As they stood near the track...
Kaen quickly approached Kao and grabbed his arm. The two exchanged a silent nod before Kaen's attention shifted toward Ren.
"Ren, are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
Ren stayed silent.
"Why would I answer you?" he sulked internally.
As Kao lowered Ren down, Ren's arms still remained wrapped around Kao's neck like a scorpion clinging to its prey.
Kao tried to pry his hands away, but it was useless. "This punk is completely out of his mind. Is this some kind of new punishment?"
Even so, Kao maintained a calm smile on his face.
Kao locked eyes with Kaen. A vicious eye conversation immediately began between them—
"Come and take this jerk away from me."
"What? But I can't—"
"Do it. Now."
Kaen wondered why he always ended up suffering in situations like this. With force, he finally managed to pull Ren away and make him stand properly.
"Wait, I still have something to say to him!" Ren shouted.
"Give me a few minutes! Wait—!"
His growling voice echoed across the track.
Soon, Ren was dragged away by his teammates.
Kao let out a breath and brushed his damp hair back near his ear. His eyes wandered back to the car he had driven.
With a frown, Kaen stepped closer.
"I'm letting you go this time because this isn't an official match. But what you did there was dangerous. Don't ever do that again."
Kaen's expression had completely changed from his usual attitude.
He explained that the emergency team was absent because the scheduled races usually happened during morning and evening hours, and unofficial matches were rare. When Kaen called them earlier, they almost thought it was a prank.
"What about the emergency team?"
"They're on the way. But Kao, don't ever make me call them again. I seriously don't want to deal with them."
Kaen kept staring at him firmly.
"Khap. I won't do it again."
"Kao, even I have limits. And so do you. Never do something reckless like that again. A racer can control their car... but not every single time. You know that better than me."
His tone softened slightly.
"This isn't a warning. Look around. K9 is family. We don't want to lose anyone."
No words could fully describe their relationship. Kaen was like an older brother to Kao. Inside K9, everyone supported each other.
Except during racing.
Losing a match was one thing.
Losing family was another.
Kaen glanced toward the car Kao had driven earlier and touched the front hood lightly.
"It's still hot..."
Then Kao suddenly grimaced. "Looks like someone we don't like is crawling over here."
"I already called Oat. He'll be here soon, so we can figure out what really happened."
Then Kaen paused.
"Ah, I almost forgot. Fah already landed at the airport."
"He's coming straight here?"
Kaen tilted his head. "No idea."
His attention locked onto Ren, who was now sitting on the ground while his teammates crowded around him worriedly.
"Kao, I'll go check on him. Otherwise, he'll just keep sitting there."
Kaen took a deep breath to prepare himself for Ren's usual dramatics before walking toward him.
"Ren, there's nothing else injured, right?"
"Mh... Other than this, it hurts a bit."
"Ahh..."
Someone else asked, "What about your leg? Is it okay?"
"I used too much force on the clutch. It's cramped up, that's all."
Mok stood nearby, still thinking about how Ren had refused to leave Kao's arms earlier.
"What kind of tug-of-war is that?"
"What did Kao say the first time he saw me? I'm cute? Only me? What a flirt..."
"Even though I pretended not to notice him, how could he suddenly hold someone else like this?"
Without realizing it, Mok let out a frightening smile.
"Mok... Mok..."
"Khap? Samy, why did you call me?"
"You were smiling weirdly, so I called you."
Sky suddenly appeared behind Samy.
"Scary... Phi Mok is scary when he smiles..."
"Sky!" Samy shouted immediately.
Hearing that, Sky quickly hid behind her again.
"Why are you scolding me? I only said the truth."
"It'll hurt other people's feelings, so don't say those things out loud, okay?"
"Okay, khap..."
Like a good student, Sky obediently listened to Samy.
Mok heard every word they whispered even though they thought he couldn't.
"I can hear everything, Samy... you know..." he mumbled quietly.
"Mok..." Samy gently held onto Mok's arm. "It's really not that scary..."
She avoided eye contact before laughing awkwardly to ease the tension.
"It's hot..." Mok muttered.
His eyes remained lowered toward his leg, avoiding the chaos happening on the track.
Even surrounded by people talking to each other, Mok still felt isolated on his own.
Then a warm hand brushed against Mok's sweaty neck.
Kao's fingers slipped gently through his hair.
"You're sweating like crazy."
Mok froze. "When did he get here?"
"And why do I feel relieved... comfortable... safe...?"
"Strange..."
"I can look into his eyes without any problem."
Mok's gaze slowly wandered across Kao's face as Kao smiled at him.
"He's sweating too. His suit must be hot."
"Fool... Look at yourself first."
"Mok... Mok... Is something wrong?"
Kao kept talking nonstop.
"Did you eat properly? Sit down first. Drink some water."
Every word coming from him was about Mok.
It felt as if Kao had been inside the car earlier, yet his attention had stayed with Mok the entire time.
Mok couldn't even respond properly, as though his thoughts had disappeared.
"I'm really angry at him... But somehow I can't stay angry."
