Ms. Taxi
Holding The Light (Oneshot collections)
Summary: Sooyoung is a taxi driver in Tokyo. Nuff' said.
Pairings: Sooyoung/ Everyone? Depends on which couple you like better.
Genre: Comedy, Slice-of-Life
Author's Note: This story takes place in Tokyo, so let's just pretend that the girls are able to communicate in Japanese throughout this entire fic. (Well, at least most of them could) Most obviously inspired by Mr Taxi.
Bright neon lights of all sorts of colours flashed and blinked as usual to brighten up another evening in the busy streets of Tokyo. A variety of vehicles halted to a stop as the traffic lights changed from yellow to red. Swarms of people of all ages crossed the large, open-spaced road without a care in the world, walking quickly towards their desired destination.
The short-haired woman behind the wheels of a golden yellow taxi quietly observed the calm stampede happening before her like what she had always done whenever she needed to wait for the green signal to come back again.
Some were looking downwards while fiddling around with their state of the art phones, most of them being young adults. Others were chatting non-stop with their companions walking beside them. Businessmen looked straight ahead, a jet black briefcase in one hand, rushing to get back to their humble abode. Students adorned in uniforms, ranging from the preppy blazers to the popular sailor style outfits, also filled the streets with their youthful antics. The driver was amazed at the amount of effort these kids put to make even their school uniforms look good.
‘Why do I feel like an old woman when I keep staring at these kids and their great fashion sense?’
The 24 years old woman’s trivial pondering came to an end once the sea of people in front of her disappeared. She knowingly pushed the handbrake back down to get ready for her ‘race’ with the other cars near her. Her vintage black taxi driver’s hat glistened by one of the bright lights.
Red turned to green.
She stomped onto the pedal with exhilarating force. The car accelerated at top speed, causing a trail of skid marks on the cemented road and leaving behind the other cars in her dust.
“SEE YA LATER, ERS!”
It was by pure luck alone that Sooyoung the crazy taxi driver hasn’t been fined or arrested for speeding and reckless behaviour while driving.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
The tall and lanky driver of the eye-catching yellow vehicle was having a hell of a good time winning her ‘race’ once again like what she always do during her job. It was a good thing her company did not hear of any complaints from customers or pedestrians regarding her wild addiction for speed and adrenaline…yet. While Sooyoung was happily driving on the road like a maniac, a figure suddenly appeared in her line of sight.
“Whoa!”
She stopped in the nick of time. A few seconds more and she could have slammed into that person. The said person, a woman who looks about the same age as her, immediately went to the side of the taxi and entered the passenger seat without a moment’s hesitation.
“Yah! What are you trying to do!? Get yourself killed!?” Sooyoung furiously exclaimed.
The surprisingly beautiful passenger beside her ignored the comment by taking off the huge Prada shades she was wearing, and hanging it on the collar of her shirt.
“Take me to the Shibuya 109 department store please, and step on it!” she quickly told the driver, as if she had forgotten that she had literally put herself in the path of an oncoming vehicle.
Sooyoung stared daggers at her passenger for a few seconds before heaving a frustrated sigh, and drove off to Shibuya.
Well, at least she’ll get money from this almost suicidal girl.
As she put the pedal to the medal towards the most popular fashion district in Japan, Sooyoung sneaked a glance from the corners of her eyes at the restless woman beside her.
The raven-haired woman was now hastily taking out a phone to message someone, a desperate look on her face. Sooyoung could tell that the woman was a model or something related to that line of work, judging by the clothes she was wearing and the branded bag she owned. The lowly taxi driver could only go green with envy as she eyed the things she had always wanted just within reach from her seat.
“Are you, by any chance, working as a model?”
The tanned woman finally looked up from her phone.
“Why, yes, I do work as a model. Is it really that obvious?” she politely smiled, even though it was a sheepishly-asked question.
“Well, you’re going to Shibuya aren’t you? And you looked like you’re late for something. A photo shoot, perhaps?” the driver answered, while gathering her attention back at the road.
“Uh, yeah… I am. How long is this ride gonna take?”
The passenger seemed disappointed by the answer she received. Sooyoung could tell, just by listening to the tone of her husky voice.
‘Is she one of those fresh meat those fashion agency scouts newly recruited? Poor kid… does she have any idea how demanding those guys are?’
“Don’t worry; we’ll be reaching there soon.” Sooyoung reassured the tardy woman, “You’re really pretty, by the way. No wait, scratch that, you’re beautiful.”
Behold the power of an honest Sooyoung.
When the taxi driver noticed the sudden silence in the interior of her car, she turned back towards her customer. She was met face to face with a deeply touched model staring back at her. If the air-conditioner wasn’t turn on, she could have been sweating bullets due to how warm she had gotten once she saw that expression.
Being the one who was currently controlling the vehicle they were in, Sooyoung broke the staring match she was in by letting out a fake cough and focusing back at what was in front of her.
The journey to Shibuya felt like an eternity, even though it was only for several minutes, thanks to the taxi driver’s sweet compliment and her professional speeding skills. She could have sworn that she could almost feel eyes staring at the back of her head throughout the whole ride. Finally, they have reached the destination.
“Okay, here we are.” Sooyoung pressed a button to show her customer the amount of the fare. She waited patiently for the tanned model to give her the money, all the while trying to forget the awkward situation she was in a moment ago.
“Thanks for the ride. Here’s an extra tip for taking me to this place so fast,” the model gave a wad of notes to the driver, “You know, I’m a bit surprised that someone such as you would be driving around a cab all day. Have you ever thought of getting another job, like being a model such as me?"
“Sorry, I have my reasons. I would love to do that, but I prefer sitting behind the wheel instead of taking pictures all day,” the taxi driver patted the steering wheel affectionately, as if it was her beloved pet.
