Jiwon was somewhat flustered. He’d been told that Han was good at lying. That he shouldn’t underestimate him. So it was better not to believe his actor-like behavior and words right now.
But was it all really a lie? Were every single word and expression from this guy false?
‘BroCup?’
‘Kind of. But he also works the field. You can tell from his face.’
If Han was both a broker and a comrade, wouldn’t that actually be helpful?
He weighed it in his mind.
‘Never trust him. That bastard.’
Fuck. This is confusing.
“Hyung, you’re the one who picked up that customer, right?”
Han asked.
“…Yes.”
“Where, and how did you end up picking him up?”
As Han actively approached and asked, Jiwon took a slight step back and answered, “The designated driver app.”
“Really? The app, so it was random?”
“Yes. That’s right. Random….”
It was close to random.
Because of Han’s words, Jiwon really started to get confused.
It must have been random, surely.
“Then was it just luck that day?”
Han showed a slightly disappointed expression.
Knowing how the designated driver app worked, Jiwon didn’t believe that customer had known of his existence and called for him from the start. If Jiwon hadn’t accepted, another driver would have pressed the accept button.
That’s why he hadn’t paid attention to that customer. He’d just misjudged him as one of the big tippers.
Had it really been a misjudgment? What if that customer had no connection to Han at all?
What if everything Han just said was a lie?
Jiwon felt unnecessarily anxious because of Han bringing this up now.
“Anyway, I’ve been kind of scared since the second interview. Weren’t you, hyung?”
“Well. For me…”
What was there to be scared of?
Meeting someone who looked like a twin at the interview site was strange, but that was only for a moment.
What scared Jiwon was the vague present, the bleak future, and the opportunity that could disappear at any moment.
When Jiwon reacted lukewarmly, Han pursed his lips. He lit his e-cigarette again. Then he asked, “If they were going to harvest organs, they wouldn’t have shown us their faces, right?” It seemed Han had the same worries as Jiwon.
“Right. If that was the plan, they would have done a health examination. Probably.”
Jiwon laughed, and Han laughed along, saying, “That’s true.”
“Ten million won, what’s ten million won.”
Han muttered, lowering his voice so others wouldn’t hear.
“Honestly, hyung, if someone said they’d give that money for putting in that dildo thing, even my father would make a fuss saying he’d do it, you know? Really. Seriously.”
Though it was close to a joke, Han’s expression was more serious than ever.
The two fell silent for a moment.
Han started walking again. He left the quiet alley and moved toward where there were more people. After a while, Han’s cell phone rang.
“Hello. Me? Near Gangnam Station. Yeah… Yeah. Already here? What’s up.”
He looked at Jiwon.
“My friend’s here.”
He made a troubled expression.
“Ah, go ahead. I need to work too.”
“That’s too bad, hyung.”
Though he said this, he’d already turned his body in a different direction.
“There’ll be another chance.”
“Right, hyung. Let’s definitely make plans next time. Got it?”
“Okay. Go on.”
“Bye-bye.”
Han said goodbye with an affectionate tone and gesture, then disappeared through the crowd.
Suddenly, his throat was dry.
Jiwon, who knew the area around Gangnam Station well, easily returned to that convenience store from earlier, bought a cup of ice and water, and gulped it down.
Sitting at a table, he carefully retraced that day when he’d picked up the Maybach customer.
Could picking up that customer that day not have been a coincidence?
He shook his head. Unless they’d found him through the call center, it seemed impossible.
Jiwon belatedly opened the driver app and sent a text.
[I’ll give it to you tomorrow]
[How much?]
[A hundred]
[While you’re at it, make it two hundred]
[Where do I have that kind of money? Should I not give it to you?]
[So prickly]
[But President Choi seemed to have no idea at all?]
[No idea about what?]
[Large cargo]
The message window that had been responding immediately went quiet.
After a moment,
[Later]
came the reply.
Later when? While typing that, an alarm went off on the driver app.
What good would knowing when do me?
His mind just got more complicated for no reason.
Let’s keep it simple, simple.
He erased the text he’d been writing and checked the call. The departure point happened to be a nearby bar and the amount was right, so he immediately checked the detailed information.
Before he knew it, it was past 11 o’clock. The first customer was a moderately drunk office worker. The customer who’d treated people for his promotion kept going on about how great he was the entire way home. Starting with that customer, he picked up customers in succession. Since they were mostly decent customers, Jiwon worked smoothly and finally accepted one more customer in Gangnam.
In front of a silver Avante stood a young man around his age wearing a ball cap. In this sweltering heat, he was wearing black long-sleeved tracksuit top and bottom.
The customer was tall enough to catch the eye even from a distance, and even though he wore an oversized tracksuit, it was clearly evident that he had an excellent physique. It was dark and his eyes were covered by the ball cap, so his exact features were unclear, but his exposed nose bridge and lower jaw were quite handsome. Not just quite—noticeably handsome. He absolutely didn’t look like an ordinary person.
A celebrity? Or an aspiring one?
Handsome looks aside, perhaps because he was so tall and large in build, he drew people’s attention.
Of course, Jiwon thought it would be troublesome if someone with that build was blackout drunk.
“You called for a driver?”
He approached and bowed in greeting.
“Oh! You’re the designated driver?”
The questioning voice held a hint of surprise.
“Yes. So, the car key…”
“Ah, here.”
The right hand extending the key was wrapped round and round with bandages. There was no smell of alcohol at all.
“I hurt my hand.”
