Unexpected

Part 21

The first free practice finishes up, and I'm pleased with my fastest time. After my duties, I go look for Sangil so we can eat together before I'm needed back at the garage for second practice. I find him on the rooftop of the Nissan hospitality suite.

"Hey, Sangil, ready for lunch?" He peers up from his phone. "Have you been playing games the whole time?"

"Of course not. Why do you ask?"

"Because your members warned me, remember?"

"I was in the garage for the duration of practice, but after it was over I didn't want to be in the way."

I laugh. "I understand. There's the team debriefing, and a couple other things, and it took a while. You didn't want to watch the other race that started after our practice?"

"I didn't know I was allowed. So how did your practice session go?"

"Great! No accidents and a good place finish. Just two below Esteban, and he's had a couple years' experience. Did you remember to wear the noise canceling headphones?" He nods. "Good. As a singer, your ears are important. I wouldn't want you to get any damage."

"I had no idea it was going to be so loud!"

We arrive at the dining area, load up our plates, and take a seat. "You're eating all that?" Sangil is incredulous.

"Yes. It's not only the car that needs fuel. Besides, I just lost half a kilo during practice."

"Seriously?"

"And it's not even a race. That probably will be more than a kilogram. Maybe two at Singapore."

"Why?"

"It's very hot and humid. So we sweat more, and burn more calories."

"You look good, by the way."

"Thank you. Get used to this barefaced look, because it's what you'll see on the weekends. All I did was curl my eyelashes this morning. After taking off my helmet I wipe my face and put on lip gloss. But that's it. Did you put any makeup on this morning?"

He hesitates before answering, "I did. A little."

"You don't have to be ashamed."

"I know. But every guy I see here isn't wearing any."

"So tomorrow you can try going without, if you wish. Did you check social media for mentions of you?" I ask, changing the subject.

"Yes. I'm in a few photos, actually."

"Do you like them?"

"I look good. And they didn't write anything bad. I think some of the posters may be Swings."

"Where were they taken?"

"Most were outside of Albert Park. One account seems to be from inside the paddock."

"Was I in any of them?"

"Yeah." He pulls out his phone and shows some of the pictures. We decide to take a couple ourselves and post them. A selfie of us and one of him standing by my car.

Sangil's first Formula One weekend!

As we're walking in the paddock, we see some of my fellow drivers coming from the opposite direction.

"Hey Sochi," calls Alex. "Who's your friend?"

As if he doesn't know. "This is Shim Sangil. Sangil, Alex, George, Lando." I say, gesturing to each one.

"Hello," says George. "It's nice to finally meet you."

I translate, since Sangil's English is worse than his Japanese. Kind of a relief in this situation, to be honest.

"Do you enjoy being married to Sochi?" inquires Alex.

"Very much. She's a fantastic person."

"Let me know if you want any embarrassing stories," he continues. "I know plenty."

"So do I," chimes in George.

"That's sweet of you, but we're good," I say.

"All joking aside, she is amazing. One of my closest mates," says George.

"You couldn't have made a better choice," agrees Alex.

"You know, it must be tough to translate," says George. "Isn't Jack half Korean?"

Jack Aitken is a driver in Formula 2. And yes, he is part Korean.

"Yeah. Let's FaceTime!" Lando gets his phone out as he speaks.

"That's not necessary. He's probably too bus-"

I'm cut off as Jack's face appears on the screen. "Guys! How are you?" he practically screams.

After the initial chaos they explain why they called. Jack and Sangil talk in Korean, leaving us out of the loop. Jack's a great guy, I know he's not discussing anything bad, but that doesn't make my apprehension go away.

During the call two more drivers show up. Daniil Kvyat and Antonio.

"Hi, Sochi," says Daniil in Russian. "How's it going?"

"Hey, Danik. Not bad. But at the moment those guys are pestering my boyfriend, and I'm a little worried."

"You have a boyfriend, too?!"

"What?"

"I heard you were married."

"It's the same guy. We're not actually married, that's just for a TV show. But I suppose I should stick to 'husband' so there's less confusion."

"What have you been talking about?" interrupts Alex.

"Learn Russian if you want to know," I retort.

Antonio gives me a hug before rejoining Danik, talking in what I presume is Italian. F1 is so international. Everyone needs to know English, and many know a second or third language. Danik knows four: English, Russian, Spanish, and Italian.

I catch Sangil sending me a distress call, so I walk up. "What's wrong?"

"They're asking some personal questions."

I turn to my friends. "Guys, that's enough. Give it a rest. As a celebrity he has to be careful of his actions."

"We're celebrities, too," insists Lando.

"Trust me, it's different. It was great to catch up, but we have to get going. Bye!" I grab Sangil's arm and we walk away before they can be any more annoying. 

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