Vroooom.
At the throaty exhaust note coming from the speaker, Kim Min-seok folded his arms.
On the monitor in front of Han Seongtae’s seat was a roadside scene with a parked truck.
Below it sat a speedometer, and, like a navigation screen, a green arrow pointed in one direction.
‘It’s his first time driving since we got our licenses at nineteen. Will he do all right?’
Han Seongtae and Kim Min-seok had earned their licenses on the same day at the same hour.
Written test to road test, they had ridden in the same car, watching each other drive, so Min-seok knew Seongtae’s skill well.
‘He was just average.’
As far as Min-seok remembered, Seongtae’s driving had been nothing special. It was clumsy in spots, scraping by to pass the exam.
Calling it “good” would be generous.
“Not going to start?”
Maybe he was nervous; Seongtae, gripping the wheel, didn’t move for a while.
Min-seok’s brow twitched at the sight.
“I will.”
Seongtae’s voice came, and the truck he was “driving” rolled forward.
Min-seok had no great expectations for his skill.
Vroooom!
The instant Seongtae hit the pedal, Min-seok was dumbfounded.
In a flash the gears climbed to sixth. The truck was soon flirting with 200 km/h.
‘What the hell… two-hundred here?’
Even if it was virtual driving, still…
Seongtae looked nothing like someone just trying to get the feel of a wheel. He looked like a racer on the grid.
“Hmm…”
Even while rocketing past cars, Seongtae smacked his lips as though dissatisfied.
Min-seok had planned to watch quietly, ready to console him for mediocre driving.
He’d expected poor performance, however…
‘Since when can he drive like this?’
It was impressive enough to draw involuntary admiration.
Was this reckless driver really his friend?
“You crazy? Who does 200 in here!”
“Right here.”
“Wow.”
“Still, not bad. No crashes and kept the signals.”
“Oh, bravo.”
At Seongtae’s answer Min-seok clicked his tongue then watched him feed another 1,000 won bill into the machine, shaking his head.
‘At least he’s damn good at it.’
Somewhere along the line, he found himself admitting Seongtae’s driving skill.
Vroooom.
Pressing the pedal, Seongtae felt a strange thrill.
Even if it was a virtual road, 200 km/h was a whole different story. No wonder Min-seok had called him insane.
‘I know it’s weird, but…’
If he didn’t, his whole body itched. Once his hands were on the wheel, he wanted to go flat out.
[‘One Who Lives by Speed and Dies by Speed’ feels regret that you aren’t driving for real.]
‘If I did this in real life, I’d get arrested.’
Doing this on an actual road? The police would haul him off. No question asked.
And that’s if he didn’t die in a wreck.
There are things you simply don’t do in reality unless the road were empty.
“Fun?”
“Yeah, it’s fun.”
He nodded to Min-seok’s question behind him.
It was not real-world adrenaline, yet watching the truck blaze along was alluring. He felt a vicarious satisfaction.
“I could do this forever.”
He’d never imagined driving would be so enjoyable: the pedal’s give, the brushes past other cars… every moment was thrilling.
“Still, it’s a bit disappointing.”
“What is?”
“Real driving must be even more fun.”
Min-seok made an odd face, unseen by Seongtae as he floored the pedal with a sigh.
The faster he went, the more exhilarated he felt and the more he wanted the real thing.
“Quit already. You’ve been on that an hour.”
“Already?”
“You’re so focused you didn’t notice. Even the staff is staring.”
A glance back showed the clerks at reception sneaking peeks.
Not ten or twenty minutes. He’d had his hands on the wheel a full hour.
‘Maybe I overdid it.’
He’d come just to taste it but ended up running wild.
“I guess I should stop.”
“You know you’ve spent nearly ten-thousand won?”
“Yeah…”
He rarely spent money, yet he’d blown almost ten thousand on driving practice. It felt strange.
“One more go.”
“You maniac!”
Min-seok groaned as Seongtae pulled out another 1000-won bill.
[‘One Who Lives by Speed and Dies by Speed’ nods, fully understanding your heart.]
[‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ mutters that he can’t fathom wasting time on driving.]
[‘One Who Defined His Era’ imagines how cool you’d look in a suit behind the wheel someday.]
Over an hour later, they finally left the test center.
“You’re something else for sitting there a whole hour.”
“I wouldn’t have come if I’d only planned a couple runs.”
“Then you should’ve gone to an arcade. Let me play a game while you’re at it.”
At that, Seongtae paused mid-stride. Min-seok grabbed his arm, alarmed.
“Hey… No way.”
“…”
“Seriously, an hour’s enough. Where are you going now?”
“Min-seok.”
“Yeah…?”
“You’re a genius.”
Come to think of it, there was no need to stay at the test site. There was an arcade near his place with racing games.
As Seongtae moved, intent on more driving, Min-seok blocked him.
“Stop it. Today’s done. Next time, okay?”
“Since we’re out, we might as well finish today.”
“You have acting practice!”
Phone in hand, searching for the arcade, Seongtae looked up at that.
“Your audition’s soon. You need to practice.”
“Right, the audition.”
“You can drive anytime. Let’s go practice.”
“Fine…”
Driving was fun, but never more fun than acting.
Nothing outranked acting for him.
“Heading straight home?”
“Yeah. You?”
“I’ll work on the screenplay.”
Their homes lay in opposite directions.
Parting halfway, Seongtae ran toward his place.
After a while…
Grrraaahh!
With a tiger-like roar, a car stopped at the light: a red coupe, low and sleek.
He knew that car. From an American movie that had impressed him: a Toyota Supra.
[‘One Who Lives by Speed and Dies by Speed’ makes a curious face.]
[He casts you a sidelong glance, saying it feels nostalgic.]
The message made Seongtae’s eyes tremble uneasily.
‘Don’t tell me he wants me to buy that?’
A Supra isn’t something you can buy without serious money.
He tried to look away but kept glancing back.
From the movie he’d thought: What a beautiful machine.
‘So cars like that exist nowadays.’
Browsing various models on his phone, he kept exclaiming.
In his past life, he had no money and no interest in cars.
But since seeing that Supra, he’d found many stunning designs.
“So this is why people go crazy for cars.”
[‘One Who Lives by Speed and Dies by Speed’ says once you’re hooked you can’t escape.]
Glancing at the message, Seongtae set the phone down.
[The speed-loving god smiles at you.]
The god said nothing else, but Seongtae half-worried he might ask for a purchase.
‘Better practice.’
He’d spent thirty minutes scrolling cars. Any more than that, he might fall in too deep.
Picking up the script, all worry vanished. He could focus on acting entirely.
“Whew…”
After a long read he exhaled deeply.
‘It’s just too interesting.’
The more he read the more certain he felt he had to be in Race Start.
Maybe the feeling was stronger after driving. Having fun at the wheel plus acting? Irresistible.
[‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ is sure your effort will make it happen.]
[‘One Who Defined His Era’ tells you to keep going just as you are, no need to fret.]
[‘Founder of Jeet Kune Do’ says nothing clears stray thoughts like exercise, urging you to go run outside.]
Smiling at the messages, Seongtae felt there was nothing impossible with the gods beside him.
Effort.
If he only worked hard, he believed he could turn impossibility to possibility.
In his past life, he had lacked talent. In this one, the gods were filling that gap.
Bzzzz.
Late into the night, while still studying the script, his phone rang.
“Yes, Manager.”
—Seongtae-ssi, your audition date is set.
With that, Jeong Du-sik told him it was time.
A small smile tugged at Seongtae’s lips.
[‘Man of a Thousand Faces’ sparkles.]
Now it was time to act.
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