Mr and Mrs Sim ⋆ s.jake

42 - Blown-up Ferrari

Rose's POV

I drove all the way out of town without glancing once in the rearview mirror. On the highway, things only got worse. Reckless. My foot sank deeper into the gas pedal, unleashing every ounce of pressure I'd bottled up so far. The road blurred as the miles went by—I lost track of my speed, of the number of cars I passed, of time itself. I didn't even notice the sun going down.

But my dissociative state was nothing but an interlude. I snapped back way too fast—headlights flaring in the mirror, blinding me. The roar of an engine I could recognize in my sleep was closing in, so loud even the deaf would flinch.

I finally dared to look back and watched that red Ferrari blow past six cars in a flash, only to slip back just a few feet behind me, tailing me like a hunter with his prey. Jaeyun wasn't lying. I hadn't shaken him off, and probably never would. He wanted to chase me? So be it. I just had to make sure his victory tasted bitter—and felt hollow. Just like the love he claimed to have for me all that time.

I glanced in the rearview mirror every second, trying to make out his silhouette. His car was so close, our speeds perfectly matched—like our heartbeats used to, on random summer nights. Then, without warning, he overtook me, swerved in front of my car, and forced me to slam on the brakes so hard my seatbelt locked in place.

THE FUCK?!

He gunned it, pulling away while I pressed my foot on the gas to keep up with traffic. As I tried to collect myself, my right hand reached for my bag on the passenger seat. If I couldn't stop him from treating this fucking road like his playground, I could at least warn him not to try killing me. But just as my fingers closed around my phone, he did it again—slamming the brakes so hard his tires screeched. Instinct kicked in. I swerved into the left lane, narrowly avoiding the crash.

He had me panting, hands shaking. I retrieved my phone from the bottom of my bag and called him.

"Hi darl—"

"You won't kill me, Jaeyun."

He chuckled. "Of course, I won't."

Both our cars were neck and neck. I was going to slow down so he'd lose me on his own, but he'd just have fun mirroring my driving to scare me over and over.
My last option was to play the game until one of us lost—so I had to figure out a way to make it out alive.

A sign caught my eye: Next Exit — The Hills.

"You won't. But it's your dearest wish, isn't it?"

At the other end of the line, I pictured his smug grin, hands gripping the wheel, knuckles turning white. God, I hated being right about that.

"If I'd wanted to, you'd already be dead."

He snapped, raw.

My blood ran cold. I forced a laugh.

"Congrats, honey. What the fuck do you want me to say?"

I spotted the exit ramp, pressed my foot down on the gas, and wiped the tear from my cheek with the back of my hand.

"Nothing. Just do something about it."

"You want me to commit?"

Silence. I should've known.

And in that instant, I floored it, cutting Jaeyun off at a speed that was more criminal than just illegal.

"Fucking bitch..." he muttered under his breath, chasing after me almost immediately after his seatbelt nearly choked him.

The roads here were steep. Jaeyun knew every rough edge by heart from all the time he'd spent here—alone, or with Nishimura. One wrong turn and it was over. Either one of us made it out alive, or neither of us did. And it had better be me, because I had everything to lose, and Jaeyun had nothing. Night was falling. I switched off my headlights before I could clearly make out the signs for the uphill road. Bold move.