Discovering the Korean Family I Didn’t Expect

# Adrift in Seoul: The Kims Saved Me from Loneliness

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The Unfolding Adventure in Korea

Want an adventure? Try moving to South Korea without a backup plan. I landed in suburban Seoul, ripe at 24, eager to [teach English](https://www.businessinsider.com/moved-to-south-korea-teach-english-2024-3). Within six days, I unlocked my apartment to find… well, I couldn’t unlock it. The key worked that morning; what was this sorcery?

When I trudged to the school for answers, I found my stuff in garbage bags. Ouch. Apparently, they no longer needed a teacher. Cue the owner setting my life off like musical chairs, packing me off to a friend in another South Korean neighborhood.

An Unexpected Curveball

The “new” apartment was tucked into a dingy alley at the edge of Seoul’s newest subway line. My evenings? Spent escaping reality with [taekwondo](https://www.businessinsider.com/world-taekwondo-strips-putin-of-black-belt-invasion-of-ukraine-2022-3), surrounded by toddlers, some of whom saw me as their teacher. Yeah, like Kramer on Seinfeld. Skype to home sweet home became a ritual, whispers echoing through smoky PC bangs. It was my digital tether to sanity.

Finding Connection in the Unlikeliest Places

Amid this chaos, I came upon the Kims. Running “The Pig House” — surprise, they served pork — nestled at the end of my alley. The aroma drew me in. Soon, a friend of theirs asked if I’d [tutor their daughter](https://www.businessinsider.com/private-online-tutor-wealthy-kids-how-make-learning-fun-2020-7), Eujin. She was six, and I needed a gig. Lesson one was on a heated restaurant floor, with her dad binge-watching Korean soap operas beside us.

Soon, they became my second family. Dinners bled into evenings; Myungjoo wielded her English phrasebook like a maestro. I even witnessed them humorously tussle over the right English insult one time. Classic New York, but in a language not quite theirs. The warmth knitted my splintered days together.

Noraebangs, Chuseok, and More

They had me hooked. I hit [noraebangs](https://www.businessinsider.com/karaoke-inventor-whose-bad-singing-launched-global-music-culture-dies-2024-3) (karaoke rooms) with their cousins, discovering the soul of this vibrant culture. We spent Chuseok (Korean Thanksgiving) as one, Byungdong’s taxi venturing to untapped hiking spots. Weekends flipped between roughing it in the countryside and exploring offbeat Seoul neighborhoods. Weirdly enough, being with them filled absences I didn’t know were there.

“`markdown
| **Activities** | **Kims & Me** |
|——————-|—————————|
| Noraebangs | Weekend family fun |
| Chuseok | Celebrating together |
| Hiking Adventures | Secret trails and spots |
| English Lessons | On the restaurant floor |

The Kim’s Impact: Unforgettable Bonds

Eventually, my Korean detour ended after seven months. But the bond persisted. Eujin, now 24, mirrors my age back then. We connect via Skype; she sends Christmas gifts for my kids, aged like her and her brother were. Whether it’s Squid Game chatter or exchanging recipes, life feels richer because of these cross-continental threads.

Family can be discovered in the most unfamiliar places. Eujin’s English? It’s aced. Byungdong and Myungjoo? They dream of visiting the US. And my promise stands: our door is always open. Because isn’t that what true family does?

If you’re intrigued, here’s more about life in Korea.

For more travel tales from New Yorkers across the globe, check this out.