“Tiffany Hwang.” Mr Im’s clasped hands made her extra nervous for an inexplicable reason. “That’s not really your name, is it?”

Seeing Mr Im in his impeccable suit and serious expression when she first stepped into the booth had sent a cold sensation right up to the top of her head. That cold sensation had then descended like a cloud and taken over the rest of her body after she took her seat. And now, his steely eyes and direct question sent her reeling into an out-of-control spiral of nerves.

Calm the down! It’s not as though you are meeting him as your future father-in-law. You’re just Taeyeon’s friend. Remember that. And even if things do get to that stage one day, he would only be a stepfather-in-law. Just a step. Just one step at a time.

“My actual name is Stephanie. Stephanie Hwang Miyoung.”

“You’re a Korean-American.”

“Yes.”

“Do you intend to stay in Korea for long? Or do you have plans to go back to America one day.”

“I would like to go back to America one day. But this is where my career is based.”

“Hmm, interesting. I suppose you’re wondering why I’m asking you all these questions.” Mr Im flashed a quick smile. “First, let me explain why I asked to meet with you.” He waited for Tiffany to nod before continuing. “You are Taeyeon’s friend. Taeyeon’s very good friend. Am I right to say the rumours flying around are not too far off the mark?”

The rumours don’t even come close to describing the relationship that we have.“Rumours will be rumours.”

Mr Im nodded. “I asked to meet you because of the weight you carry in Taeyeon’s life. I was fairly sure that the two of you are in a relationship but recent developments suggest that I am mistaken.” His gaze deepened in intensity just then. “Am I?”

“The media is a business tool that we use for certain purposes. What I said in the interview has some measure of truth but does not present the complete picture. Having said that, I assure you that Taeyeon is privy to the full picture.”

“I see. You have told Taeyeon the truth about everything.”

Tiffany nodded. “Taeyeon knows everything.”

Mr Im frowned a little. “Taeyeon’s relationship with you is quite unlike what I expected.”

“We care for each other. We are also accepting of each other. As different as we may be, we know what the other needs and we know that we need each other.”

“It sounds like you’re more than just friends when you put it like that.”

“We are more than friends.”

“What a complicated relationship it is.”

“It’s not that complicated. We’re just two people who care for each other, doing what we can for the other.”

“It sounds lovely.”

Tiffany smiled. “It is.”

“But the lovelier something is, the uglier the crumble will be. I do not wish to have a wreck of a stepdaughter on my hands because of you.”

“It will not come to that.”

“Are you sure of that? I would prefer to put my worries aside, in this regard.”

“Yes, you can. I would never wish to hurt Taeyeon.”

“But there are times when we have to go against our wishes. If such a time ever comes, I hope you will place Taeyeon in front of everything else and take good care of her.”

“I have every intention of doing so.”

“Intentions can be good. But actions can be devastating. Ms Hwang, do not, under any circumstance, do anything that would compromise Taeyeon’s happiness. I believe she has suffered enough in her younger years.”

“I’m with you on that.”

“I hope you are. Whatever business game you’re playing with Paul Kim had better not bring hurt or pain to Taeyeon or I will find a way to shut that game down.”

Tiffany’s eyes opened wide at the threat. “Mr Im, I know that it’s difficult to trust me with the many rumours that are going around right now but I wouldnever ever do anything to hurt Taeyeon. And if the game turns bad for some reason, you won’t have to shut it down. I will be the first to pull the plug.”

“Those are some very big promises you made there, Ms Hwang. I hope you’re not all talk and no action.”

“Mr Im, I did not become the top racer by talking my way up. I worked hard for it and took each chance that I got and made full use of it. I dare to make the promises I make because I know that it is what I will choose to do, should the situation arise.”

“Well then, that wraps it up.” Mr Im leaned back in his chair and smiled. “Now, let’s talk business.”

“Business…?” said Tiffany, thrown off by the sudden change of topic.

“I have been searching for a lead racer for our team for the longest time. I regret to say that my team of talent scouters did not have the foresight to look beyond our shores and as a result, our team is not doing too well at the moment.”

“Jean is doing fairly well. She came in third the last race. And your team is third in the Constructors’ championship as of the second race.”

“But it would be even better to be second, or first,” Mr Im added with a lift of his lips. “Correct me if I’m wrong, but your team would not be topping the Constructors’ points if it weren’t for your little trick in the second race.”

“Does anything ever escape your eyes, Mr Im?”

Mr Im chuckled. “I try not to let it happen. I can’t afford to be off the game if I want Ssamyoong to be a leader in the automobile industry and that’s why I am extending an offer to you to join us for the next season.”

“I’m…I’m flattered, but—”

“Lesson one. Don’t reject an offer too quickly. Take some time to think it through. An option is an option.”

“I’ll think about it, but I was actually about to ask why not Taeyeon.”

