█ chapter o2;

"Yae na gateun ae eodido eobeo."

"There's no one else like me anywhere."

-

Slipping into the driver’s seat, Kumi kept her cool while still watching the childish morons joke amongst themselves. Oh, how she anticipated to see their egos deflate right before their eyes. She grew impatient, so she revved her engine to help the boys get a move on. After all, she didn’t have all night. It certainly startled the boys, who jumped up at the sound, earning snickers from the other racers. Glaring at her, Myungsoo stomped over to his ricer-looking Honda S2000 and slammed the door shut.

One of Hero’s teammates, known as Micky, approached her car with a GPS device. Kumi rolled down her window to accept it. It displayed her car as a blinking blue dot. Kumi wondered how they had already programmed her car into it. There was a yellow line that traveled from her starting position, zigzagging through a few city streets and back to headquarters. Kumi nodded her thanks to Micky, but he didn’t leave just yet. Instead, he gave her a grin.

“You know, if this race doesn’t work out…at least you’ll know where to find me.” Micky told her in a voice that was low enough for only her to hear.

Kumi gave him a look of disgust. “I’d rather find a weasel in the trunk of my car and have it scratch my eyes out.”

“Ooh, feisty. Just the way I like ‘em!” Micky retorted as he walked away.

God, Kumi thought. Were there actually any decent guys around here? It was times like these that she wished her boyfriend were here. He’d beat these tards up so bad, their ability to race would be permanently impaired. After all, he was the reason she started racing in the first place.

She was on a mission, a mission to find out who he raced against the last time anyone saw him alive. This tournament could help her find clues to figure out what happened last night. The police reported it as a car accident. Bull-ing-. Kumi knew that he was racing against a dangerous crew and he wouldn’t allow her to tag along with him.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Kumi proceeded to follow Myungsoo’s car out of the parking structure and onto the street. His car had a blue neon underglow and a giant, obnoxious exhaust pipe. A yellow flame that was painted alongside the car’s side ruined its exterior. Was this guy for real? Kumi almost felt embarrassed to race him.

A woman with wavy brown hair, long legs and embellished shorts clutched onto two checkered cloths. She stood right in between the two cars as many guys wolf-whistled at her. Her makeup was done smoky and her lips were in a playful pout. Her eyes traveled from Myungsoo, then to Kumi. Someone called out the woman’s name.

“SunJin! Looking hot!” a man with a big, gold watch on his wrist called out.

“Shut up, Chansung!” the guy next to him laughed, shoving his friend playfully.

SunJin just blew a kiss at the one named Chansung and held up the checkered flags. They dangled from her hands and blew in the wind. Kumi saw the words three, two, one. Her hands came down and off the two cars went.

Accelerating down the road, both cars were off to a good start. They were head to head, but this was only the beginning. Myungsoo’s car pulled ahead of Kumi’s. The S2000 had started to cut her off and was trying to block her from going ahead of him. Not that she cared. No, she had a different plan. The first out of four designated turns was coming up. Myungsoo, being the ego-inflated child he was, shifted into fourth gear. His car gained an additional speed boost and was approaching the turn at an alarming rate.

Kumi smiled to herself. Perfect. Myungsoo tried drifting onto the next street, but because he was going too fast; it slid out of control. Kumi’s Infiniti easily made a right turn and sped down the street. Myungsoo, however, made a quick recovery and tore down the road after her. Kumi was aware of his comeback, but she had paid no heed to it. She knew that she was obviously the faster of the two cars. She kept her car no faster than the fourth gear since she didn’t need to speed up. Not yet, at least. Myungsoo was in her sights because she kept watch on him through her rearview mirror.

Coasting easily around the second turn, she felt a rush travel through her. This was fun, surprisingly. At first, she raced because she had forced herself to, not because it came from her heart. Now, she was beginning to understand why her boyfriend had loved racing so much. The thrill it gave her was starting to feel like what an alcoholic feels when he takes a shot of gin. Leaning back into her car’s leather seat, she down-shifted again as she made the third turn.

A construction site looked haunting in the moonlight. Tall, metal spires loomed above the ropes.

