Taeyeon drove to Tiffany’s apartment after a short celebratory drink with Key. She was a couple million won richer and looked forward to spending some of it with Tiffany. At the same time, she couldn't help thinking about the racer in the green car. Again. Who was in the green car? The racer had not shown her face, opting to drive straight off the track and away from the site as soon as the results were finalized. Although it wasn’t an uncommon phenomenon—some racers preferred to remain anonymous—she couldn't help wondering why this particular racer chose to remain hidden.

Her thoughts turned to Yoona after pulling to a stop at a traffic light and her fingers drummed on her steering wheel as footage of the race replayed in her mind. For an inexperienced racer, Yoona did pretty well but the woman had been thoroughly upset by her placing in the race. It upset her to have let down her guard prematurely; being complacent before the race was completed, which Taeyeon agreed was the main ingredient for losing races, but she had made sure to point out that there was probably little Yoona could have done when up against such an opponent. Yoona had found it difficult to accept however, and Taeyeon had to reassure Yoona of her progress made before they left for home.

Those thoughts faded away when she finally pulled up to Tiffany’s apartment but the woman wasn’t home. That didn’t make any sense. Tiffany was supposed to be home, finishing up her work. Where was she? It was twenty minutes before Tiffany returned and let her in. “Where did you go?”

“I popped over to my company.”

“In those clothes?”

Tiffany looked down at herself. “Y-Yeah. What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?”

“I’m surprised they didn’t mistake you for a spy or saboteur, going back at this time of the night in an all-black outfit.”

“Nobody stopped me.” Tiffany shrugged. “Or maybe they really didn’t notice me.”

Taeyeon laughed. “Anyone who doesn’t notice you should get their eyes checked.”

Tiffany smiled and pressed a kiss on her cheek. “Your eyes are definitely working fine then.”

“Perfect vision.” Taeyeon grinned and leaned back on the couch. “So, guess who won the race?”

Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Well, it can’t be you. So…Yoona?”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes. “Yoona placed third.”

“Couldn’t beat second place huh.”

“She held second for a while but lost it in the final sector. It wasn’t totally her fault though. She was up against someone experienced.”

“You think so?”

Taeyeon nodded. “Mhm. I’m pretty sure the second place racer is a lot better than she let on. I watched the footage. That racer could have easily held second all the way if she wanted to. Why would a racer risk losing second place for a bit of fun? That’s what I don’t understand about the whole thing.”

“Who knows. There are all kinds of strange, weird people out there who do ridiculous things just for kicks.”

“Maybe…or maybe, the racer is another one of those rich, spoilt brats who just want to flaunt their wealth in our faces.”

“But if that were the case, the racer would’ve paraded around the whole place to make sure everyone saw her.”

“You’re right.” Taeyeon paused. “Wait. How did you know the racer didn’t do that?”

Taeyeon thought it strange that Tiffany was paling as she said, “I d-don’t know that. It was just a guess.”

“No. That wasn’t a guess.” Taeyeon frowned. “You knew.” Her stare intensified and she reached to grab Tiffany’s wrist as she made to stand. “You were at the race, weren’t you.”

Taeyeon held on as Tiffany tried to pull her hand from her grip. “I wasn’t at the race,” she denied.

“Tiffany.” Her hardened tone made Tiffany freeze. “Why were you at the race?” Tiffany looked away but she wasn’t about to let it go. “Why, Tiffany.”

There was a long pause, the sounds of their breaths heightening the tension, before Tiffany finally answered, her voice barely audible, “For work.”

“Reaaally.”

Tiffany straightened her back and returned her stare. “Yes. Really.”

“It isn’t because you are jealous? Or because you don’t trust me?”

“It’s got nothing to do with you.”

“Do you expect me to believe that?”

“It’s the truth. Believe what you will.”

Taeyeon got off the couch and stood away. “I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you went there after promising me you wouldn’t.”

“I’m sorry about that. But I had to.”

“You had to?” Taeyeon snorted. “What do you have against Yoona? I told you I not into her in that way. Why can’t you just stay out of the way?”

“I have a good reason to be there, okay. I wouldn’t have gone if I didn’t have to.” Tiffany stood and stepped forward. “I didn’t enjoy breaking my promise either.”

Taeyeon shook her head. “You were in the green car, weren’t you.” She stepped back, putting more distance between Tiffany and herself. “You were in the green ing car and you were ing around with Yoona.” She dragged her hand through her hair as frustration rippled through her veins. “Don’t even try to deny it. I know it was you. No one else would have pulled off the overtake the way you did.”

Tiffany’s shoulders slumped. Her head bowed. “Yes. It was me.”

Taeyeon let out her breath. “Great. This is just great.”

“Taeyeon—”

“No. Don’t Taeyeon me. You broke your promise. I don’t care what your reason is, okay? You ing broke your promise. And you have no respect for other people’s wishes. I told you to stay away and told you the reason so you’d understand.” She hitched her shoulders. “What more do you want from me, huh? What more did I have to say to make you understand that I told you everything in confidence? You’re not supposed to know who Yoona is but now you know so what does that do to my credibility? Huh? How am I supposed to tell Yoona that the girlfriend I trusted to keep a promise decided to break it and join the ing race she was supposed to stay away from?!”

