Chapter 1

A day in the life of a delivery driver.

A day in the life of a delivery driver.

The temperature gauge on the dashboard read 37°C outside, 32°C inside.

What was even more exhausting than the heat was the humidity, which made it feel like water was filling his lungs, making it hard to breathe, and as if he was wearing a full-body feather jacket.

It was midsummer.

Even without a heat advisory, it was a scorching day, the hottest time of the afternoon at 2 PM, when people naturally refrain from going out.

For Han Young-su, a 29-year-old delivery driver, this was the busiest time of the day.

- I'm on vacation right now. Can you just move it?

"Then I'll ask the GU convenience store to hold it for a while."

- Hey! Think about it. There are 20 boxes of water, and even if there's no one, you have to bring them to the front door. You can't possibly expect me, a woman, to carry them up to the fourth floor, right?

Thump.

‘Twenty boxes of water, is this for real?’

As a human, he wanted to get angry, but since it was his job, he had to hold back.

His eyes fell on the terminal next to the navigation system.

...

He didn't realize they were individual orders, so he didn't know they were all for one person.

Ordering 20 boxes of water at once, does that even make sense?

It was already hot enough to kill, and with the anger rising, his stomach felt queasy.

‘Do you guys have no sense of decency? You crazy Loongang bastards...’

He heard that Loongang was selling 12-pack, 2-liter bottles of water for 4,000 won each.

Even though the delivery fee was 3,000 won per box, it was still cheaper than usual when combined.

Moreover, 12 bottles were actually two 6-pack boxes.

Water was already something delivery drivers usually avoided.

Nowadays, most sites don't allow more than three boxes of water to be ordered at once, or the water companies deliver them directly...

But today, the truck was full of them.

If this kept up, he would probably have to rely on painkillers again today.

"I understand. Then I'll take a picture and send it to you. After that, if it's lost, it's not my responsibility, you know?"

- Who's going to take it? You don't need to send a picture, just leave it. And I paid 3,000 won per box for delivery, right?

Talking to such a person was exhausting and caused more emotional labor than the money was worth.

"Yes, I understand. I'll proceed accordingly."

- Don't deliberately leave a few out. There are cameras on every step of our stairs, so I can see how many there are and who took them.

No matter how easy it might seem, is it right to accuse a delivery driver of being a thief?

"Is a delivery driver a thief?"

Bang!

He punched the dashboard hard.

- ...

But the call had already been hung up.

He understood. If not, the customer would have complained to the company.

If this wasn't a deserted alley next to a junkyard, he wouldn't have been able to vent like this, given the company logo on the truck.

"Huh... It's hard to make a living."

In his previous jobs, he had met all sorts of difficult people. Being a delivery driver wasn't the only hard job.

But when he became a delivery driver, he lost his family and his body and mind were exhausted, and now he was a lonely individual entrepreneur with no one to confide in.

He wanted to blow off some steam with a beer after work, but he couldn't even do that because of the next day, so this was his way of letting off steam.

Click.

To cheer himself up, he turned on the radio.

- ...is a friend, right?

Just in time, the afternoon 2 PM radio show came on through the car audio.

Young-su listened to the radio for a while to calm down.

At 29, he had gone through many ups and downs in life, and with all his money gone, he took out a loan to buy a truck and started a delivery business.

To make money, he had to move a lot, and the costs added up, so he didn't earn much.

But he had no time to spend it, so he saved well.

He couldn't drink because he had to drive, and from Monday to Saturday, he ran around like crazy, and on Sunday, he was too tired to do anything but sleep...

Now that he had paid off his debts, this life was different from what he had wanted.

He had left a large company to start a business and show everyone his success, but...

"Still, where else can you save money..."

Starting late, he ended up delivering to a factory-dense area where no one wanted to go.

There were many deliveries, but the area was full of hot-blooded young people, so there were many confrontations and unreasonable complaints.

But the hardest part was the people who, wherever they went, expected more than what they paid for.

Whether you're a delivery driver, factory worker, restaurant employee, or office worker, everyone is working hard in their own position.

Today, I'm the customer, but tomorrow I could be the service provider, and it could be my family, friends, or acquaintances...

Fundamentally, shouldn't we all maintain basic courtesy?

If only people could be a little more careful and not hurt each other's pride, it would be less mentally exhausting...