Kumi knew she was supposed to go around it because the GPS’ yellow path signified it, but she had other plans in mind. The Infiniti ripped past the caution tape and sailed under the towering structures. Kumi’s headlights glinted off the metal obstructions and caused her temporary blindness. She quickly recovered from it, however, and maneuvered around the obstacles. The caution tape ahead of her seemed like the finish line to a marathon. Breaking through it with Myungsoo on her tail, Kumi veered around the curb to finish the race.

Her car was met with surprised faces and dropped drinks. Min Ah and Soo Jin were leaning up against Soo Jin’s 300zx smirking coolly at Infinite, who had horrified looks plastered on their faces. Ha-Neul and Saerok had their hands on what seemed to be beers, they were toasting each other on the win. Hyun Ae showed a hint of a smile and gave Kumi a congratulatory look. Myungsoo drove in the parking structure and was met with more expressions of surprise. She slowly opened the car’s door and took a look around the room. Silence engulfed the room as she made her way over to join Soo Jin and Min Ah. Clearly angry, Myungsoo got out of his car.

“What the , did you guys see that? She cheated! She SO cheated!” he yelled out, coming closer to Kumi, but Hyun Ae stepped in front of him.

“She won fair and square. Leave her alone. Now!” Hyun Ae said in a threatening tone, staring Myungsoo down with her piercing eyes.

He turned to where Hero and his crew was, pointing at Kumi. “Did you see that? She totally cut across the construction site! It wasn’t even marked on the GPS!”

“Newsflash pretty boy,” Hyun Ae spoke up. “You followed her. So, aren’t you ratting yourself out as well?”

“You can shut the up! I want a rematch!” complained Myungsoo.

Hero got up from his perch and strode over to where Myungsoo, Hyun Ae and Kumi were standing. His eyes moved from Kumi to Myungsoo and his eyes rested there. The entire room was shocked at the next words that came out of his mouth. “I cannot believe you lost to a GIRL. What kind of man do you call yourself? I was actually counting on seeing you win, but there’s no doubt about it. All these people saw you for what you really were. A wannabe. Now get the hell out of here. You are of no use here.”

Myungsoo broke eye contact with Hero and dejectedly walked towards his crestfallen teammates. Maybe it was her umma instinct, but Min Ah felt like she had the need to defend the boy. Sure, he and his team acted like douchebags, but nobody deserved to be spoken to like that. Not even Infinite. They still looked like kids at heart, even though they were probably the same age as Ha-Neul.

“That’s enough, Hero. We all know they lost. That doesn’t mean you get to start being a prick to them.” Min Ah said, putting her hands on her hips.

“So what? You won your little race, didn’t you? Not that it matters, since you and your crappy team are going to lose, anyway. And quit the hero act. It makes me sick.”

With that, Hero turned around and headed towards his car. His team soon followed and after that, the entire headquarters gathered their things and started to leave as well. Some of the more civil men congratulated Kumi and one of them was daring and tried to cop a feel as he passed by her. It didn’t last long, however, because she was surprisingly dexterous and grabbed his hand before he could get within contact of her. He yelped and scurried away after her long fingernails dug into his arm, drawing blood.

Kumi smirked. “That’s what I thought.”

Myungsoo reluctantly came up to Kumi with a wad of cash in his hand. He wouldn’t look her in the eye as he pressed the money in her hand. As she tried to accept it, he wouldn’t let go of the money. A miniature game of tug-o-war had to take place before he finally gave it up and went back to rejoin his team. Running her hands over the bills, she counted out 600,000 won. She promptly handed it to Soo Jin, not knowing what to do with it.

Soo Jin stared in awe at the amount of money she now held in her hands. Still clutching the money, she entered her car through the passenger door. Kumi, Hyun Ae, Ha-Neul and Saerok stared at their leader as she just sat in the car. Min Ah, who knew Soo Jin better than anyone else in the team, felt compelled to tell them what to do.

“Meet at the garage. Now.”

-

Letting Saerok, Ha-Neul and Hyun Ae take her to a nightclub was NOT a good idea, thought Kumi as she was forcibly dragged out of a car. Min Ah had told them the whereabouts of a popular racer hangout and what better way to celebrate a win than by partying it up with the other street racers? Ha-Neul and Saerok had a firm grip on both of Kumi’s arms as they followed Hyun Ae to the entrance. It sure didn’t look like much. The door looked dingy and was covered in graffiti. An almost-faded ‘Do Not Enter’ sign was posted outside the door, but the girls paid no heed to it. Kumi struggled against her captors, but Saerok and Ha-Neul were strong, even for drunk people. They were so intoxicated that she could smell the alcohol in their breath from miles away.

