Mamushi stepped onto the track. He paused with his eyes closed, listening to the roaring engines and breathing in the familiar scent of the racing ground.
"I missed this smell..." he whispered.
His gaze dropped to his leg as a memory struck him, one he never wanted to recall.
Half a year ago...
Japanese voices echoed through the hospital room.
Mamushi sat arrogantly on a chair inside the doctor's office. The doctor kept talking, but none of the words reached him. His attention remained fixed on the window instead.
"Mamushi, I'm not saying this as your uncle. You really need to quit driving. From the information I received, the accident was caused by your brother. Wouldn't it be better if you stayed somewhere else for a while?"
A trace of displeasure crossed Mamushi's face.
"Why should I leave?"
His voice trembled slightly.
"So you're saying all my hard work was meaningless?"
"Mamushi, I understand your feelings, but—"
"No. No one understands."
Mamushi abruptly stood up and kicked the chair aside before storming out of the room.
His injured leg ached with every step. Reaching the open hallway, he finally stopped.
His eyes drifted toward his leg.
"Pathetic..." he muttered. "No one cares. Not even my family."
His tied hair had already come loose, strands swaying gently in the wind. He made no effort to fix it.
Dry leaves scattered across the hallway, and one landed near his feet.
It was summer.
"Maybe resting wasn't such a bad idea," he mumbled.
Back to the present...
Mamushi rubbed his leg lightly. The moment his eyes returned to the track, he could no longer hide his expression.
"I want to drive."
He clenched his fists, unable to calm his racing heartbeat.
Thump... Thump...
"I missed this feeling for so long."
Mamushi had once been a well-known racer. Anyone familiar with racing would call him a genius without hesitation. Growing up in a family where succession turned blood relatives into rivals was enough to destroy dreams. At twenty-five, he lost everything.
The accident was covered up, but the one responsible was his own brother.
His own blood.
In the end, Mamushi chose silence instead of barking like a dog for justice.
Voices from Ren and the others echoed nearby...
"Am I hearing things?"
The familiar voices became clearer.
Mamushi followed the sound slowly before stopping at the sight in front of him.
One corner of his lips lifted into a grin.
"I came to pick it up without even searching for it. You never change, Ren."
He remained there quietly, watching the chaos unfold.
***
Inside the locker room...
Mok was already waiting for Kao, who was still on the phone with Artit.
"Artit, can't you help your friend?"
"No."
"Come here now. Lunch break is already over, and the sun will set in a few hours," Artit said, glancing out the window.
"Artit, cover for me—"
The moment Kao noticed Mok standing nearby, he wanted to end the call and go to him, but Artit kept talking.
"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you off, Kao."
"Thank you, chup chup, my friend."
On the other side of the call, Artit slowly pulled the phone away from his ear.
"Did he catch some kind of illness?"
Tilting his head, he glanced at the lifeless faces of his classmates in the workshop.
"I miss Toffee..."
Back in the locker room...
"Did he cut my call?" Kao sighed.
His locker stood open. He still wasn't wearing anything on top, and his damp hair hadn't dried yet.
Mok's ears instantly turned red.
Seeing Kao's fit body soaked with water made his heartbeat speed up.
"What am I? A pervert?"
Mok's heartbeat raced.
"Now I can't deny it anymore."
Mok hadn't heard the conversation between Kao and Artit. After putting his phone away, Kao hurriedly wore a white shirt.
Because of his rush, he buttoned it incorrectly.
He quickly approached Mok, who stood near the washroom entrance.
Kao knew Mok hadn't eaten properly all day. He had been worried about him the entire time.
"Did Samy buy you something to eat?"
"Mh... She gave me a sandwich."
"Then did you eat it?"
Mok fell silent. Honestly, he couldn't even remember.
"Mmm... I..."
"Forget it. Let's go grab something. It's getting late, and you already look exhausted."
Kao gently ruffled Mok's hair.
"Is touching my hair his habit?" A small smile appeared on Mok's face.
"How beautiful it would be if you always smiled like this."
"What—"
Kao froze. The words had slipped out before he realized it.
Meanwhile, Mok had already heard him clearly, though he pretended otherwise.
Both of them turned red from embarrassment.
Kao scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Let's go..."
"Wait." Mok stopped him.
"You're going out like this?"
"Yes. Why?"
Kao's shirt buttons were completely mismatched, and water from his hair had soaked the collar.
Mok tried to suppress his laughter.
"Take a look at yourself in the mirror."
"Why the mirror?"
Kao glanced at his reflection and immediately froze in embarrassment. He refused to turn back, missing the quiet laughter escaping from Mok.
Mok stepped closer.
"Turn around. I'll fix it."
Kao obeyed, scratching his neck shyly.
Mok carefully unbuttoned the shirt one by one. Kao's breath brushed against his face.
"Kao... hold your breath. It's annoying."
With a sulky expression, Kao lightly held his breath.
Truthfully, Mok didn't hate it. He was simply too flustered to stay calm.
Kao stared blankly at Mok's face.
"Kao... Kao..."
Mok called him twice before he snapped back to reality.
"Mok, call me Phi."
"No."
Kao instantly gave up.
He wanted to hear Mok call him Phi, but Mok had already missed the timing. Now he stubbornly refused to say it. Even though he secretly wanted to.
"Where's the hair dryer? Pass it to me."
Kao took the hair dryer from the lower cabinet beside the mirror.
"What are you doing with that?"
Without answering, Mok walked outside the washroom and returned with a chair from the first aid area.
Kao stood there motionless, still holding the dryer.
"Why the chair?"
"Sit." Mok's commanding tone made Kao obey immediately.
"Khap..."
"Give me the hair dryer."
After plugging it in, Mok switched it to cool air mode. Even after showering, Kao was still sweating.
Whirrr...
The steady sound of the dryer filled the silence.
The scent of shampoo from Kao's hair drifted into Mok's nose.
Mok's fingers moved gently through Kao's damp hair as he dried it.
From the mirror, Kao quietly watched how focused Mok looked.
Then Kao tilted his head upward, making their eyes meet.
Startled, Mok accidentally shifted the dryer away.
"Kao, let me dry your hair properly. Sit straight."
"Five minutes. Just five minutes..."
Even Mok could tell he was deliberately dragging this out.
Mok shook his head lightly, but Kao slowly rested his forehead against Mok's stomach to stop him from moving.
"Mok… can you lay down for a bit?"
Smack...
A quick kiss brushed against Mok's lips as Kao gently lowered Mok's head.
Flustered, Mok gulped hard.
He shoved the dryer into Kao's hands before hurrying outside.
"Mok, don't run away—"
"Suit yourself."
After sitting upright again, Kao stared at his reflection in the mirror.
"I'm going crazy."
Mok stopped near the locker room entrance, touching his lips.
"I almost opened my mouth..."
He tried calming himself down.
Suddenly, a loud crashing sound echoed nearby.
Mok stepped forward to check what happened.
Then he stopped.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
Papers were scattered across the tiled floor.
A weak whine escaped from the girl.
"I'm not..."
A glass had fallen beside her. Dark circles stood out beneath her eyes, and her short hair was completely messy.
Mok picked up the glass and handed it to her.
"Is this yours?"
She weakly shook her head.
"Thank you... ka."
Even after gathering the papers from the floor, she still didn't stand up.
Thinking she no longer needed help, Mok turned to leave.
But before he could take another step, she grabbed his finger.
"Wait..."