"Something strange is happening to me."
"Have I finally gone crazy?"
"Mok... What are you thinking about?"
"How can I stay angry at this face?"
"Were you worried about me?"
Kao lightly spread his arms.
"Look, I'm completely fine."
Mok's eyes drifted away again.
"...Worried my foot."
A faint smile slowly appeared on his lips, brighter than before.
A gentle breeze brushed through Kao's hair, easing the heat surrounding him.
For a brief moment, it felt as though only the two of them existed there.
Kao stared at Mok quietly.
"Pretty..."
"Has he always hidden smiles like this?"
For the first time, Kao felt something more rewarding than winning a prize.
To him, every race had become nothing more than endless finish lines.
Somewhere along the way, he lost the excitement of racing.
Maybe he never truly enjoyed it from the beginning.
But this...
This felt rewarding.
Kao lifted his gaze toward the bright sky before looking back at Mok.
At that moment, Samy deliberately cleared her throat, forcing them back to reality.
"Hello? Hello? We're still here."
Everyone dramatically spread their arms, including Samy.
Mok instantly blushed.
Kao looked at Samy, feeling completely self-conscious.
"Let me change first..."
"Then what about the match?" Sky asked.
Kao looked over at the track, his eyes settling on the still-dramatic Ren.
"We can race again later. This match doesn't count."
"Oh...? Why? You already won, right?"
"Sky," Kao called calmly, "it's pointless. Ren didn't even get the chance to race properly. You understand what I mean, right? Learn from it."
Admiration filled Sky and the others.
"Mok," Kao called gently.
"Don't stay here. Samy, can you let him rest inside my office?"
"Okay..."
"His office? Samy mumbled. He never lets anyone enter there. Even his sister only managed to enter because of one of her tantrums."
Kao slowly started walking away.
Mok silently watched Kao's shadow drift farther from his own.
Just a little more...
And it would disappear completely.
At that moment, Mok suddenly spoke.
"Let me come too..."
Kao stopped. "What?"
"I'm coming with you too... Can't I?"
Kao scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. "Okay... Let's go."
As they walked side by side, their shadows tangled together before blending into one.
Sky and Samy silently watched them.
Samy smirked.
Meanwhile, Sky thought, Samy's scary smile is back again...
This time, he wisely kept his thoughts to himself because he was genuinely afraid of Samy's training.
In the locker room...
Splash...
Kao threw a handful of water onto his face.
He leaned against the white sink. His damp hair curled slightly together as he pushed it back from his forehead to his ears.
Through the mirror, he noticed Mok standing behind him, quietly watching him wash his face.
Meanwhile, Mok was distracted by something else.
"Where did I see it before? That's right..."
Mok suddenly hurried toward the first aid area where he had treated his injury before the race started.
He grabbed a white box, took out a cotton towel, and quickly returned to Kao.
"Here... Wipe your face first. Your suit is soaked."
"Thank you..."
Kao turned toward him and reached for the towel.
As their hands touched, cold fingertips met warm skin.
But instead of taking the towel, Kao gently grabbed Mok's hand.
For a brief moment, his fingers slowly brushed against Mok's skin as if quietly memorizing the feeling of it.
Then Kao leaned slightly closer, looking like he wanted to ask something.
"Mok... I forgot to ask. Where are your glasses?"
That was when Mok finally remembered them.
"I... They're gone."
He skipped over the part where he had thrown them away out of frustration earlier.
"Then you can still see properly, right? If not, I'll go buy a new pair. Just wait here."
Hearing that, Mok tightened his grip around Kao's hand.
Mok didn't wear glasses because of poor eyesight. He wore them because of anxiety.
But today, he barely cared about other people's gazes.
For the first time, Mok had managed to take a small step forward.
Even so, he was still far from fully changing.
"It's not urgent. I have another pair in my car."
"I'm relieved..." Kao muttered quietly to himself.
Their hands remained intertwined.
Water dripped from Kao's damp hair onto their fingers.
Inside the mirror, Kao's full reflection could be seen clearly, while only half of Mok appeared behind him. Kao stood slightly taller.
Kao searched for the right words.
"Can I ask him?"
"What if he thinks badly of me?"
"Mok... If... If I..."
"If you... what?"
"If I kiss you now... will it change anything?"
Mok swallowed nervously.
"It's just a kiss... What's so—" Before Mok could finish.
Smack.
Kao pressed a quick kiss against Mok's lips.
It was nowhere near enough for either of them, yet both stayed silent for a moment after pulling away.
"Mok... Can I...?"
Mok grabbed Kao's suit tightly, their shoes scraping softly against the tiled floor.
Then Mok lightly brushed his tongue against Kao's lips.
Stunned, Kao smiled before kissing him back.
Their lips moved together, the warmth between them only making them crave more.
At the same time, outside the entrance, a white car slowly came to a stop.
Meanwhile, chaos continued unfolding inside K9.
A pair of black shoes stepped out from the vehicle.
As the car door closed, the man lifted his eyes toward the large K9 logo standing before him.