[Getty Images Bank]
[Getty Images Bank]

A story of quiet kindness from a Busan taxi driver has been making the rounds online.

On Saturday, a post titled "Please reach the Busan Kakao Taxi driver" appeared on the social media platform Threads. The author, identified only as A, wrote that she had taken a Kakao Taxi from Busan's BEXCO convention center to Munhyeon-dong on the evening of June 24, between 7:48 p.m. and 8:06 p.m., and included the vehicle's license plate number, the transport company and part of the driver's name.

A said she had been going through a difficult time for personal reasons and had not had the energy even to take the subway, which was why she had taken a taxi — something she rarely did. She broke down in tears during the ride while on a phone call with her family, unable to hold back emotions she had been suppressing all day.

"He must have remembered hearing me say on the phone that I hadn't had time to eat and hadn't had anything since morning," she wrote. "Just as I was about to get out at my destination, the driver handed me 5,000 won and told me to grab something simple to eat before going inside."

A said she thought the driver had felt sorry for her the way a father might for a daughter, given that she was in her early 20s. Because the drop-off spot was a narrow alley with a car behind them, she hastily thanked him, took the money and rushed out.

"I think I just stood there for a long time, holding the money in my hand, staring into space," she wrote. "I used to think the world was cold and harsh, but you made that day warm for me — I'm truly grateful."

A said she ultimately could not bring herself to spend the 5,000 won and has kept it tucked between the pages of her most treasured book. A photo she posted with the message showed the banknote nestled between the leaves. "Even on the hard days still to come, I think this memory will be enough to get me through," she wrote.

She added that if she ever rides in his taxi again, she would like to hand him a cold coffee in return, and pledged to become the kind of adult who passes on the warmth she received that day to someone else.

The post drew a comment from someone who appeared to have been helped by the same driver.

The commenter, identified as B, wrote that at 19, after finishing a practical exam for a Western cooking technician certification late at night in Busan, her phone died while she was trying to make her way to a friend's place and she got lost.

Crying, she asked the driver to take her as far as the money she had would allow. He turned off the meter and drove her all the way to her destination.

"He said it looked like I had come from far away to take the exam and that he wouldn't charge me for the fare," B wrote. "He said it was dangerous to be wandering around, and that I must be hungry from crying, so he pressed 5,000 won into my hand and told me to go to the convenience store next door and buy some bread and milk."

"If it really is the same driver, I would truly love to buy him a coffee," she wrote. "Because he was there that night, I was able to get to my friend's place safely — and I think that's part of why I was able to grow up."


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