Korean Drinking Culture & “Some” Relationships: Be Melodramatic Scene Decoded

[Image Source] AI illustration by DALL·E

 

1. Scene Snapshot

A quiet bar table with two half-filled soju glasses and too many unsaid words. Eun-jung, barely holding herself together after a loss, sits across from Sang-soo, the man who never pressures her, but never leaves either. He pours her a drink. She touches his glass—not for flirtation, but as a quiet protest against him pouring his own. A cultural ritual disguised as intimacy. Then he raises his glass to her eyes instead of clinking. It’s awkward, poetic, and oddly romantic. She stares. He hesitates. She finally says, “Move it.”

This is not a love confession. It’s what comes before. The quiet tension of 썸, the Korean “something” that might become love—or never will.

📺 Watch the original scene here

[Source] YouTube, @DRAMAVoyage

2. Micro-Dialogue

술잔을 채우다

Fill someone’s glass (with alcohol)

짠할까?

Should we clink glasses?

정적이 흐른다

A silence falls

당신의 눈동자에 건배

A toast… to your eyes

떼

Move it

3. Culture & Subtext

The phrase “썸을 타다” doesn’t come with a declaration of love. It lives in gestures, glances, and quiet tests. In Korea, this undefined phase is a subtle dance—full of hesitation, codes, and what-ifs. This scene in Be Melodramatic magnifies that space.

When Eun-jung touches Sang-soo’s glass as he tries to pour his drink, it isn’t flirtation—it’s etiquette. Traditionally, it’s bad luck in Korean culture to pour your alcohol. So friends—or potential lovers—pour for each other as a sign of care.

But Sang-soo twists the rule. Instead of clinking glasses, he raises his to her eyes and toasts—“A toast to your eyes.” It’s cringey. It’s romantic. And it’s ambiguous.

This is where 썸 lives: between cultural formality and emotional risk. Between “Are we something?” and “Are we just drinking?”

Eun-jung’s dry “떼” (Move it) breaks the tension. But not the connection.

❓ FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q1. What does “썸을 타다” really mean in Korean dating?
“썸” is Konglish from “something.” It means you’re not officially dating, but there’s mutual interest. It’s the phase of emotional testing, subtle signals, and non-verbal flirting.

[Source] Quora, Reddit

Q2. Why is pouring someone’s drink a big deal in Korea?
In Korean culture, pouring your alcohol is seen as bad luck and impolite. Letting others pour shows respect and closeness, and touching someone’s glass while they pour their own? That’s subtle protest + affection.

[Source] Quora, Reddit

Q3. Why does Sang-soo say “a toast to your eyes”? Is that normal?
Not at all. It’s cheesy and poetic. But that’s what makes the scene interesting—it’s emotional awkwardness turned into romantic tension. In “썸”, you push boundaries without saying how you feel.

Q4. What does “떼” mean in this context?
“떼” literally means “move it” or “take it away.” Eun-jung uses it to stop his awkward romantic gesture. Dry humor = emotional deflection. It’s her way of saying, “Let’s not pretend this is nothing.”

4. Grammar in Action

Sentence 1

(Pours a drink for Eun-jung, then fills her own glass as well.)

“은정에게 술을 따라준다.”

🔍 Analysis

– “은정에게”: “은정 (Eun-jung, name)” + “-에게” (dative particle, indicating the recipient of an action) → “To Eun-jung” (as the recipient of the drink)

– “술을”: “술” (alcohol, drink) + “-을” (object marker)

– “따라준다”: “따르다” (to pour, to follow) + “주다” (to do something for someone)

→ “따라주다” (to pour for someone) → “따라준다” (present tense ending)

📌 Example Usage:

“아버지께 술을 따라드렸다.”

“I poured a drink for my father.”

☀️ Meaning: He doesn’t just pour her a drink—he performs a quiet gesture of attention, of saying “I see you, I care,” without needing words.

Sentence 2

(She touches Sang-soo’s glass with her finger as he pours his drink.)

“술을 채우는 상수의 잔에”

🔍 Analysis

– “술을”: “술 (alcohol, drink)” + object marker “-을”

– “채우는”: “채우다 (to fill)” + present participle “-는” (modifying the noun “상수의 잔”)

📌 Example Usage:

“물을 채우는 컵”

“A cup being filled with water”

🔍 Analysis

– “상수의”: “상수 (Sang-soo, name)” + possessive “-의”

– “잔에”: “잔 (glass, cup)” + location particle “-에” (“on/in the glass”)

📌 Example Usage:

“그의 잔에 와인을 따랐다.”

“I poured wine into his glass.”

Sentence 3

“손가락을 갖다 댄다.”

🔍 Analysis

– “손가락” (finger) + object marker “-을”

– “갖다 대다”: “갖다 (to bring, to put close to)” + “대다 (to touch, to place near)” → “갖다 대다” → “갖다 댄다” (present tense ending)

📌 Example Usage:

“책상 위에 손가락을 갖다 댔다.”

“I placed my finger on the desk.”

