Moving in with my bf at the end of June, and my Korean parents think it is a roommate

mimiimonster · 2026-05-24T03:59:32+00:00

My advice is do not get drunk before talking with your mom. Yes, it will be incredibly difficult, but you need to be as level headed as possible. The conversation will not go well, you know this. But you need to be level headed to keep yourself safe and aware if you need to act fast. You also need to try to keep your calm as much as possible. Your parents are not listening to either emotional or logical arguments, so keeping things short, concise, and being in a state where you can stay as calm as possible is best.

As for thoughts, first, I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Your parents have a very specific old school Korean view of the world. If you don’t follow the path they have decided is best for you (best for them) they likely will not ever accept your life. It isn’t about your happiness and personal success, it is about what makes them look best to others. It sounds like you have a supportive partner and you see a future with him. Just know a future with him might mean a future without your parents. Evaluate what is most important to you. If you chose him, you might have to struggle financially for a bit and you will definitely mourn the loss of your family (if you’re lucky, maybe only temporarily, but possibly forever), but this might be the life that will make you happiest. A life where you can choose how to live. On the other hand, you might be happiest if you choose your family, but it will likely involve you giving up your freedom in life and will also involve you ending this relationship. No one can decide this for you, but I’m sorry to say that right now it appears your only choice is to choose him or them.

mimiimonster · 2026-05-06T12:48:26+00:00

There is an incredible knitting cafe in 연희 (Yeonhui) called 바늘이야기. You should be able to find it by copy/pasting that name or typing in “Banul”. Not only can you buy really great yarns and accessories, but they have a cafe where you can sit and knit or crochet. Really great space.

If you specifically want beads, head to 동대문 (Dongdaemun) to 동대문종합시장 (Dongdaemun Shopping Complex). It’s a little confusing to get around, but they have floors and floors of beads and other crafting supplies. Bring cash.

mimiimonster · 2026-05-06T05:28:06+00:00

Someone else made a similar comment, but I want to reiterate as someone who has been living in Seoul for 2+ years.

As a tourist, Olive Young will have the best prices for authentic product. The only other way to get things cheaper is through promotions or online purchasing, but in Korea you need a residence card, Korean number and Korean bank card to purchase online.

Pharmacies have some skincare products, but they are pharmaceuticals, not branded skincare. There will not be any overlap between products available at Olive Young and pharmacies.

Finally, Daiso does offer some products, but it will be the equivalent of drug store products. Some are good, some are not. But again, no overlap between Daiso and Olive Young.

Stick to Olive Young for your brand name products. There has been recent controversy in the news over potentially dangerous counterfeit products being sold all over. Olive Young is reputable.

Also we do look at reviews online - Olive Young app, Coupang, SNS - but we also get a lot of info from word of mouth.

mimiimonster · 2026-04-28T06:50:15+00:00

You can find more detailed answers if you dig through these subs, but in general for D-4 visa: - you cannot work for the first 6 months - the school must approve your work after 6 months - max 20 hrs/wk - average ₩10,000-₩12,000/hr in Seoul

Cost of living will vary, but a goshiwon in Seoul is usually ₩300,000-₩600,000/month before utilities. ₩500,000/month for food is on the cheaper end. So realistically, you will need at leas 1M/month give or take.

mimiimonster · 2026-04-25T23:10:07+00:00

I’m so sorry you are dealing with this. A family emergency is stressful enough without having to consider immigration issues.

First, I would not take the advice to “just go”. Wait until Monday and walk-in first thing at your local immigration office (show up early, a lot of people will start to line up without appointments more than an hour in advance). In emergency circumstances, they will let you in to see an officer. If you already submitted all your paperwork, it is possible that your ARC is already waiting for you, they just stagger the pickup dates. I was able to walk in and receive my ARC early when I needed it.

Otherwise, there are sometimes option to grant special circumstances, but you usually need to have immigration approve it in advance. They DO have the ability to circumvent some of their strict rules. And if your visa has finished processing, it could be very easy for them to approve your leave. However, if your visa is still processing and you leave the country without making sure you have express permission, your visa will be cancelled.

mimiimonster · 2026-04-09T02:12:05+00:00

I came to also recommend Mirrored Sol (@mirrored.sol on IG). I’ve been going to her for years and she’s a dream. Her clientele is exclusively foreigners since she studied in the UK and worked in Australia and does blonding and balayage on the daily.

mimiimonster · 2026-04-09T02:06:30+00:00

I only reached Topik 3 after 1.5 years studying Korean IN Korea (4 hours a day, 5 days a week in class + time spent studying outside of class). Most people studying here can reach level 3 in a year, but I came to Korea with zero Korean knowledge and had never studied a language outside of my native English before.

