Vocabulary
이사하다
verb
Beginner
to move (to a new home)
community
우리 다음 달에 새 아파트로 이사해.
We're moving to a new apartment next month.
분리수거
noun
Beginner
recycling; sorted waste collection
community
분리수거 날짜 잊지 마.
Don't forget the recycling day.
습관
noun
Beginner
habit; routine
emotions
아침에 일찍 일어나는 게 내 습관이야.
Getting up early in the morning is my habit.
전달 사항
noun
Beginner
things to pass on; announcements; instructions to convey
community
오늘 회의에서 몇 가지 전달 사항이 있어.
There are a few announcements from today's meeting.
채무
noun
Intermediate
debt; financial obligation
community
그 사람이랑 채무 관계가 있어서 연락을 끊기가 어려워.
It's hard to cut contact because there's a financial obligation between us.
전입자
noun
Intermediate
new resident; someone who has just registered an address
community
전입자 신고는 이사한 날부터 14일 안에 해야 해.
You have to register as a new resident within 14 days of moving in.
위장 전입
noun
Intermediate
false address registration; fraudulent residency registration
community
위장 전입은 불법이라 조심해야 해.
False address registration is illegal, so you have to be careful.
꽁하다
adjective
Intermediate
to be sulky; to hold a petty grudge; to be tight-lipped out of annoyance
emotions
괜히 꽁하니 있지 말고 그냥 얘기해.
Don't just sit there sulking — just say what's on your mind.
야물다
adjective
Intermediate
to be nimble; dexterous; to have capable hands
community
그 친구는 손이 야물어서 뭐든 잘 고쳐.
That friend is nimble with their hands and can fix anything.
묘하다
adjective
Intermediate
to be strange; subtle; oddly intriguing
emotions
묘하게 기분이 좀 이상해.
I feel strangely a bit off.
소름 끼치다
expression
Intermediate
to get goosebumps; to be creeped out (often from discomfort or embarrassment)
emotions
그 말 들으니까 진짜 소름 끼쳐.
Hearing that actually gives me the creeps.
이웃사촌
noun
Intermediate
neighbor as close as a cousin; a neighborly bond (set expression)
community
이웃사촌이라고 오다가다 인사는 해야지.
They say neighbors are like cousins, so you should at least greet each other in passing.
호적
noun
Advanced
family registry; household register (traditional Korean legal record of family lineage and names)
community
이름을 바꿔도 호적에 올라간 이름이 법적 이름이야.
Even if you change your name, the name registered in the family registry is your legal name.
귓등으로도 안 듣다
expression
Advanced
to not listen even with the back of one's ear; to completely ignore what someone says (idiomatic)
emotions
내가 아무리 말해도 귓등으로도 안 들어.
No matter how much I say, they completely ignore me.
지물포
noun
Advanced
wallpaper and interior materials store (old-fashioned term, common in traditional commercial districts)
community
동네 지물포에서 벽지 사는 게 더 저렴해.
Buying wallpaper from the local wallpaper shop is cheaper.
Key Expressions
Correcting someone about your name or identity
~(이)라니까
"I'm telling you it's ~"
Used to insist on a correction with mild exasperation when the other person keeps getting something wrong. The speaker has already said it before and is repeating in frustration.
내가 했다니까, 왜 안 믿어?
I'm telling you I did it — why don't you believe me?
~(이)라고
"It's ~, I said!"
A blunt, often frustrated repetition of a statement. Used when someone is not accepting what you just said. Functions as a forceful echo of the previous claim.
거기 가지 말라고, 위험하다고!
Don't go there, I said — it's dangerous!
Expressing discomfort or disgust
소름 돋아 / 소름 끼쳐
"Goosebumps rise / goosebumps creep"
Both phrases convey a visceral reaction of being creeped out or embarrassed by something. 소름 끼쳐 is slightly more emphatic. Used colloquially among peers in banmal.
그 이야기 들으니까 진짜 소름 돋아.
Hearing that story genuinely gives me goosebumps.
