The world seen through the eyes of a surrogate mother
Are surrogate drivers transportation workers or emotional laborers?

It captures the stark reality of our society as experienced and witnessed by surrogate mothers.
The author is a writer, journalist, and civic activist who also works as a delivery driver.
Since January 2023, I have been meeting thousands of customers, mainly in the metropolitan area, and recording what I saw, heard, and felt.
The book is divided into two parts: Part 1, "The Gloomy World" and Part 2, "The Gray Area."
Part 1 depicts the lives of customers seeking solace in the harsh realities of life with a drink, and drivers with various stories who have jumped into the world of designated driving.
In particular, the parade of bullying by regular customers reveals the class consciousness deeply rooted in our society without reservation.
In Part 2, the story of the labor of surrogate mothers who are left in a blind spot of the law and system unfolds in earnest.
The frustration and resentment of surrogate mothers, who clearly play a role in our society but are not treated or protected commensurate with their contributions, are vividly conveyed.
The various absurdities that surrogate mothers are enduring today are a concise example of the 'strong and weak' phenomenon that is prevalent in our society.
This is a serious reportage that makes us reflect on capitalism, which has the face of barbarism and greed, and the cruelty of our society that is more harsh on the weak.
Following the severe recession under Yoon Seok-yeol, the reactions of customers during the rapidly changing political climate, from martial law to impeachment and the presidential election, are even more interesting.

Money also has a story.
Regardless of how you earn it or how you spend it, the weight and meaning of the same money can vary greatly depending on the criteria of 'what job', 'what place', and 'what kind of work'.
For example, if you put 30,000 won from a room salon and 30,000 won from a designated driver on two sides of a scale, one side will become a feather and the other side will become a rock.
--- p.63

“How much do you earn doing this kind of work?” is a question that customers who hire designated drivers sometimes ask thoughtlessly.
The person asking is asking about 'income', but from the agent's perspective, the word 'occupation' is put with an exclamation mark.
I feel uneasy when I hear questions that seem to trivialize this job by saying things like, "This kind of work."
This question contains the perspectives of people in our society regarding the profession of surrogate mother.

--- p.73~74

In reality, customers who abuse surrogate drivers are just drunkards, heads of households, and ordinary citizens who have had a drink to relieve stress from their tiring daily lives and become quite drunk.
During the day, he has to endure the bullying he is subjected to, so he may be enduring his life by bullying the surrogate driver to relieve that structural stress.
As the lowest-class workers in Korean society, surrogate mothers must endure the structural and individual abuses of power in Korean society with their whole bodies.
--- p.156

Smartphones are now like black holes that swallow everything.
Human labor is no exception, and smartphones distort labor into a commodity.
We are moving towards a world where the sanctity of labor is disappearing and workers' human rights are being ignored.
At its center lies the platform world.
We now live in a world where platforms dominate the 'job market', and workers have become 'commodities' themselves.

--- p.158

Platform workers are like citizens of a government in exile.
It exists, but no one cares about it.
--- p.159~160

Designated driving is by no means cheap labor, nor is it a commodity whose price should be negotiated and determined by platform operators behind the scenes.
A surrogate mother's income is a living wage earned by working more than 10 hours a day, all night long, as a professional labor.
The surrogate driver fare, which only goes down and not up, must be made more realistic, and parking costs must also be reflected in realistic prices.

--- p.167