Hour Before Dawn

Chapter 4

Ye-jin fastened her seatbelt and hit the gas pedal, sending her car out of the pit immediately. It was one of her last few runs before she flies for the competition, meaning she was counting down to her last set of laps until she retires. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that she was about to give up what she has dedicated her life to in the last twenty years. She thought about what Bin said, that he was surprised with how sudden it was. She wanted to tell him that she too was surprised and that she was devastated, but she chose to keep it to herself for the time being. He was the closest person she has in her life but the process of figuring things out wasn't a burden she wanted to share with him and put him through.

She shook the thought out of her head and focused on driving. As she accelerated around the track, her adrenaline rose even higher. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel as she approached the curve, her body fighting the severe G force as she made the turn. As the speed increases, so does her heart rate. She could feel it pounding in her chest.

"Maintain the five feet to your left," she heard her spotter say. He's part of her crew situated on a high platform with a full view of the track who communicates her surroundings to her. "Perfect turn, Ye-jin. Nice one. Let's take it up higher."

She continued to drive with the guidance of her crew. "Last two laps, Ye-jin," she was told as she approached the curve again.

It was shortly after making that turn when a familiar feeling distracted her. She tightened her grip on the steering wheel as her chest began to tighten and she became lightheaded.

"Hold it, Ye-jin, hold it," she coached herself while trying to calm down.

"Dan, I need a break," she said to her spotter over the headset.

She could feel her head becoming lighter as she got dizzy, followed by the cold sweats and the nausea kicked in. She did her best to slow down as quick as she could while fighting the lightheadedness. The heat in the car wasn't helping and she was in her full race car gear with her helmet and face shield on.

"Ye-jin? What's going on?"

Her spotter watched from the top as the car slowed down and veered off the track.

"Ye-jin, are you okay? You're off the track," she heard him say. "Ye-jin?"

She came to a stop on the grass and immediately unbuckled herself from her seat. With the loss of energy from her current state, Ye-jin struggled to lift herself up and slip out of the car. She barely made it but with every ounce of strength she had left, she managed to get herself out and she quickly took her helmet and face shield off while unzipping her gear.

"Ye-jin?" She could still hear the two-way communication inside the car but she just didn't have the strength to reach inside and answer them.

Ye-jin leaned on the side of the car after stepping out of her gear and used it to slide herself down to the grass, her head resting on the car while she took deep breaths. Her shirt was soaked with the sweat from the heat inside the car in addition to the cold sweats she was currently having. She closed her eyes in an attempt to stop the sensation of spinning. Just like the other times, she felt like she was going to faint.

"She's down. She's down on the ground," the spotter reported to her crew chief via the radio.

She was lying on the grass with her eyes closed when her crew got to her.

"Shit! Ye-jin??"

She heard the panic in her crew's voice, prompting her to open her eyes. She quickly, but weakly, used her arm to cover her eyes from the California sun.