Tiffany remained silent.

Taeyeon threw her hands in the air. “ this.”

-

The roads looked especially desolate as she drove back to her apartment. Tiffany hadn’t tried to stop her from leaving, which, in her opinion, only served as further proof of her guilt. But what pissed her off even more was the fact that Tiffany would never have told her the truth if she hadn’t slipped up with her words. It pissed her off to think that Tiffany was okay with doing that.

And thinking about it hurt her brain. This was precisely why she didn’t want a relationship to begin with. Getting into a relationship meant that she would invest her feelings in it. And investing her feelings meant that she was vulnerable to betrayal and disappointment. She should have seen this coming but things had been going so well that she was beginning to wonder if she’d been wrong about relationships after all.

Or maybe Tiffany was just much too complicated for her.

-

Taeyeon woke up the next morning. Alone. She hadn’t woken up alone in a long time and it showed because her arm reached across the bed in her half-conscious state and the emptiness jolted her wide awake. Thereafter, memories of the argument from last night came flooding in and depression set in in its wake. . She missed Tiffany already. It didn't help things when she checked her phone. There were no calls. No messages. Tiffany hadn't even tried to reach her after letting her leave the apartment. Not that she wanted Tiffany to do any of that. No. She didn't need any of it.

She left her phone on her bed and got up to start on her morning routine. A brief bathroom trip later, she opened the bedroom door, intending to head to the kitchen to make breakfast. So her heart almost skipped a beat when she saw Tiffany on the couch in her living room. She halted, stared and the air around them dropped ten degrees. Giving Tiffany the keys to her apartment didn't seem to be such a good idea right now.

“What are you doing here.”

“Can we talk?” Tiffany raised her eyes to hers, and the conflicting emotions in her chest broiled as though they were in boiling water.

“About broken promises?” Taeyeon scoffed. “I don't wanna talk about it right now. I'm hungry.”

Tiffany leapt up from the couch. “I'll make breakfast.”

“Not necessary. You should just leave.”

“Taeyeon, I'm really sorry. Let me make it up to you.”

“You should have thought about this before joining the race.”

Tiffany stepped forward, stopping right in front of Taeyeon, preventing her from getting to the kitchen. “Do you really think I didn't think about it? Do you really think it was easy for me to be there?”

“Well, if it was that difficult for you, why did you go ahead and do it!”

“I had to!”

“Jealousy doesn't count as a 'had-to' reason.”

“I said it's not jealousy. I'm not jealous. You said that you have private and confidential business with her and I believe you. I trust that you're not up to something with her. But she is not as simple as she looks. She's full of secrets and under-the-table dealings. She could be getting you into trouble without you even knowing it.”

“She's not that complicated.”

“How do you know that. You don't even know what she's been doing at her company.”

“What company?”

Tiffany bit her lip. “I'm not supposed to talk about this.”

“Tiffany.”

“You just have to trust me on this. You really don't know her as well as you do.”

Taeyeon shook her head. If Tiffany only knew. “I know her a lot more than you think I do.”

“But you don't even know about her company.”

Taeyeon couldn't take it anymore. “I know about her company, okay? I've known since the start. She's not some evil plotting fiend like you say.”

Tiffany's jaw dropped. “You knew? What is it you know exactly. And how?”

“If this is about Yoona working in Ssamyoong, I know. She told me when we first met.”

“She's not just a regular employee in Ssamyoong, Taeyeon.”

“I know. She told me who she really is too.”

“You know...?” Tiffany’s shocked expression would have made Taeyeon laugh if the situation weren’t as sombre.

“I know.”

“She told you?”

Taeyeon nodded. “Yes. She told me everything before asking me if I would work with her.”

Tiffany took a step back. “I see...”

“Yeah. So. You have nothing to worry about. I'm perfectly aware of what I'm doing.”

“That's...unexpected...”

Taeyeon frowned. “Why?”

Tiffany shrugged. “It's supposed to be a secret. I'm just surprised she would risk it by telling you so easily.”

“I should be asking how you got to know about this but I don't wanna talk about this anymore. It doesn't feel right.”

Tiffany sighed. “You're right. I really shouldn’t be talking about this. But I just...couldn't, you know?”

Tiffany looked so low-spirited that Taeyeon just had to hug her. “Tiffany, I'm okay. Alright? You don't have to worry.” She released Tiffany and looked straight into her eyes to drive her point home. “She's not gonna get me into trouble. I know this for sure. Trust me.”

Tiffany pressed her lips and for a moment, Taeyeon thought she wasn't going to give in. But the tension in her eyes ebbed and those lips relaxed and Taeyeon knew that Tiffany had chosen to trust her. “Taeyeon, I'm sorry.”

With those words, the weight on her chest dissipated and she could smile again. “So. You're still making me breakfast, right?”

