The crowd gathered at the starting line as Jae Woo rolled up to it, drawn in by the time. The night was alive and buzzing like cicadas in the summertime as he waited patiently for his opponent to join him at the line for their race to begin.

The air was heavy with exhaust and hot rubber from the previous races burnt his throat. The stretch of the road was lit by streetlights above, though the city's light pollution made it easy to see the track. A woman's voice flitted to his ears as she excitedly called Hyung Won's name at the starting line, but Jay didn't turn to look at her. There were plenty of people wanting his attention right now, but he didn't feel like entertaining any of them.

Any other racer would be taking this opportunity to chat up the richest of the people attending the event to gain their favor and convince them to bet money on them to win. Jay knew that it would be smart for him to seek out the new CEO of Hyun Industries, but he remained straddling Hyung Won's motorcycle in silence. He couldn't risk someone overhearing his voice and realizing that he wasn't Hyung Won; there were bound to be a few people here who actually knew him, which is why Jay wore his helmet religiously.

It was risky enough that he attended these events at all, considering how much trouble he was in with the loan sharks. There were bound to be some kkangpae here and he didn't want Ki-Jun to figure out where he had been making so much money. Ki-Jun seemed to enjoy the game they were playing and had already managed to get him fired from multiple jobs since he moved to Seoul by causing trouble and spreading rumors. It wasn't a secret that Ki-Jun didn't want Jay to fulfill his debts.

Ki-Jun already knew that he worked at Moon's club, but luckily, she was unfazed by the kkangpae's antics and had the guards memorize their faces, just in case they tried to sneak in to bother Jay while he was working. Moon understood how important it was that Ki-Jun didn't find out about Jae Woo being Jay, the performer; he would find a way to ruin his reputation as a singer so he wouldn't be able to make money that way anymore.

Jae Woo checked his watch, growing impatient. Just as it struck 10 p.m. an engine revved behind him as his opponent slid into place beside him. He greeted Jae Woo with an incline of his head and pressed his gloved fingers to his helmet, blowing him a kiss.

Jae Woo ignored him and sat upright, turning the engine on as the Starter made her way to the front of them with her flag. She waved it teasingly as the countdown began and the crowd came to life, hollering with excitement as the two racers revved their engines. The Starter waved the flag above her head and snapped it downward, signaling for the race to begin. The racers took off, leaving the smell of burning rubber behind as they disappeared down the road.

Jae Woo won the first round by a quarter mile. There was an unexpected turn where they blocked off a large section of the street with barriers, which caught his opponent up, giving him the lead. His next opponent was ready for him immediately so he set himself back up at the starting line again.

Soo Dong-Geun had a magnificent, bright red bike that cost way more than Hyun Won's Fireblade, but Jae Woo felt at ease knowing that every motorcycle that saw the track tonight was checked by the mechanics for modifications. The rules of the street races were simple enough and the Old Fox enforced them with a heavy hand.

Soo Dong-Geun flipped his visor up to glare at Jae Woo. He shouted some insult that was drowned out by the crowd as more congregated for their race, eager to see who placed their bets on the right driver.

Jay put a hand up to the side of his helmet and gestured mockingly for him to repeat himself, then shrugged when Soo Dong-Geun flipped him off instead. Jay dutifully ignored him as his group of friends cursed loudly at Jae Woo's cheekiness, tossing threats left and right. He paid the chattering of the rich boy's monkeys no mind as he took position over the Fireblade, feeling comforted by the vibration of the engine against his chest.

The Starter took her mark as Jae Woo found the Old Fox in the crowd, made visible by the sheer width of his shoulders. He was standing next to two men that he didn't recognize, though he found it odd that the person standing in the middle wore a three-piece suit. He was incredibly good-looking and stood apart from the other well-dressed individuals around him with his blonde hair, though he was too busy talking with the event coordinator to notice Jae Woo's attention. If he had to guess, Jay imagined that the Old Fox convinced that Hyun Chaebol to bet a lot of money on him to win this race, which would explain his presence on the track.

Jae Woo turned his attention back to the Starter mere seconds before she signaled for the race to begin. The racers took off and Soo Dong-Geun immediately swerved uncomfortably close to Jae Woo, intending to scare him into wrecking before they even gained enough speed to truly begin racing. The road was three miles long and looped back around to the starting line, so there was plenty of time for Jay to gain enough ground to win.

Soo Dong-Geun may have had the more expensive motorcycle, but he lacked skill. By the time they made it to the surprise block in the road, Jae Woo had caught up to him. Soo Dong-Geun pulled just far enough ahead to spare a missed gear shift, using his heavy boot to kick at Jae Woo as he swerved toward him.

Jae Woo cursed as the impact crushed his ankle, but he managed to keep the motorcycle from crashing. He steadied the Fireblade and tried to ignore the throbbing of his ankle, wincing and cursing whenever he had to shift gears. Soo Dong-Geun crossed the finish line with a forty-second lead and his friends flocked around him immediately. Those who bet money on him to win cheered loudly at their win.