“It’s alright, I understand. Whatever floats your boat, I guess. But, if you happen to change your mind you can go for an interview at the agency where I’m working. The main office is just inside the department store if you want to apply for a job there!”
Sooyoung amusingly watched her passenger ramble on and on about the job opportunity. She would enjoy talking with this woman more, but she had to remind her of what she came here for in the first place.
“You’re gonna be late for your photo shoot.”
That one sentence immediately made the model jump out from her seat and kick the taxi’s door open.
“YAH! DON’T BREAK THE DOOR! It’ll take me a week to fix it!"
As usual, the tanned model did not hear the loud voice of the annoyed taxi driver, and clumsily rushed out of the vehicle while slamming the door shut.
All Sooyoung could do was to facepalm.
She heard the door opening again.
“My name is Yuri. What’s yours?”
“…Sooyoung.”
Yuri slammed the door shut yet again once she had gotten her answer.
Meanwhile, Sooyoung slammed her forehead onto the steering wheel.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
A few passer-bys hanging around the entrance of the crowded department store watched as the tall female driver crouching down to examine the damage done to her door, scratched her head and groaned in frustration. She tested the usability of the door by swinging it from side to side, as well as closing it gently and opening it again.
‘Well, at least it’s not as bad as last time.’
Her sharp ears heard a recognizable clattering of footsteps made by high-heels right behind her. A pair of feminine voices, one that sounds quite husky and another that sounds high-pitched like a dolphin, were whispering to each other in a language that is not Japanese but a mix of English and something else. Maybe Korean? It has been quite a long time since she heard her own mother tongue.
“Sumimasen, takushi no unten shudesu ka? (Excuse me, are you a taxi driver?)
The surprisingly loud husky voice asked in awkward Japanese.
Sooyoung stood up to her full height and turned around to see two VERY eye-catching foreigners, surrounded by a line of shopping bags on the ground. Actually, they were Asians but still foreign nonetheless, due to the shaky pronunciation of Japanese syllables and a tiny English-to-Japanese translation book in their hands.
“Hai, watashi wa. Anata ga noru hitsuyo ga arimasu ka? (Yes, I am. Do you need a ride?)
The driver watched as the brunette with the loud voice flipped the not so helpful book to reply back to her question, while the blonde beside her peeked over her shoulder to help her get to the correct page. An awkward moment was experienced as Sooyoung waited for their response, tapping her foot impatiently to make time unsuccessfully go by.
“H-hai! Anata wa Shibuya Excel Tokyu ni watashi-tachi o toru ka?” (Y-yes! Would you take us to the Shibuya Excel Hotel, please?)
She finally answered back with a hopeful expression on her face.
Sooyoung gave the pair of clueless tourists an ‘okay’ sign without a moment’s hesitation, and proceeded to put all of their shopping bags into the back of the taxi. She heard a squeal of delight as she was busily doing the kind gesture.
“Arigatou gozai masu~!” (Thank you very much~!)
She looked over to see the pair giving her a smile to die for, while bowing deeply in sync to show their appreciation. The taxi driver felt a bit embarrassed by that, but shrugged it off after she was done stuffing the bags into the vehicle and going back behind the wheel.
Once the two optimistic women entered the passenger seats behind her, she drove off towards the hotel in this district. Chattering in the mixed language filled the interior of the taxi. Sooyoung clearly heard the undeniable Korean tongue being spoken by these tourists. To confirm her suspicion, she began to interrupt their conversation by speaking in her native language.
“Are you two from Korea?”
Sooyoung caught the startled look on her passengers’ faces in the rear view mirror. She raised one of her eyebrows in return.
“Oh. My. God. Jessi, we’ve finally found another of our kind here!” the spunky brunette turned to her blonde companion and playfully did a light chokehold onto her neck, “This vacation is really turning into a blast!”
The blonde forcefully shoved her hyperactive best friend away from her to gain some of her breathing space back. She could be a pain in the neck sometimes…literally.
“Yes, yes, I know. Now can you PLEASE stop trying to kill me with that killer chokehold of yours?! Sheesh… I swear, one of these days I’m gonna die a pitiful death if I keep hanging around with you.”
Sooyoung chuckled at the hilarious sight behind her through the mirror. One of the best things about her job was that she could witness all these hilarious situations her customers get into. And in a city like Tokyo, there was never a dull character here.
“Do the both of you like the sights and sounds that Tokyo has to offer?” she curiously asked.
“Absolutely! This city is the bomb! We even got these cute designer shoes not found anywhere else in the world!” the brunette gestured with her hands to show the size of the object she was excitedly talking about, “They were so-“
“I’m terribly sorry, but my friend here can get a bit hyped up whenever she gets something she really wants. I don’t think you would want to listen to her non-stop ramblings.”
Sooyoung grinned when she saw the snarky blonde trying to cover her companion’s chatty mouth. The brunette gave a quick glare at her friend, while slapping away the offending hand from her face.
“Nah, it’s no problem. I am actually enjoying your conversations with one another. It’s like watching a comedy movie happening right here in my taxi!”
The occupants inside the vehicle burst into a fit of laughter as the short journey to their hotel came to an end. Time really does fly when you’re having fun. Sooyoung parked as usual at the side of the grand building, unbuckled her seat belt, and pulled the lever near her to open up the back of her taxi. Being the Good Samaritan that she was, she helped to carry their bags to the lobby of the hotel.
“Hey, you don’t need to do all that...” the blonde worriedly told her kind driver,” We can carry all of them by ourselves. Besides, you’ve already done a lot for us.
“Yeah…we really appreciate your help, Ms. Er… what’s your name? “
The second time in a day someone wanted to know her name.
