Welcome to Your Last Race (Street Racers #3)

10. Wooshik

No matter how hard she pretends to ignore me, there is no resistance when I walk by, grab her wrist and pull her behind me. We met seven years ago, at a race. It was a few years after all the shit that happened between me and Hyoshin, while I continued showing up times and times again, doing my shit, no matter how much crap everyone said about me.

That's why we met. Because she didn't have the guts to 'be herself' and she wanted to know how I was doing that. Back then, she had black hair reaching her hips and wore the most natural-looking make-up someone can do. And jeans. I haven't seen her in a pair of pants in the past 5 years.

Now she also wears thick and long eyeliner, funky make-up, shaved her head and dyed it pink, and refuses to wear clothes that are not pink.

We were always independent best friends. And when two years ago I told her I'm moving to Seoul, she packed half of my bags.

I feel like I have a right to be mad.

"What. Are. You. Doing?"

She crosses her arms on her chest. Pink fake – she's vegan – fur sliding off her shoulders. "I told you. I'm racing."

"Are you fucking kidding me? You're not talking to some random classmate you haven't seen in a decade. And you're not racing with the first guy you saw in a supermarket."

Park Hyoshin isn't just some asshole we may or may not hang around. Not a random guy we both dislike but don't really care about. It's a common enemy, even if every reason to consider him one happened almost ten years ago.

"What the hell do you want me to tell you, Wooshik?" she asks, frustrated.

"Why are you doing this?! Why are you racing with him?! For him?!"

"I have to! I had no idea it was against you, okay?! I didn't know, but now I can't back out!"

The air cools down as I wait with an answer. As I think of an answer.

"What do you mean?" I ask eventually.

"Why would I tell you?"

"Are we really not best friends anymore?"

She looks away, so I take it in my hands. I know Sue, and I know she got into some shit that made her feel stupid to face me.

"We are. We are best friends, and you can try your best, and you're not going to change it. I didn't leave you for Taehyung. You know damn well why I moved, and you supported me. And when I was leaving I fucking promised nothing is gonna change between us. And it didn't. We stayed in touch, as always. Until two months ago. Around when we went into the Japan Race, you stopped answering calls and texts. So did Garam, and I'm sure you've told them to. First of all, why? Second of all, we're still best friends, you dumbass, so talk to me."

When she looks back at Hyoshin, heaves the deepest sigh and hides behind her palms, I have no doubts she's not doing this voluntarily.

"Not here," she mumbles.

So I grab her wrist again and pull her away. Through the crowd and then behind it, until we're far behind all the parked cars. I sit on the hood of one, where no one can really see us but where we can see everything, and show her to sit next to me.

"I'm sorry. For the first race," she says, propping her feet against the bumper. "I didn't want to be rude about your boyfriend. I know you're happy, I could see it two years ago. And I think not giving up on him was the best thing you've ever done."

"I am happy, but it doesn't mean I was unhappy when I was in Daegu."

"You were unhappy in Daegu," she says, like she knows me better than I do. And maybe she's not entirely wrong. "You were unhappy because of what Hyoshin did to you, because of shit that was happening afterwards, because you had no competition to race, because you were lonely and wanted to fall in love. I know you were unhappy, and you won't trick me. But it's okay, I'm not mad about it. I'm happy you're here because you're much happier than ever before."