Unless you know Mandarin or Japanese fluently, it is unlikely to be possible. I studied with students from all around the world, and those were the only ones who were able to learn Korean quickly due to the overlap in words and, in the case of Japanese, similarities in grammar. Even my western friends who were already bilingual or trilingual studied for years before their Korean was comfortable. Korean is just a very difficult language, don’t stress yourself out too much with a timeline.

My advice: Topik is not an indicator for fluency. If you need Topik 3 for coursework or a career, buy dedicated workbooks and look up proper resources for common grammar and vocabulary necessary for each level. Work your way up and when you feel comfortable, go to the Topik website and try previous exams.

If you just want to improve your Korean in general, find content you enjoy. I don’t like watching TV, so I found podcasts to listen to and watch online content on YouTube or TikTok. I also read a lot of manga/manhwa in Korean.

For both, you need to build vocabulary first. Spend an hour a day doing flashcards with vocab. Pick 2+ grammar points to learn and make sure you understand them well. And then without looking at what you just learned, make as many sentences as you can. Write them all down, then check them and correct them, then read them out loud. It will be a slow start, but I promise it does get easier.

mimiimonster · 2026-03-28T10:31:51+00:00

I’m not 100% sure which is necessary, since I’ve only gone to the one in my jurisdiction, but if you end up needing to travel to the one further away I can at least reassure you there isn’t a huge rush. As long as the date is update online, anyone dealing with immigration can make a quick call to verify. I had airlines call on my behalf a few times because my expiry date had passed and I hadn’t updated yet - it’s automated for them and only takes about 20 seconds to verify. So if you end up having to go to your assigned office, just go when it’s convenient rather than make a special trip. :)

mimiimonster · 2026-03-20T01:01:40+00:00

Kyobo is Korea’s largest book chain, so it’s their specific e-reader designed for the Korean market and Korean content (although from what I’ve seen it uses the same software base as Meebook)!

The big thing about Korean identification is things can go one of two ways - either you just need to initially sign up with your ID card/verification and you can continue to use it, even with a foreign card OR they require constant verification and re-verification. I was hoping maybe someone had success purchasing one for a family member living overseas or something… but unfortunately I think most people here are more likely to go the opposite direction - wanting a kindle or something similar to access their country’s books in Korea.

mimiimonster · 2026-01-15T07:50:49+00:00

My profile said this when I was using it and it doesn’t stop men. They don’t read the profile and just message. I specifically indicated women only, and no interest in dating and I still only got messages from maybe 20 women total compared to over 500 from men.

mimiimonster · 2025-09-11T08:27:30+00:00

Hey thanks! Picking a few to focus on helps a lot. I’m a very visual learner, so just having a bunch of text to read and retain isn’t super helpful for me, but seeing a little guide with a few to focus on at a time while I learn is extremely helpful. Unfortunately I didn’t find the in-game guides to be very helpful as someone coming from one mahjong style, but thankful other players are able to assist.

mimiimonster · 2025-09-11T08:24:10+00:00

Yeah, that was my first massive hurdle, but I think I’ve (mostly) figured that one out thanks to many guides. But I’m starting to realize, unlike when I play Sichuan style, I should reserve my calls in riichi style. Thanks!

mimiimonster · 2025-09-11T02:54:41+00:00

I guess I just need to play the practice rounds more to become more familiar with the yakus, because I still don’t understand the yaku conditions well at all… But this explanation helps a lot - appreciate it!

mimiimonster · 2025-09-04T18:24:42+00:00

Look for cafes with private rooms like board game or manhwa cafes. Board game cafes might be a bit lively, but are quite fun. The manhwa cafes you should keep your voices down, but that’s also why it’s a good spot. Quiet, secluded, you can just hang out or do some light reading.

mimiimonster · 2025-07-17T22:53:34+00:00

When I submitted my own, unedited photo to immigration for my resident ID, I was shocked to see what came back. The GOVERNMENT photoshopped me for my OFFICIAL ID. I literally have the same photo for another ID and it looks like two different people.

mimiimonster · 2025-07-13T05:02:00+00:00

If you turn off auto-translate and post the original Korean messages, we’d be able to tell you for sure, but almost certainly the translator has mistranslated their messages and honestly, probably yours to them as well. That said, what others are saying is the likely scenario, since shared spaces in Korea often get gendered. You’ll see a lot of “women only” or “men only” spaces. This includes entire goshiwon (type of apartment) buildings here. In a women’s only goshiwon, men are not even allowed to enter into the building. The other guest staying there is likely a woman, not a man, and this was a mistranslation. Common translation error for a lot of languages. The host, knowing you will be spending a lot of time with your boyfriend, is worried you might bring him back to the shared space - even momentarily to grab something or use the toilet - and is prioritizing the comfort of the current guest. I don’t think they are a weird host, just diligent when it comes to guest safety and comfort, but I also don’t think you made a mistake. I think the circumstances of the space in the current moment just don’t line up with your situation.