‘I must be on a roll today.”
“Sooyoung. No need to add in the Miss. Or else I’ll feel old.”
Both of her customers giggled at the young driver.
“Alright, I won’t call you that, Sooyoung,” the brunette gave a charming eye-smile at her.
“Tiff, aren’t you forgetting something?”
“Whoops, silly me! I almost forgot about that.”
The brunette reached for her purse in her shiny Prada bag, and handed the driver a wad of notes. Sooyoung’s eyes almost bulged out when she saw how much she was going to get.
“Whoa, whoa, I don’t think the fare is THAT much for such a short journey,” the short-haired woman pushed back the money to its owner, but the brunette insisted.
“I’m serious. Take it. You deserved it.”
The driver looked at the blonde beside her, but received a cold shoulder instead.
“Ah well… no point resisting when the person in front of you has a killer smile on.’
She reluctantly received the payment.
“Thanks, I guess.”
“You’re welcome! And thank you very much for the ride! Maybe we’ll see each other again next time”, the brunette cheerfully exclaimed to the skinny driver,” C’mon Jessi, let’s get these bags up to our room!”
“Well it’s about time.”
Both of them grabbed a fair number of their shopping bags in each hand, while bowing and saying goodbye to their thoughtful driver. Sooyoung could have sworn that she just saw the cold blonde turned her head back towards her and smiling warmly at her. Did she just melt the heart of an ice princess?
‘Are my passengers falling for me or something? I really need to turn off my charm switch.’
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Sooyoung began calculating the amount of money she had gotten once she was in the privacy of her own taxi. Hunching her back over while on the seat so that no one would sneak a peek through the windows, she expertly moved her hands to count up the total.
‘Oh man… I can buy a three months supply of fast food meals and sushi with this!’
began to salivate at the thought of the delicious and wonderful food that she could buy. Her food fantasies and drooling came to a stop when several flashes of light temporarily blinded her.
‘What the…?’
She rubbed her eyes and shook her head to regain back her vision. The flashes of light still did not stop. Loud voices from outside the taxi could be heard. Someone entered her taxi.
“QUICK! TAKE ME SOMEWHERE! ANYWHERE BUT HERE!” a desperate voice shouted from behind her.
The taxi driver mindlessly shoved her money into the storage compartment, revved up the engine and speeded off away from the hotel without a second thought. The noise faded away, and now the taxi is filled with the melody of the music coming from the radio and the added pants from the exhausted newcomer.
Now that they were safe from what Sooyoung thought was a mob, she looked at her reliable mirror to see the passenger.
‘Have I seen this woman before? She looks really familiar.’
Big doe eyes, long chestnut brown hair that has been hastily tied up into a messy ponytail. She had no make-up on whatsoever, but her natural look was good enough to turn people’s heads. She even makes the casual outfit she was wearing, consisting of a plain white t-shirt and a pair of blue slim fit jeans look gorgeous.
Sooyoung finally realizes who she was.
“YOU”RE IM YOONA THE DRAMA ACTRESS!”
The supposed actress yelped after the driver’s sudden outburst of her not-so-easy-to-hide identity.
“D-don’t scare me like that! Jeez…” she mumbled whilst rubbing her aching forehead,” The things I have to go through just to get a bite to eat…”
“Well, haven’t you ever thought of cooking?”
“Nope, don’t know how to.”
“You know that you had just blurted out an embarrassing fact about yourself to a stranger, don’t you?”
“Ah crap…”
“Oh my, the one and only ‘innocent’ Im Yoona just said ‘crap’.”
The actress heaved a frustrated sigh.
“I’m not THAT young to not know that word and use it in my sentences. Look, if you wanna ruin my image and career then go ahead, be my guest. Tell the whole of Japan about how rude and uncouth Im Yoona is. You can tell that to those damn paparazzi back there. I’m sure they would love it. I’m getting pretty sick of doing this anyway.” She rested her head against the glass pane of the window beside her, with a somber face expression on.
A moment of silence until the driver absorbed everything that she had heard from this broken star.
‘She wants to give up her career when she’s already at the peak of the mountain?! ‘
The taxi stopped temporarily at a traffic junction. This is her cue to say something to lift her passenger’s spirits.
“Hey, you said that you wanna eat right? Does burgers and fries sound good to you right now?”
Someone’s stomach grumbled loudly.
“I take that as a ‘yes’ then.” Sooyoung said, satisfied with that answer. She was also getting quite hungry. As the light turned back to green, she made her way through the streets of Tokyo to a nearby McDonalds’ drive-in. She ordered two upsized combo meals for herself and her passenger without her consent. In the meantime, the depressed actress was confused about the driver’s sudden kindness towards her.
“Wait, you’re paying for this?” She suspiciously asked, whilst staring at the paper bag full of greasy goodness being dangled in front of her. “Is there gonna be an extra charge for this ride? If so, then I’m not taking this.”
Her stomach began to rebel, as it started to grumble even louder than the previous one. Her face became as red as a tomato when that happened. Sooyoung just smiled at that cute action.
“Don’t worry; this is from my own expense. Just think of this as my apology for saying those things to you just now. I tend to spew out stuff that I shouldn’t say without thinking about the other person’s feelings, so… I’m sorry. I’m not going to reveal anything to anyone if that’s what you’re worried about. My lips are sealed.”
The doe-eyed woman hesitated for a while, but finally decided to receive the paper bag.
“Okay…if you insist. Apology accepted.”
“Good. Now then, do you want to go back to your house or let me drive you around town?”
“The second option please,” she answered,” Do you mind if I eat in here?”
“Nope, go ahead. Just make sure there’s no crumbs lying around here after you’re done.”
