"Mr. Chang-min, please come and eat too. It would be embarrassing to eat alone."
At Leo's polite words, Lee Chang-min, who initially didn't want to eat because he was on a special diet, stopped insisting and approached the barbecue.
Manager Woon, Racer Chang-min, and Leo began to enjoy the barbecue together while discussing the only topic they had in common: racing cars.
"Mr. Leo, I believe God put you in our path. A major GT3 race will be held in Japan in three weeks. And the prize will be truly big."
"Don't you have another car?"
The manager laughed as if he had heard a funny joke in response to Leo's question, but his smile was short-lived so as not to seem rude.
"Of course we have another car. Well... we sort of do... Actually, we haven't participated in any GT3 races since 2019 because we had an accident during the last race we attended, and our vehicle, worth 450,000 euros, was totaled."
As the manager mentioned this, Seul Woon was eating a small chicken wing in his hand while trying to hide behind it.
"After the race that day, we lost more than half of our sponsors and were nearly wiped out. Fortunately, we had spare vehicles suitable for smaller classifications. For example, we had a car suitable for use in TCR class races. It was truly difficult back then. We participated in competitions involving smaller teams, and our relationship with our sponsors wasn't great."
"So what happened? The price of the car I have isn't low at all. How did you recover your situation?"
"Over time... we rose slowly but surely, found new sponsors, and got to where we are today. Thanks to you, we will be ready to burn the Japanese track again even faster than we thought. I hope the car is in good condition."
"Don't worry, it just came out of the factory. Actually, I wanted to buy an Aston Martin Vantage GT3, but due to a mistake I made when ordering, the vehicle sent to me was a professional track car, not the version that can be used on normal roads. After working on it for a few days, I learned how to use it, but traffic lights are still a great torture. And it makes too much noise."
The faces of the manager and the driver, listening to the story Leo pulled out of thin air, showed wild changes.
One was astonished because Leo learned to use this car in just a few days, while the other was having a new epiphany about the world of the rich.
The first to speak, with a tone of voice that questioned his life, was Manager Woon.
"While our request to buy one from the factory was rejected even though we have the money, did you get it by mistake? What an interesting day."
"Why were you rejected?"
This time, the racer chimed in.
"Don't even ask, Mr. Leo. Those arrogant bastards only sell the car to the best teams in the world, as if they own the best GT3 car in existence. To them, we are scum that will dirty their car!"
Chang-min's words became quite harsh towards the end.
As Leo smiled awkwardly at him, Manager Woon suddenly slapped the back of his neck.
"Are you trying to distort the reason for their rejection, you idiot? The reason they rejected us was clearly the accident you had in 2019. Don't mind him, Mr. Leo. He just can't accept the truth. But don't worry, he's not a bad driver in reality. Even if the Aston Martin isn't the best GT3 car, it was practically made for Japan's extremely winding tracks. If you turn on your TV, you will surely see us come back with a victory this time."
Leo didn't say much and watched the bespectacled, middle-aged manager and the tall driver, who continued to argue amongst themselves.
The years these two have spent together are definitely more than a few. They have plenty of topics to scold each other about.
While everyone was satisfied with their meal, the technicians came down from the back of the truck all together.
Leo, full of confidence, was expecting praise for the cleanliness of his vehicle, when suddenly the chief technician pulled out a long list and began listing the worn-out parts.
Leo frowned and looked at them without even needing to think much. How could a car he received from the System just three days ago be so worn out?
Leo's face turned red with anger, realizing that the men he had been laughing and chatting with all this time were actually trying to scam him, and he stood up without saying anything and went to retrieve his vehicle.
"Mr. Leo? What happened?"
"Since you don't like it, there's no need to sell it, is there?"
Manager Woon got up in a panic and ran after him, trying to stop Leo.
"We definitely liked it. What's the problem?"
"They found dozens of faults in a car I only got three days ago. Don't you think that's strange?"
Leo got into the truck without looking back and checked the inside.
Fortunately, the truck's ramp was already usable.
Leo got into his car and started pressing the buttons in sequence, and the wild engine sound of the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 echoed around.
As Leo prepared to drive his car straight down the ramp, the manager and a group of technicians once again stepped in front of the vehicle.
Leo's initial reaction was to try to lock his car from the inside, but he remembered that there was no lock button next to the window. In these types of vehicles, theft prevention measures are usually extremely low because thieves generally cannot drive race cars.
"Mr. Leo! Wait a second, please! I'm sure there's a mistake. Let's talk first."