Substitute-Chapter 2: Coincidence and Inevitability (1)
It was a strange coincidence.
It wasn’t common for an ordinary designated driver to be called to a place like that — one of those ultra-luxury room salons.
Places like that usually had exclusive contracts with premium designated driver services. The drivers were always people with verified backgrounds and impressive résumés.
Of course, there was no rule saying clients at such places couldn’t use regular drivers, but generally, that’s just how it worked.
Jiwon had heard as much from Mr. Kang.
And yet, a call came from there.
Jiwon happened to be nearby, and when he checked the priority call assigned to him, he saw the pickup location was the very luxury room salon Mr. Kang had bragged about endlessly.
On top of that, the destination was Emperor Room Salon.
There was no reason to turn it down, so he immediately checked the details.
The customer number field was blank, so he called the office directly.
Mr. Kang — who used to work for one of those premium designated driver agencies before getting fired for drinking on the job — wouldn’t shut up about those days, not just to Jiwon but to every other driver too.
It was like that had been his life’s peak achievement — he missed wearing the uniform like it was some kind of honor.
Eventually, Mr. Kang had his license revoked for DUI and gave up driving altogether.
But he still kept in touch with Jiwon from time to time.
On his way to the pickup location, Jiwon thought of Mr. Kang and figured he should reach out soon.
When he arrived, just a little over two minutes later, the car waiting out front was a Maybach.
It was his first time seeing one in real life, and of course, he’d never driven one before.
He instantly regretted not asking what model it was.
While he was still caught up in that thought, an employee from the room salon came out and opened the back door for the client.
The man was huge.
He got into the car with a rough, almost violent motion, making the vehicle rock under his weight.
“You sure you can drive this?”
The staff member in a suit didn’t even bother with formalities — just started talking down to him like they were old buddies.
“...Yes.”
Jiwon answered without much confidence.
The man looked him up and down and sneered, “Be careful. That car’s worth over half a billion won.”
His tone and gaze were full of contempt, but Jiwon was too preoccupied with figuring out how to drive the thing to care.
“He’s waiting.”
The man’s urging left him no choice.
Jiwon slipped into the driver’s seat.
The client was on a phone call.
Jiwon discreetly checked out the cockpit and passenger side, careful not to irritate the man.
He wondered what exactly made the car worth 500 million won, but there was no time to dwell — he had to drive.
Since it was made by Mercedes, the controls were pretty familiar.
He moved the car as gently as possible.
The client was on the phone the entire ride to the room salon.
The person on the other end changed a few times, but the content stayed the same — vulgar, brutish talk the whole way.
To think a piece of shit like that was driving such a luxurious car — the car deserved better.
“Hey, you fucking dipshit. I said I got it. What, are your ears clogged? Huh? Want me to clean ’em out for you?”
Eventually, the man threw his phone down in a fit of rage, loosened his tie, and rolled down the window.
Rain blew in through the open window, but he didn’t care.
Even though it wasn’t his car, Jiwon couldn’t help being bothered by the rain coming in.
They were almost at the destination when curiosity struck.
How the hell did this guy even know about Emperor Room Salon?
Other than his trashy way of speaking, the client’s appearance and age didn’t match the place at all.
A guy driving a car that expensive should’ve been asking to go to one of the upscale salons or bars.
There were members-only clubs right across the street.
But the client had clearly said he wanted to go to Emperor Room Salon.
The alley was packed with old, grimy bars.
Drunk patrons stumbled around, while others wandered in looking to get drunk.
In between them were hostesses, barkers — and Han, standing right in the middle of the alley, grabbing some guy by the collar.
Wait—
That was really Han.
Before Jiwon could react, Han threw a punch.
The other guy hit the ground.
Women screamed.
Colleagues tried to break it up, and a crowd formed.
The narrow alley turned into a madhouse.
The client swore under his breath.
“Fuck, this is insane. Should just run those fuckers over.”
From his tone, it sounded like he might actually tell him to hit the gas.
“Sorry, sir.”
Jiwon apologized repeatedly, like it was his fault, and tapped the horn.
“Let me out here.”
The client said.
“Yes, sir.”
Jiwon pulled over immediately.
The man pulled out two ₩50,000 bills from his wallet and tossed them to Jiwon.
Considering how much of a dick he’d been, Jiwon hadn’t expected a tip at all.
“Good job.”
He even said that.
The base fare had been ₩50,000, so that meant the other ₩50,000 was the tip.
It had been a while since Jiwon got that much.
He accepted it with both hands and bowed deeply.
The client ignored him completely and walked off toward the room salon — no umbrella, rain pouring down.
It didn’t feel right to let him get soaked, so Jiwon honked and stuck his head out the window in a rush.
That caught the attention of Kim and Choi, who’d been holding Han back — they recognized Jiwon instantly and grasped the situation.
While Choi led the client down to the basement, Kim came over and took the keys.
“That was your client, huh?”
Kim whistled, walking up to the driver’s seat.
Even though he knew Jiwon was the same age, Kim always called him “ajusshi.”
Plenty of clients did that too, regardless of the driver’s actual age, so it didn’t really bother Jiwon.
He stepped out and handed the ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) keys over.
Then he jogged over to the exclusive parking lot attached to the room salon to help guide the Maybach into a spot.
Kim didn’t get out of the car until long after the engine was off.
He was probably checking every inch of the interior, taking photos.
Jiwon didn’t care about the pictures, but given Kim’s history with theft, it still made him uneasy.
“Rides like a dream.”
“Well, it is an expensive car.”
Jiwon gave a vague response while glancing at Kim’s hands and pockets.
Just then, someone screamed.
