I left my phone in a taxi in Seoul. Didn’t realize it until I got back to my hotel and reached for my pocket.
Gone.
I panicked immediately. Called it three times. Straight to voicemail. Started retracing everything in my head trying to figure out which taxi it even was.
At the hotel front desk, the receptionist helped me call the local taxi service. I barely expected anything. Big city, busy night, no way I was seeing that phone again.
The dispatcher asked what model it was and where I got dropped off. Put me on hold for maybe two minutes.
Then she came back and said, “The driver already reported it.”
An hour later, the taxi driver pulled up outside the hotel with my phone. Still charged. Still in the case. Even the little cash I kept tucked behind it was untouched.
I kept trying to thank him and offer him money for bringing it back.
He looked genuinely confused and said, “Why would I keep someone else’s phone?”
Like the answer was completely obvious.
I’d spent so long expecting people to take advantage when they could that I forgot there are places where honesty is just normal