Park Hwan had been driving city buses for more than twenty years, yet nothing about his life had ever changed. The same rattling steering wheel, the same stench of gasoline, the same exhausted faces of workers and students filing in and out. He had grown used to being invisible, just the man behind the wheel with the permanent scowl carved into his face. Women rarely looked at him twice, and he had long accepted his life of solitude—cheap beer, a peeling apartment, and occasional meaningless encounters that left him emptier than before.

But this route was new. A reassignment. And the last stop was in the wealthiest district of the city—a neighborhood he had only passed by, never entered. Mansions behind iron gates, polished sidewalks, designer boutiques, the kind of place where people like him did not belong.

That day, after the afternoon rush cleared, he noticed her.

She stepped onto the bus with shopping bags dangling from her arms—bags from luxury stores that he could never afford to glance at. She was young, maybe mid-twenties, but her presence seemed to suck the stale air right out of the bus. She was radiant, her fair skin glowing under the dim flickering lights, her curves exaggerated by the tiniest slip of a dress. The fabric barely clung to her, riding high on her thighs, the neckline plunging so low he had to snap his gaze back to the road before the bus swerved.

Her perfume drifted across the aisle, expensive, intoxicating, making his chest tighten.

She sat down directly opposite him, crossing her legs slowly, deliberately. The bags slid to the floor, and she tilted her head with a playful smile.

“You’re the new driver, right?” her voice chimed, light, teasing.

Hwan grunted, eyes fixed ahead. “Yeah. Started last week.”

She leaned forward slightly, as though genuinely interested, but her neckline dipped dangerously, and he had to grip the steering wheel tighter.

“I’m Taehyung,” she said with a flirty grin. “But you can call me Tae. Everyone does.”

He gave a curt nod. “Park Hwan.”

She laughed softly, brushing her hair over her shoulder. “Hwan-ssi. So serious. Do you ever smile?”

His lips twitched, but the scowl remained. “Not much to smile about, Miss.”

She studied him as if trying to read the man behind the rough edges. Her eyes sparkled with mischief, but there was something else there too—something heavy, hidden beneath her charm. Still, she chose to play light.

“Well… maybe I’ll change that,” she teased, winking.

Hwan coughed, heat crawling up his thick neck. He wasn’t used to women talking to him, especially not women like her—women who looked like goddesses stepping out of glossy magazines.

As the bus rolled on, stop after stop emptied. Office workers trudged off, students vanished with backpacks, and soon the bus was almost deserted. Tae kept talking, filling the silence with questions.

“Do you like driving?”
“Been doing it half my life,” he muttered.
“That doesn’t answer if you like it,” she countered, tilting her head.

He gave a short laugh, more of a huff. “It pays the bills.”

She pouted dramatically. “How boring.” Then she giggled. “But I guess not everyone can shop all day like me.”

Her words were playful, but Hwan noticed the flicker in her eyes when she said it, as though mocking her own life. He didn’t comment—he wasn’t the type to pry.

Finally, the bus was empty. The city noise had faded, and it was just him and her, two strangers from opposite worlds. She stretched her legs, her heel brushing against the floor near his seat. The hem of her dress shifted, and he caught himself staring before jerking his eyes away.

“You can relax, you know,” she whispered, voice soft now, almost conspiratorial. “I won’t bite.”

Hwan cleared his throat roughly. “You should sit properly. It’s dangerous if the bus jolts.”

She giggled again, leaning back, arms folded under her chest, pushing her curves up even more. “You’re blushing, Driver Hwan.”

His scowl deepened, but he couldn’t deny it—his ears were burning red.

At last, the bus turned into the rich district. Wide, empty streets, rows of gated villas. Tae stood, gathering her bags.

“This is me,” she said, smiling brightly. For a moment, her cheerful mask faltered, and her eyes looked tired, lonely. But then she tossed her hair and gave him a playful wave. “See you tomorrow, Hwan-ssi.”

He watched as she walked away, hips swaying under the short dress until she disappeared beyond the gates of a mansion.