Hyejin arrives at Dusik's home, quietly setting down food and offering him space. Dusik finally opens up, recounting how his mentor Jungwoo brought him into the finance world, how a client named Gihun lost everything in a market crash, and how Dusik blames himself for the chain of tragedies that followed. The scene is an emotional turning point where years of buried guilt begin to surface.
Vocabulary
말리다verb
Beginner
to dissuade, to stop someone from doing something
emotionsfinance
위험하다고 했는데 아무도 안 말렸어
I said it was dangerous, but nobody tried to stop it.
친해지다verb
Beginner
to become close, to grow friendly with someone
familyromance
같이 밥을 자주 먹다 보니까 금방 친해지더라고
Since we ate together often, we became close pretty quickly.
복학생noun
Beginner
a student who has returned to university after a leave of absence (often after military service)
family
그 선배는 군대 갔다 온 복학생이었어
That senior was a returning student who had come back from the military.
기일noun
Beginner
the anniversary of someone's death
family
아버지 기일마다 온 가족이 모여
Every year on my father's death anniversary, the whole family gathers.
전세금noun
Beginner
the lump-sum deposit paid for a 'jeonse' housing lease (a Korean rental system where a large sum is paid upfront instead of monthly rent)
finance
전세금 다 넣었다가 날릴 뻔했어
I almost lost everything after putting in the whole jeonse deposit.
환매noun
Beginner
redemption of a fund; withdrawing money from an investment fund
finance
손실이 났다고 바로 환매하면 더 손해야
Redeeming right when there's a loss makes the damage worse.
내키다verb
Intermediate
to feel inclined, to feel like doing something (usually used in negative: 내키지 않다)
emotions
솔직히 별로 내키지는 않았는데 한번 해 봤어
Honestly I wasn't really feeling it, but I gave it a try.
간곡히adverb
Intermediate
earnestly, sincerely, with heartfelt persistence
emotionsromance
간곡히 부탁하는데 어떻게 거절해
When someone asks that earnestly, how can you say no?
수익률noun
Intermediate
rate of return, profit rate (on an investment)
finance
그 펀드는 수익률이 높았지만 리스크도 컸어
That fund had a high rate of return but the risk was also big.
원금noun
Intermediate
principal, the original sum of money invested or borrowed
finance
최소한 원금은 건져야 하는데 상황이 너무 안 좋아
We need to at least recover the principal, but the situation is too bad.
움직이다verb
Intermediate
to be moved (emotionally), to be stirred; also 'to move' physically
emotions
그 이야기 듣고 마음이 움직여서 도움을 주기로 했어
After hearing that story I was moved and decided to help.
폭락하다verb
Intermediate
to plummet, to crash sharply in value
finance
주가가 하루 만에 폭락해서 다들 패닉이었어
The stock price plummeted in a single day and everyone was in a panic.
마이너스noun
Intermediate
minus, negative (used in finance to mean a loss percentage)
finance
어제까지 마이너스 50%였는데 오늘 더 떨어졌어
It was at minus 50% until yesterday and it dropped even more today.
적성noun
Intermediate
aptitude, natural fit or inclination for a type of work
emotions
직장 생활하다 보니까 이 일이 적성에 잘 맞더라고
As I worked, I realized this job suits my aptitude really well.
노크인noun
Advanced
knock-in; a financial term where a barrier is breached, triggering principal loss in structured products like ELS
finance
노크인이 발생하면 그때부터는 원금 보장이 안 돼
Once a knock-in occurs, the principal is no longer guaranteed from that point.
귀신에 홀리다expression
Advanced
to be possessed by a ghost; idiom meaning to do something irrational as if bewitched, without knowing why
emotionsfinance
왜 그랬는지 모르겠어, 완전 귀신에 홀린 것 같았어
I don't know why I did it — it was like I was completely possessed.
파산noun
Advanced
bankruptcy, financial collapse
finance
그 회사가 파산하면서 투자자들이 다 손해를 봤어
When that company went bankrupt, all the investors took losses.
여파noun
Advanced
aftershock, ripple effect, fallout from an event
financeemotions
그 사건의 여파가 아직도 남아 있어
The fallout from that incident still lingers.
Key Expressions
Softening intentions / Offering emotional space
밥만 차려 놓고 갈게"I'll just set out the food and leave"
A way of expressing care through action while withdrawing emotionally to give the other person space; understated love in Korean culture.
오늘은 말 걸지 않을게, 밥만 차려 놓고 갈게
I won't bother you today — I'll just set out the food and leave.