"I'm enduring this to make a living..."

Han Young-su started the car again.

Rumble.

It was only 2 PM, and he had only been out of the sorting area for less than an hour.

With more deliveries to make than places he had already been, he couldn't afford to waste time here.

Zoom...

The final destination of the regular route, like a bus, was a third-floor apartment in a five-story public housing complex.

It was just a 10kg bag of rice, but it felt heavier than a 20kg dumbbell set of five.

He couldn't afford to lose strength here. There were still items waiting for their owners in the truck, ready for overtime.

Ding-dong.

"Taeguk Delivery."

"Yes, please wait a moment."

There was a commotion at the door.

"Hey, I told you not to eat that!"

The sound of scolding a child inside was endearing.

He had recently lost his parents and was alone.

Thinking of his mother, who had said her only wish was to hold a grandchild before she passed, he now felt a pang of nostalgia whenever he heard children's voices.

Click.

A moment later, a young woman with a plain and gentle appearance opened the door with a smile.

"I'm sorry, sir. Did you wait long? The child suddenly... Ah! Gahye, I told you not to put your fingers in your mouth, didn't I? No, you didn't. Jiji. Jiji."

‘She’s young for a mother...’

The woman, who looked to be in her early 20s, turned her head for a moment and scolded the child.

Thanks to this, the time was delayed a bit, but it didn't matter much since he still had work to do.

‘Ugh. Sir...’

The use of the honorific "sir" gave him strength to hold the bag of rice.

How nice it would be to meet more people like this?

"I'm sorry, sir. I was so busy with the child, ah..."

Bowing to apologize, Young-su also smiled and greeted her to avoid making her feel uncomfortable.

However, when the woman looked up and saw Young-su's face, she paused for a moment.

"Yes, it can happen."

Young-su smiled warmly and looked at the child.

"..."

The child had already put his fingers back in his mouth and was staring at Young-su.

Making a silly face and winking, the child ran behind the woman, grabbed the hem of her skirt, and peeked out, still looking at him.

"Child, behave. Put the rice here. And wait a moment. A drink..."

"Oh, no, that's fine. It's okay."

Before he could protest, the refrigerator door opened.

‘She’s not only polite but also proactive.’

"Gahye, be good. Don't bother the uncle, okay?"

"..."

The child seemed to have gone into a room nearby, peeking out and looking at Young-su.

His eyes were full of curiosity.

The sight was so cute and endearing that a fatherly smile formed on his lips.

If he had married early, he might have had a child just like this...

"Gahye, right? Look at this?"

Young-su sat down and covered his face with both hands, then dramatically spread them wide like a theater curtain.

"Be."

"Kik..."

Making a silly face and sticking out his tongue, the child laughed slightly.

He covered his face again and this time opened his eyes wide, rolling them quickly from side to side.

"Kya-ha-ha."

The child seemed satisfied and laughed brightly.

Encouraged by the positive reaction, he did it a few more times.

The child's smile and laughter never stopped, satisfied with the small performance just for him.

"Look at this uncle! He's so funny. Hee-hee!"

The child ran to the woman and grabbed the hem of her skirt.

She approached with a grateful smile and offered a glass of grape juice.

Young-su smiled awkwardly and stood up, scratching the back of his head.

"Is grape juice okay?"

"I don't mind at all. I'm grateful for anything you give me."

Young-su drank the juice quickly to hide his embarrassment.

"Cough, cough. Choke, choke."

"Kya-ha-ha!"

It wasn't intentional, but the sudden gulp made him choke, which seemed to amuse the child.

The child laughed uncontrollably, and her smile became even more pronounced.

"Thank you so much. You moved the heavy rice up without an elevator and played with the child."

"Ahem, no, it's my job to deliver. Your child is very cute. Despite being so well-behaved and having a stern look, she smiles so much..."

"Actually, she's quite shy. But maybe because your face looks like Gahye's father..."

She smiled but her eyes spoke of sadness.

"Uncle, will you marry my aunt?"

Gahye, who had been hiding behind the skirt, suddenly spoke.

She called her "aunt" instead of "mom"?

"Hey, I told you to call me 'mom,' right?"

There seemed to be some situation here.

But he didn't pry. Everyone has their own circumstances.

However, she did seem a bit young to be a mother, and he felt a bit relieved.

