두식의 화답과 에필로그 — Du-sik's Response and Episode Epilogue

Vocabulary

사귀다 verb

Beginner

to date, to be in a romantic relationship

romance

우리 사귀는 거 맞지?

We are dating, right?

거절하다 verb

Beginner

to reject, to turn down

romance emotions

고백을 거절하기가 너무 어려웠어.

It was really hard to turn down the confession.

예의 noun

Beginner

courtesy, manners, propriety

family romance

그 사람한테 예의를 갖추는 게 맞아.

It's right to show that person proper courtesy.

Key Expressions

Expressing helplessness toward one's own feelings

더는 [V]-을 수가 없다 "no-longer can-not do [V]"

Combines 더는 (no longer / any more) with the potential-negative -(으)ㄹ 수가 없다 to express that one has reached a limit and can no longer hold something back.

더는 참을 수가 없어, 말해야겠어.

I can't hold back any longer — I have to say it.

Softening or postponing a romantic decision

며칠만 보류하자 "just-a-few-days put-on-hold let's"

A polite, soft way to ask for a brief delay before committing to something, showing care for the other person's feelings rather than outright refusal.

답장 며칠만 보류하자, 생각 정리가 필요해.

Let's hold off on a reply for just a few days — I need to sort out my thoughts.

예의를 갖추고 싶어 "courtesy ACC equip and want"

Used to explain that one wants to handle a situation with proper respect and care before moving on, often in romantic transitions that affect third parties.

헤어지더라도 서로 예의를 갖추고 싶어.

Even if we break up, I want us to part with proper respect for each other.

Counting the weight of time in love

[N]을/를 알고 난 뒤의 [시간] "[N] knowing and come-out after's [time]"

A poetic construction marking a before/after shift in one's life caused by meeting a person; emphasises that knowing someone has fundamentally changed how time feels.

너를 알고 난 뒤의 세상이 달라 보여.

The world looks different now that I know you.

Making a birthday wish (ritual speech)

소원을 빌다 "wish ACC to-pray/wish"

The standard expression for making a wish, especially on a birthday with candles. The verb 빌다 carries a sense of earnest petition, not just idle hoping.

촛불 끄기 전에 소원 빌어.

Make a wish before you blow out the candles.

오래오래 행복하게 해 주세요 "long-long happily do please-give"

A wish formula directed at a higher power or fate, asking for lasting happiness for a loved one. The repetition 오래오래 adds childlike sincerity and emotional weight.

우리 가족이랑 오래오래 행복하게 해 주세요.

Please let me be happy for a long, long time with my family.

Grammar Patterns

-(으)ㄹ 수가 없다

Emphatic inability / helplessness

Intermediate

This pattern adds 가 after 수 for emphasis, making the impossibility feel stronger and more emotionally loaded than the plain -(으)ㄹ 수 없다. It signals that the speaker has genuinely tried but cannot do otherwise — often used when overwhelmed by feelings or circumstances.

Practice sentences

네 생각을 멈출 수가 없어.

I just can't stop thinking about you.

그 말을 잊을 수가 없더라.

I found I just couldn't forget those words.

💡 Don't drop the 가 — -(으)ㄹ 수 없다 is grammatically correct but sounds flat; the 가 is what gives the phrase its emotional punch in natural speech.

-고 난 뒤 / -고 나서

Sequential: after doing X

Beginner–Int

Attaches to a verb stem to mean 'after doing X.' The 고 나- component emphasises that the first action is fully completed before the next begins, making it more definitive than plain -고. It can describe literal sequences or, poetically, a life-changing before/after.

Practice sentences

밥 먹고 나서 산책하자.

Let's take a walk after we've eaten.

그 사람을 만나고 난 뒤로 달라졌어.

I changed after meeting that person.

💡 Do not use -고 나서 and -고 난 뒤 interchangeably with -고 in sequential sentences where completion matters — -고 alone doesn't imply the first action is fully finished.

-더라 (retrospective evidential ending)

Sharing a personal discovery

Intermediate

The sentence-final ending -더라 marks that the speaker is reporting something they personally noticed or realised through direct experience — often a feeling or observation that surprised them. It adds a reflective, intimate tone, as if confiding a new truth they discovered about themselves.

Practice sentences

막상 고백하고 나니까 마음이 가벼워지더라.

Now that I actually confessed, I found my heart felt lighter.

혼자 있으니까 더 생각나더라.

Being alone, I found myself thinking of you even more.

💡 -더라 can only describe the speaker's own personal experience or observation; do not use it to report what someone else felt.

Vocabulary

Key Expressions

Expressing helplessness toward one's own feelings

Softening or postponing a romantic decision

Counting the weight of time in love

Making a birthday wish (ritual speech)

Grammar Patterns

Cultural Notes