Yeeun asks. "There's four of us. We need three more."

"Hoseok, Yoongi's friend, Sana," I say.

It gets quiet as soon as I say it. They are all looking at me like they're saying 'Sana? What the fuck?'

"I know," I continue. "Sana is... not your preferred company, but she's good. And we all know a few years ago she was the one to sabotage women in our races. Which isn't good, but she'll know the drill."

"I hate how right you are." Yeeun sighs.

"Besides... she's mean when it comes to racing, but she's not all that horrible," I say, scratching my arm. "Back when I was still pretending to be straight, she left the clubs or races with me a few times. As a... coverage. Even if she knew why, she never asked or said anything."

"I might have an idea why," Yeeun says, with a sigh, "but I don't think it's my place to tell anyone."

"So Sana has a heart, shocking," Jungkook says. "Any back-up if she doesn't agree?"

"I can bring my friends from Daegu," Wooshik says.

"And that guy from Yoongi? When is he coming?" Yeeun asks.

I check my phone. "Today, for sure. Yoongi said he's been racing for years, too. If he's in the team, it'll be easier to make sure all of us are safe."

The wait makes it all worse. I have way too much time to think.

How do I always end up in some shit like this?

I could leave. Sure. I could just... not race him, because I don't need to prove myself. But I'll still give him the fucking satisfaction. Of me giving in. Giving him what he wants. It's like... as if I listened to my family and quit racing and did all the other shit that would make them happy.