slow down ➳ 이희승

𖥻 chapter twenty seven

"revenge is a dish served cold."

꒰🏁꒱

"so! how do you feel about finishing first for the second time in a row?"

ava shifts uncomfortably on the big armchair, scratching on her nails & the skin around them as she glances at the camera pointing at her ─ the same camera that offered her a full hd shot of heeseung months ago.

with such high definition, everyone must have noticed the nervousness literally pouring out of every single pore on her body. how does she look on the camera? ridiculous? ugly? is her anxiety showing? does that one freaking pimple that popped up two days ago show?

"uhm... great." try to not stutter. "all of the efforts finally paid off, as you can see." she states, gathering confidence bit by bit, as the interviewer smiles & nods, flipping the paper on her lap.

"lovely to see you growing as a racer. just so you know, you make all girls & women out there so proud, by giving them courage and strength to pursue their own dreams. and you've did lots of great stuff in a typically man-ruled place. both you & the rest of the girls, actually."

"that's great to hear." ava beams, this very statement bringing her joy. "my main goal, aside from making a name for myself, is to inspire all women out there, to let them know that no dream is small and a nonsense."

"you've with no doubt achieved that!" the interviewer exclaims and glances down at the pile of papers on her lap, her lips puckering a little as she reads through the next question.

in that moment of silence, ava looks at the camera and winks with a small, lopsided smirk. the crowd behind the camera cheers, yet the action was not directed to them.

oh no, not at all. reenacting his cocky grin, ava adjusts herself on the seat & brings a finger up, rubbing the tip of her nose. somewhere in london, right across from his screen, heeseung sits on the couch, elbows prompted up on his knees as he leans in, watching her interview.

"just like any other person, you must have your hobbies as well. i suppose your dreams don't only consist of big racing cars, arenas and wheels, am i right?" the interviewer snaps her out of the minute daze she got herself in. ava hums as she sits back on the seat and licks her lips in thought.

"well i like sketching, a lotta lot. i've been drawing since i was very young and i also have my own original plots & characters sketched out. becoming a digital artist or a cartoonist is just a thought for now but ─ who knows ─ maybe in the near future, i'll pursue it professionally."

the woman across from her laughs in a light tone. "i never really thought of you as the type to be into drawing or sketching! your cool and badass looks tricked me into business sort of stuff, something like a boss of a successful company. it's adorable, may i add. we will be looking forward to & rooting for cartoonist ava!"

"thanks a lot, charlotte." ava nods her head as she breathes a shy laugh. she is doing just fine as of now. with a hint of smile on her lips, she looks up and meets the interviewer's friendly gaze hidden behind her big, round glasses.

"no worries, ace in wheels."

"cause truthfully, you deserve the title."

her jaw grows numb, a quiet scoff of disbelief going past her lips. "hmm, is that so?" she asks, throwing her head back. her hooded eyes gaze right at the camera, lifting her forefinger and pointing at it. "someone might get mad hearing that."

charlotte's loud laugh & ava's snarky comment cause heeseung's fingers to twitch, gritting his teeth while trying to keep himself back from smashing the tv with the remote.

"i mean, no one owns the title. and you are rightfully claiming it as yours, after such great performances on this season." she points out. ava nods. "you are right. i deserve it, after all."

"we love a woman who acknowledges their worth." charlotte snickers as she flips the page to the other side. "hmm~ speaking of the devil." she slurs, eyes glinting with excitement as she looks at ava with a little smirk.

"what do you think of lee heeseung?"

there it is.

the moment she's been waiting for.

heeseung's hand freezes midair, since he was about to take a sip of his beer. the sudden bring up of his name came as no surprise, honestly, judging from the way the conversation was already directed to him ─ in such an obvious manner.

"oh? what about him?" she asks and connects her hands under her chin as she leans further into her seat. "well... he used to claim your title. and may i admit, he's quite the handsome news. that face, that smile..."

that dickhead's personality, the girl adds in her head, yet snickers & nods at whatever the woman says. it'd be a lie if she said she's not feeling thrilled and excited ─ for no specific reason at all.

but heeseung knows. charlotte seems to know. in fact, it feels as if one of his biggest supporters has all of a sudden switched lanes, expecting ava's reply with heart eyes.

ava grins. maybe he'll hurt him, but so did he ─ to give him a taste of his own medicine the same way he did feels so right, even if it's something she would never do, normally.

but right now, all she wants is revenge.

revenge, because he made fun of her. revenge, because dickheads don't just run away with their wrongdoings.

she flicks her wrist, a sly smile on her lips as she looks straight at the camera and shoots.

"next question."

and heeseung feels it. a pang of guilt, a rush of adrenaline, a wave of pain. his hand reaches for the remote & turns the tv off, moving on its own accord.

jake enters the room, water dripping down his face & bare chest. of course he's unbothered. he searches through the living room for something, under the cushions and the couches, only to not find it.

"hey mate, have you seen my pajama set? and my slippers? i'm freezing." he asks, still looking under the furniture. the lack of response surprises him, so he looks up to see what's it that got his friend so absorbed.

"heeseung, wher─ are you... crying?"

he's not crying. these are not tears of sadness. these are tears of anger and frustration, of guilt and regret. what's it he's currently feeling? he's no idea.

he knows one thing though; that once again, ava yoon called it quits. it took two words to challenge her into this mess, and it took the same two words to break him.

break him, not shutter. because a part of him still believes that there's hope. a part of him still cares.

he wants to give love a second chance.