A tiny smile formed on Tiffany’s face. “Only because you always burn the toast.”

-

With a cloth in her hand, Taeyeon stood beside Tiffany and together, they washed and dried the dishes after breakfast. “So how did dinner with your family go?” Tiffany asked as she handed her a plate to dry.

“It was awkward.” Which happened to be the exact emotion she was experiencing right now. Ironically.

“Are they nice though?”

“The man my mother is going to marry seems okay.” Taeyeon shifted from one foot to another but the uneasiness inside did not abate.

“What does he look like? What does he do?” Tiffany asked.

Taeyeon stared at Tiffany. “You seem more interested in him than I am.”

Tiffany handed another plate over. “Of course I am. He’s gonna be your stepdad. Which means I’ll have to meet him one day, right?”

“Why would you need to meet him?”

“You know why.”

“No, I don’t.”

Tiffany jabbed her with an elbow. “Don’t be an idiot.”

“But I’m an idiot in love.” Tiffany turned to her with a widening smile and that’s when it hit her. She’d let slip the feelings that had been kept under lock and key in her deepest emotional vault for the longest time and it was the most awkward feeling. “So,” she added, trying her best to sound nonchalant, “I’m entitled to act like one.”

Tiffany’s smile could have given the sun a run for its money in that moment. “So. You’re an idiot in love, huh.”

Taeyeon wish she could take it back but voicing her true feelings held a kind of liberation too. So instead of denying it, she straightened her shoulders and nodded. “Yeah. Is there anything wrong with that?”

“No.” Tiffany shook her head, her smile shining brighter than ever. “There’s nothing wrong at all.”

-

“It’s good to have you back on the road, Jessica.”

“Thank you, Yumiko. It is great to be back.” Jessica leaned back in her chair and smiled at the distinguished woman sitting across the stainless steel work desk. It was designed by Giorgio Cattelan, its futuristic design setting the tone of the office, and it was brought in as a personal request by the director. The director’s taste for class and the aesthetics was partly why Jessica had chosen to race for Samjung in the beginning—the company had projected racing as a chic sport for the ladies involved and created a positive image of the female racers who were otherwise, often thrown into the shadows in favour of the male racers. She had desired to be part of the evolution of women’s racing and Samjung was the best company to join with that in mind. “What did you want to see me about?”

Yumiko smiled as she held up a remote and pressed a button. An image of a woman sitting behind the wheel of a racing car appeared on the white screen to her left. “I would like to find out if you’re willing to be the face of our company’s female racing team.”

“But don’t you already have a new lead racer? And the racing team has no vacancies as far as I know.”

“No. I’m not offering you a racing position. We are aware that it’ll take you some time to get back into shape, so to speak. What I’m offering is the position of spokesperson.”

“Spokesperson? For the racing team?”

“Not just the racing team, Jessica. We have been planning to embark on a promotional campaign for women’s racing for a long time. And after sifting through model after model, we have decided that it is a better idea to have an actual racer from our midst to be the face of the campaign. Your job will be to appear on posters, magazines. You will have to handle interviews about the women’s racing scene and talk about why women get into racing and how women’s racing holds its own in the world of sport. Also, your amazing journey of overcoming PTSD to pursue your dreams will be an inspiration to young women out there. Not to mention, your sister relationship with Krystal. So, after many meetings and discussions about this, we have decided that you are the perfect choice. If you are willing to accept the position, of course.”

“Wow…this is…a lot to take in.”

Yumiko nodded. “I understand.” She pressed another button on the remote and the picture changed into the heading: Women On Wheels. “Let me break it down for you and show you what you’ll be taking on. With our full support of course.”

-

Tiffany’s high spirits lasted the entire day, night and all the way to the next morning but it evaporated as soon as she stepped into the offices of Hyundae.

“Bad news, Tiffany,” said Ted.

Tiffany looked up from her laptop to the man beside her. “Please tell me it’s not about the cars…”

Ted’s sorry expression wasn’t what she wanted to see. “It’s about the cars.”

Tiffany groaned. “What’s the problem now?”

“They need more time to get the engines we want.”

“It’s been delay after delay. I can’t believe this supplier came as a recommendation.”

“It’s unfortunate but we’ve been with this supplier since last year and there weren’t any problems then.”

Tiffany sighed. “I understand. But it’s frustrating all the same.”

Ted patted her shoulder and gave her a smile. “Don’t sweat it, Tiff. It’ll work out in the end.”

“I sure hope so.”

-

“Where are the cars, Peter.”

“I’ve got them. I just need a bit more time to get them out.”

“I don’t like it when business partners take too long to deliver.”

“It’s just paper work. You know how it is. Red tape and all.”

“Red tape, purple tape, none of them are of my concern. My contractors aren’t going to accept any kind of delay and neither will I. We aren’t playing business games here, Peter. In this industry, a deadline means exactly the way it’s spelt.”

“I understand. And I promise. The cars will arrive.”

“Three days.” Wisps of cigarette smoke puffed out from the man’s mouth and lingered in the air between them. “No more.”

-