Vocabulary
등록하다
verb
Beginner
to register, to sign up (officially)
community
새 주소로 전입 신고를 하셔야 해요.
You need to register your move to the new address.
이혼하다
verb
Beginner
to get divorced
romance emotions
두 분이 작년에 이혼하셨다고 들었어요.
I heard the two of you got divorced last year.
잘 지내다
verb
Beginner
to be doing well, to get along fine
community emotions
이사 오신 후에 잘 지내고 계세요?
Have you been doing well since you moved here?
전입 신고
noun
Intermediate
move-in registration; officially reporting a change of residence to the local government
community
새 동네로 이사하면 14일 안에 전입 신고를 해야 해요.
When you move to a new neighborhood, you need to file a move-in registration within 14 days.
결혼하다
verb
Intermediate
to get married
romance
결혼하셨다고 들었는데, 아직 독신이세요?
I heard you got married — are you still single?
독신
noun
Intermediate
being single, bachelorhood/spinsterhood
romance
요즘은 독신으로 사는 걸 선택하는 분들도 많아요.
Nowadays, many people choose to remain single.
어색하다
adjective
Intermediate
to be awkward, uncomfortable (in a social situation)
emotions community
오래 못 봤던 사람을 만나면 좀 어색할 수 있어요.
It can be a bit awkward when you meet someone you haven't seen in a long time.
여전히
adverb
Intermediate
still, as ever, the same as before
emotions
오랜만에 봬도 여전히 반갑네요.
Even after a long time, it's still great to see you.
숨기다
verb
Intermediate
to hide, to conceal (something from someone)
emotions romance
친구한테는 아무것도 숨기지 않는 게 좋아요.
It's best not to hide anything from a friend.
편들다
verb
Intermediate
to take someone's side, to back someone up
community emotions
진짜 친구라면 어려울 때 편을 들어줘야 해요.
A true friend should take your side when things get hard.
이사하다
verb
Intermediate
to move (one's residence)
community
작은 마을로 이사 오신 이유가 있으세요?
Do you have a reason for moving to a small town?
변태
noun
Advanced
pervert, sexual deviant (strong, colloquial)
community
그런 행동을 하는 사람을 변태라고 부르는 거예요.
We call someone who does things like that a pervert.
몰카
noun
Advanced
secret/hidden camera (used to illegally photograph or film someone); short for 몰래카메라
community
몰카 범죄는 피해자에게 큰 상처를 줘요.
Hidden camera crimes cause great harm to the victims.
Key Expressions
Expressing current relationship status
아직 독신이에요?
"Still single are you?"
Used to politely ask whether someone has married yet, often with mild surprise. The word 아직 ('still/yet') implies the speaker expected marriage to have happened.
아직 독신이에요? 어떻게 그렇게 멋있으신데 혼자세요?
You're still single? How are you so attractive and still alone?
지금은 완전히 혼자예요.
"Right now I'm completely alone."
A candid way to say you are single or on your own, often carrying emotional weight. 완전히 adds emphasis, signaling finality rather than a temporary state.
이사 온 뒤로 지금은 완전히 혼자 살고 있어요.
Since moving here, I'm now living completely on my own.
Softening an awkward or surprising revelation
그게… 저는 못 했어요.
"That… I never got around to it."
Used when you need to explain that something expected (like marriage) never happened, without going into detail. The hesitation particle 그게 softens the admission.
그게… 저는 아직 이사를 못 했어요.
Well… I haven't gotten around to moving yet.
했긴 했는데 지금은 혼자예요.
"I did do it, but now I'm alone."
The pattern -긴 했다 acknowledges a fact while immediately contrasting it with the current reality. It concedes a point before redirecting.
결혼은 했긴 했는데 지금은 혼자예요.
I did get married, but now I'm on my own.
Catching up and complimenting after a long absence
하나도 안 변했네요.
"You haven't changed even a bit."
A warm compliment used when reuniting with someone who looks the same as you remember. 하나도 + negative verb intensifies the meaning ('not at all').
오 년이 지났는데 하나도 안 변했네요.