“She did not express great interest in professional racing, and I am not for her to race on the streets without rules and safety regulations. So while we’ve talked about the possibility of Taeyeon joining our racing academy and looking into race circuit designing, we did not discuss her future in racing as much as I would have liked.”

“I hope you can help to persuade Taeyeon to be a professional racer.”

“Wouldn’t she listen to you more than me?” Mr Im asked with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Unfortunately, she’s rather stubborn at times and this is one of those times.”

“Just like her mother.” Mr Im flashed a knowing smile. “But stubbornness in the women we like carries a certain amount of attractiveness.”

Tiffany grinned. “There’s a kind of charm, yes.”

“Well, I’ll certainly try to persuade her to join my racing team but Yoong is going to give me hell for it.”

“It’ll be worth it. If you get Taeyeon on your team, you’re almost guaranteed a champion racer and a top place in the Constructors’ championship next year.”

Mr Im smiled and for a split second, Tiffany could see why Taeyeon’s mother would be willing to change for this man. “I’m glad Taeyeon has a friend in you.”

Tiffany returned a winning smile of her own and said, “I’m glad to have a friend in Taeyeon too.”

–

The roads were dark and a little scary, to be honest. But there was also the adrenaline that pulsed through her blood as she gripped her steering wheel. It was a strange mix of emotions that clashed and demanded her supreme mind control over her feelings. She willed her focus into a single solid arrow and shot it straight ahead as the roads turned and twisted. I am Jessica Jung. I am a winner. I can do this.

Blazing down the road just off Wangsukcheon-ro, Jessica rammed the accelerator to the floor and brought her car to its highest gear. It was mostly straight with no turns and curved gently over time; a road condition that favoured her car’s superior engine greatly. Sure enough, halfway down the straight later, she had pulled ahead of both Krystal and Yuri.

She tried to increase the lead as much as she could as they neared the exit and by the time she got onto the expressway, she was in the lead with Krystal right behind her, followed by Yuri. Two lefts later, she was speeding down the Gyeongchunbuk-ro. Having surpassed the speed limit a while ago, she had to slow down to make a left into Donggureung-ro before turning right into Geumgang-ro.

A short straight later, she exited Geumgang-ro and re-entered Gyeongchunbuk-ro. It was a breeze going down the expressway in the dead of the night and she was beginning to think that Yuri had chosen this route to go easy on her. Nevertheless, she didn’t let up on her accelerator. At top speed, her car ate up the length of the expressway and before long, she was on to Yongmasan-ro. The exit was just before Mangu-ro arrived next and she gripped her steering wheel that little bit harder in anticipation of the series of turns coming up.

A sharp right was the first of many to come. She could see Krystal in her rear view mirror and she knew that her sister could give her a run for her money when it came to sharp turns. She played her gears to perfection, maximising the acceleration and minimising the inefficiency. Two lefts and a right later, Krystal was edging into her lead and looking to take any advantage she could get. Yuri had disappeared somewhere and she had a strange feeling that something was up.

Nevertheless, she hurtled down the fnal straight after negotiating the series of turns with Krystal trailing just a metre beside her and sped towards the finishing point. Much to her surprise, Yuri was already there, leaning against her car with a cheeky grin on her face. She pulled up beside Yuri’s car and got out; Krystal following barely a second later.

“Yuri! How did you get here before us?” Jessica asked.

“Shortcut.”

“Shortcut?” Krystal chimed in. “But that was the shortest route. We checked.”

Yuri shrugged. “You forgot about the new road they built a few days ago.”

Jessica and Krystal stared at each other. “You didn’t tell us.”

“It’s not my duty to tell you about the new road. You should have checked it out by yourselves. Anyway, I won this race and you two owe me a BBQ supper.”

“You dirty cheat.” Jessica’s smile belied the harsh words she used.

“We’re not gonna treat a cheat to supper,” added Krystal.

“Hey, I won, fair and square,” Yuri protested.

Jessica grinned at her sister and shook her head. “No treat.”

“But I won!” Yuri whined.

Jessica giggled and turned back to her car. “Come on, Soojung. Let’s go.”

With that, Krystal turned and headed to her car as well, with Yuri protesting some more.

–

Tiffany returned to Taeyeon’s apartment to find Taeyeon waiting in the car park. The woman looked up at the sound of the Bugatti engine and they locked gazes on each other. Taeyeon’s look was so intense that her mind was wiped blank and she forgot all about parking her car properly for a moment. It wasn’t until Taeyeon stood to the side and gestured at an empty parking lot that she remembered she was practically in the middle of the lane.

She parked her car and got out and Taeyeon stood waiting for her to approach.

“What are you waiting here?”

“I got antsy. You refused to say anything on the phone.”

Tiffany smiled. “You can relax. It went well.”