‘Is her husband divorced or dead...? What am I thinking...’

Feeling a bit out of line, Young-su quickly handed back the glass.

"Ahem, I'll drink it and go."

As he turned to leave, a small hand and a small force stopped him.

The child was holding onto his pants.

"Uncle, I found this. Take it."

Unfolding the hand that had been behind her back, she handed Young-su a sticker.

"Oh my, hahaha. It seems Gahye really likes you. I didn't even give this to her."

"..."

A smile formed on his lips without him realizing it.

Young-su bent down to meet the child's eye level and held out his hands politely.

The child also held out her hands and politely handed over the sticker.

Suddenly, the child ran up to Young-su.

Click.

"Huh?"

The woman also looked at Gahye in surprise.

"Hehe."

The child, embarrassed, ran back and buried her face in the hem of the woman's skirt.

"Gahye has a good eye for men. She'll find a good man in the future."

"Oh, hahaha. Sir, are you too confident in your looks?"

"Ahem..."

"Hahaha. I was just joking."

Thanks to the child, the atmosphere became warm and friendly again.

"Oops, sir, I kept you too long. I'll let you go now."

"No, it's fine. I'll go now. I hope to see you again if you use Taeguk Delivery more often. See you then."

Young-su smiled warmly and left the house.

The two of them waved goodbye from outside the house.

"See you, Gahye."

He waved back, something he wouldn't normally do.

Vroom...

The traffic light turned red, and Young-su stopped the truck.

He raised the side window, parked the car, and used the spare time to calculate additional evening delivery routes and items for refund.

Tapping on the terminal, glancing at the traffic light, tapping on the terminal again...

During this time, the sticker he had received from Gahye kept catching his eye.

"Ha... Why did I say that at the end?"

The last words he said were bothering him.

The standard phrase was, "Thank you for using Taeguk Delivery."

But at Gahye's house, he said, "If you use Taeguk Delivery more often, I hope to see you again."

"I hope to see you again... Is that a pickup line?"

"Of course, if you're taking care of a child, it would be nice if you came, but..."

Muttering to himself, he suddenly came to his senses.

"Am I full? What am I saying..."

Young-su scolded himself for his thoughts.

Was it because of the warm and harmonious atmosphere with the two of them?

It felt like a fish bone stuck in his throat.

He had never wanted to be single, and he had almost gotten married once.

But after going through many things, he realized that starting a family was a desire beyond his capabilities, and he had given up on it a long time ago.

However, after losing his parents and being alone, he sometimes felt lonely.

Perhaps meeting them and feeling the warmth of a family had made him nostalgic.

Yes, maybe that was it.

"Che..."

He sighed, but seeing the sticker, a smile formed on his lips.

"Still, Gahye has a good eye for men."

Young-su smiled and stuck the sticker under the navigation system.

Suddenly, the navigation screen went black.

"What? This old thing..."

The navigation system was second-hand.

It was a bit slow to respond, but it was still usable...

No matter how old it was, it shouldn't have broken just from sticking a sticker.

Confused, Young-su tapped the navigation screen and pressed various spots.

<A new destination has been set. Do you want to confirm? Y/N>

<You have selected Y.>

"What's this all of a sudden..."

Suddenly, text appeared on the screen, and before he knew it, he had pressed Y without confirming.

Panicking, thinking he might have pressed the reset button...

Honk honk!

The light had changed, and the car behind him was honking.

Click.

"I'm going, I'm going."

Young-su lowered the side window, put the car in gear, and muttered as he slightly released the brake and lifted his head.

Flash!

Bang!

"Ah!"

Hearing a collision, he quickly stepped on the brake.

Screech!

He couldn't lift his head.

He had hit something.

The impact wasn't strong, so it didn't seem to be a car.

He was at a traffic light. If it wasn't a car and he hit something light, it could only be a person.

Even though he wasn't speeding, a 1-ton truck is heavy, and from the sound, it seemed to have hit quite hard...

...

He heard murmurs around him.

"Chirp, chirp... The chief was hit!"

"Chirp! He's strong! Run away..."

"Chirp, chirp! It's better to die well. The chief was a bad guy!"

The annoying sounds and the strange conversation about being hit, running away, and dying well...

Confused by the strange dialogue, Young-su cautiously lifted his head to look over the steering wheel.