#driver kim

He’s great at the job he does, but, as it turns out, Driver Kim wants to see how great of a driver his son has become and if his son can beat him, he’ll support his son’s dreams to go wherever he wants and to follow his destiny on the open road to find what he dreams of. Saeyoung is the one that gushes about this once you look at the guest history. So, yeah, when you’re emailing him in the game to invite him, that’s the focus on his conversation.

You coach him through talking to his son and help him set up a race so that they can sort out their feelings and process what’s the best case to mend their family bond. It’s kind of a sweet thing to watch play out if you’re actually reading any of the emails. You tell him that his heart speaks through his driving, so racing with his son will help him convey his feelings appropriately. He takes your advice to heart, too. He doesn’t discount it, he thinks about it and decides you’ve made a great point.

You help him decide the car he’ll go with and even get to hear what techniques he’s great at preforming! 

10/10. It’s a really sweet way to get to know a minor character that you know of but you never speak with. Driver Kim helps us many times during the game as Jumin makes sure that only his driver knows where to pick us up and drop us off. Jumin puts a lot of trust into his man because he’s been there for him since his childhood, and I can’t blame him for it. Driver Kim never wavers in his care for a man named Jumin Han. Never. He believes in him and never once doubts in his choices.

I think the funniest thing you learn from inviting him is that this is a man that gives his cars names. His car is named Honk Honk. If that isn’t the funniest yet sweetest thing you’ve ever heard, I don’t know what to tell you. Nobody really glances at the guest history unless they want the HG so you miss out on these really silly comments if you’re not looking for them. But, I’m gonna show you just so you don’t gloss over it.

What is something we all know about Jumin? He isn't the kind of person to trust easily. He doesn't go out of his way to know people that he already senses are going to be a problem. He spends a lot of time getting to know people and takes that time to decide how much he will tell them. He's a great judge of character since he knows how to read people and it doesn't steer him wrong. Every time he doesn't trust somebody, the game will show us that it was a good choice for him to make that decision. He knows when somebody isn't a good person and he keeps to himself as much as he can away from that.

He has a very small circle of people that he keeps close to him. The RFA is that circle that he can be frank with but there’s one person outside of the messenger he trusts.

It’s Driver Kim.

You know that he has a great relationship with his driver because he often will lend him to other people in situations that call for help. He knows that he can get other transportation but at the same time, he knows that he cannot trust other people to transport specific things. That is specifically why he will always send Driver Kim to you. It happens in multiple routes. Everybody knows that Driver Kim can be trusted to keep his mouth shut when needed and that’s why nobody blinks when Jumin offers to send him to pick you up.

You might assume that they have a very formal and matter-of-fact dynamic but they don't. They do talk a lot when there is a moment to talk during travel. Jumin mentions very casual things he knows about Driver Kim. I can’t recall where it’s located but I know Jumin mentions that Driver Kim has some really funny dad jokes.

You don't casually get to know these things about your driver unless you're actually and actively talking with him. While there is a respectful aura of formal business between the two of them, you can tell that Jumin knows he can relax around Driver Kim and let his guard down. That’s how you get moments where Jumin admits how safe and trustworthy the man is.

There’s this moment from Christmas DLC that makes me chuckle sometimes, and that’s how Jumin describes Driver Kim’s driving. He says that Driver Kim knows the streets like the back of his hand and glides the car perfectly. That’s such a funny image to him. Jumin cannot and will not ever be able to drive a car in his life, but he knows he’s safe with Driver Kim. Jumin compliments him a lot on this matter, but Driver Kim is very humble because he says that it’s simply his job to protect and drive Jumin.

And when you play Saeran’s After Ending, Driver Kim gets an even larger role in the main game. It gives you the bits and pieces of what you already know and it builds on top of it so that you have a better idea of what their dynamic is like. I’m always surprised when I get to talk to Driver Kim because you never know what to expect out of this man. So, just take a look at some of these snippets from the phone calls you get with him to see how much he cares about Jumin.

Chairman Han is not at the hospital. He’s in the middle of C&R taking care of work as expected, but you know who is with Jumin? Driver Kim. The man is right at Jumin’s bedside like you’d expect a father to be. We know that Jumin would be the one to tell us that his father needed to stay at work to get things taken care of since Jumin cannot take care of anything himself in a hospital bed, but... you know, if my son is in the hospital because his best friend double-crossed him, I’d say damn the work and be at my son’s bedside, Chairman Han.

Driver Kim is answering calls for Jumin’s behalf. He wouldn’t do that unless he had permission and trust from Jumin. Listen to how he says that he wanted to take Jumin home safe and sound, but this happened... and he misses Jumin. “Nobody can be with him right not since Assistant Kang is in the hospital, too.” There’s no “Chairman Han” mention coming.

