“OMG, it was that easy?” I exclaimed, staring at Subin Teacher’s phone.
She had just shown me how to use Papago1’s image feature to translate practically any product I needed.
“Try it on your phone, Violet Teacher,” Subin Teacher said, swiping out of the app.
The Daiso2 was crowded that evening. They had a little bit of everything you could possibly want, all at a reasonable price. Other shoppers were perusing what seemed like every aisle. Some had rolling basket carts while others carried hand baskets slung over their forearms.
There were teenage girls in the cosmetics section grabbing and trying on lip tints and hair rollers, probably squeezing in a quick shopping trip between hakgwons3, or academies. Parents were wandering through the toy aisle with their children. A few grandmothers were excitedly looking at beach supplies.
Summer was coming soon, after all, and that was when Koreans typically loved to head to the coast.
I pointed my phone at a cleaning product.
“Ah! This is bleach!” I said, looking at the translation on my screen.
“This is awesome! I can actually know what I’m buying now! Does it work on food menus, too?”
Subin Teacher laughed. “Aigoo4, food is the first thing you thought about using it on?”
I smiled at her. “Food is very important to me, as you know.”
Subin Teacher hadn’t responded to my message from the pension right away.
She finally replied at nine o’clock on the Monday we returned.
🖋️I hope your problem was fixed. See you soon!
She explained later over lunch, while our students enjoyed their playtime on the mat, that she had been on vacation in Bali with her husband.
“Oh, don’t worry about it, Subin Teacher. I shouldn’t have messaged you so late anyway.”
“What was the problem?” she asked, taking the corrected homework sheets I had just finished so she could put them in the students’ backpacks later.
“Just a personal problem with Minjae. I don’t want to think about it.”
Subin Teacher met my gaze. For a second, it looked as though she wanted to say something, but she turned around instead.
“If it is personal, we should not talk about it at work.”
Right. It’s only lunchtime and I am screwing up.
My ears flushed. “You’re right.”
“So,” Subin Teacher said, handing me the students’ textbooks so I could start marking them as complete, “Let’s have dinner together.”
Dinner? With Subin Teacher? Alone???
“Oh!” I said, taken aback as I took the books from her. “Like, tonight?”
“Yes,” Subin Teacher said. “Do you have time?”
“Minjae is gone on a work trip, actually,” I said. “So I could defnitely use the company.”
Now how the hell did this happen?
Spicy chunks of chicken sizzled on the enormous steel pan in front of us alongside heaps of cabbage, ramyun, tteok, onions, and cheese.
“Dak-gal-bi,5” Subin Teacher said, clearly enunciating each syllable.
“Tak-gyal-bi,” I repeated.
Good Lord, my pronunciation sucks lol.
We tucked into our food, and the combination of spicy chicken, chewy tteok6, and gooey cheese was exquisite.
All around us, other people were enjoying the warm summer evening from the second-floor restaurant, whose floor-to-ceiling windows had been opened wide—or should I say, tucked away? The windows didn’t actually open outward. They folded in on themselves, turning the second floor into a terrace of sorts.
And we had an excellent view of Namsan Tower7.
A more magical moment in this city was impossible.
But honestly, I felt that way about almost every outing.
“So, Violet Teacher,” Subin Teacher finally said, “what was the problem you had at the pension?”
Okay, here we go. Hwaiting!
Flustered, I put my chopsticks down and stared at the rim of the pan.
“Subin Teacher, do other women call your husband ‘oppa’?”
“Not unless they know him well. He has a little sister and some friends from high school and university who call him that.”
Crap.
“So, you would only call someone that if you were close to them? Do they ever send, like, heart emojis? Is that normal in Korea?”
I looked up at Subin Teacher.
She studied me thoughtfully.
“In Korea, everyone is different, Violet Teacher. Maybe some friends do that. My husband’s friends don’t.”
Oof.
I pursed my lips before moving on to my next question.
“What about telling someone you are on a business trip when you are really on summer vacation with your girlfriend?”
Am I telling her too much? But literally, who else could I ask?
Subin Teacher’s expression didn’t change, but she put her chopsticks down before answering.
“Did you ask him about that?”
Crap. Poop. Fart. Monkey BALLS!
“Um, no. I didn’t. I just… I just didn’t want to start a fight with him, and maybe it’s innocent, you know? It’s not like he’s a sinister mister.”
Subin Teacher just blinked at me.
“That’s what my mom called men who were up to no good. Like—” I cast around my thoughts for the Korean words. “Nabbum namcha.”
“Na-ppeun nam-ja8,” Subin Teacher corrected automatically.
I swear she is the only one who understands my Korean.
“Yes. I don’t want Minjae to think that I think he is some bad guy, but I don’t know how to ask him without it sounding like I am accusing him of something, you know?”
Subin Teacher picked up her chopsticks and grabbed a piece of tteok before saying, “Have you met any of Minjae’s friends yet?”
My heart sank.
“No.”
Subin Teacher looked at my hands, which were balled into nervous fists on the table.
“And you have a couple ring?”
I looked down at the silver band on my ring finger.
Minjae had taken me to a banji café9 for our 100th day10. It was the most romantic thing that had ever happened to me.
But was it supposed to come with more?
“Yes. Does that mean something?”
“Every couple is different,” Subin Teacher said softly. “Does he talk to you about his friends?”
“No,” I said, an uncomfortable feeling rising in my chest.
