"Is It Right to Split the Bill Including What My Friend's Boyfriend Ate?"

Author "I didn't even eat the menu, my friend's boyfriend ordered"
Netizens "The second round should have been paid by the friend couple, everyone is too sensitive, etc."

A story about a friend who invited her boyfriend to a meeting place and then insisted on splitting the bill for both drinks and food has become a hot topic.

On the 30th of last month, a post titled "Is it right to split the bill for the drinks and food that my friend's boyfriend consumed?" was uploaded on an online community.

Office workers are paying for their meals with cards and cash at a restaurant in downtown Seoul. (Asia Economy DB)

The author planned to meet friends A and B after a long time. As the meeting time approached, A asked, "My boyfriend hasn't eaten yet, can I call him over?" The author and B readily agreed.

At the restaurant where they gathered, sundae jeongol (Korean blood sausage hot pot) and assorted grilled gopchang (beef or pork intestines) were ordered. The author arrived about 10 minutes late due to traffic and, although unable to eat offal, said, "Order the food as you like," so they let it go without complaint.

Except for the author, the three others drank about five bottles of alcohol. Since the author did not eat or drink, A ordered naengmyeon (cold noodles) and gyeran jjim (steamed egg) saying, "I should order something you can eat."

The naengmyeon and gyeran jjim were shared among everyone, not just the author. Meanwhile, A's boyfriend added extra noodles to the sundae jeongol and ordered additional assorted gopchang.

Not wanting to part ways, they went to a chicken restaurant for a second round, ordering three chickens, French fries, cheese balls, and more. At that time, the author suggested, "I don't usually eat much late at night, so let's order only what I can eat and order more if needed." The author only ate three pieces of chicken and had two non-alcoholic cocktails.

The next day, A, who paid for both the first and second rounds, requested each person to settle 72,000 won. A said, "I divided the total amount from both rounds among the four of us, including my boyfriend."

The author wrote, "I can't believe I have to pay 70,000 won when I barely ate anything at the restaurant or the chicken place. Most of that amount seems to be for food, not alcohol, and it was A's boyfriend who ate all of it. It felt like I was paying for A's boyfriend's drinks and meals."

The author asked A, "Isn't it a bit much to split the bill for what your boyfriend ate?" A replied, "Anyway, since we all ate together at that place, splitting the bill is right. Usually, at drinking parties, people who don't drink don't get their drink costs deducted. It's the same."

Friend B sided with the author, saying, "I don't think she even ate 30,000 won worth," but A did not understand.

The author said, "At this point, I can't understand why a boyfriend in his early to mid-30s, who hadn't eaten dinner, was invited to a friends' gathering," and asked, "I saw a post targeting the friend saying she's weird for being stingy about 70,000 won. What do you think?"

Comments included reactions such as, "I don't understand why a boyfriend tags along to a friends' gathering just to have a meal," "If he ate more than the others, he should have paid more," "Since the boyfriend joined, the friends probably had an uncomfortable meal; the couple should have at least paid for the second round," and others like "The concept of friendship seems different across generations," and "Everyone seems to be struggling these days to the point of being sensitive about things like this."