A man shared his story of preparing a newlywed home with a 300 million won deposit officetel lease, only to hear from his prospective mother-in-law that she felt "disappointed."
On the 21st, a post titled "Why My Prospective Mother-in-Law Dislikes Me" was uploaded on an online community. The author, Mr. A, is a prospective son-in-law preparing for marriage. He explained the background, saying, "My girlfriend and I have been dating since college, and since we both got jobs at large corporations, we naturally started preparing for marriage."
Seoul apartment skyline. Not related to specific expressions in the article. [Image source=Yonhap News]
The biggest issue the couple faced was housing. Mr. A gathered about 300 million won through 200 million won supported by his parents, his own savings, and loans, and used this amount to rent an officetel on the outskirts of Seoul. This residence is planned to be their newlywed home.
Later, while preparing for the wedding, when Mr. A went to greet his prospective father- and mother-in-law, he soon sensed an uncomfortable atmosphere. He said, "(My prospective mother- and father-in-law) seemed to dislike me just from their expressions."
After the meeting, when he asked his girlfriend the reason, she replied, "My parents are concerned about two things." The first was that Mr. A and their daughter, Ms. B, have the same academic background, and the second was that they chose an officetel lease on the outskirts of Seoul as their first home.
Mr. A lamented, "My prospective mother-in-law said she feels like crying thinking about her daughter starting her newlywed life in an officetel," adding, "If a woman and a man have the same academic background, does the woman lose out? Is the man criticized for renting an officetel with a 300 million won deposit?"
The story sparked debate among netizens. Generally, they responded with sympathy, saying, "If a young adult just starting their career managed to gather 300 million won, isn't that effort enough? I don't know what more they should do," and "Newlyweds usually start in modest homes." One netizen comforted, "From a parent's perspective, they might be worried about the hardships their child will face in the future."
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