🔎 Background Explanation:

In the past, in Korea, when drinking with others, it was considered inappropriate and even flawed luck to pour alcohol into one’s glass. The basic etiquette was that someone else should pour for you. If someone attempted to pour their drink, others would often intervene by touching their glass or taking the bottle to pour for them. This was a way of discouraging the “unlucky” act of self-pouring. If a glass was empty, the standard etiquette was to signal the person next to them to refill it.

Eun-jung, placing her finger on Sang-soo’s glass, carries this cultural meaning—she is signaling that he should not pour his drink. However, this traditional drinking culture is becoming a thing of the past. Nowadays, people pour as much as they want for themselves without concern, and it is now socially acceptable.

☀️ Meaning: That tiny motion—one finger on his glass—isn’t just etiquette. It’s her silent way of saying, “Don’t pretend you’re alone. I’m here.”

Sentence 4

“카사블랑카에 나온 대산데….”

🔍 Analysis

– “카사블랑카”: 영화 Casablanca (1942)

– “-에 나온”: “~에 나오다” (to appear in ~)

• “나오다” → “나온” (past participle form, modifying “대사”)

– “대산데”: “대사 (line, dialogue)” + “-인데” (background explanation or emphasis)

✂️ “대사인데” → “대산데” (shortened form)

📌 Example Usage:

“이건 셰익스피어 희곡에 나온 대사인데…”

“This is a line from a Shakespeare play…”

☀️ Meaning: He’s not just quoting a movie—he’s testing how deeply she’ll follow his emotional wavelength, even if it’s behind a silly quote.

Sentence 5

“당신의 눈에 뭐가 보이든… 나는…”

🔍 Analysis

– “당신의”: “당신 (you)” + Possessive case “-의” (your)

– “눈에”: “눈 (eyes)” + Locative particle “-에” (in)

– “뭐가”: “뭐 (what)” + Nominative case “-가”

• “뭐”: A shortened form of “무엇,” meaning “what.” Likewise, “뭐가” is a shortened form of “무엇이.”

– “보이든”: “보이다 (to be seen)” + Hypothetical form “-이든” (no matter what is seen)

– “나는”: “나 (I)” + Nominative case “-는” (emphasizing the subject)

📌 Example Usage:

“네가 무엇을 하든 나는 널 믿어.”

“No matter what you do, I trust you.”

☀️ Meaning: Even if she sees nothing good in him, even if she’s looking away emotionally—he’s still there. Still choosing her.

Sentence 6

(그런 상수에게 웃으면서) “떼.”

🔍 Analysis

– “그런 상수에게” → “To Sang-su, who is acting like that”

• “그런 (such, like that)” + “상수 (Sang-su, name)” + “-에게” (indicating the recipient of an action)

– “웃으면서” → “Smiling while speaking”

• “웃다 (to smile, to laugh)” + “-면서” (while ~)

“떼.” → “Move it.”

• “떼다 (to remove, to take away)” + imperative form

📌 Example Usage:

“손 떼.”

“Take your hand off.”

☀️ Meaning: Her dry smile and the single word—“떼”—is her way of saying, “That’s enough poetry. Let’s drink.”

5. Natural Korean Toolkit

썸을 타다

To have something going on romantically (but not dating yet)

→ 요즘 걔랑 썸 타는 중이야

→ I think something is going on between us lately

짠하다 / 잔을 맞추다

To clink glasses / do a cheers

→ 우리 짠하고 한 잔 하자

→ Let’s clink glasses and have a drink!

정적이 흐르다

To have a moment of silence

→ 정적이 흘러서 어색했다

→ A silence fell, and it got awkward

손가락을 갖다 대다

To lightly place one’s finger on something.

→ 술 따르려는 잔에 손가락을 갖다 댔다

→ I touched the glass to stop him from pouring

건배

Cheers! (formal toast)

→ 우리의 우정을 위해, 건배!

→ To our friendship, cheers!

6 Quick Quiz or Expression Drill

1) 술잔을 채우면 __________.

→ It’s polite to fill someone else’s glass

2) 썸은 사귀는 게 아니라 __________.

→ It’s something undefined but flirty

3) 상대가 자기 잔을 따르려 하면 __________.

→ Touch the glass to stop them

4) 잔 대신 눈에 가져다 대는 행동은 __________.

→ Awkward, but poetic

5) 정적이 흐를 때, 당신의 대사는 __________.

→ “떼.”

Answers

1) 술잔을 채우면 상대방의 잔을 먼저 채운다
→ It’s polite to fill someone else’s glass

2) 썸은 사귀는 게 아니라 감정을 떠보는 단계다
→ It’s something undefined but flirty

3) 상대가 자기 잔을 따르려 하면 손가락을 잔에 갖다 댄다
→ Touch the glass to stop them

4) 잔 대신 눈에 가져다 대는 행동은 낯간지럽지만 감정적이다
→ Awkward, but poetic

5) 정적이 흐를 때, 당신의 대사는 “떼.” 한 마디다
→ “떼.”