Expressing regret and self-blame
확인을 했어야 됐는데"I should have confirmed/checked (but didn't)"
Pattern -았/었어야 됐는데 expresses regret about a past action not taken; the trailing 는데 adds a lamenting, unresolved feeling.
그때 바로 얘기를 했어야 됐는데 너무 늦어 버렸어
I should have said something right then, but it became too late.
무리하지 마시라니까"I told you not to overdo it (and yet)"
-라니까 is used to express exasperation that advice already given was ignored; it implies 'I warned you' with a frustrated or grieving tone.
쉬라니까 왜 이렇게 또 무리했어?
I told you to rest — why did you push yourself so hard again?
Grammar Patterns
-았/었어야 됐는데
Past obligation unmet — 'should have (but didn't)'
Int–Advanced
This pattern combines the past tense with 어야 되다 and a trailing -는데 to express regret about something that should have been done but wasn't. The -는데 at the end leaves the sentence open, mimicking the unresolved feeling of guilt or regret rather than a clean conclusion.
Practice sentences
더 일찍 말했어야 됐는데 타이밍을 놓쳤어
I should have said it earlier, but I missed the timing.
그때 같이 있었어야 됐는데 미안해
I should have been there with you — I'm sorry.
💡 Don't drop the trailing -는데; without it, the sentence loses its lamenting, open-ended nuance and sounds more like a neutral statement of obligation.
-(으)니까 자동으로 V
Natural consequence — 'because of X, Y naturally happened'
Beginner–Int
-(으)니까 here marks a cause that leads naturally or inevitably to a result. Combined with 자동으로 ('automatically'), it conveys that the outcome required no effort — it simply happened as a consequence of circumstances. This is common in storytelling to explain how relationships or situations developed.
Practice sentences
매일 만나니까 자동으로 친해지더라고
Since we met every day, we naturally became close.
수익률이 너무 높으니까 욕심이 생기더라고
Because the return rate was so high, greed naturally crept in.
💡 -(으)니까 implies a reason the speaker considers objective or self-evident; don't confuse it with -아/어서, which cannot be used with imperative or suggestion endings.
-던 것 같아
Retrospective softened recollection — 'it seems it was the case that…'
Int–Advanced
The retrospective modifier -던 combined with 것 같아 creates a pattern for looking back at one's own past states or actions with slight emotional distance, as if re-examining a memory. It is softer than stating directly 'I felt X,' suggesting the speaker is reconstructing their own feelings from the outside.
Practice sentences
그때 많이 힘들었던 것 같아, 지금 생각해 보면
Looking back now, I think I was really struggling at that time.
그 사람한테 많이 의지했던 것 같아
I think I relied on that person a lot.
💡 -던 것 같아 refers to a past ongoing or habitual state; do not confuse with -았/었던 것 같아, which refers to a completed past event — both appear in this scene and carry different nuances.
Cultural Notes
Jeonse (전세) — Korea's unique rental system
전세 is a distinctly Korean housing arrangement where a tenant pays a large lump-sum deposit (전세금), often equivalent to 50-80% of the property's value, instead of monthly rent. The landlord uses the money and returns it at the end of the lease. When Gihun says he pulled out his 전세금 to invest, Korean viewers immediately understand the catastrophic stakes — he essentially risked his family's entire housing security.
복학생 (returning student) culture
In Korea, most male university students take a mandatory break to complete military service (approximately 18-21 months). When they return, they are called 복학생 and are typically 2-3 years older than their classmates. This age gap naturally creates a hyung (형) dynamic, and it is culturally common for 복학생 to take on a mentoring or protective role toward younger students.
제사 (ancestral rite) and family bonds
제사 is a Confucian-influenced memorial rite held on the anniversary of an ancestor's death (기일). It involves preparing food offerings and bowing before a ritual table. The fact that Dusik performed 제사 together with Jungwoo for his grandfather illustrates the depth of their bond — this is a deeply intimate family ritual, and including an outsider signals that Jungwoo treated Dusik as true family.
2008 Global Financial Crisis echoes in Korean drama
The scene's reference to a major US financial firm filing for bankruptcy and causing a domestic market crash clearly mirrors the 2008 Lehman Brothers collapse, which devastated Korean investors. Many ordinary Koreans had invested savings in structured products (ELS/ELF) that suffered knock-in events (노크인) during this period. This context makes the scene's tragedy feel historically grounded and culturally resonant for Korean audiences.