Vocabulary
거짓말하다
verb
Beginner
to lie, to tell a lie
emotions communication
그런 걸로 거짓말하면 어떡해?
I lied to my younger sibling that I did well on the exam.
아프다
adjective
Beginner
to hurt, to be in pain
health emotions
어제 많이 걸었더니 다리가 아파.
My legs hurt because I walked a lot yesterday.
업다
verb
Beginner
to carry someone on one's back
community romance
다리 다친 친구를 업고 집까지 갔어.
I carried my injured friend home on my back.
취하다
verb
Beginner
to get drunk, to be intoxicated
community emotions
술을 별로 안 마셨는데 벌써 취했어?
You didn't drink much — are you already drunk?
뒤척이다
verb
Beginner
to toss and turn; to fidget, stir restlessly
emotions
잠이 안 와서 밤새 뒤척였어.
I couldn't sleep and tossed and turned all night.
척하다
verb
Intermediate
to pretend, to act as if
emotions romance
모르는 척하지 마. 다 알고 있잖아.
Don't pretend you don't know. You know everything.
필살기
noun
Intermediate
killer move, secret weapon, surefire technique
emotions community
그 선수의 필살기는 아무도 막을 수가 없어.
Nobody can stop that player's killer move.
황당하다
adjective
Intermediate
to be absurd, outrageous, baffling
emotions community
그 사람이 한 말이 너무 황당해서 말이 안 나왔어.
What that person said was so absurd I was speechless.
돌아가다
verb
Intermediate
to go around, to take a detour; to go back
community romance
공사 때문에 길이 막혀서 돌아가야 했어.
The road was blocked due to construction so I had to go around.
쑥스럽다
adjective
Intermediate
to feel shy, embarrassed, or self-conscious
emotions romance
갑자기 칭찬을 들으니까 쑥스럽네.
Getting a sudden compliment makes me feel shy.
당황하다
verb
Intermediate
to be flustered, taken aback, caught off guard
emotions
갑자기 질문을 받아서 엄청 당황했어.
I was completely flustered when I got a sudden question.
연기
noun
Advanced
acting, performance; pretense
emotions romance
그 배우 연기가 너무 자연스러워서 진짜인 줄 알았어.
That actor's performance was so natural I thought it was real.
가마니
noun
Advanced
a large straw or burlap sack (traditionally used for rice); a reference to bulk/weight
community
쌀 한 가마니가 80킬로라는 거 알아?
Did you know a sack of rice weighs 80 kilograms?
사회생활
noun
Advanced
social life, life in society; getting along with others in a social/professional context
community
사회생활 하다 보면 싫은 사람도 만날 수밖에 없어.
When you live in society, you inevitably meet people you dislike.
Key Expressions
Calling out someone's bluff
연기 그만하고 내려
"Stop acting and come down"
Used when you see through someone's pretense and directly call them out on it; blunt and confident in tone.
연기 그만해. 다 알고 있어.
Stop acting. I know everything.
자는 척은 왜 했어?
"Why did you pretend to be asleep?"
Combines 자다 + 척하다 to confront someone about feigning a state; common in casual confrontations.
모르는 척은 왜 했어? 다 들었잖아.
Why did you pretend not to know? You heard everything.
Expressing annoyance or disbelief
못 말려
"Can't stop (them) / hopeless case"
Said about someone whose behavior is incorrigible or exasperating; expresses fond or frustrated resignation.
저 사람은 진짜 못 말려.
That person is truly a hopeless case.
Deflecting or avoiding social obligation
빨리 집에 가고 싶어서
"Because I wanted to go home quickly"
A frank, blunt explanation for antisocial behavior; the bare honesty makes it funny and relatable in casual banmal exchanges.
빨리 집에 가고 싶어서 일찍 자리 뜬 거야.
I left early because I wanted to get home quickly.
내가 처리할게, 먼저 가
"I'll handle it, go ahead first"
A reassuring send-off phrase used when taking responsibility for a situation so others can leave; signals casual authority and care.
내가 처리할게요, 먼저 가요.
I'll handle it, go ahead first.
Grammar Patterns
-는 척하다
Pretending to do/be something
Attach -는 척하다 to a verb stem to mean 'to pretend to [verb]' or 'to act as if [verb-ing].' It describes deliberate performance of a false state. In this scene it is central to the humor — Hye-jin deploys it as a social escape strategy and Du-sik uses it accusatorially to catch her out.
Practice sentences
모르는 척하지 마. 다 들었잖아.
Don't pretend you don't know. You heard everything.
바쁜 척하면서 전화를 안 받더라.
She pretended to be busy and didn't pick up the phone.
💡 Don't confuse -는 척하다 with -는 것 같다. 척 implies deliberate deception, while 것 같다 just expresses a guess or appearance.
-(으)ㄹ 줄 알았어
I thought / assumed [X] would happen
This pattern expresses that the speaker had an expectation or assumption that turned out to be wrong or surprising. It combines the future/potential modifier -(으)ㄹ with 줄 (a way/manner) and 알다 (to know), literally 'I knew the way it would [verb].' It often carries a tone of surprise, disappointment, or sarcasm.
Practice sentences
네가 올 줄 알았어.
I thought it would rain today.
이렇게 힘들 줄 몰랐어.
I didn't know it would be this hard.
💡 The negative form 줄 몰랐어 ('I didn't know it would be like this') is equally common and often expresses regret — practice both together.
-잖아
You know / as you're aware (shared knowledge)
-잖아 is appended to a verb or adjective stem to remind the listener of something the speaker assumes is mutually known, or to assert a fact with mild frustration that the listener is ignoring it. It can sound defensive, explanatory, or gently exasperated depending on context and intonation.
Practice sentences
내가 먼저 말했잖아. 왜 모른 척해?
I told you first, you know. Why are you acting like you don't know?
그 사람 원래 그런 사람이잖아.
That person is just like that, as you know.
💡 The key is intonation: a rising -잖아 sounds like a reminder, while a flat or falling -잖아 sounds more like an irritated assertion. Practice both.
Cultural Notes
업어주다 — Carrying as care
Being carried piggyback (업히다/업어주다) in Korean drama is a classic intimate gesture, often the first moment of physical closeness between leads. Culturally it echoes parental care — parents carry children this way — so when a man carries a woman home this way, it carries strong emotional weight even in a bickering scene. The gesture speaks louder than words in Korean romantic storytelling.
필살기 — The 'killer technique'
필살기 (必殺技) is a term borrowed from martial arts and manga/anime meaning a signature, unbeatable technique. Korean speakers use it humorously in everyday life to mean any personal go-to trick or strategy. Hye-jin framing 'pretending to be drunk' as her 필살기 is a self-aware, comedic moment that shows her social savvy alongside her antisocial tendencies.
Ballad culture in neighborhood gatherings
In Korean community social culture (동네 모임), singing at a gathering — especially a melancholy 발라드 (ballad) — is a deeply expressive act. A man singing about lost love in front of neighbors signals emotional depth and vulnerability, which is why even Hye-jin, mid-escape-plan, stops and listens. Music in such settings is understood as sincere self-expression, not performance.
이혼 후 이사 — Moving after divorce
Du-sik's quip that 'taking your things after a divorce doesn't count as moving' hints at a painful backstory while being played for laughs. In Korean, 이사 specifically means relocating one's household, and the distinction he makes is both legally pedantic and emotionally loaded — suggesting he did not fully 'move on' in any sense after his divorce.