It was a rainy evening in Seoul, the kind where the city lights blurred through taxi windows like watercolors. Jae-Min, a 26-year-old part-time taxi driver and aspiring illustrator, was working his usual night shift. The world outside moved fast, but inside his cab, life slowed down to soft music and quiet thoughts.
He had picked up all kinds of passengers—businessmen, students, tourists—but that evening, someone different stepped in. She was petite, with a camera hanging around her neck, and eyes that carried stories.
“Can you take me to Bukchon Hanok Village?” she asked in accented Korean.
“Of course,” Jae-Min replied, adjusting the mirror.
During the ride, they talked. Her name was Hana, a travel vlogger from Thailand, capturing stories from East Asia for her growing YouTube audience. She was warm, curious, and funny—asking about every street vendor and mural they passed.
“So, what’s your dream?” she asked, out of the blue.
Jae-Min hesitated. “To illustrate children’s books. But driving pays the bills.”
“I’d read that story,” Hana smiled.
When they arrived, Hana paused at the door. “Would you… be in one of my videos? Just for a minute? I’m doing a series on kind people I meet while traveling.”
Jae-Min laughed nervously, “I guess I’ve got time.”
The next day, her video titled “Cute Encounters: My Korean Taxi Driver Surprise” went viral. Not because Jae-Min did anything extraordinary—but because of the way she told his story. Her viewers loved the calm, creative guy who gave her more than a ride—he gave her inspiration.
By the end of the week, publishers had emailed Jae-Min, asking to see his art. And Hana? She came back, not just to film—but to see where the story might go next.