“Has he met your friends or talked to them?”
“I don’t have friends here, but my mom and my friends back home know all about him.”
Did he tell his family about me, even? Do they know where he sleeps a few nights every week?
“Well, Violet Teacher—”
“Subin Teacher, you can just call me Violet.”
She looked at me.
“You have been helping me so much. Daiso, Papago, NAVER Maps11, Coupang12, and Coupang Eats13. I have burdened you with so much, so please, if it is the same to you, you can just call me Violet.”
“Violet,” Subin Teacher started, “I lived abroad in Canada when I was younger. It is hard to move so far away from home. Helping you is not a burden.”
Tears suddenly stung my eyes.
Helping you is not a burden.
If Subin Teacher saw my teary eyes, she did not acknowledge them. Instead, she popped another piece of tteok into her mouth and said, “Outside of work, you may call me Subin.”
I gave her a smile and nodded.
“I guess I will wait for Minjae to come back from his business trip and ask him more about his friends,” I said finally, also picking up my chopsticks to grab a piece of chewy tteok.
“Like the business trip he took with you?”
- Papago (파파고, Papago) — A popular translation app developed by South Korean tech company Naver. Papago translates text, speech, images, and conversations between multiple languages and is especially useful for navigating Korea when you don’t speak Korean. Its image-translation feature allows users to point their phone’s camera at Korean text and see an instant translation. ↩︎
- Daiso (다이소, Daiso) — A popular Korean chain of variety stores known for selling an enormous range of inexpensive household goods, cleaning supplies, cosmetics, stationery, snacks, kitchen items, toys, and seasonal products. Although the name is associated with the Japanese Daiso brand, Daiso Korea operates as a separate Korean company and has become a ubiquitous part of everyday shopping in South Korea. ↩︎
- Hakgwon (학원, hakgwon) — A private academy or after-school institute where students receive additional instruction outside their regular school hours. Hakwons are extremely common in South Korea, with students often attending classes in subjects such as English, math, science, music, or test preparation. Many children attend more than one hakwon, sometimes studying well into the evening. ↩︎
- Aigoo (아이고, aigoo) — A Korean exclamation used to express a range of emotions, including surprise, frustration, exhaustion, disbelief, concern, or amusement. Similar to saying “Oh my gosh,” “Oh dear,” or “Good grief,” its meaning depends heavily on the situation and the speaker’s tone. In this scene, Subin Teacher uses aigoo playfully when she realizes that food is the first thing Violet wants to translate. ↩︎
- Dakgalbi (닭갈비, dakgalbi) — A popular Korean dish of spicy stir-fried chicken cooked with vegetables such as cabbage and onions, often with chewy ddeok (rice cakes) and other ingredients. It is traditionally prepared on a large, sizzling pan at the table, and cheese is a popular modern addition. Dakgalbi is especially associated with the city of Chuncheon, although it is enjoyed throughout South Korea. ↩︎
- Tteok (떡, tteok) — Korean rice cakes made from rice or glutinous rice flour. Tteok comes in many shapes, textures, and varieties, ranging from sweet treats to savory dishes. In dakgalbi, chewy cylindrical pieces of tteok are often cooked directly in the spicy sauce alongside the chicken and vegetables. ↩︎
- Namsan Tower (남산타워, Namsan Tower) — One of Seoul’s most recognizable landmarks, officially called N Seoul Tower. Located on Namsan Mountain in central Seoul, the tower offers panoramic views of the city and is especially famous for its observation deck and “love locks,” making it a popular destination for couples and visitors. ↩︎
- Nappeun namja (나쁜 남자, nappeun namja) — Literally “bad man” or “bad guy.” Nappeun means “bad,” while namja means “man.” In Korean, the phrase can describe a man who behaves badly, treats people poorly, or is considered untrustworthy. Here, Violet is trying to translate her mother’s joking expression “sinister mister” into Korean. ↩︎
- Banji café (반지 카페, banji kape) — A “ring café” where couples can design and make matching rings together, often with guidance from staff. These cafés are popular for anniversaries and other relationship milestones, and making a couple ring can be a particularly meaningful date experience in Korea. Banji means “ring” in Korean. ↩︎
- 100th day (100일, baegil) — A significant relationship milestone in Korea. Couples often celebrate their 100th day together as an anniversary, sometimes with gifts, a special date, flowers, or matching items such as couple rings. It is part of a broader Korean dating culture in which couples may celebrate specific relationship milestones, including 100, 200, and 300 days. ↩︎
- NAVER Maps (네이버 지도, Naver Jido) — A widely used mapping and navigation app in South Korea, developed by Naver. It provides directions, public transportation information, walking and driving routes, business listings, reviews, and other location-based information. Because some international mapping services have limited functionality in Korea, NAVER Maps is an especially useful tool for navigating the country. ↩︎
- Coupang (쿠팡, Coupang) — One of South Korea’s largest online shopping platforms, offering everything from groceries and household supplies to clothing, electronics, and everyday necessities. Known for its fast delivery, Coupang has become a major part of everyday shopping in Korea. ↩︎
- Coupang Eats (쿠팡이츠, Coupang Eats) — A food-delivery service operated by Coupang that allows users to order meals from restaurants through an app. It is one of the major food-delivery platforms in South Korea, where ordering restaurant food for delivery is an extremely common part of everyday life. ↩︎
From Seoul to You 
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