As the taxi driver started to pull away from the drive-in to grant her passenger’s request, she once again glanced at the mirror, breaking into a smirk when she saw the actress nibbling on the French fries one by one at lightning speed like a chipmunk.
“Slow down, or else you’re gonna choke on those!”
Her warning was ignored.
“Suit yourself. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you.”
The taxi came to a sudden halt, ignoring the agitations and cursing made from the drivers behind.
Loud spews of coughing and wheezing could be heard.
“What the hell was that for?!”
“Whoops, thought I saw something moving on the road just now. Must have been my imagination,” the driver shrugged nonchalantly before continuing on with the drive.
“Sigh… Maybe it’s better if you took me home then. I think those reporters should be gone by now. Could you let me off from the back entrance of that hotel just now? Just in case they’re still waiting for me.”
Her request was granted.
As the taxi driver navigated her way through the streets to make a U-turn back to that grand hotel, she decided to make more conversation with the frustrated star.
“Hey, don’t let the stress and downfalls of your job affect you like this. You’re still young, there’s still a lot more for you to see and experience. If you feel like the whole world is against you, then it’s not true. There are still people out there who support you. I know having a job in the entertainment industry is really tiring and demanding, but if you keep your head up high and persevere through it, all the efforts you’ve put in will be worth it.”
“You make it sound so easy…saying all that to me…”
The taxi has reached its destination, out of sight from the public in the shadows of the alleyway at the back of the hotel. The headlights lit up the lone narrow space, with another streetlight shining brightly placed above the backdoor of the hotel.
Sooyoung turned around to face the doe-eyed actress in the eye.
“But, you know that deep down inside that you want continue on with acting because it’s something you love to do. It makes you feel happy, and that’s why it’s worth it for you, regardless of all the crap that you have to put up with. It’s all worth it.”
She gave a reassuring smile.
“Besides, I’m a really big fan of you. The main reason why I only watch the dramas you star in is because the way you act is so natural and real when compared to other actors. Now you know why your dramas always have such high viewer ratings?”
Im Yoona was left speechless.
Sooyoung used her passenger’s moment of no words to go outside to the side of the taxi to hold the door open for her VIP.
The actress slowly appeared out from the vehicle, the paper bag filled with fast food in her right hand. She stood in front of her taxi driver, eyeing her from head to toe.
“You’re…taller than I expected.”
“I drink my glass of milk every day.”
The actress finally smiled and chuckled for the first time since the taxi ride.
“May I know the name of my biggest fan?”
“Choi Sooyoung, at your service!” she saluted.
The answer was rewarded with a huge wad of bills and a tight hug.
“Thank you so much, Sooyoung.”
The taxi driver willfully returned the hug.
“You’re welcome.”
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
A huge grin was stuck onto the driver’s face as she was cruising through the streets of Tokyo after the moment she had with the one and only Im Yoona. Motorists who happened to stop beside her taxi while waiting for the green light were giving her odd looks as they took a glance out their window. They would have thought that the pretty taxi driver was a lunatic, judging by the creepy expression plastered on her face.
Sooyoung did not give a damn about it. She was happily enjoying her own little world, or in other words, daydreaming about her encounter with the popular celebrity.
This is a memory that she will cherish forever until the day she dies.
Wait… that seems a little too much.
At long last, something interrupted her never-ending fantasies. At the corner of her vision to her right, she saw the all-knowing signal of someone hailing for a cab. Sooyoung slowed down and pulled over near to the curb, where yet another beautiful young woman was waiting for her services.
‘My bright yellow taxi is attracting more of the female species instead of the males today. Must be that new polisher I’ve been using lately.’
“Please take me to the dormitory near the University of Tokyo, miss.”
“Sure thing! Oh by the way, you don’t need to call me ‘miss’,” Sooyoung told her passenger once she got inside and sat in the back seat right behind her, “I feel old if people address me like that.”
A few seconds of awkward silence before the chubby-cheeked woman, wearing a pair of black-rimmed spectacles, spoke up.
“But, you are older than me aren’t you? It is common courtesy for younger people to address their seniors with the basic respectful terms.”
“Honey, I’m not that much older than you as you can see for yourself.” The taxi driver shamelessly tucked some strands of her hair back behind her left ear, while making quick eye contact with the bespectacled woman.
“Y-yes, I can see that very clearly, but…”
“Hmm?”
“It’s nothing. Never mind.”
Her shy customer broke the gratuitous staring match by proceeding to take out a small paperback from her bag and reading it; obviously trying to ignore her chatty driver. Not that she was trying to be rude, but more of not knowing how to continue on with the conversation. Sooyoung knew from her intuition that this woman was the introverted type who prefers to keep to herself instead of engaging into petty small talk with strangers no less. She understood her passenger’s privacy, and decided to keep shut this time for the sake of making it a more comfortable ride for the woman. Even though it was going to take a whole lot of effort for her to not talk about something.
‘Wait, I bought McDonalds just now for me too, right? Just hope little miss shy cutie back there won’t mind if I have a bite to eat in here.’
Without a second thought, Sooyoung used her left hand to open the storage compartment that kept her glorious munchies safe and sound, while keeping her eyes glued to the road. Blindly feeling for the paper bag, she murmured a ‘yes’ which was clearly audible for the passenger behind to hear when she successfully got her wonderful food. The action was also not left undetected by the observing gaze of the quiet lady who was ‘supposedly’ busy reading her book.
Just as she was about to take her first savoring bite of the tempting sandwich, a scared voice suddenly interrupted her meal.
“DON’T EAT THAT!”
The taxi almost swerved off course, and Sooyoung could have dropped her burger if she was not quick on her feet (or in this case, her hands). After calming herself down from an unexpected heart attack, the driver glared daggers at the woman through the mirror. The mirror could have cracked under the intensity of her powerful stare.
