Korean Job Discussion Forums

[thepeel]

So my girlfriend (American) and I live together in South Seoul. We are in an officetel that has a very nice gym in the basement that we may use for free. The problem is the ignorant Korean men who use it too.

For the past few weeks I have been working my summer session splitz, and haven't been able to go to the gym with my lady. So, she has been going alone and a Korean dude has been harassing her the entire time. Mostly they argue about the volume level of her TV (it is always quieter than his) or the AC (surprise!).

At any rate, today he started swearing at her, asking her if she was f**king crazy, in Korean. She had had enough of this and came upstairs to get me. Well, I slightly lost my temper and went downstairs to see what the problem was. What I found was a pathetic 30-ish dork sweating like a hockey player while slowly walking on the treadmill. I asked him what in the hell his problem was, swearing at a girl and the situation pretty much went crazy from there. I wanted to hit him so bad my knees were shaking, but i remembered the stories of ESLers going to jail for making more ugly a Korean man. So, basically, I escalated the situation and am sure that this petty little man will now attempt to restore his Klingon honour is some unpredictable way.

I want to smooth this over before it gets out of control. How shall I go about this? He speaks no English and I don't speak Korean (other than a full vocab of bad words). How do Koreans smooth things over?

[uberscheisse]

don't smooth it over.

figure out how to say "don't talk to my girlfriend, for any reason, ever" in korean and leave it at that. since he's smaller than you he may comply.

who the hell is he to harrass your girlfriend?

[FlagWaver]

OH I don't think that really happened. I've been here for 17 years and that never happened to me or anyone I know. In fact, you're making all of this up. heres a clue, you're not in Canada anymore, blah blah blah.



Man why didn't you just hit him? Jesus, those stories - I could tell you a million ass kickin when they deserve it stories where we never got caught. Shhheeesh. Bu-BAMM!! Yeah!!


Now go back down there and kick his hockey sweatin ass

[thepeel]

Well, we are planning an early exit from the ROK. Don't want to make things worse while we prepare. Now, the day that I leave, that is a MUCH different story.

But, until then, seriously, I don't want any more problems. How can I calm this little girl.

[FlagWaver]

Simple. Stay out of his way. He obviously knows who she is and who you are and he's doing all this crap on purpose. He's trying to provoke you. OR you could cut off his finger, the little one. After that tell him his thumb is next.

[bundangbum]

ssome guy shouts at me in the gym. Take no notice of it. Just ignore it until he does something physical. then go to the pigs.

Just ignore him and spread lies about him in your gym.

[thepeel]

[bundangbum]

get the school to explain to the gym what is happeneing?

[thepeel]

[bundangbum]

[thepeel]

[itaewonguy]

two options!

1: tell him to GET F*CKED! and never talk to us again!!

2: ignore him! and if he tries to bother you just flip him the bird and tell him go away!!!

he sounds like an Idiot!

still even in my gym I have some guys who are morons!!
they use all the weights different weights right they collect them all out of the rake and put them on the floor next to them . then once they finish with them just leave them on the floor!!
they take the bars too! they take everything!!!

funny thing yesterday one of the heros at the end of his workout with his hero mate! decide to do bench presses so he stakes at 40KGs on each side and gets ready! his mate spots him.. he cant even left it!!!
not once!!

then the trainer comes over the tells them what are you doing idiots!!
you think you can left 80KG!!! aiiiigoooo
so he takes off one plate so now its 30 each side!
still he cant left it ONCE!!

so they drop off another 10! now he has 20 each..
still he cant lift it!!

now there is 10 on each side! and he is being spotted every lift!
hahhahhaha
the trainer just walks away SAYING 40KG arr chincha!!
hahahahah
then told them do the bench press at the start of your workout!! when you muscles are fresh!!

but yeah I try to go to the gym in the day time when no one is there just ajumas on threadmills.. going after 6pm can be a nightmare sometimes

but otherwise my gym is cool place! never had any problems!
ive been going to this one for 3 months now..
and friday was the third time someone even talked to me
1: A korean girl said hello
2: A muscle hero with axel rose biker shorts of USA came up to me and ask if we can turn off the fan! EVEN tho it was mid july and FREAKIN HOT
I said ok!!
3: just last friday one guy had like 3 sets of dumbells next to him so I waited till he was finish.. he gets up and goes.. so I go over at take the 12's then he comes over and looks at my dumbells back in the rake as I am stretching my arms.. and SAYS! Are you using those! ???
I said.. I am about to! why?
Im not finish with them..
OK take them!

thats it!

my gym is sweet!!
never a problem..
even the guys blow drying their UNITS dont faze me anymore!

[bundangbum]

My gym is great. Polite and nice. although they do get pissed when i turn the fan on. But if someone who works there turns the fan on after the people have turned it off they dont do anything. It's still like 26 degrees in my gym.

[periwinkle]

The dude is obviously on a power trip. If I were her, I'd ignore him about the tv. As for air con, I'd figure-out a way to negotiate. For example, 15 min. at his temp., 15 at hers. Write it on paper if you have to. If he doesn't agree, I'd take it to the office at the officetel, or whoever is in charge of the gym. The gym is for all tenants, so it shouldn't just be one guy's way or the highway. Small man syndrome... He's pushing her around to make himself feel bigger. Before you leave, I'd find-out where he lives..

[captain kirk]

The gym makes me laugh, honestly, it's a place to relax but when a Korean guy with a complex, an axe to grind, a chip on his shoulder gets impish and harrassing, michevious, it's just funny. Like this guy who's laid claim to some bench. I adjust it and go to grab some dumbells and when I come back he's hanging around as if it's his. So anyway I 'take it over' and he's harrumphing in a yankee go home manner to agreements of snorts from another man. Who looks terminally constipated when he has his stone cold racist face on, haha. So this same guy darts in to use the cross-pulleys for the chest/pecs, one handle of it, to do his one hand triceps thing. Which is what he's doing, triceps, except with pitiful little weight and again and again, like that's going to do anything. So it's just funny when you look at how much weight he's using, and how serious he seems to be about trying to make whitey feel harrassed and unwelcome. Darting around like Puck or Peter Pan or some mischevious fairy, haha.