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Lee Minhyung knew it wouldn't be easy.
Standing on the paddock, the roars of the engines and the buzz of the crowd around him are just enough to cloud his thoughts. This might be the single most important day of his life and career thus far, and all he can think about is how not to not fuck it up. You got this, Minhyung. It’s unprecedented how he could even stand here, in his rookie year no less, but Minhyung’s always been one to defy expectations.
“-hyung. Hey, are you listening?” Their chief engineer, Ryu Minseok, calls out to him.
“Yeah, sorry, you were saying?” Minhyung says apologetically as he focuses his attention on Minseok.
“I can’t have you distracted before a race, Minhyung. Especially not now.” Minseok says pointedly, and Minhyung thinks there must be something really wrong with him if all he can focus on is how Minseok looks so cute with narrowed eyes directed towards him with a clipboard on his hand.
“Take it easy, Minseok. Minhyung’s probably just nervous,” Lee Sanghyeok, their team principal, interjects.
“And you need to calm your nerves too, Minseok-hyung!” Choi Wooje, their data scientist, shouts from somewhere in the back.
“Shut it, Choi Wooje, if you don’t want me to call Hyunjoon in here,” Minseok warns, and Wooje raises his hands in surrender, but not without sticking his tongue out. What a bunch of children, Minhyung thinks.
With that, the Mercedes team started going through the motions of race day and Minhyung went through his pre-race routines. As Minhyung made his way to his car, Minseok approached him one last time and tugged on his suit.
“Do your best out there, okay? I’ll be right behind you.”
Minhyung intertwines their hands and responds with a calm confidence that only he possesses, “Mmhmm, I won’t let you down.”
-
“It’s a bright and sunny day today here at Marina Bay and the circuit is set for the 2024 World Drivers’ Championship! Today is going to be interesting, as we anticipate the up-and-coming Lee Minhyung of Mercedes. He has had the perfect rookie run this season with his chief engineer Ryu Minseok, who as we might know, has had a history with the current defending champion, Kim Hyeokgyu of Red Bull.”
Minhyung tries to tune out the casters’ voices. Minseok is with him now and the both of them promised to do this together, so there’s no point bringing up the past, he thinks, as he slides into his seat and adjusts his helmet. This is the moment he’s been spending years training for. This is his chance to prove himself. He takes a deep breath as he feels the familiar thrum of excitement and adrenaline coursing through his veins. It’s time. Minhyung turns on the engine and clenched the steering wheel with his gloved fists.
“Hey, Minhyung,” Minseok says through the radio, “Are you ready?”
Minhyung responds with a smirk. “Time to conquer the world, baby.”
The red lights turn off. Minhyung accelerates, feeling the raw power of his car beneath him. The wind rushes past and the roar of the engine fills his ears as it sped away.
-
Everything was a blur.
And then, just as soon as the race started, Minhyung crosses the finish line.
He’s done it.
“And he does it! Ending the race at round 16 of 20, ladies and gentlemen, your new 2024 World Champion is none other than Mercedes’ Lee Minhyung!” The caster’s voice echoed through the pit as the Mercedes team cheered and shouted in celebration as soon as Minhyung crossed the finish line and the checkered flag was raised.
Minhyung drove to the center standee at the starting grid, while Minseok stood on the metal railings, both with wide grins on their faces. Once the post-race interviews are done and the crowd starts to disperse, Minseok waits for Minhyung’s car - that he himself designed and engineered, he thinks with pride - to slow down and come to a full stop in front of him. When it finally does after what seemed like an eternity, Minhyung hurriedly takes off his helmet and rushes towards Minseok.
“We did it, Minseok!” Minyung exclaims, as he engulfs his engineer in a bone-crushing hug.
Minseok waits for the high to leave the racer’s body, before caressing his cheek. “Yeah, we did,” he says in a slight chuckle and leans up to meet Minhyung’s lips in a chaste kiss. “You did an amazing job out there.”
“I couldn’t have done it without you, babe.”
Someone clears their throat, forcing the both of them to look up. Minseok’s face reddens and he buries it onto Minhyung’s chest in embarrassment. He just knows they won’t hear the end of it in the next few days.
“Uh… I mean, I couldn’t have done it without all of you guys.” Minhyung says sheepishly to the team, whose eyes were on the two of them.
The rest of the Mercedes team grinned knowingly at the couple, silently acknowledging whatever it is that’s going on between the two. You could hear a playful whistle from Wooje, and a nudge from Hyunjoon as soon as the team crowded around the two. Sanghyeok, preferring to stand off to the side, smiled in content as he watched his team, a team he considered to be family, erupt with cheers for Minhyung’s win and the budding romance between their racer and chief engineer.
After a few rounds of teasing, the team began their debriefing and prepared to pack up and leave the circuit. Minseok and Minhyung lingered behind and took their time, eventually finding themselves alone later that evening, sitting on the paddock with their hands intertwined.
“I still can’t believe it,” Minhyung says almost breathlessly, breaking the silence. “I’m a world champion, Minseok.”
“Well you better believe it Lee Minhyung, 2024 World Drivers’ Champion.” Minseok replies with a wide smile, and he’s filled with overwhelming pride and affection for the man beside him. “Thanks for bringing me here. To this victory.”
“I should be thanking you. This victory is as much yours as it is mine, Minseok. We’re partners, remember?”
Minseok tilts his head upwards and without a word, leans in for a kiss. Minhyung responds with a fervor equivalent to a thirsty man left on a desert finding an oasis. Minseok is the first to pull away, in desperate need of air. “I guess that makes us partners in more ways than one,” he says with a giggle.
Minhyung can only chuckle in return.