As the roller coaster's starting bell rang, Dominik and Hanna sat in the front row.
"Huh? Why isn't it moving?" Dominik asked, genuinely confused by the delay.
Hanna was already hyperventilating, clutching Dominik's hand with a death grip.
"It hurts! It hurts! It hasn't even started yet..." Dominik complained. But before he could finish, the pneumatic launch system fired.
Whoosh.
"Let go! You're breaking my fingers!" Dominik yelled over the wind.
Hanna couldn't hear him. She was screaming, her eyes squeezed shut, squeezing his hand as if trying to crush carbon fiber.
They crested the top hat. Hanna finally let go—probably to cover her eyes.
Dominik glanced at her. She looked terrified.
Is it really that scary? he wondered. It's just... physics.
The coaster dove. Dominik felt the G-force kick in. Maybe 3.5G? It was cute. He pulled 5G through the Esses in Jeddah yesterday.
He looked around. The view of Budapest from up here was nice. He could see the Parliament building in the distance. The wind on his face was refreshing.
40 seconds later, the ride hit the magnetic brakes.
The fans gathered at the exit, phones raised, hoping to see a shell-shocked F1 driver. They were disappointed. Dominik looked like he had just finished a mild jog.
The only thrill was the initial launch. It was decent, but it was no Eau Rouge.
The safety bars unlocked. Dominik hopped out.
Hanna didn't move. She was slumped in the seat, her face the color of paper.
Dominik sighed, smiling helplessly. He offered her a hand. "Come on, speed racer."
He practically had to carry her out of the station. Her legs were jelly.
He sat her down on a bench. "Stay here. Don't die."
He ran to a nearby kiosk and bought two fagylalt (ice creams). He knew Hanna well enough; sugar was the only cure for her panic.
When he returned, she was breathing normally again, though her eyes still held a glimmer of terror.
"You are scared to death, yet you still insist on riding," Dominik said, handing her a lemon scoop.
"It was... exhilarating," Hanna lied, taking a small bite.
They spent the rest of the afternoon on the tame rides—the carousel, the Ferris wheel. Dominik drove the yellow Abarth back to the Corvinus Estate in the evening.
He was exhausted. More tired than after a Grand Prix. Dealing with G-forces was easier that dealing with Hanna .
He ignored Katalin and Gábor when he walked in, went straight to his room, and passed out. He silently prayed that his vacation would get quieter from here.
Friday Morning.
Dominik was woken by the sound of curtains ripping open.
"Dominik! Wake up!" Katalin's voice was chipper. Too chipper.
Dominik groaned, burying his face in the pillow. "Mom... please."
"Hanna just texted. She wants to go to the Danube Bend today. Maybe a boat ride. Get up!"
Dominik's eyes snapped open. A boat ride? With Hanna?
He would rather drive the FW44 with three wheels.
A flash of inspiration hit him. He grabbed his phone under the duvet.
Sorry, O'Connor. You're taking the bullet for this.
He quickly texted his agent: Call me. Now. Scream at me about Netflix.
Then, he sat up, feigning panic.
"Mom! I can't! O'Connor just called. Netflix messed up the footage. They need emergency reshoots. I have to go. Like, right now."
Katalin narrowed her eyes. "Reshoots? On a Friday?"
"It's Hollywood, Mom! They're crazy!" Dominik jumped out of bed, grabbing a suitcase. "If I don't go, I'm in breach of contract!"
To sell the lie, he called O'Connor on speakerphone.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THE AUDIO IS CORRUPTED?!" Dominik yelled at the phone.
On the other end, O'Connor—who was in London at 2:00 AM—was confused but played along. "Uh... yes? Dominik? Are you okay?"
"I'm leaving now! I'll be at the airport in an hour!" Dominik shouted, hanging up before O'Connor could ask questions.
He threw some clothes in a bag, kissed his suspicious mother on the cheek, and sprinted out the door.
The Escape.
The yellow Abarth tore down the road toward Budapest Airport, the engine screaming at 6,000 RPM.
Back at the estate, Gábor sipped his coffee.
"He's lying, isn't he?" Gábor asked.
"Of course he is," Katalin sighed.
"If the kids like each other, it will happen," Gábor said, turning the page of his newspaper. "If Dominik doesn't want it, stop forcing him. He races cars at 300 kilometers per hour. You can't bully him into a relationship."
Budapest Airport (BUD).
Dominik stood at the departures board. He was safe. But now he had a problem.
Where to go?
He couldn't stay in Budapest. Hanna would find him.
He looked at the board. London? No, O'Connor would kill him. Monaco? Too many drivers.
Then, a thought bloomed in his mind. A seed of longing that grew wildly in seconds.
Seoul.
Yeji.
He pulled out his phone and bombarded her with an Instagram call.
In Seoul, it was late afternoon. Yeji was in the dance studio, taking a break. She saw the name on the screen.
She picked up. "Hello?"
"Can you host me for two days?" Dominik asked, skipping the pleasantries.
Yeji blinked. "What?"
"I'm fleeing the country. My mother is trying to marry me off. Can I come to Seoul? Please?"
Yeji laughed. She thought it was a prank. "You are crazy. But... okay. If you are serious, come."
Dominik booked the ticket instantly.
Incheon International Airport -> Seoul.
The flight was long, but Dominik slept like a baby. He was free.
He landed in Korea and took a taxi, not to Yeji's dorm, but to a luxury apartment complex in Gangnam.
He had been here before. He had rented a parking spot here a year ago, back when he was racing in F2 and had visited during the off-season.
He took the elevator down to the B3 level.
There, tucked in a corner, covered in a thin layer of dust despite Yeji's best efforts, sat a beast.
A Ferrari FF.
V12. All-wheel drive. Shooting Brake. Rosso Corsa.
Dominik grinned. Yeji had told him she dusted it once a week with a broom. It was better than nothing.
He unlocked the car. The leather smell hit him—distinctly Ferrari.
He inserted the key. He turned it.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Then...
ROAR.
The 6.3-liter V12 exploded to life, the sound echoing off the concrete walls like a symphony of violence. It was a sound that made the V6 hybrid in his Williams sound like a vacuum cleaner.
He revved it once. The car shook.
Dominik pulled out of the garage, the red beast gleaming under the Seoul streetlights.
He tried to connect his phone to the infotainment system. The ancient Ferrari software refused to cooperate.
"Fine," he muttered, connecting via Bluetooth audio instead.
He pulled up the navigation on his phone.
Destination:JYP Entertainment Building.