Pain Inside Me (Kenta × Kim)

Chapter 7

With nervousness, Kenta went into Tony's office and saw him immersed in papers. Kenta had to bow his head in response to Tony's severe look.

Kenta stumbled, "I'm very sorry for not assisting you yesterday," but Tony looked at him and said nothing.

"I heard too, Kim mentioned you were hospitalized," Tony stated with a straight face.

And Kenta said, "Yes!"

Kenta hesitated as Tony asked, "What caused it?" Tony asked, "Shrimp allergy?" before he could respond.

Tony went on before Kenta could respond, which made Kenta shiver. Tony's unsettling question, "Yet you're still alive?" persisted.

Kenta questioned, bewildered, "What do you mean?"

"What do you think I offered you, knowing you're allergic?" Tony asked in a shocking way.

Kenta took a moment to realize this, and he was able to gather himself. "Why?" he enquired.

Tony stood next to him and gave him a hard slap. Kenta collapsed in shock. The physical suffering was insignificant when Tony mentioned that he was aware of Kenta's allergy to shrimp but continued to give buttered shrimp.

Shouting, Tony accused, "You didn't report that the X Hunter captain rejected your offer. They have now Beyond Group's full support."

Kenta, on his knees, pleaded in fear, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it. I wanted the transaction to succeed before reporting."

Tony's chuckles cut the atmosphere. Slamming the door, Tony left Kenta alone with his regrets, betrayed alliances resonating in the office's silence as he said.

"You are truly useless, unlike your brothers."

In the dimly lit garage at Red Racing, Kim carefully packed his stuff, neatly folding his racing suit and organizing his gear.

The tools made soft clinking sounds as he put them in his toolbox, and the only noise in the quiet garage was the distant sound of engines from the racetrack.

Closing his bag, Kim remembered the showdown with Winner at the pit area. The sun had set, casting long shadows in the garage.

Kim whispered to himself, "You can't escape the consequences."

Winner, leaning on a car, grinned, saying, "We'll see. This racing world isn't as clean as you think."

Frustrated, Kim replied, "I won't let you ruin this sport's integrity."

Winner chuckled, "You're too naive, Kim. It's survival of the fittest here."

Alone, Kim thought about the complexities of racing, vowing to uncover corruption and restore honor to the sport.

Finishing packing, he shifted his thoughts to Kenta. The hospital encounter puzzled him, and he wondered about Kenta's mysterious words.

Kim mumbled, "What did he mean?" The quiet garage intensified his confusion.

Thoughts of Tony and Kenta's odd relationship crossed his mind, but he dismissed it, recognizing his limited involvement.

"Who am I to get involved?" he thought.

Leaving the garage, Kim's mind lingered on thoughts of Kenta.

He pondered, "Why does he occupy my thoughts? Maybe it's just his mysterious vibe."

Meanwhile, Kenta investigated Beyond Group President Pete out of curiosity. Information led him to a secluded woods where Pete practiced archery.

Kenta found Pete engaged in an unexpected activity, shooting arrows at a tree.