“And WHY the hell can’t I eat this!?” She complained, while showing the burger in her hand to emphasize her point.
“Junk food contains fat and other unhealthy substances which will accumulate in your body, and eventually you’ll die,” her passenger warned.
Sooyoung felt like slamming her head onto the steering wheel again.
‘So straightforward...'
“I’m still gonna eat it, you know.”
She brought the greasy concoction inches away from her salivating mouth which was dying to chomp on that; all the while ignoring the distressed whining from the health freak behind her.
‘Ahh~ Finally, come to mama!’
She never knew trying to eat a hamburger was THIS hard. Before her taste buds could even begin to enjoy the deliciousness of the oversized sandwich, two hands tightly gripped onto both of her shoulders from behind her seat and violently shook her lanky body vigorously with the abnormal strength of a gorilla. This time, Sooyoung was really afraid for her own wellbeing.
“WHOA, WHOA, WHOA! OKAY, I WON’T EAT THE DAMN BURGER, SO STOP SHAKING ME OR ELSE WE’RE GONNA HIT SOMETHING!!”
People passing by screamed and dodged out of the way when the yellow taxi almost went onto the pavement; not forgetting to hurl vulgarities at the offending vehicle that almost rammed into them. Sooyoung just hopes that none of them saw and remembered her license plate number. She was not in the mood to get sacked out from the only job that she considered as her best friend. Her yellow taxi was her best friend. Being separated from it would be a total nightmare that came true. If her company gets any complaint of any kind regarding her ‘outstanding’ driving, she will definitely blame that on this annoying health freak behind her.
Finally, the two small but very strong hands released the death grip on her shoulders, and Sooyoung heaved a sigh of relieve now that she could gain control of her taxi properly without accidentally taking away other people’s lives.
“I’m deeply sorry about that, but I didn’t want you to die yet! I have heard cases whereby some people will be instantly poisoned and die when they take the first bite of that, that, thing…” The demure woman disgustedly pointed at the unfinished ‘thing’ which the short-haired taxi driver had already put back inside the paper bag in the storage compartment. The only thing the taxi driver could do after hearing that comment was to roll her eyes.
‘You shaking me like that just now would have made me killed a hundred pedestrians, you idiot. That’s much, MUCH more than eating a burger would do to you.’
Sooyoung was basically annoyed that she could not eat her dinner right now. Having an empty stomach while doing her job was one of her main pet peeves; she can’t help it that she has a naturally fast metabolism in her. It was a good thing that she has reached her passenger’s destination in one peace. She really wanted to eat after she leaves the vehicle.
“Um, here…Have this instead.”
The visibly annoyed driver reluctantly turned around, but to be pleasantly surprised to see the taxi fare and something that smelled edible wrapped in aluminum foil in the woman’s hands. Sooyoung was more interested in the aluminum-covered food than the money.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a roasted sweet potato I bought from a nearby street vendor just now,” she explained to the driver who looked like she was devouring it by just staring at it. “Actually, I bought more but I ate most of them, and decided to save this last one as a late night snack or something like that. But you can have it.”
She gently pushed both objects forward towards the starving woman who hadn’t had a bite to eat since she started her shift for today. Sooyoung gladly accepted them, especially the sweet potato, like they were gifts sent by the heavens above.
“Thank you!” Yup, food could really brighten up anyone’s day, especially if said person was a woman named Sooyoung.
“I hope that sweet potato would be a good substitute for you instead of…’that’.”
This woman definitely takes her health education lessons very seriously. To the point where she could have developed a phobia for everything considered bad for you. That’s what Sooyoung thought of her, enough said. Without another word, her passenger gave a polite smile and a bow before proceeding to exit the taxi.
‘What an interesting girl…’ Sooyoung thought, as she watched her hurriedly enter the gates of the large dormitory. Never in her whole life has Sooyoung ever encountered someone like that.
Must be a one in a million.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Sooyoung‘s main priority right now was to eat.
But since it was a very bad idea to fulfill her stomach’s request when there’s a passenger inside as she had first-handedly experienced, she decided to eat the prematurely discarded hamburger and the newly-added sweet potato when no one needed her transportation services. Her taxi was still parked in front of the dorm; its huge gates tightly closed by one of the security guards earlier. Curfew was already in place. Sooyoung observed the lights at several windows fading out one by one as the occupants got ready for bed; awaiting another new day ahead.
‘They still put up that curfew rule for college students? Sheesh…’ She thought, pondering at the ridiculousness of it all.
After finishing off her much appreciated dinner, Sooyoung decided that it was best to take a break for a while to let her stomach peacefully digest the food. Leaning back against her comfy driver’s seat with her hands folded on her waist, the short-haired taxi driver began to enjoy some quiet time before continuing on with her night shift. Experiencing all the customers just now took a whole lot from her. With the soothing melody played by the radio surrounding the inside of the taxi, it felt like heaven on Earth.
*Knock knock knock*
Something just HAD to interrupt her.
‘What now?’
Lifting up her hat in annoyance, Sooyoung got up and turned to her left to see a adorable-looking girl (or a woman?) wearing a navy blue hoodie, a pair of dark jeans, a bag pack slung over her right shoulder, and those trendy oversized geek glasses teenagers wear, opening the passenger door swiftly.
“Miss, can you take me to Akihabara?” She asked in a surprisingly low voice which did not fit her tiny and adorable stature. The taxi driver eyed her from head to toe, analyzing the newcomer in front of her and then darting her eyes from her to the building behind.
“You just sneaked out from your dorm, didn’t you?” she took a very lucky guess while staring deadpanned at the girl.
