A secret call from the past has forced the Rainbow Taxi team to reopen their oldest and most personal file. In the latest episodes of Taxi Driver Season 3, the team stopped looking forward and turned back the clock, uncovering the tragic story that led to their secret revenge service. The central figures are Jang Seong-cheol and a man named Dong-su, whose shared pain from 15 years ago formed the foundation of the entire Rainbow Taxi operation. For the first time, viewers learn the emotional origin story of why this group of vigilantes began their mission.
The Phone Call That Reopened an Old Wound
The story begins with a moment of peace. The team, joined by a familiar face from Season 1 named Maria, spends a lighthearted day at an orphanage, playing with children and sharing smiles. This calm is shattered when Jang Seong-cheol, the leader of Rainbow Taxi, receives a sudden phone call.
The caller is Dong-su, a name from Seong-cheol’s distant past. The voice on the phone claims that someone named “Dong-nim” is being released from prison and insists they meet. Shocked and agitated, Seong-cheol rushes to the location, but finds no one waiting for him. With help from the team’s hacker, Ahn Go-eun, he traces the call not to a person on the street, but to a payphone at a care facility.
There, Seong-cheol makes a heartbreaking discovery. Dong-su is alive, but he is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease and severe amnesia, his mind trapped 15 years in the past. He does not recognize Seong-cheol and remembers nothing of their shared history or the urgent phone call. Overwhelmed, a despondent Seong-cheol is later found by his team, drinking alone. Under their concerned questioning, he finally shares the story he has carried for a decade and a half.
The Case of Park Min-ho: A Father’s Endless Grief
Fifteen years earlier, Seong-cheol was a different man. In a courtroom, he watched as Dong-su pleaded for justice for his son, Park Min-ho. Min-ho was a talented university volleyball team captain who vanished after a fight with a teammate named Im Dong-hyeon. Because Min-ho’s body was never found, Dong-hyeon was not charged with murder. He received only a minor sentence for assault and walked free, claiming Min-ho had simply run away.
Destroyed by the court’s failure, Dong-su attempted to end his own life by jumping from a bridge. Seong-cheol was the one who saved him. In that moment, Seong-cheol made a promise. He gave Dong-su the first Rainbow Taxi business card and vowed they would find the truth together.
Their early investigation revealed a critical clue: security footage showed a third person was present during the locker-room fight between Min-ho and Dong-hyeon. This mysterious figure was the key. Seong-cheol and Dong-su planned to confront Dong-hyeon upon his release from prison, but when that day arrived, Dong-su never showed up. He had vanished without a trace—until now.
Director Kang Bo-seung explained the theme of these episodes, stating, “I wanted to approach it from the perspective of someone who must remember, or someone who desperately wants to remember… This episode tells the story of a man desperately holding on to his memory in order to find his son.”
Infiltrating a Criminal World: Gyms, Gambling, and Secret Rooms
With the case reopened, the modern Rainbow Taxi team mobilizes. They discover that Im Dong-hyeon, now released, owns a gym and is deeply involved in illegal gambling. Kim Do-gi follows him to a funeral home that secretly operates as a high-stakes gambling den.
The team’s plan to infiltrate hits a snag when the gambling den uses surveillance detectors. The team adapts, and the mechanic Choi Gyeong-gu reveals unexpected skill at the poker table. In a bold move, Do-gi and Gyeong-gu lure Dong-hyeon into a high-stakes game where he is forced to bet his gym. When he loses, ownership transfers to Do-gi, giving Rainbow Taxi full access to the property.
Inside the gym, hacker Ahn Go-eun identifies a hidden, secret space. The team installs cameras and watches as Dong-hyeon accesses a hidden room through a door concealed behind a mirror. Do-gi eventually enters this secret chamber and makes a major discovery: it is filled with computer screens showing live volleyball matches and active online betting interfaces. Dong-hyeon is not just a gambler; he is running a match-fixing operation.
A Fading Memory and a New, Dangerous Enemy
While the team investigates the gambling ring, Seong-cheol focuses on helping Dong-su. Dong-su is haunted by nightmares of the hit-and-run accident that caused his amnesia. In fleeting moments of clarity, he struggles to remember a crucial detail: the license plate number of the truck that hit him. Seong-cheol gently helps him use his son’s old watch to visually piece together the numbers he sees in his mind.
Their work reveals that the volleyball coach Seong-uk was the driver who struck Dong-su. A flashback shows why: just before Dong-hyeon’s release 15 years ago, Dong-su received a text message from his son’s phone number. Believing Min-ho might be alive, he rushed out and was deliberately run down in an attempt to silence him forever.
The episode ends with a chilling twist that changes everything. While Seong-uk was the driver, the footage reveals another man was in the truck with him. This unknown accomplice, shown in the present day overseeing illegal dog fights, emerges as a new and dangerous villain. The mystery of Min-ho’s death is part of something much larger and darker than the team initially believed.
Where to Watch and What Comes Next
Taxi Driver Season 3 airs on SBS in South Korea. For international viewers, the series is available for streaming with subtitles on Viki globally and on Viu in many regions.
New episodes are released every Friday and Saturday. The season is scheduled to run for a total of 16 episodes, concluding in January 2026. Episodes 7 and 8 will continue the story on December 12 and 13.
Also Read: John Cena’s ‘Pluribus’ Cameo: How the Show Uses a Celebrity to Explain Its Darkest Twist
