Only one lap was left.
The roar of engines intensified, and the track burned under the heat.
"Why can't I close the gap... why..."
Ren stepped on the clutch and accelerated at full speed. "I need to win. I will win... I—"
The car suddenly went wild.
Ren could no longer control it. His hands trembled against the steering wheel.
"I can't stop..."
He slammed on the brakes, but it was useless.
At that very moment, Kao continued driving calmly. "Good. This pace is enough to beat him."
Unlike Ren, he wasn't under pressure. Still, his eyes drifted toward the mirror. "Where is he? It's not like he can't keep up with me."
Only then did Kao realize something was wrong — Ren's car was no longer visible behind him.
The finish line came into view.
"Look! It's Phi Kao's car!"
"Yes! At this rate, he'll win!"
"P'Kao! P'Kao!"
Cheers echoed around the track.
"Wait... guys, where's Phi Ren?" Sky asked as his eyes searched behind Kao's car.
Samy quickly glanced at the monitor screen.
"Oh no... I forgot to turn on the screen because of the excitement."
Inside Kao's car—
"Something's wrong... Why can't I see Ren?"
Screech—
Kao sharply turned the car, the harsh scrape of tires piercing everyone's ears.
"Shit, Kao! What are you doing?!" Samy shouted.
Kaen frowned in confusion, unable to understand what was happening.
Then something suddenly crossed his mind.
"No... something's wrong. It's not like Ren can't keep up with Kao. He managed to stay beside him this whole time."
"Could it be because of the car?"
He immediately rushed into the workshop and switched on the monitor screen.
The entire track couldn't be seen clearly from outside. Only the cameras installed around the racing area captured every corner.
The moment Kaen saw the footage, his expression stiffened.
"Why is the car acting like that? We checked it carefully..." he muttered. "I need to do something."
One of Ren's teammates entered the room.
"Ren..." his voice trembled.
Kaen turned around in surprise, thinking, "When did he get here?"
He gripped the teammate's shoulder firmly. "Don't worry. Kao already went after him."
The teammate looked up anxiously. "Ren has a bad temper, but he's not a bad person. Please help him..."
He grabbed Kaen's hand anxiously and asked, "He'll be okay, right?"
"He will be. If Ren is here, then he's our responsibility too. Please trust us."
"I already informed the inspection team, but they'll be late."
"Kaen, what are you saying?"
"Nothing. Here—wipe the sweat off your face."
"Thank you, khap."
They stared at the screen as Kao pushed his car to full speed—not to continue the race, but to find Ren.
A few minutes earlier, before Kao turned to Ren—
"Why can't I control the speed? Wait... don't panic."
"I already trained for situations like this."
"But this is scary..."
Ren's body shook violently, and his breathing became uneven. Even so, he tried his best to stay calm.
The brakes refused to work no matter how hard he pressed them.
Then his hand reached for the gear shift.
Slowly, he released the clutch, changed gears one by one, and finally managed to reduce the speed.
"Okay... baby, you're doing good."
He lightly traced his fingers along the steering wheel.
"But why isn't it stopping completely? I need to crash into something."
Ren desperately searched around before spotting a small iron barrier near the outer edge of the track.
His grip tightened as he turned the steering wheel to the right.
The car sped toward the side of the track.
At that exact moment, Kao's car rushed in front of Ren's vehicle, and after quickly assessing the situation, he immediately drove beside it to stop it from going off-track with his own car.
Crash—
Kao slowed down to reduce the impact, but his car still slammed into Ren's. He quickly steadied himself against the steering wheel before getting out.
Smoke burst from Ren's car as the engine continued to vibrate violently. The front hood had partially popped open from the impact.
Ren pressed a hand against his forehead with a groan after hitting it on the steering wheel.
"That hurts..."
Kao immediately jumped out of the car and rushed toward him.
"Shit. What the hell..." Ren mumbled.
Kao stopped beside the window.
He tapped against the glass. "Ren, are you okay?"
"Mm..." Ren hummed weakly.
"Ren, I can't hear you. Open the door and let me check properly."
Kao waved away the smoke drifting out from the car.
"Annoying... What's wrong with him? Why is he so—"
"Ren!" Kao shouted.
Finally, Ren unlocked the door. The moment it opened, Kao leaned closer.
"Did you get hurt?"
Kao's breath brushed lightly against Ren's face.
Ren instantly avoided eye contact. "I'm okay..."
Kao carefully inspected the inside of the car.
"Engine failure? Or something else?"
Then his attention shifted back to Ren, noticing the faint trembling in his body.
"Come to my car first. We'll deal with this after making sure you're alright."
Kao pulled back slightly and waited beside the door for Ren to step out, but Ren stayed still.
"What's wrong?"
"I... can't move my legs..." Ren admitted awkwardly.
"No wonder he's still shaking... And the condition of the car isn't good either. We'll probably need medics."
"What? What are you thinking? Are you making fun of me for looking like this?" Ren complained while lightly massaging his legs.
Kao let out a sigh, unable to understand what was going on in Ren's head.
"I'm already late... whatever."
Kao leaned inside slightly.
"Then let me carry you."