Sure, Driver Kim is grateful to the man for the job to look after Jumin, but damn. It stings to think the father that Jumin wants to have always leaves him hanging and disappointed. Yet, he has Driver Kim looking after him every step of the way. It really hurts to see that because I have such a deep hatred for Chairman Han in ways that I can’t even express sometimes because it just pisses me off time and time again. 

Driver Kim is disappointed in V as well. He saw Jumin and V as teenagers. He knows how close they were. He is devastated to realize that the friend that Jumin trusted so much turned against him so quickly. He does not mince his words when it comes to V.

There is not a second of hesitation in his words when he says “V’s life must be complicated, but there’s no excuse for what he’s done to Jumin. Jumin cared for him deeply all this time since they were children… and yet, he’s changed.” He’s making Jumin suffer at this moment, and all Driver Kim can think about is how unfair it all is.

Driver Kim watched those boys grow up and he’s seeing Jumin get ripped to shreds alongside the company that he’s worked for dutifully all these years. It’s painful to watch for Driver Kim. He takes great pride and passion in his job as a chauffeur. He goes above and beyond to do things that he technically doesn't have to do.

Driver Kim only needs to take care of Jumin. He never has to agree to take care of anybody else. But he does, and that's because he's a good person. He's a solid rock to have during the After Ending. He takes care of us and listen to me, if you’ve played to the Good or Normal Ending, you know that Driver Kim takes you back into the mountains to V’s house to save Saeran from danger. He didn’t have to do that. He never had to agree with that.

Yet, he does.

This man goes all out for the RFA.

Just like Jumin Han.

He stands with you, Rika, and V in front of the Prime Minister. He does all of this to protect Jumin Han and the found family that Jumin loves. He does this for all of you. Every time. Every route. It’s unbelievable that he doesn’t get more credit for this. It always astonishes me how much care and thought goes into this side character. 

He is very humble about how much compassion he puts into everything. He thinks that this is just a part of his job. This isn't anything that deserves praise or honor. He's doing it because it's the right thing to do and he feels content with that. He doesn't need somebody to tell him that he did a good job. He knows in his heart he's doing the right thing, and Driver Kim always does the right thing for Jumin Han. If anything, I think Jumin’s empathy for others and how far he goes is a lesson from Driver Kim.

Jumin is naturally empathetic, outgoing, and kind. But, I can’t help but wonder if he’s been receiving stories and guidance without realizing when he speaks to Driver Kim. Because there is so much that the two of them have in common in terms of this level of empathy. It's not seen by most people these days. You don't have people that will go out of their way to do anything and everything for people. I just think it's interesting that the two of them share that Dynamic and I feel like there's something worth pointing out there. 

It’s much more empathy than Chairman Han shows.

I’m not going to write my scathing essay on Chairman Han here but, if you want a difference in these two men. I’ll give you the basic one. When you get to talk to Chairman Han on the phone in Saeran’s AE, he tactlessly tells you that if Saeran were to “get hurt”, you should turn to Jumin. He doesn’t say he believes you’ll be able to get through this with Saeran, he just straight up implies you should date his son if Saeran gets into a tragic accident. Unlike Driver Kim who tells you very kindly, “I believe in you and Mr. Saeran. If I can be of any help, ask me.”

Don't even get me started on what happens on day four of Saeran’s AE.

Chairman Han sees Jumin finally breaking down in tears and looks at his son without care and says, “You finally sound human.” Did you know how disgusted I was when I read that? His own son.

Jumin’s been betrayed by Rika and V. They were the two people he trusted the most in this world. They meant the most to him and the two of them brought him to the RFA where he found a place where he could belong. He met these people that he cares about and loves them deeply as if they were his family. Jumin never wavers in public.

He keeps his head up and does what has to be done. He keeps himself together in the line of fire every time something bad happens. But this is the first time he has shown a moment of weakness in front of his father with vulnerability… and it’s beyond what we see in Jumin’s Route in my opinion because you more or less have to combat Chairman Han by holding Jumin and advising him to stand his ground for good. There’s not a huge vulnerable discussion over there. That’s just Jumin showing his father that he walks into danger by always dating by fire.

He told his son to his face that he’s always sounded like a robot until now. Jumin’s biggest insecurity is being called a robot. People always call him cold and unfeeling because he doesn't show his emotions in a way that “normal people” do, and no matter how much Jumin pushes back, nobody listens to him. To think that his father would say that to his face without regard to anything his son would feel about hearing that pisses me off. He doesn’t really care about his son and I’ll stand by that.

What kind of father says that to his son at the lowest point of his son’s life?

You know who does give a damn about Jumin’s emotional well-being? Who is always checking on Jumin and making sure that he’s taken care of from point A to point B?