Vocabulary
기도하다
verb
Beginner
to pray
emotions family
시험 전날 밤에 꼭 기도했어.
I always prayed the night before exams.
고생하다
verb
Beginner
to go through hardship, to have a tough time
emotions family
오늘 진짜 고생했어, 좀 쉬어.
You really went through a lot today — get some rest.
울먹이다
verb
Beginner
to be on the verge of tears, to sob with a trembling voice
emotions
그 소식을 듣고 목이 메어 울먹였어.
I choked up and was on the verge of tears when I heard the news.
이루어지다
verb
Intermediate
to be fulfilled, to come true
emotions romance
열심히 노력하면 꿈이 이루어질 거야.
If you work hard, your dream will come true.
꼬시다
verb
Intermediate
to coax, to sweet-talk, to lure someone into something
romance
오빠가 나 꼬셔서 같이 영화 보러 갔잖아.
My brother sweet-talked me into going to the movies with him.
탈모
noun
Intermediate
hair loss, alopecia
family
스트레스를 많이 받으면 탈모가 올 수도 있어.
If you're under too much stress, you can start losing hair.
기저귀
noun
Intermediate
diaper
family
아기 기저귀 갈아 본 적 있어?
Have you ever changed a baby's diaper?
유전자
noun
Intermediate
gene, genetic trait
family
눈 색깔은 유전자에 의해 결정되는 거야.
Eye color is determined by genes.
일으키다
verb
Intermediate
to help someone up, to raise up
family emotions
넘어진 아이를 일으켜 줬어.
I helped the child who had fallen get back up.
흐느끼다
verb
Intermediate
to sob, to weep with a heaving chest
emotions
그 장면에서 나도 모르게 흐느꼈어.
I sobbed without realizing it during that scene.
초조하다
adjective
Intermediate
to be anxious, nervous, on edge
emotions
결과를 기다리는 동안 너무 초조했어.
I was so on edge while waiting for the results.
낳아 주다
verb
Advanced
to give birth for someone's sake; to bear (a child) as an act done for another
family emotions
엄마가 나를 낳아 주신 고마움을 이제야 알겠어.
Only now do I understand how grateful I should be that my mom gave birth to me.
칭얼대다
verb
Advanced
to whimper, to fuss (typically of a baby or child)
family
배가 고픈지 아기가 계속 칭얼댔어.
The baby kept fussing, probably because it was hungry.
옹알거리다
verb
Advanced
to babble, to coo (as a newborn)
family
아기가 옹알거리는 소리를 들으면 기분이 좋아져.
Hearing a baby babble always puts me in a good mood.
Key Expressions
Apologizing sincerely
앞으로 내가 진짜 잘할게
"From now on I will really do well"
A promise of future improvement after an apology; 진짜 adds emotional sincerity and urgency in banmal speech.
앞으로 내가 진짜 잘할게, 한 번만 더 믿어 줘.
I'll really do better from now on — trust me one more time.
Expressing gratitude and acknowledgment
감사해요, 이렇게 무사히 ~해 주셔서
"Thank you for letting (us) ~ safely like this"
A formal expression of deep gratitude using the -아/어 주셔서 감사해요 structure; used when thanking someone for a meaningful act done on your behalf.
이렇게 무사히 도착할 수 있게 도와주셔서 정말 감사해요.
Thank you so much for helping us arrive safely like this.
Playful negotiation / making deals
~는 오빠가 다 하는 거다?
"~ is something oppa does all of, right?"
A banmal rhetorical question that turns a promised concession into a lighthearted but firm deal; the rising intonation on 거다 signals the speaker is half-joking but also holding the other person accountable.
그럼 설거지는 오빠가 다 하는 거다?
So that means oppa does all the dishes then, right?
Grammar Patterns
-아/어 준 것도 모르고
Not even realizing what someone did for you
This pattern combines the benefactive -아/어 주다 (to do something for someone) with 것도 모르고 (not even knowing that ~). It expresses guilt or regret over having failed to appreciate a sacrifice or kind act done on one's behalf. The 것도 emphasizes 'not even knowing' rather than simply 'not knowing.'
Practice sentences
네가 그렇게 걱정해 준 것도 모르고 내가 너무 무심했어.
Not even realizing how much you worried about me, I was so thoughtless.
엄마가 매일 밥 해 준 것도 모르고 당연하게 생각했어.
I took it for granted, not even realizing mom cooked for me every day.
💡 Don't drop 것도 — without it, 모르고 becomes a simpler 'not knowing,' losing the emotionally weighted 'not even realizing' nuance.
-(으)ㄹ 거라고 생각해?
Asking what someone thinks will happen / challenging an assumption
This pattern combines the future/conjecture marker -(으)ㄹ 거 with 라고 생각해? (do you think that ~?). It is used to ask someone what they believe about a future event or possibility, often with an implied challenge or genuine curiosity. In the scene it surfaces in the emotional conversation about the future.
Practice sentences
그 사람이 진짜 올 거라고 생각해?
Do you really think that person is going to come?
이게 쉽게 해결될 거라고 생각해?
Do you think this is going to be resolved easily?
💡 The -라고 here is a quotation marker; don't confuse it with the topic particle 이라고. The full structure is [clause + -(으)ㄹ 거] + 라고 생각해?
-고 나니까
Reflecting on how you feel / what you notice after doing something
The pattern -고 나니까 expresses a realization or new perspective that emerges after completing an action. It is different from -고 나서 (which is purely sequential) because 나니까 adds a causal or reflective dimension — 'now that I've done it, I see/feel that…' It often carries emotional weight.
Practice sentences
막상 해 보고 나니까 생각보다 어렵지 않더라.
Now that I actually tried it, it wasn't as hard as I thought.
아기를 안고 나니까 왜 다들 감동받는지 알겠더라.
After holding the baby, I understood why everyone gets so moved.
💡 -고 나서 just means 'after doing'; only -고 나니까 carries the nuance of a reflective realization. Don't swap them when you want to express insight.
Cultural Notes
번개 기도 (Lightning prayer)
The idea that a wish made during lightning will come true is a folk belief sometimes heard in Korean childhood culture, though it is not a widespread formal tradition. Here, I-jun uses it as a creative way to comfort Bora, showing how children construct hopeful rituals in moments of anxiety. It reflects a broader Korean cultural value of praying or making wishes at auspicious or dramatic natural moments.
오빠 (Oppa) between spouses
In Korean couples, it is common for a wife to call her husband 오빠 (a term literally meaning 'older brother' used by women for older males) rather than his name. Yun-gyeong's use of 오빠 for Geum-cheol signals intimacy and affection even in a moment of conflict. This reflects how Korean kinship terms are repurposed as terms of endearment within romantic relationships.
Postpartum apology and gratitude (산후 감사)
Geum-cheol's tearful apology for not appreciating the pain of childbirth captures a cultural expectation that husbands should express deep gratitude to their wives after childbirth. In Korean society, the physical and emotional sacrifice of giving birth (특히 자연분만) is spoken of as an act of enormous devotion, and acknowledging it openly — especially for a man who previously pushed for another child — is a culturally significant gesture of humility and renewed commitment.
Humor as emotional deflection during labor
Geum-cheol's absurd attempt to prevent Yun-gyeong from pulling his hair by bringing up his thinning hair and 'baldness gene' mid-labor is a classic example of 웃픈 (wittily sad / bittersweet) Korean humor. Using levity in extreme situations is common in Korean dramas and life — it diffuses tension without dismissing the seriousness, and the audience laughs while still feeling the emotional weight of the scene.