Though he hadn’t asked, the young man showed his right hand.
“Can I sit in the passenger seat? There’s a lot of stuff in the back seat.”
Even though it was his own car, he asked Jiwon for permission.
“Yes. Please do as you’re comfortable.”
Jiwon answered politely and got into the driver’s seat.
Following the unspoken rule, he didn’t touch the seat at all and only slightly adjusted the rearview mirror.
“I’m going to turn on the radio. This is my first time using a driver service, so it’s a bit awkward. Is that okay?”
The customer said five minutes after they’d departed.
“Yes. That’s fine.”
It wasn’t just fine—it was actually better.
The radio continuously played episodes about the heat wave and summer songs. Thanks to that, they comfortably traveled to their destination 30 minutes away without conversation.
They left the busy district and entered a quiet residential area. The road became narrower as they went, until they reached a place lined with red brick multi-family houses.
“Please stop in front of the convenience store.”
Jiwon drove the car near the convenience store, but there was no parking lot in sight.
“Where should I park?”
“Park? Ah. This isn’t a taxi, is it? Sorry.”
The young man, only now realizing this, smiled awkwardly.
His smiling lips were attractive enough to make it regrettable that his eyes weren’t visible. Moreover, the more he listened, the better his voice was. Despite being a low voice, it had a uniquely clear quality, and it stuck in the ears.
“I’ll take care of parking. Here’s the driver fee.”
He held out cash.
“I’ll do the parking before I take it.”
Though there was no smell of alcohol, he said this just in case.
Then the young man let out an “Ah” sigh and waved his hands, laughing again.
“I didn’t drink. Really, not even a drop. How should I prove this to you? I really called a driver because my hand hurts.”
He immediately extended both hands toward Jiwon.
Only the right hand had bandages wrapped around it, so he’d thought only the right hand was injured, but that wasn’t the case. The entire left palm looked like it had been scraped on a cement floor, peeled and injured all over. The wounds didn’t look deep, but they seemed like they’d sting terribly.
“Do you believe me?”
“…Yes. Please park carefully.”
“I will.”
The young man held out the cash.
Jiwon took the money and put it away, then got out of the driver’s seat.
The customer who’d been sitting in the passenger seat also got out and walked around to the driver’s side.
Jiwon was about to bow in greeting and leave, when—
“Oh, driver!”
He called out.
“How are you getting back?”
It must really be his first time calling a driver.
These days, most people generally used kickboards, but in Jiwon’s case, he preferred public transportation. It was because of his accident trauma and injured right arm.
“Well… by bus or subway. If they’re still running.”
He glanced at his watch.
The bus would be a close call, but the subway was no problem.
The young customer’s gaze lingered on Jiwon’s watch before disappearing. More precisely, on the scar on his right hand.
“You were injured?”
His questioning voice was gentle.
“Pardon?”
“Your right hand.”
He pointed at the scar.
“Ah, yes.”
Most people pretended not to see even if they noticed, but this guy was curious.
“Does it still hurt?”
He hadn’t expected this question either.
“…Well, a little.”
“I wonder if mine will hurt too?”
The young man looked down worriedly at his own bandaged hand.
It was somewhat absurd to see this guy with a build like a mountain acting like this, but somehow he looked a little cute. Maybe it felt better because he didn’t show some half-baked sympathy toward him.
“If you get proper treatment, it should be fine.”
He comforted him in a way unlike his usual self.
The young man pulled up the corners of his mouth and said, “Thank you.”
His lips really were attractive. It felt enchanting.
“Sorry. I kept a busy person and said useless things.”
The young man looked embarrassed and raised his arm.
“Driver, if you’re going to take public transportation, go this way down this front road. That’ll be faster.”
He kindly gave directions.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. I’m more grateful.”
The young man bowed his head lightly and soon got into the driver’s seat.
The young guy has good manners, he thought with a small laugh, thinking like an old man despite being the same age.
Walking in the direction the customer had indicated and exiting the alley, he immediately saw a bus stop, and a few dozen meters behind it was a subway entrance. A small commercial district had formed along the main road, and raucous sounds came from beer halls and chicken shops.
While heading to the subway station, his phone vibrated. It was a call. A ride had been dispatched because the destination was a motel in Gangnam-gu that Jiwon had designated as a preferred destination. It was a regular order, so it didn’t matter if he didn’t accept it, but Jiwon, whose mood had improved thanks to the young man earlier, accepted the call thinking he’d take just one more team.
At this hour, he naturally expected a blackout drunk passenger, but he happened to get a blackout drunk couple. One would have been burdensome enough, but there were two. He regretted doing this for no reason, but he couldn’t cancel it either.
From the moment they got in the car, Jiwon had to support them. After finishing parking at a nearby motel district and taking out the key to return it, they didn’t give him the driver fee. They insisted that Jiwon had to take the man all the way into the motel room before they’d give him the money.
“Ahjussi, carry him. No, a young person can’t even do that? Kids these days have no service spirit. That’s why you live like this and do work like this.”
What could he do? Even if it was dirty, he had to do it.
Jiwon, who’d been lacking energy after eating only plain rice porridge since yesterday, had his arms worn out supporting the man, and even threw out his back while laying him on the bed.
Even knowing he shouldn’t take more on an empty stomach, he took two additional painkillers. A whole six pills.
Was that the reason? After finishing work and getting on a bus to the goshiwon, nausea surged up and he had to get off again. Needless to say, with nothing in his stomach, he vomited up all the stomach acid, and his fever was raging.