“Really? He didn’t give you a tough time?”

“It was a tough talk,” Tiffany admitted. “He didn’t go easy on me but he was fair and reasonable.”

“Does he think we’re together?”

“He never came right out to say it, so I didn’t either.” Tiffany took Taeyeon’s hand and pulled the woman to the elevator. “I’ll tell you everything at home.” She refused to answer any of Taeyeon’s questions in the elevator, answering with a mere smile that made the woman frown.

“Now, will you tell me what the talk was about?” Taeyeon grumbled the moment they sat on the couch.

“He basically told me never ever to do anything that would hurt you.”

“Is that all?”

“He did say that he thought we were together but doesn’t think so now because of the announcement I made about Paul and I.”

“Do you think he really thinks that?”

Tiffany shrugged. “He didn’t come right out to say anything other than that. Everything else was pretty ambigious so I didn’t give him any info either.”

“Do you think he’s for real?”

“What do you mean?”

Taeyeon shrugged. “I don’t know what he’s like. He’s said he wants the family the be together and all those good things but who knows what he’s really up to.”

“Well, there is one more thing…”

“What is it?”

Tiffany grinned and planted a kiss on Taeyeon’s lips. “He asked me to join Ssamyoong.”

“What?”

“He asked me to race for Ssamyoong.”

“Did you agree?”

Tiffany shook her head. “He asked me to think about it.”

“Would you?”

“Do you want me to?” Tiffany stared into Taeyeon’s eyes, searching for a hint of the truth.

“I don’t know. I didn’t think he would ask you to be his racer. I mean, I thought he wanted to see you because of all those rumours and I was worried he’d be horrible to you because of your news with Paul. This is the last thing—”

Tiffany’s lips silenced her. “I know. I was surprised too. I didn’t expect him to talk about work either, much less make me an offer. But he didn’t allow me to reject him right away and asked me to think it through and now, I think he’s really shrewd.”

“He’s definitely not a simple person,” Taeyeon nodded in agreement, “otherwise he wouldn’t be able to run a company like Ssamyoong.”

“I was going to reject him because of Paul and the deal that we have but come to think of it, it would actually be quite nice to race for Ssamyoong.”

“Seriously?”

“Well,” Tiffany inched closer to Taeyeon and lay her head on the woman’s shoulder, “it’d be nice to be in the same company with you…”

“I’m not even in the company yet. There’s no guarantee that I will join Ssamyoong either.”

Tiffany took Taeyeon’s hand and played with the woman’s fingers as Taeyeon’s other hand rubbed her shoulder. “Mmm, but you’re the best racer in Seoul; maybe even the whole of this country. And you’re about to become his family. I don’t think he’s gonna refuse you if you wanna race for him.”

“You know that I have no love for racing on circuits.”

“What if there are pro races on the streets?”

“There aren’t any.”

“Well, once upon a time, there weren’t any races on circuits either.”

“Are you suggesting I get Uncle Im to start up pro street races just for me?”

Tiffany tilted her head back to look into Taeyeon’s eyes. “You know that they’re trying to push women’s racing, right?”

“Yeah.”

“So you can suggest it as a business proposal.” Tiffany slipped both arms around Taeyeon’s waist and pressed their bodies against each other. “It’ll be huge. Get the association involved, turn it into a big tourist attraction. I mean, women’s racing is just hot, right?”

Taeyeon grinned and nudged Tiffany. “You think it’s hot because you’re into women.”

“But so are most men.” Tiffany sat up, gaining momentum in her idea. “I’m serious, Taeyeon. I really think it’ll work. And you. You’ll be the champion street racer. And I’ll be the proud girlfriend.”

“That’s if you ‘break up’ with Paul first. Otherwise I’ll have to find myself another girlfriend to go out with.”

Tiffany smacked Taeyeon’s arm. “Don’t you dare.”

Taeyeon grinned. “Why wouldn’t I dare.”

“I’ll never forgive you if you go out with another girl.”

“Mmm, but I’m going out with Noeul again. Are you going to stop me?”

“Seriously?”

Taeyeon laughed as she nodded. “Noeul asked me out just minutes before you came back and we’re gonna meet for dinner. Do you wanna come with me?”

“Yes,” Tiffany replied without a second thought. “Yes.”

Taeyeon chuckled and kissed Tiffany. “So predictable.”

Tiffany’s smile faded as quickly as it appeared. “But we can’t tell her we’re together.”

“I know. We’ll just have to restrain ourselves and keep our hands off each other.”

“That’s…easy…”

“Easy for me. But you…you can hardly keep your hands off me as it is.”

“That is so not true,” Tiffany protested.

“We’ll see if you can stop yourself from touching me then.”

Tiffany huffed. “You’re the one who needs to keep your dirty paws off me. We’ll see.”

–