The girl in turn did not give a damn.
“Just take me there, will ya?” Annoyed, the midget went in to sit beside the still unimpressed driver; not forgetting to put on her seat belts.
“Whatever you say, kid.”
“I’m 23 years old, thank you very much.” Her passenger rebutted back while her lovely driver of the day pulled away from the curb to go to Japan’s one and only district loaded with all things to satisfy your anime cravings and geeky pleasure. From the latest comic books to video games, from maid cafes to anime cosplayers, there’s always something for otakus everywhere.
“So… since you’re sneaking out so late at night to go to anime sanctuary, “the taxi driver reminded her passenger again about her offence,” I’m guessing that there’s a new release of some anime figurine or something like that?”
“Pftt…That was yesterday! Now, there’s gonna be a new manga packed with awesome characters that can transform into-!” The chestnut-haired girl stopped herself from giving away anything else about her nightly escapades to buy her daily dose of whatever she was addicted to. At least, that was what Sooyoung assumed it to be.
‘Oho, been hanging around there in the dead of night, haven’t you?’
Even at this kind of hour, that district would still be bustling with people, even on the weekdays.
‘I guess that’s when the shut-ins finally emerge from their den. Is she one of them too?’
Sooyoung noticed that the bespectacled brunette started to take out a small pink rectangular-like object from her bag pack, and opened it up; revealing a screen, a set of buttons and a pen/stylus type of thingy at the side. Next thing she did was to insert an even smaller rectangle block at the bottom of it.
Yup, this girl was definitely a shut-in.
“Hey, kid…”
“I am NOT a kid. Just call me by my name. It’s Sunny.”
“Okay, Sunny. Don’t you think you’re a bit too old to be playing games and sneaking out of your dorm like this?” Sooyoung gave her honest opinion, resulting in the one named Sunny to give a forlorn expression as she was staring blankly at the screen of her Nintendo DS. Delicate fingers curled around the stylus; forming her right hand into a tight fist.
“Look, I’m not gonna force you to stop going there,” the taxi driver continued to explain,” However, I think that there are more important things in life that you need to do right?”
“Yeah… I do. But it’s none of your business to judge me by what I’m doing right now.”
“You’re right. It is none of my business or concern to peek into your life like that.”
That comment made the passenger turn her head around to face her driver; confused.
“Then why did you say all that in the first place?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m just worried about what that little addiction would do to you,” Sooyoung gave a quick glance back at the woman,” Don’t misunderstand me, okay? I too, am quite a big fan of anime, like Death Note and what not, but sometimes too much of a good thing is bad for you. I guess I’m over-analyzing too much, what with the increase of shut-ins and delusional geeks falling in love with 2D characters in this country. To the extent where they even want to marry them in real life...”
The brunette woman’s expression softened a bit as she heard all of the words that came out from the driver’s mouth. Did she just saw her shudder a little when she was talking about the ‘marrying a 2D character’ thing?
“I’m not like that, if that’s what you’re implying. Never will.”
“That’s good.”
A proud smile slowly appeared on Sooyoung’s face, strangely glad of the reassurance from the woman next to her. Usually, she could tell if someone was lying through their teeth but this was an exception.
“Okay, we’re already here in Akihabara.” The lanky taxi driver informed the brunette, “Is there any specific place that you wanna go to?”
Her passenger broke out of her trance from staring at the driver for too long, and looked out the window. Seeing all these colorful lights and neon signs with cute cartoony graphics drawn all over was a bit awkward at this time of day, but still there were people around who enjoyed all these things, no matter what the time was.
“Um, there’s this one store that I always go to. It’s around the corner over there.”
After Sunny pointed her in the right direction, they had finally reached the desired destination.
“Whoa, this place is even brighter and colorful than the entire block.”
“That’s why it’s called THE greatest place on Earth for all anime aficionados out there.” The blonde proudly showed off her favorite place in the whole world, with an added charming wink to top it all up. Sooyoung can’t help but to blush at that.
‘Well… that was… so adorable… that it’s making my fingers curl up.’
“Hey, I know this might sound weird and all but, can you take off your specs for a while?” Sooyoung did not know why in heaven’s name she said that. Maybe being pleasantly surprised by an unexpected act of cuteness aimed at her was the cause of that.
“Eh?”
As expected, her passenger’s expression became bewildered but bemused at the driver’s sudden request in a matter of seconds.
“Please?”
Nobody could resist Sooyoung’s cutesy look and annoying voice that calls for a wooden stick.
“Okay, okay, I’ll take it off! Now stop doing that before I do something I’ll probably regret for the rest of my life!”
It didn’t take long before the brunette slowly removed the oversized ‘fake’ glasses, flipping away some of the locks of hair that covered her face. And all Sooyoung could do was to stare in awe at how beautiful she looked behind the safety of those frames.
“You look better without those.”
“Um, thanks… “Sunny sheepishly replied after hearing that compliment from out of the blue, “Why did you want to see me without these on anyways?”
“No reason, just doing my best to persuade people to take off those ridiculous glasses.”
“Hey, nerd is the new cool okay!”
“But you’re already a nerd so why do you even bother to wear those when your eyesight is perfectly fine? “
“You just don’t get the trend, do you?”
“I will never understand the trend.” The taxi driver proudly stated that fact.
“Trying to be a hipster aren’t you?” her passenger asked, clearly not amused, “Whatever, here’s your fare. Thanks for the lift.”
After receiving the money, Sooyoung watched as the midget stuffed her game carelessly back into her bag, and opened the door of the taxi. But before she could put one foot out into the open, the lanky driver had one last thing to say.
“But seriously, you’re really pretty without the specs on.”
