[Current & Culture] The Proper Way to Use the 'Happiness Circuit'

How does a newly coined word go through the process to be recognized as a standard word? Since 2014, the National Institute of the Korean Language has announced revised contents related to standard words through the ‘Announcements’ board on its website. Among the newly coined words that pop up overnight, those that survive for a long time are added to the list of standard words in this way. Because the review is conducted with very strict criteria, most of the newly coined words that readers frequently use are not yet standard words. For example, yeosachin (female friend) or namsachin (male friend) have not yet been recognized as standard words, and even yeochin (girlfriend) and namchin (boyfriend) are far from becoming standard words.

Among newly coined words, there are some that look like four-character idioms. A representative example is ‘Jagangducheon’. Have you heard of it? It is an abbreviation of ‘proud two geniuses’. This expression can be used when two debaters fiercely oppose each other in a debate. There is also the expression ‘Injagang’, which means ‘the person themselves is strong’, often used for people with unusually strong physiques.

The author really likes the expression ‘haengbokhoero’ (happiness circuit), which is so old that it feels awkward to classify it as a newly coined word. It has about two meanings. It is used when optimistically expecting future events, and also when trying to accept a rather unpleasant current situation positively. The verb ‘dollinda’ (to turn) is usually used together. For example, “She fell asleep turning the happiness circuit, believing she would definitely pass this exam.” Or, “He often turned the happiness circuit, saying that his appearance was just right because life was tiring even if he was too handsome.” It is used in this way.

Just a few years ago, during the asset price boom, such laments were heard a lot. “I should have gone all-in when Samsung Electronics was 70,000 won! I should have bought just one Bitcoin when it was 50 million won! I should have borrowed all I could to buy that OO apartment when it was 1 billion won! How great it would be if those prices could come back!”

Now, in this asset price decline period, Samsung Electronics, Bitcoin, and OO apartment have all returned to those prices. They have fallen far below those prices, even beyond just returning. However, people do not readily open their wallets. That is human psychology. On the other hand, due to the plummeting asset prices, screams are heard everywhere. Then, should people who do not have many assets turn their happiness circuit at times like this? Saying it was good not to buy? Then, if asset prices suddenly rise? They become unhappy again seeing their stock-rich colleagues?

How about turning the happiness circuit like this? I am driving a car with much better performance than the cars used by European royalty 100 years ago. I enjoy more advanced medical services and have longer life expectancy and healthy lifespan than the chaebols or power holders 50 years ago. I use a better phone than Steve Jobs, and I can enjoy more movies and music more easily than 20th-century stars. How about that? If happiness is inevitably a relative feeling, isn’t it unnecessary to compare only with people of the same era?

I hope this very useful ‘haengbokhoero’ will soon be recognized as a standard word and be used in more places. I will finish this article while drinking high-quality coffee that Emperor Gojong, who was said to like coffee quite a lot, could never have dreamed of. Ah, happiness.

Lee Jae-ik, Novelist