Street Racer || Yang Jungwon

°•♡•° / 62

—— Jungwon

The hum of the engine had long faded from my mind, replaced by the heavy weight that had been pressing down on my chest since I left Seori’s house this morning. I sat on the worn-out couch in the racing house, surrounded by my friends, but my mind was far from the room. It was impossible to focus on anything else but what had happened. The day had started with adrenaline and excitement, but now I was stressed beyond belief, caught in a whirlwind of emotions and worries.

Sunghoon was perched on the kitchen counter, slurping down a bowl of ramen with his usual focus. The sound of the noodles being slurped up should’ve been background noise, but all I could think about was Seori—the way she loved ramen, the way she always stole bites from everyone’s bowls, laughing with her eyes crinkled in joy. It was her thing, and seeing Sunghoon just reminded me of her even more. My Ramen Queen.

I leaned forward, running my hands through my hair as I stared blankly at the table in front of me. The others were chatting and laughing, but their voices felt distant, like a muffled soundtrack playing in another room. I wasn’t here—not really. My thoughts kept circling back to Seori and the bomb that had dropped on us just hours ago. Her mom knew.

It wasn’t supposed to be like this. I never wanted things to get so complicated. I was careful, always keeping a low profile when it came to our relationship. But no matter how cautious I thought we were, someone had been watching. Someone had gotten those pictures, and now Seori’s mom was furious. I felt sick to my stomach just thinking about it.

“I wouldn’t even be in this mess if I hadn’t gotten involved with Seori in the first place,” I muttered under my breath, but loud enough for the others to hear. The words came out before I could stop them, a bitter edge to my voice that surprised even me.

Sunghoon paused mid-slurp, raising an eyebrow as he looked at me from across the room. “Whoa, hold up. What are you talking about?”

Heeseung, who had been sprawled out on the other end of the couch, lazily tossing a baseball into the air, sat up and gave me a curious look. “Yeah, man. That doesn’t sound like you. What’s going on?”

I sighed, leaning back against the couch and crossing my arms. The heaviness in my chest only grew. “It’s Seori’s mom. She found out about us. Someone sent her pictures of me and Seori together, and now her mom is freaking out. She doesn’t want us seeing each other anymore.”

Jay, who had been scrolling through his phone, sat up and put it down on the coffee table. “That’s rough, dude. But what do you mean you wouldn’t be in this mess if you hadn’t gotten involved with her? I thought you liked her.”

“I do,” I said quickly, the frustration in my voice evident. “I like her a lot. She’s... she means everything to me. But now her mom knows, and she’s grounded. She’s not allowed to see me, and I’m afraid it’s going to ruin everything.”

Sunghoon hopped down from the counter, his bowl of ramen still in hand as he walked over to sit beside me. “Man, this sounds intense. But didn’t Seori’s mom know about you guys before? I thought she was cool with you.”

I shook my head, my fingers rubbing my temples as I tried to make sense of the situation. “She knew we were friends, but she had no idea we were dating. She thought we were just hanging out. But now... it’s different. She found out the truth, and she’s not okay with it.”

Sunghoon frowned, slurping another bite of ramen. “So, what’s the plan? You’re not just going to give up, right?”

“Of course not,” I said firmly. “But I don’t know what to do. Seori’s mom is strict, and now that she knows about our age difference, it’s making everything worse. She thinks I’m too old for Seori and that I’m going to ruin her life or something.”