“Thank you.” This time, it was much more sincere than the other ‘thanks’ that she had gotten from this woman. And there was the added inclusion of a smile and yet another wink, before the anime geek named Sunny left the taxi to enter her haven.
Sooyoung could get used to that woman’s overwhelming cuteness...Or maybe not. The dilemma of whether to melt at the sight of that or to punch the woman right in the face was currently what she had in mind.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
“Yah, Sooyoung! Open up!”
Another knocking against the window.
It was barely even five minutes before another person needed her transportation services. It was a good thing her shift was going to end soon, or else she’ll get a terrible headache by the time the Sun starts to rise.
‘Wha...?’
Breaking out from her random pondering about her last passenger’s acts of cuteness, Sooyoung was startled to see a familiar face outside her vehicle. Someone whom she regarded as her long-time companion since the day they met each other.
“Taeyeon?”
“Yo! Long time no see, shikshin!” The newcomer named Taeyeon let herself in on the passenger seat, squeezing in whilst carrying a large Styrofoam box in her hands, which was clearly twice her own size.
“Uh, don’t you wanna put that in the back, Taeng?” The driver helplessly watched as the shorty finally shift into a comfortable position with the box on her tiny lap, and shut the door with ease. “I’ve got a lot of space in there for this, you know. By the way, what the heck is this?”
“Nope, I’m fine, so don’t worry. And about your question, well this here is the latest supply of top-quality fish and seafood I just bought for all my hungry customers waiting at the restaurant. Now take me there ASAP, will you?”
At the mention of ‘top-quality fish and seafood’, sushi was the first thing that popped up in the glutton driver’s mind. Knowing that her friend was also a renowned sushi chef and owner of the ‘Soshi Sushi’ restaurant, both of these things add up wonderfully to become one delicious creation. Instead of getting in gear and driving off to Taeyeon’s pride and joy, she shamelessly opted to take off the lid of the box to sneak a peek at the-
*Slaps*
“OWW!”
“I said take me to my restaurant, not ogle at my prized ingredients,” Taeyeon reminded the driver firmly after executing a powerful slap at her itchy fingers,” If you really want to eat them so much, come on by when you have the time. I haven’t seen you in for quite a while, Sooyoungie. Normally, you would always drop by whenever you have the chance.”
Trying to fan her already stinging hand, Sooyoung used her other hand to turn the wheel around and make a U-turn.
“I don’t remember you being this powerful before. That hurts…” she whined back, obviously not having a strong tolerance when it comes to physical pain, “Hey, you know my job. Whenever I’m in the mood for your sushi, I’m always halfway across the city driving people to their destinations. Plus, I don’t have a lot day off nowadays cause of my slave-driver company.”
“That’s a shame. It’s not the same without you devouring all the food you ordered like a pig almost every day. Good thing you can pay for them all, or else you would be in debt and be in my kitchen washing dishes all day.”
“Aww, you miss me.”
“Don’t be getting all mushy on me missy, before I get a wooden stick to hit you with. Or would you like me to dump everything inside this box onto your head right now?”
“Whoa, hold it! Geez, Taeng, ever since you learnt how to cut up fishes you’ve been getting really violent lately. I pity the poor fishys’ soul.”
“Wow, the almighty shikshin actually cares for her food. It’s a miracle!”
“Yes, I do care about my food and I’m proud of that. Did you just bought all that in Akihabara? I didn’t think you could find a fish market in geeks’ land.”
“There is always a fish market in every city in Japan,” Taeyeon knowingly raised a finger to indicate her point; “You just need to know where to find it.”
“Or you bought it from the black market,” Sooyoung muttered in a low voice. “I mean, who the hell buys seafood past midnight?”
“I heard that.” Her right arm rose again for another beating.
“I was just kidding, sheesh! And hey, we have reached your destination Miss Kim Taeyeon.” The taxi jerked a little once Sooyoung parked it in front of the entrance of the restaurant, where many patrons were still queuing up in line to have a taste of the exquisite and one of a kind sushi that the midget chef prepares. “Wow, business is booming as usual here.”
“It’s always been booming. Thanks for the lift, Sooyoungie,” Taeyeon shifted her position yet again, from the weight of the object squashing her to bring out the wallet from her pocket, “Is your shift over yet? I can give you some grub on the house for a hard day’s work.”
“Seriously!?” Sooyoung beamed at the mention of getting to eat Taeyeon’s cooking again but became disappointed when she realized something she had forgotten,” But, I can’t… My shift ain’t over yet. By the time it ends, your restaurant would already be closed.”
The chef was dumbfounded at her friend’s rejection of the offer. Well, it was not quite a ‘rejection’ but seeing her turning down food of all things took Taeyeon by surprise. She didn’t know if it was a good or bad change for her character.
“I can’t believe the almighty shikshin of Japan is refusing free food.”
“Sighs…Can’t be letting anyone from my company seeing me slacking off on a job, right?” Sooyoung stated that fact, although in her heart she was crying in agony because of missing yet another opportunity to savour Taeyeon’s cooking.
‘When the hell am I gonna eat her sushi again!? Curses!’
“Okay, but if you don’t get a day off soon, I’m going to personally go to that company of yours and talk some sense into those slave-drivers.”
“I’ll look forward to that day, Taeng.”
Just as Sooyoung’s one and only midget chef was about to get off from the taxi, one of Taeyeon’s employees emerged from the entrance, supporting what seems to be an incapacitated woman around his shoulders. Everyone stopped and stared at the duo, including the lines of impatient customers-to-be, who have temporarily forgotten about their wait to watch the scene in front of them.
“Miss Taeyeon, it seems that this woman had a little too much to drink just now,” the worker said to his boss, while struggling to keep the drooling drunk up standing on her now jelly-like legs.
