Karaoke Annihilation Over a Petty Fee

To raise funds for earthquake victims, I shed my business suit and put on a simple vest, choosing to live-stream while offering a designated driver service.

At 3:00 am, I take on my final job for the day—and end up running into Owen Kramer, a former high school classmate.

Reeking of alcohol, he tosses the money for my service onto the ground and spits on it before telling me to pick it up.

"You were the top of our class, weren't you? Why have you been reduced to working as a gig driver, huh? You need money, right? Go on, then. Pick it up. That 50 is yours."

Unbeknownst to him, his nasty behavior is being live-streamed online for everyone to see.

Also, I just so happen to be the CEO he's been trying to cozy up to.

When I was a kid, I was caught in an earthquake. Someone saved my life by pulling me out of the rubble. Therefore, the moment I heard that my hometown had been hit with another earthquake, I immediately logged into my account and started a live stream.

After clipping a tiny camera to an inconspicuous spot—one of my shirt buttons—I went into the phone app that offered designated driver services and started accepting jobs.

It wasn't long before many people started tuning into my live stream.

"It must be nice to be rich. Even when you're just live-streaming your day as a gig driver, someone still gives you hundreds of dollars."

"Are you new here? I guess you don't know that this live streamer is a business owner himself. He's already donated 100 million dollars to help the earthquake victims. He'll also donate all the money he gets during this live stream."

The day went pretty smoothly. I got plenty of jobs, and quite a lot of the viewers donated as well.

At 3:00 am, I decided to take one last job before heading home for some rest. Unexpectedly, I ended up running into Owen Kramer, a former high school classmate of mine.

Eyes half-lidded, he tossed the keys for a Mercedes at me and said, "Have you ever driven a car as nice as this? You'd better not wreck my car."

With that, he plopped his butt onto the passenger seat.

A bunch of viewers commented on his behavior.

"What the heck? An old Mercedes model like his is only worth 20 to 30 grand at most. It's not even a luxury car. Why is he acting like he doesn't know what real luxury is?"

"He looks like a try-hard to me."

From the looks of it, Owen didn't recognize me. I kept my temper in check. Figuring it wasn't worth the hassle, I just stayed quiet and stored my folding e-bike in the trunk.

During the ride, Owen kicked off his shoes and propped his seat onto the dashboard. The stench wafted over at once.

"That's very dangerous, sir. Please put your feet back down."

My kind reminder netted me a barrage of curses.

"You're just the driver, so shut up and drive. I can do whatever the hell I want in my own car!"

The smell was too much for me, so I brought down my window.

"Bring up that window now! Are you trying to freeze me to death?" Owen snapped.

I had no choice but to hold my breath as best I could.

Along the way, Owen took several calls, and I heard it all. One minute, he was crooning with someone he called "babe". In the next, he bragged about being best buddies with the CEO of Lewis Group. And finally, he told his "sweetheart" he'd come over tomorrow night.

One particular detail made me raise my brow. As it turned out, I was the CEO of Lewis Group. When did Owen and I become best buddies?

Soon enough, we arrived at his destination—Diamond Club, the most extravagant high-end club in the city. I parked the car and handed him the keys.

"That will be 52.60 dollars in total, sir. According to the app, you'd be paying by cash, right?"

Owen cracked open his beady eyes and glanced at me before getting out of the car.

He dug into his leather bag, pulled out his wallet, and threw a 50-dollar bill right at my face. "Your driving sucks. There's your 50 bucks."

He turned to leave, but I grabbed his arm.

"Sir, I'm afraid you heard wrongly. The full amount is 52.60 dollars. Please pick up the 50-dollar bill off the ground as well," I said pleasantly while quelling my fury.

However, Owen simply continued to cross the line even more. He threw my hand off and smacked me twice on the face, retorting imperiously, "You just need the money, don't you? Well, I gave it to you. Pick it up yourself.

"Broke ass suckers like you are greedy as hell. Look at you, trying to demand respect from me even after I've given you the money… Wait a minute. You're Alex Lewis, aren't you?"

Now that Owen was face-to-face with me, he suddenly recognized me, and he became even cockier.

"Well, well. You were the top of our class, weren't you? I thought you were supposed to be such a genius. How did you end up like this?

"I can't believe you're just a gig driver now. I wonder how shocked our old classmates would be once they heard about this." He laughed as he spoke.

He grabbed his phone and pointed the camera at me. "Hey, don't hide your face. There's nothing shameful about being a gig driver."