Five years have passed and you haven't changed one bit.
Expressing loyalty and honesty between friends
무슨 일이 있어도 숨기지 마.
"Whatever happens, don't hide it."
A sincere request between close friends for total transparency. 무슨 일이 있어도 ('no matter what happens') sets an unconditional tone.
우리 사이에서는 무슨 일이 있어도 숨기지 말아요.
Between us, don't hide things no matter what happens.
친구끼리는 서로 편을 들어야지.
"Between friends, you have to take each other's side."
Expresses the social expectation of mutual loyalty among close friends. -끼리 ('among/between') limits the statement to the in-group.
힘들 때일수록 친구끼리는 서로 편을 들어야 해요.
Especially in tough times, friends have to back each other up.
Grammar Patterns
-긴 했는데
Concessive contrast: 'I did X, but…'
The pattern -긴 하다 concedes that an action or state occurred, then introduces a contrasting current reality with -는데. It softens the admission and signals that the situation has changed. Very common in emotionally delicate revelations.
Practice sentences
이사하긴 했는데 아직 짐을 다 못 풀었어요.
I did move, but I haven't finished unpacking yet.
먹긴 했는데 배가 아직도 고파요.
I did eat, but I'm still hungry.
💡 Don't confuse -긴 했는데 (concession) with -지만 (simple contrast). -긴 했는데 implies you're somewhat reluctant to admit the fact before the 'but'.
-거든요
Background explanation: 'The thing is…'
The sentence-final ending -거든요 provides background information or a reason that the listener may not already know. It often justifies or explains a previous statement and carries a slightly confiding tone, as if sharing insider context.
Practice sentences
저 사실 여기 이사 온 지 얼마 안 됐거든요.
The thing is, I only moved here recently.
그 사람을 중학교 때부터 알았거든요.
You see, I've known that person since middle school.
💡 Avoid ending a sentence with -거든요 when the listener already knows the information — it sounds patronizing. Use it only to introduce truly new background context.
-(으)ㄹ까요?
Suggesting or wondering aloud: 'Shall we…? / I wonder if…'
This ending serves two functions: making a polite suggestion ('Shall we do X?') or expressing a speaker's uncertainty about a situation ('I wonder if…'). In this scene it appears in rhetorical questions and soft proposals, softening what could otherwise be blunt statements.
Practice sentences
저쪽에 앉을까요?
Shall we sit over there?
그 사람이 벌써 왔을까요?
I wonder if that person has already arrived.
💡 When -(으)ㄹ까요 is used rhetorically (as in 나 같으면 놔줄까요?), it is not a genuine question — the speaker already knows the implied answer. Listen for context to distinguish proposal from rhetoric.
Cultural Notes
전입 신고 (Move-in Registration)
In South Korea, residents are legally required to report a change of address to the local 주민센터 (community center or town office) within 14 days of moving. This bureaucratic moment in the scene is realistic and common — the paperwork (주민등록) also reveals personal information like household composition, which is why it becomes a vehicle for revealing Cho-hui's single status.
Divorce stigma in smaller Korean communities
While attitudes toward divorce have shifted in urban South Korea, in small towns like fictional Gongjin the news still carries social weight. The visible awkwardness among Yeong-guk, Cho-hui, and Hwa-jeong reflects how divorce remains a topic that disrupts community harmony and personal pride, especially among acquaintances who share a long history.
편을 들다 — Taking sides as a friendship duty
The phrase 편을 들다 (to take someone's side) reflects a Korean social value of 우리 (us/our group) solidarity. Among close friends, especially women friends in K-drama narratives, the expectation to be unconditionally loyal — even over hiding inconvenient truths — is treated as a fundamental obligation rather than an option.
Complimenting appearance at reunions
Saying '하나도 안 변했네요' (You haven't changed at all) or complimenting someone's looks upon reunion is a deeply ingrained social ritual in Korea. Unlike in some Western cultures where commenting on appearance can feel intrusive, in Korean social contexts it is often the warmest and most natural opening when reconnecting after years apart.