The big lady boss in turn went to face Sooyoung back again.
“Ms. Taxi, care to do the honours for me? I guarantee that when you come back here again, you can order anything as much you like, without having to pay a single cent.”
With a tilt of her hat and a charming smile, Sooyoung answered.
“Sure thing, captain.”
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Being a taxi driver, Sooyoung, of course, has had her fair share of sending drunkards from anywhere that serves alcohol back to their home. Some were tolerable; others were a damn nuisance to get through, and some…just plain barf on the seats. She did not know for how long she had to get rid of the stench that smelt like rancid tuna with beer and stomach juices.
But this particular drunk was not like any other.
She was crazy.
That was what Sooyoung thought by the time the drunken woman finally realized that she was being transported home. When the brunette sluggishly gotten up from lying down on the back seat, she lazily gazed around to take in the interior of the taxi before setting her sights on the lanky driver. This piece of action from the then snoozing woman was not left unnoticed by Sooyoung.
'Oh no… Please don’t tell me you wanna puke in here.’
After a few seconds of awkward tension; more from the driver’s cautiousness, her passenger moved slowly towards the back of the driver’s seat and then leaned forward while grabbing hold of the leather chair.
“Yah~ Mr. Driver~ Wwwhere are yooouu takinggg meee?”
Sooyoung didn’t know what to be pissed off at. This woman mistaking her for a man, or that her breath was literally up against her nose and that it reeked of alcohol. This one really went all out with the drinks.
“First of all, I’m a female driver,” she made it clear while trying desperately to turn away from the drunk’s big mouth,” And secondly, I’m taking you back to your place.”
It was a good thing that the woman’s identification card had her address shown, or Sooyoung would have been a clueless wreck. Getting any correct information out from a drunk was a very difficult task, having experienced the tortures of them in more ways than one. But alas, this was part of her job, whether she likes it or not.
“Ohhhh, thash so sweet of youuu~! Lemme give you a huggg!”
Incoming bear hug from a drunk.
Not one of the best things to get yourself into while driving.
“YAH, CUT IT OUT!”
She did not know which one’s worse. The shakings like an earthquake from that health freak student, or this killer bear hug from this crazy drunk.
Either way, Sooyoung just prays that the taxi swerving around won’t hit anything, living or non-living.
In a desperate attempt for freedom and for her life, the panicked driver released her hold on the gear shift handle and started to slap away the arms entangling her with a tight grip. After inflicting enough force and hearing the cries of pain from the offender, she was finally released much to her delight and regained control of the vehicle.
“Oww, that hurts~” the drunken woman whined, rubbing her arms to make the pain go away.
Ignoring the whines to focus more on the task at hand, the driver heaved a sigh of relief once she saw the apartment that was stated on the address. But there was another problem she encountered.
Having to lead this drunk back to her humble abode.
This was one of those rare days where Sooyoung curses her good-natured heart.
After parking the taxi in front of the entrance, Sooyoung quickly but reluctantly went outside in a long while to drag the woman out from her still aching agony.
“Hey, what’s your apartment room number?” The driver asked, bending down to half her height so that the shorty’s right arm was slung around her shoulders for added support.
“32~” she slurred.
Nodding back to acknowledge the answer, Sooyoung climbed the set of stairs leading up towards the apartment, entered it, and saw that there were a bunch rooms on the first floor and a lone elevator.
“Which floor?”
“9~” Judging by the sound of her voice, sleep was starting to eat her up once again.
Once inside the elevator and pressing the button for the ninth floor, Sooyoung just stood there with the woman in her arm while waiting for the doors to open. Shifting their position from time to time, Sooyoung could not help but notice that the woman was using her left shoulder as a pillow.
“You’re… really warm.”
Sooyoung blushed yet again.
Now that she was in close proximity with her passenger, she was actually quite attractive. Not exactly your typical beauty you would see in the streets of Tokyo, but hey, Sooyoung wasn’t picky. Anyone that looked different could easily catch her eye.
*Ding*
The door finally opened after what seemed like an eternity.
Dragging themselves towards the apartment door, the lanky driver set the drunk down on the ground gently.
“Where’s your keys?”
Instead of answering the question, the drunken woman instead gave a lazy smirk.
“I don’t let people into my house on the first date, you know.”
Sooyoung was taken aback by that slight innuendo.
“H-hey, I’m being serious here. Don’t you wanna get inside and have some rest?”
“Don’t worry, I have my keys. I just don’t feel like going in right now.”
“You sure?”
“Sure I’m sure!”
“Well…alright then.”
Realizing that her objective was completed, Sooyoung turned around to take her leave but was stopped by a grip on her wrist.
“Wait, I haven’t paid you yet.”
“It’s fine, that’s already been taken care of.”
“No, silly, not money. This.” And before she could even begin to realize what was happening, Sooyoung was pulled down on top of the woman, and something moist and soft came into contact at the side of her face.
Was it hot in here or was it just her?
Sooyoung had never felt this warm in her whole entire life.
“What’s your name?”
“Sooyoung… you?”
“Hyoyeon. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Likewise.”
Okay, maybe she’ll take back what she said about this woman being a crazy drunk.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
Switching on the ceiling lights, Sooyoung literally dragged herself towards her living room couch with every ounce of strength she had left, after experiencing an exhausting but certainly rewarding day. She never knew a lot of interesting things could happen all at once. Recalling the day’s event, well, she basically met a y but low self-esteem model, two clueless American tourists, her favorite drama actress, a heath freak, a cute anime geek, her best friend/sushi chef, and a drunk who kissed her on the cheek.
Yup, just another day in the life of a taxi driver in Tokyo.
~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~
END
A/N: The epilogue for this one-shot will come next. :D
Comments