Instinctively, Jiwon turned toward the sound.
It was Han and the guy from before.
“Nothing to see here. Those bastards fight all the time.”
“Really?”
“You must be new around this time, huh?”
“...Yeah.”
“Those sick fucks fight constantly.”
Kim smirked and made a circle with his left hand.
Then he raised his right index finger and thrust it rapidly through the circle.
A crude gesture — clearly implying the two were screwing each other.
“Filthy bastards. Ptooey.”
So Han was into guys.
Jiwon had suspected, but Han said and did confusing shit so often that it was hard to tell.
Just last week, he mentioned throwing a second-anniversary party for living with the madam — Jiwon figured they were a couple.
Maybe he was bi. Who knew. Didn’t really matter either way.
He checked the time.
It was barely 11 PM.
Since it was raining anyway, he figured he’d kill an hour nearby before clocking in at the room salon.
He headed into the convenience store where he always hung out, grabbed two triangle kimbaps near their expiration date and a canned coffee, then sat down by the window.
He unwrapped the first kimbap and chewed as he typed out a text message.
Then he stared blankly out at the rainy street.
His phone buzzed.
Loan ad.
He checked the next two texts — also spam — and deleted them all.
The store’s chime rang every time a customer came or went.
As he was finishing his second kimbap, someone sat next to him.
It was Han.
“You brought in the Maybach guy, huh?”
“Oh. Yeah. Just kind of happened.”
“Did you see that guy? Fucking huge. He’s gotta be over 190, right?”
Jiwon nodded, remembering how intimidating the man’s build had been.
More than his looks, the way he talked and moved — it all screamed gangster.
Considering the car’s price, he was probably some high-ranking corporate mobster.
As he silently recalled the man’s face and body type, Jiwon looked at Han.
The more he looked, the more Han reminded him of that person.
But he never let himself make that connection.
He couldn’t.
Han looked far too cheerful for someone who’d just been in a street brawl.
And with no visible injuries, it was clear the other guy had taken all the hits.
“Not even a foreigner — how the hell do you get a body like that? Kinda scary, but hot too, right?”
“...I guess.”
“Come on, hyung. Not this again. What kind of answer is that?”
Han pouted and shook his head in exaggerated disapproval.
Before I heard anyone call him gay, I hadn’t really thought about it. But now that it was in my head, Han’s tone and mannerisms were kind of soft.
Was he like that, too?
No. He never made it that obvious.
Even if he had, I wouldn’t have noticed.
Back then, I was a narrow-minded bastard.
“Hyung, has anyone ever told you you’re like a robot?”
Jiwon fiddled awkwardly with his can of coffee.
“You’re not heading out right now, are you?”
Han checked the time as he asked — looking worried Jiwon might get another call and leave.
“I’m planning to hang around until my shift.”
“Great. You hungry? Wanna eat something?”
Han lit up, as if this was something to be excited about.
“I’m okay. I already ate.”
Jiwon pointed to the empty triangle kimbap wrappers and coffee can.
“I’m starving. What should I get?” frёewebηovel.cѳm
Han jumped up, scanned the store, and came back with a whole bunch of snacks.
“Want a cup ramyeon?”
“No, I’m good.”
“It’s buy one, get one. I’ve got an extra.”
Han always lied like that — trying to ease the financial guilt for Jiwon.
“I just had kimbap. And if a call comes in, I’ll have to leave right away, so ramyeon’s kind of...”
He was still hungry, honestly.
But he felt bad mooching off a younger guy all the time, so he mumbled his excuses.
“Just eat it. If you get a call, just leave it. I’ll clean up.”
Han ignored his refusal and brought over a cup ramyeon with hot water already poured.
“Here, have this too. New snack just came out — crazy good.”
Han ripped open the bag and held it out to him.
Jiwon couldn’t understand why Han was so unusually kind to him.
It’s not like he’d ever looked out for Han before. He wasn’t funny or charming either.
But Han seemed desperate to take care of him.
Jiwon grabbed a couple pieces of the snack, thinking he should at least acknowledge the gesture.
“Good, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Really good?”
“Yeah. Tastes great.”
He forced a smile.
Han imitated the expression and burst into laughter.
“You’re so boring.”
He was clearly talking about Jiwon — but his eyes were fixed outside the window.
There was a kind of loneliness in his gaze.
Jiwon’s reflection in the window looked just as tired and hollow.
But self-pity was a luxury. He didn’t have the right or the time for that.
And he wasn’t the type to indulge in it anyway.
He slurped loudly as he stuffed the ramyeon into his mouth on purpose.
“Wonder if it’s done yet,”
Han murmured, poking at the noodles with his chopsticks.
He’d said he was starving, but barely touched the food.
Instead, he circled back to the client Jiwon had driven over.
He talked about the car — how much it cost, how many of them were imported into Korea.
Turns out the suit the man was wearing was worth over ten million won.
Jiwon was amazed at how much Han had learned in such a short time.
“I’m kinda into that stuff,”
Han shrugged, like it was nothing.
“I see.”
Jiwon nodded, not really sure what else to say.
“Ugh, hyung, what’s with the ‘I see’? I’m not one of your clients. Don’t talk like that. Hurts my feelings.”
“Sorry. Force of habit.”
When Jiwon apologized, Han sulked even more.
Not angry, not upset — sulky. That was the only word for it.
Jiwon didn’t know how to fix it.
He sat there awkwardly — and that’s when he got a call.
Pickup location: Emperor Room Salon.
Whoever it was must not have realized Jiwon was already nearby and booked through the app.
“Go ahead. I’ll clean up.”
“Thanks.”
Jiwon bowed slightly, then ran off toward the call.