Jae Woo pulled far enough away from him that he wouldn't have to hear his gloating. He turned off the Fireblade and tried to dismount, but he was unable to engage the kickstand because of the damage to his ankle. The motorcycle began to topple over without anything to hold it up, but the Old Fox was beside him in an instant to balance the weight.

"What happened?" He demanded, engaging the kickstand so he could help JaY off of the bike. He noticed that there was no damage to the Fireblade, which meant that he didn't wreck on the course.

Jae Woo took the extended arm and limped to the shoulder of the road, cursing loudly at the sharp pain that radiated up his leg. "Soo Dong-Geun kicked me," He hissed, fumbling to remove his gloves. His hands were visibly trembling from enduring the pain.

The Old Fox lowered Jay onto the pavement and helped take off his boot to assess the damage. "Is it broken?" He asked, taking Jay's socked foot and rotating it gently.

Jae Woo couldn't resist a cry of pain as he placed a hand on the helmet, tossing his head back. "No," He gritted. "I'm fine." He knew he wasn't, but he couldn't afford to go to the hospital. It was definitely sprained at least, but he would have to try his best to deal with the pain until it healed. He was already grimacing at the thought of having to drive the Fireblade home.

The Old Fox glowered and pulled his sock down to reveal the ankle. It was already discolored as a bruise began to form, despite having the thick leather boot to protect it. "Well, he was trying to break it," He muttered. "I saw how he lunged at you out of the gate. I won't have a cheater on my course," He waved his goons over and jabbed angrily toward Soo Dong-Geun, who was too busy celebrating his win to pay attention. "He's gone. Get rid of him."

Soo Dong-Geun was dragged away from his friends by the guards and he began to shout his protests. "What? I didn't cheat, I won! He broke his foot on his own!" He insisted, whirling to face Jae Woo. His face distorted into a snarl and he attempted to throw his helmet at him, but it fell short and rolled toward him harmlessly. The guards grabbed his arms while another cleared the motorcycle from the course.

Soo Dong-Geun spat furiously as he was hauled away, kicking helplessly like a toddler. "Do you know who I am? Get off of me!" The crowd parted for him to be hauled away, staring in shock at his behavior. They began to murmur to each other, realizing that their money was wasted betting on that spoiled brat. "I'll get you for this, Hyung Won!"

His friends stared in shock after him before they turned to shoot Jae Woo dirty looks. "Watch your back, you bastard," The biggest of them cursed loudly before following Soo Dong-Geun out.

The old fox insisted that Jae Woo get his ankle treated by the event staff before he left, so he was forced to sit in a chair with his leg propped up while someone ran to a pharmacy for topical spray and bandages. Jae Woo faced away from the street and flipped his visor up to take some pain medication and drink a bottle of water while he waited.

"I'm sorry this happened," The event manager said, examining Jae Woo's ankle gingerly. "I shouldn't have raced you against each other. I knew that Soo Dong-Geun, had it out for you, but the crowd ate up your rivalry," He sighed and glanced at Jae Woo regretfully. "I'll stop making excuses. I'm sorry about this."

Jae Woo tilted his head back and tried to focus on anything but the pain in his ankle or how he was going to walk around school tomorrow, let alone work an entire shift at Moon's. Maybe he could convince her to let him sit down in between customers, but he found it unlikely that there would be any lapses in business on Friday night. He was set to perform on Saturday, but he was sure that he could sit on a stool to sing.

"Don't blame yourself," Jae Woo said softly. "I just appreciate that you believed me."

The Old Fox gave him a disbelieving look. "How could I not, after seeing the state of your leg? Don't be stupid. I'm a fair man."

Jae Woo smiled with a grimace as he lowered his foot. "I know."

He sat across from Jay and leaned his elbows onto his knees, brow creased with seriousness. "If they bother you, come to me, okay?"

It took Jay a moment to figure out what he was talking about. "Who? Soo Dong-Geun? Please. I can deal with him."

"I know you can, but can your friend?"

Jay went quiet. He was worried that something like this would happen eventually. It was only a matter of time before a rival racer got upset and tried to track him down outside of the races, which would send them looking for Hyung Won. He swallowed. "I'll deal with it," He said again. He reached for his phone and turned the power back on, sending a message to Hyun Won, asking him to come back to the dorm. "I'm leaving now."

"But medicine hasn't arrived, yet," the Old Fox insisted, trying to ease Jay back into the chair. "Just wait a bit longer, I'll have someone take your bike home so you can call a cab."

Jae Woo gave him a scalding look and with his expression visible with the visor of his helmet lifted, the older man immediately removed his hands from Jay's arm.

 "I'll be fine. Let me know when there's a spot open for me again," He bit his lip as he tested his weight on the injured leg. It hurt like hell, but he could walk, thankfully. He was glad to have spent a bit of money on good boots. The Old Fox didn't stop him from lacing his boot back up and standing, though he shook his head at Jay's stubbornness.

"You drive me nuts, kid..." He sighed and followed Jay to the Fireblade, standing nearby in case he needed help. He didn't.

Jae Woo flipped his visor back down and turned on the engine. "Don't forget to deposit my prize money," He reminded him before driving off.