"What? No—" Ren's eyes widened instantly.
"Are you planning to stay here all day? Don't be stubborn," Kao said sharply.
"Why is he scolding me?"
"I have no choice... But this brat... Kao... I'm older than him, and he's not even speaking respectfully."
"Damn it... this is embarrassing."
"Who cares anymore... Forget it. Pride doesn't matter now." Ren slowly wrapped his arms around Kao's neck.
Kao carefully lifted him into his arms and started walking.
The veins along Kao's neck and hands stood out slightly with the strain. His cheeks were still flushed, and damp strands of hair clung to his forehead.
"Did I hit him that badly? Shit... it's all because of that kid."
Ren swallowed hard. "He's really my type."
"If only he was— Fuck, what am I even thinking?"
"Still... what a waste."
"He's genuinely kind... handsome, and he smells good too."
"And his hair... sexy."
"Those muscles... wow."
Ren rested his arms around Kao's shoulders.
"Boyfriend material..."
"He even managed to beat me."
"That's it... He qualifies to be mine."
"I'll become the top who controls him, spoils him, and buys him everything. And that college kid... I'll make him kneel and beg."
"Just wait. This man is mine."
Ren had already started imagining Kao as his cute boyfriend while mentally bullying Mok.
"Ren... Ren..."
"What?"
"I've been standing at the door calling you for a while, but you didn't respond."
"I'm sorry."
Kao's expression darkened slightly. "Did he just say sorry? I want to puke. What's wrong with this punk?"
"See? Kao is already softening because of my attitude." A quiet laugh escaped his lips.
Kao carefully placed Ren down before briefly checking the damaged car.
In fact, it was the same vehicle Kao normally used when training new members. Because of Ren's earlier tantrum, Kao had ended up using a different car today.
"I hope nobody was involved in this..."
After a moment, Kao got into the driver's seat and started the engine again.
Meanwhile, Mok and the others waited anxiously.
Since Kaen had already seen through the monitor that Ren was safe, he finally relaxed.
Kaen glanced at Ren's teammate.
"Ren is safe... thank god," the teammate said, letting out a fake sigh of relief.
"I made sure that car would fail... That Kao ruined everything..." he stalked outside.
Kaen scratched his head in confusion.
"What the hell? He said he was relieved, but what was that expression?"
Then he frowned slightly.
"Why do I even care?"
In the lounge area, everyone started muttering—
"What's going on?" Sky asked curiously.
The others whispered among themselves.
"What about the match?"
"Where's Kao?"
Samy nervously bit her nails.
"Guys, look—it's P'Kao's car…" They all waited for Kao quietly.
Kao slowed the car and pulled up near Kaen, who was waiting, then unbuckled his seat belt.
"You can walk now, right?" Kao asked.
"I think I can walk…" Ren hesitated.
"I don't think so…" Ren replied, lightly pressing his thigh, still unsure if he could walk properly.
Hearing Ren, he frowned slightly. "What's with this attitude? Did he hit his head somewhere?"
Kao stepped out of the car.
Everyone immediately smiled when they saw him return.
The Shadow Gear members nudged each other—
"Where's Kao going?"
"Guys... Ren is inside."
Kao lifted Ren again and walked toward Kaen.
They all stared in shock.
Seeing the scene, Sky unconsciously blurted out—
"Romantic..."
Samy instantly covered her mouth.
Kaen nearly collapsed against an imaginary wall—for the second time, first after seeing it on the screen, and now again in front of his own eyes.
At the same time, Mok stared at them silently.
"That jerk... I knew something was going on between them. He was soft toward Ren."
"Then why did he flirt with me? Total jerk. So annoying..."
"Romantic..."
That single word echoed in Mok's mind.
"What...? Romantic...?"
"Disgusting..."
"Shit, Kao... just wait..."
Ren kept talking without stopping.
"I'm too heavy..." Ren muttered while lightly brushing his fingers against Kao's racing suit.
"No."
"Why are all his answers so short?"
"Trying to impress me... I knew Kao had a crush on me. Otherwise, why would he stop that kid from hurting me?"
Ren kept his eyes on Kao, feeling even more convinced of it.
Ren had completely misunderstood the situation.
Kao gave such short replies because he hadn't even heard half of what Ren was saying. His mind was only focused on getting back to Mok.
"I'm late. I promised to have lunch with Mok..."
"Just wait for me, Mok..."
Extra~
Inside Mok's mind—
Mok screamed internally while hitting the seat beside him.
"Ouch... that hurts..."
He glanced toward Kao carrying Ren.
"You bastard..."
"Why did you flirt with me?"
"Oh, I get it now."
"You're a certified liar."
"Jerk..."
"Bastard..."
"How could you do this to me?"
Mok slowly slid onto the floor dramatically.
"Why did I even hit that jerk Ren earlier? So he used me to impress him?"
"Kao, just wait..."
"I'll definitely make you suffer."
The hot atmosphere suddenly turned chilly.
Even the sun disappeared behind the clouds.
"I'm not part of this mess," the sun said before hiding completely.
The clouds trembled. "Please give us a break..."
End~
To be continued...