“Didn’t you read the sign? It said ‘Do Not Enter.’ Now, go back to where you belong,” a tall man with a hefty build said after they finished walking down a small antechamber that led to the club’s entrance.

Ha-Neul, the drunker of the two, sized the man up. She squinted her eyes as she assessed what his potential weaknesses could be. Swaying from side to side, she looked more like a drunk than a fighter, but that was the guard’s mistake. All of a sudden, she punched the guard in the face, much to the delight of her companions. While he was in shock, she applied a sleeper hold technique by pressing two fingers on the guard’s carotid arteries and in a matter of seconds, he was sleeping like a baby. Flashing a peace sign as another result of her drunken stupor, Ha-Neul staggered inside the club.

The rest of the girls followed, trying not to stare at the entire venue in awe. The dance floor was filled with gyrating bodies and flashing strobe lights. Men placed huge sums of cash on the betting tables and occasionally puffed on their cigarettes. The DJ played a fast, upbeat song and Ha-Neul was instantly captivated. She rushed over to the dance floor to enjoy herself. Hyun Ae looked interested in the gambling tables, so she flounced over in curiosity. Not wanting to be left with an intoxicated Saerok, Kumi quickly followed. Pouting that she’d been left alone, Saerok wandered over to the bar.

“I’ll have a shot of tequila, please!” she slurred to the bartender, who was happy to oblige, seeing as she slapped down a 10,000 won bill on the counter.

The only other guy at the bar, stared at her and his face contorted in recognition. “Hey, I know you!”

Saerok looked up in confusion and tried to find out why this guy looked so familiar. Was he one of her brother’s friends? Or maybe he was the busboy at the restaurant she ate at that afternoon. If only the room would stop moving. He was still glaring at her after she put down her empty shot glass.

“C-can I heeeellllpyooouuuu?” she attempted to say, then laughed at her own impaired speech.

“I should have won that race,” the guy said in a serious tone. “That win was supposed to be mine.”

“Ohhhh, I know who you are!” Saerok giggled. “You’re that dude who…who lossst to Kumi today! ss for youuuu! Hahahaha!”

Myungsoo’s left eyebrow twitched. How dare she say that in front of his face! He was going to have to teach her a lesson. Setting his cocktail aside, he grabbed Saerok by the collar of her shirt. Taken by surprise, she let out a gasp as her head spun around. The action was too fast for her brain to process properly; her head was pounding. The sensation didn’t last long, however. Myungsoo was pulled back by a man whose face was filled with anger.

“Hasn’t your mother ever told you not to pick on girls?” he asked, pushing Myungsoo against the counter. “You lost the race; I saw you lose. You better leave this girl alone, or else…”

The man pulled what looked to be like a knife from his pocket, then quickly slipped it back in. Myungsoo looked so terrified that he scampered off to the dance floor to find his teammates. Saerok’s savior turned to look at her. “Are you alright?”

She didn’t know why, but she felt angry at this guy. What did he take her for? Helpless? “I’m fiiiine,” she snapped. “I can sssstick up for myselffff, thhhhank yooouuu.”

The man just laughed. “You’re so drunk, you can’t even pronounce your words correctly. Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

Saerok just glared at him, causing him to erupt into more laughter. Finally, he gave her one last amused glance. “You probably won’t remember me, but just in case. If you ever need a Superman, you’ll know who to come to next. Eunhyuk, superhero extraordinaire.”

With that, he walked off into the darkness, leaving Saerok all alone to ponder what he just said.

█ author's note;
okay, this is musicchibi and xaznbaybay! We're still going to be working on this story, but we made another story as well. You can apply for it! http://www.winglin.net/fanfic/MusicChibi/ Here's the link for the story! Read the rules before you apply please! (; That story is RATED. By the way we might update this on Friday! If not we'll try Saturday! don't forget to comment! <3 peace!

█ ending crap;
→ musicchibi&xaznbaybay
→ 9:00pm
→ listening to: Before I Forget by Slipknot [be warned, its sceamo]