017
Finish Line[CONTENTID1]17[/CONTENTID1]
[CONTENTID2]Say Something[/CONTENTID2]
[CONTENTID3]
Lisa opened the bathroom door and walked out. "Baekhyun Byun, close your eyes."
"Fine, it's closed. Come on!" He said impatiently.
"I don't trust you," She said. "Sehun..."
The engineer walked to Baekhyun and covered his eyes with his big hands. "What the ? Sehun, let go..."
"Sorry hyung..."
"Ok, ready?" She giggled. "Come out, Ryu."
The girl stepped out and closed the door. She touched her bangs and stood in front of her boyfriend with hands locked. "Look at me, Mr. Byun."
Hearing her voice, Baekhyun took Sehun's hands and removed them fast. He stood up as soon as he opened his eyes. "Good God..."
"Does it look nice?"
"Nice?" He walked to her. "I won't let you dye your hair ever again..."
Lisa giggled. "You fell all over again, didn't you?"
He nodded. "She is like an angel..."
"Baekhyun... what the hell, I'm not that beautiful..." She whispered.
"Yeah," He cupped her face. "Beautiful is not a good word... what can we say to someone extremely beautiful?"
"Uh... lovely?" Lisa said.
"We can also say magnificent."
"Sehun, that word is used for places or objects, not people... come on, you are living in England for more than ten years now."
"Whatever," He crossed his arms. "English is not my mother tongue."
Lisa shook her head, chuckling. "You can also say... stunning."
"Stop," Ryujin removed his hands quickly. "You are making me feel shy..." Her sentence made them laugh.
"So, we are leaving now..." Sehun whispered, looking at the clock.
"Thanks a lot, oppa. This is really good," The female racer bowed.
"No big deal," He smiled as he opened the door. "Good night."
"Good night, hon!" Lisa walked out of the room.
"Night!" The couple waved.
Baekhyun and Ryujin were about to close the door that they saw a girl passing as fast as a jet. "Hey, Irene!" The four looked at her who ran to her room without any attention.
"What happened to her?" Lisa asked.
"I think she got rejected."
"Yah, Baekhyun!" Ryujin nudged him.
"What?"
■■■
Yixing lay on his bed and breathed out deeply. His heart was racing since he heard her words. "Irene..." Her words... what was that again?
• Thirty minutes ago
"It was my honor to dine with you," Yixing said as they stepped out of the restaurant. "So... why did you want to talk to me? You said there was a special reason and you'll tell after having dinner."
Irene bit her lower lip nervously as she walked in the beach to their hotel along side the Chinese racer. "I... just wanted to spend some time with you."
"Just this?"
She cleared . "And another thing..."
He raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. "What is that thing? Tell me, I'm curious."
She stopped and looked at her feet. "It is ridiculous. I'm thirty five now and... feeling this way is..." She closed her eyes tightly. "Look, Yixing... I don't know how to express how I feel right now. Just... when I'm with you... I feel happy, not just happy. I feel the joy I've never felt since I can't remember when. I feel secure, which I haven't felt for years. I feel relaxed... the feeling that I've forgotten the meaning..."
"Irene, what are you... trying to say?" He asked. Yixing had guessed what she was referring to, but he needed to hear it by his own ears. He really wanted to make sure.
"I..." She opened her eyes. "When I'm with you, I feel like I'm in love."
"What..."
"I love you, Yixing..." She dropped her head. "I understand if you don't accept me. I'm a thirty five year-old single mother. You are a world champion. Certainly, you want someone younger, prettier and without a child," She chuckled. "Here I am, thinking I have a chance. I'm really sorry," She sniffed. "Just please, let's stay friends, huh?"
"I... I..."
"I'm sorry again..." She left him alone and walked to their hotel fast.
Yixing covered his mouth. "Irene loves me too!" He whispered and sat up. He looked at his hands, they were trembling. "What's wrong with me?"
"What is it?" His friend and a member of his team asked.
"Sanchez, I..." He rubbed his nape. "Can I ask you something?"
"What's that?" He sat on the edge of the latter's bed.
"Let's say, I have a friend who had a crush on this girl..."
"Ok?"
"And... this girl," He paused. "Confessed to my friend while ago."
"You've received a confession from your crush, Yixing?"
"No!"
He chuckled. "Ok, tell your friend to tell that girl that the feeling is mutual and date her."
