18

                                    

                                          
Time skip: 4 weeks later 
 I step outside into the garden and walk over to Jay. Tomorrow is the annual race of the three brothers. I don't really understand this tradition and I never got to watch the last few times. But I don't want to ask either, because this race seems to be very important for Heeseung, Jay and Sunghoon. 
"Jay" I say and he turns his head to me. "No," he replies, presumably knowing that I'll try to persuade him to let it go. It's illegal and dangerous. "Then you have to promise me something," I say, stretching my little finger out to him. Jay now turns his whole body to me. "Don't crash, hurt yourself or die." "Jungwon, this is a race between brothers. It's not like I'm going to war. I've done far more dangerous things," he says, hooking his little finger with mine anyway. I sigh and nod "You have to win" I grin and Jay nods "this time I'll beat Heeseung". 
Since it's already quite late, we go to the bathroom first and then to bed. I drape the blanket over my legs and am about to lie down when Jay says my name. I turn to him and look at him questioningly. "What do I get if I win?" he asks and I shrug "you'll find out when you win" "What an asshole," says Jay, lying down with his back to me. I grin and turn off the light. I crawl over to him and put my arm around him. Then I lean slightly on my free arm and put my mouth close to his ear. "You'll like it," I then whisper. Jay doesn't respond, but I know he's not asleep yet. "We both know you're not mad at me." Jay pushes my arm away and pulls the blanket up to his head. I lie down a bit away from him and close my eyes as well. I know it won't be long before he snuggles up against me again. 
As expected, Jay is lying close to me when I wake up. His arm is across my stomach and his head is next to my shoulder. As I move, Jay opens his eyes too. "Well, no longer offended?" I ask, grinning. "You're so stupid Jungwon" complains Jay and rolls away again. When he gets up and disappears into the bathroom, I quickly follow him. "I'm sorry" I say and turn him towards me. "You just have to win" I say and look at him. Jay nods and sighs "if you don't mind, I'd like to take a shower". I nod and let go of his arm before exiting the bathroom. 
I change and look at my back in the mirror before putting on my shirt. My back already looks much more normal than it did a few weeks ago. In general, we are all doing much better and Heeseung was able to recover well. 
As the door to the bathroom opens, I turn my gaze in the direction Jay is coming from. He looks at me briefly and then comes to me, "your back has gotten much better," he says, and I nod, smiling slightly. He stands behind me and puts his hand on my back. He gently presses against my back "does it still hurt?" he asks. I shake my head "not really". The only thing that bothers me right now is the confusion and butterflies his touch causes. 
"I have to go. Eat something. See you later" he smiles and I look at him through the mirror and nod. "Good luck" I say before he leaves the room. I sigh and put on my shirt before going to the bathroom to wash myself. After I'm done I go downstairs. 
There Sunoo, Jake, Niki and Izumi are sitting at the table. I sit with them. "Why do the three actually do this race every year?" I ask, turning to Izumi. She smiles slightly, "They all got their love of cars from their father, even if they probably can't remember it. A race was held every year on their father's birthday. They didn't know it was their father's birthday, they just knew it was a tradition in our family that they didn't want to give up. Now that they know the truth, this race has a much stronger meaning to them. The life of the three is so chaotic and also dangerous. You never know what might happen the next day. So they need something to hold on to. Something that always stays the same. It's not about who wins, it's about the experience together. The three of them really don't have it easy and they have to stick together as brothers. This race always strengthens their bond significantly," explains the mother of the three. 
I smile. I never thought this race was so important and suddenly I understand why Jay was so annoyed. I'll apologize later and he'll get his reward whether he wins or not. 
"The three must really like you," Izumi then remarks and smiles. Jake, Sunoo, Niki and I look at each other. "You should eat up now. They won't wait for you" Izumi grins and claps her hands.
 After we eat we head to the garages and the circuit. We are all very nervous as we leave our hiding place for the first time in the last few weeks. At some point we had to get out there. We were also running out of supplies. But today was the race and somehow I was looking forward to it. I'm happy to be a part of something Jay really enjoys and cares about. Of course I'm happy to be part of Sunghoon and Heeseung too, but of course I want Jay to win. 
Arrived at the race track we see a few men. Among them is Changbin. I'm glad to see him alive. 
I feel myself tense up as three cars roll onto the track. "Who owns which car?" I ask excitedly to Izumi. "The blue one belongs to Heeseung. He's always won," explains Izumi. "The dark purple belongs to Sunghoon and the black one belongs to Jay," she informs. 
We walk over to the garages and join Changbin and the other men I only know by looks. "Changbin! I'm so glad you're doing well," I say and hug him briefly. The others also greeted Changbin happily. "They're going for a short test drive first," one of the men informs us, and we nod. 
After completing this test drive, the three get out again. They wear racing suits. I look at Jay and he grins slightly as he walks towards me. "It suits you" I say as he stands in front of me. "Hey Jay... I'm sorry I tried to stop you from racing. I'm sorry. I know this is important to you. I should have taken that more seriously..." I say, looking at him uncertainly. Jay smiles "It's okay. Don't worry Jungwon. Nothing happens to me. I have to pick up my reward," he says and grins. "You can do it," I say and give him an encouraging nod. 
Jay walks back towards the cars and pats his brothers on the shoulder. "Even if you don't win, I'm still proud of you," Jake now says to Heeseung. I watch them both with a grin and then stand next to Niki. "Who are you for?" I ask. Niki looks at me from the side "for Sunghoon of course" he replies and I smile "of course. My mistake, how could I not know that?". 
When the three start the engines, a shiver runs down my spine. The cars are pretty loud when they're so close. 
They drive to the starting line and Changbin stands on the street in front of the cars. 
He raises his gun to give the go-ahead.