Dismissing or brushing something off
말을 하지
"You should have said so"
A mild rebuke meaning 'you should have told me that earlier.' Implies the speaker would have acted differently with the information. Common in casual speech to deflect blame.
그게 필요하면 말을 하지, 왜 혼자 고생해?
If you needed that, you should've said so — why suffer alone?
Gossiping and speculating about others
~래
"I heard it's ~"
Contracted hearsay ending from ~라고 해, used casually to relay information heard from someone else. Common in gossip and informal reporting.
그 집에 새 가족이 이사 왔는데 의사래.
A new family moved into that house — I heard they're doctors.
~는 중이에요
"is in the middle of ~-ing"
Marks an action currently in progress. Used here in polite speech to describe an ongoing event to bystanders. Equivalent to the English present progressive.
지금 짐 정리하는 중이야, 나중에 전화해.
I'm in the middle of unpacking right now — call me later.
Grammar Patterns
-(이)라니까 / -(이)라고
Insistent Repetition / Correction
These endings are used to forcefully repeat or insist on a previously stated fact that the listener is ignoring or rejecting. -(이)라니까 carries a tone of 'I already told you,' while -(이)라고 is an abrupt echo used to drive the point home. Both are common in banmal and convey escalating frustration.
Practice sentences
내가 안 했다니까, 왜 자꾸 그래?
I'm telling you I didn't do it — why do you keep at it?
거기 아니라고, 여기라고!
Not there — here, I said!
💡 Don't confuse -(이)라고 (insistent repetition) with -(이)라고 하다 (indirect quotation) — context and intonation are key.
-는 거야? / -(으)ㄹ 건데
Rhetorical Questions and Future-Contrast
-는 거야? turns a statement into a pointed rhetorical or surprised question, often implying disbelief. -(으)ㄹ 건데 sets up a future or hypothetical context ('given that [future situation]…') to add reason or pressure to a claim or question. Both patterns are extremely common in banmal conversational Korean.
Practice sentences
이게 진짜 네 생각인 거야?
Is this really what you think?
같이 일할 건데 사이좋게 지내야지.
We're going to work together, so we should get along.
💡 Watch out: -는 거야 has a falling, surprised intonation whereas -는 거야? with rising intonation signals a genuine question. The difference is entirely in prosody.
-(아/어)도
Concessive 'Even if / Even though'
-(아/어)도 connects two clauses where the first condition does not prevent or change the result in the second. It expresses concession ('even if X, still Y') and can be used both in straightforward statements and in rhetorical arguments. It is versatile across speech levels.
Practice sentences
바빠도 밥은 먹어야지.
Even if you're busy, you still have to eat.
비가 와도 나 출근해.
Even if it rains, I still go to work.
💡 -(아/어)도 does not mean 'and also' — it always carries a concessive or surprising contrast, so the second clause must be unexpected given the first.
Cultural Notes
호적 (Family Registry) and Legal Names
Korea's traditional 호적 system recorded all family members under the head of household, including their official registered names. Many older Koreans have registered names that differ from their preferred or used names. Although the 호적 system was replaced by 가족관계등록부 in 2008, the word 호적 is still used colloquially to refer to legal name registration, as seen in Chunjae/Oyun's debate.
통장 (Neighborhood Head / Block Representative)
통장 refers to a grassroots community administrator who manages a 통 — a small neighborhood unit. They handle tasks like resident registration, official announcements, and community welfare. In rural areas like Gongjin, the 통장 plays a more personal and social role than in cities, and residents know them well.
Calling someone 오빠 (older brother / oppa)
오빠 is used by women to address older male friends or romantic partners, not just literal brothers. Dusik's dramatic over-reaction to Hyejin calling him 오빠 reflects how the term carries romantic or overly familiar connotations in certain contexts — which feels uncomfortable to him given they are near-strangers. This comedic beat is a classic K-drama trope.
분리수거 (Sorted Waste Collection Culture)
South Korea has one of the world's most rigorous mandatory recycling systems. Residents must separate waste into specific categories (paper, plastic, glass, food waste, etc.) and put them out only on designated days and in designated areas. Getting the day and method wrong is a real social faux pas in close-knit communities like the village shown in this drama.