"But I don't-" He bit his lower lip. "I meant, my friend doesn't think his mother would like the idea."
"Why?"
"This girl, who is my friend's crush, is a single mother."
Sanchez rolled his eyes. "Come on Yixing! You are a mature man, are you going to lose her because of that silly reason?"
"I... I just don't want to cause another heartbreak," He mumbled. "I love her so much that I'd rather let her go and go through the pain than break her heart later on..."
"So, you have a crush on someone," He smirked. "Getcha!"
"Sanchez! Be serious!"
He laughed. "Look," He breathed deeply. "As I know Mrs. Zhang, she is a wise woman, she'll understand once you explain. Don't worry and trust your heart."
He sighed. "Ok."
■■■
Ryujin lay on the bed. "Wow..." She turned to her left and looked at the ocean. "How breathtaking..."
Her view was blocked with Baekhyun's legs. He bent down. "What are you looking at?" He titled his head with a big smile. "Wow, you are really pretty!" He lay on the bed next to her.
Ryujin moved backwards a little. "How old were you when you lost your father?" She asked.
"Hmm?" He mumbled. "I was... I think I was nine," He moved closer and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Yeah, that is it. Soyeon was two years old only. Why do you ask?"
"You have been through a lot," She pressed her lips together. "Your parents' divorce, your father's remarriage, your father's death, your mother's ignorance, your immigration to England, your struggles with your hyung, your relationship with Suzy, your efforts in formula one..." She listed. "And this World Championship's incidents..."
"Wow... that's a lot," He chuckled. "Who thought I could handle these all?" He wondered. "Auntie Tiff says when she first met me in the hospital, she was scared to cuddle me, because I looked too fragile."
"Now you are a strong man," She said, looking into his eyes straightly. "I'm proud of you..."
"This... is the best sentence I've ever heard from you," He moved forward to give her a kiss, but she turned away. The boy froze for a moment and smiled thinly. "I love you."
She turned to the other side. Her back was now what Baekhyun could see. "Have you seen the articles about us?" She took her phone and touched Google app.
"No. I haven't yet." He moved closer to her to have a good view of the phone.
"Racers in love: From hate to love?" She read. "Or this one, say hi to Mercedes couple, Ryujin Jung and Baekhyun Byun."
"Jung made Byun's heart race in the race," Baekhyun laughed. "How did they come up with such a title?"
"Because they are reporters?" She mumbled. "But this one got my attention. It says... will we be able to see a kiss in a circuit? Jung and Byun are dating."
"They want us to kiss in front of millions of eyes? Stupid."
"Yeah, I think so. I'm never going to do that."
"Me either..."
■■■
Johnny was sitting in the circuit's fast food restaurant, waiting for his pizza to be ready.
"May I sit here?"
He raised his head and his eyes shined at the sight of Suzy Bae. "Of course. Of course you can," He moved on his chair and sat formally. "Do you want anything to eat?"
"I've ordered something," She put her phone on the table. "I wanted to talk to you, John."
"What is it?"
"I wanted to know if your feelings towards me are still alive."
He laughed. "They are," He whispered. "Are you going to give me a chance?"
"Um..." She bit her lower lip. "Now that Ryujin and Baekhyun are dating officially, there is no good reason to wait. I... I am already rejected by him, aren't I?" She locked her hands together. "So if there is someone who is trying hard to have my attention, I want to give him a chance."
"Thanks..." He whispered. "I'll do anything to prove my honesty. Thank you, Suzy. Thank you."
She smiled as she looked at the excited boy in front of her, one hand cupping her chin. It suddenly felt so right. Everything about Johnny looked weird before, but now... it was crystal clear. Johnny was being honest with a woman for the first time in his whole life.
■■■
Yixing was standing in the hallway when he saw Mercedes team walking out of the lift. "Hey Yixing!" Baekhyun waved.
"Buddy," He walked to them. "Coming back from practice?"
"Yeah..." He replied.
"Nice," He looked at Irene and she avoided his eyes immediately. "May I talk to Ms. Jung?"
"Ryujin?" Sehun raised an eyebrow. "Why?"
"It's a personal matter."
"She has a boyfriend," Johnny stepped forward. "If that is your personal thing..."
"I know, Mister..." He pushed him backwards with his index finger. "I want to talk to her and it is private."
"Fine... we'll leave," Baekhyun started walking and others followed him, but he stopped all of a
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