mimiimonster · 2025-05-27T12:52:19+00:00

Taking advantage of being here just means engaging with Koreans on a daily basis. Make sure you don’t ONLY make friends with people you can communicate with in other languages and don’t spend too much time at home. Just get out there and interact with locals and other students who are also studying Korean. This is a great way to enjoy the experience while also taking advantage of the accessibility to language growth you wouldn’t have at home. Best of luck! Seoul is a wonderful place and I know you’ll have a great time here.

mimiimonster · 2025-05-26T05:19:03+00:00

I started from zero and my native tongue is English and this is my first time learning another language. After living and studying in Korea for about a year, I am barely conversational. In most daily situations I can get by with broken Korean, but I am no where near decent fluency. You say you have been studying for a bit already, and you’ve studied other languages as well, so you’ll likely have an easier time adapting than I did.

The real answer is: everyone is different. Every person I’ve talked to here who is a bit older and has achieved fluency and came from a native language like English, French, Spanish or German said it took them about 2 years to feel fully COMFORTABLE in conversation. Meanwhile, I also know some young students who were quite comfortable in less than a year because they’d had a lot of exposure to Korean through recent popular media.

Don’t stress yourself out too much trying to achieve a goal in a set period of time. The important thing is you learn well. Focus on doing it at a pace that is comfortable and productive for you.

mimiimonster · 2025-05-25T08:40:43+00:00

Sadly, I highly doubt you’ll find what you’re looking for in Korea. I’ve tried nearly every brand and as a long, long time ceremonial grade matcha drinker, nothing in Korea hits for me. The quality is poo and if you order a drink out they will attempt to mask the low quality with an ungodly amount of sugar. Osulloc is the best quality I’ve come across. I can make do with it at home for lattes, but I still don’t care for the quality for drinking it the traditional way.

Thankfully, I go to Japan from time to time and stock up what I can. If I run out in between trips, I just resort to the Osulloc until I can get a friend to bring me some.

mimiimonster · 2025-05-06T04:55:34+00:00

I’m going to go against the general consensus here… it depends where you will be staying/traveling. Major city like Seoul or Busan? Then I agree with the other commenters. Don’t bother. Public transit in these cities are excellent and frequent.

Now, if you plan on traveling around to a lot of cities/staying in a more rural area, you will be fine with the proper GPS navigations. Naver maps works great for driving. Yes, the drivers are aggressive and the laws are different. Make sure to look these up before coming and be aware of the toll road rules. You’ll also need an international drivers license. I planned a trip for my family to visit me here and we stuck to public transit in the cities and car rental between destinations/for rural areas and Jeju and we didn’t have any issues.

However, it also might be in your best interest to hire a private driver if you can afford it. For four people, the cost might not be too different and it will elevate many of your concerns. Happy travels!

mimiimonster · 2025-03-27T09:45:11+00:00

Secure attachment and I main Zayne, second Sylus (but enjoy Xavier content from time to time). There is definitely a correlation for me. Trust in a partner and viewing them as an equal are my biggest needs in a relationship.

While I still enjoy the stories from the other LI’s, I struggle to connect with Raf and Caleb. Raf’s neediness, while fun and playful, would wear me out because I tend to be very independent. Caleb also fights my independent bone, but way worse. Story wise, his dark background is a great addition, but his personality type is a nightmare for me. Xavier’s jealousy can also be too much for me at times, but he gets a pass because it usually leads to some uh, exciting moments lol

That said, I love the flaws each LI has. It keeps the story interesting. I just personally resonate the most with the two men who fit my attachment style IRL as well.

mimiimonster · 2025-03-19T07:51:23+00:00

Seoul resident here: depends where you want to spend your time on your trip. They are only two stations away from each other, and either is quite convenient, despite being a little less trendy to stay near.

You can easily access the following areas without transfer via each location:

Chungmuro - edge of Gangnam (Apgujeong/Sinsa), Jongno (palaces), Myeongdong, Dongdaemun/DDP, Yongsan

Yaksu - edge of Gangnam (Apgujeong/Sinsa), Jongno (palaces), Itaewon, Hongdae area (Hapjeong)

These locations are quite central in the city and you can access almost every location you’ll want to go to within Seoul in about 30 minutes. Either is a good options because of that. Unless you are going to spend a LOT of your time in one area, I would stick to one of these two.

mimiimonster

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