[SUB/PDF] S1 E48 | Intermediate | Korean Podcast | At a Convenience Store 편의점 |

Hello, everyone. This is Professor Jeong from Focus Korean. Today’s topic is "At a Convenience Stores.

" Convenience stores are open 24 hours, so you can drop by anytime easily. Do you often go to convenience stores? I’ll speak slowly.

So listen carefully. I don’t usually go to convenience stores very often. But on days when I have an evening class and want something quick to eat, I stop by a convenience store.

This semester, my evening class starts at 6 p. m. Around 6 p.

m. , I’m usually still a bit full from lunch, so I’m not super hungry. But since I might get hungry during class, I grab something simple at the convenience store.

I usually buy a small cup of ramyeon and some smoked quail eggs. This combination is surprisingly filling and perfect for a light meal. Convenience stores often have tables where you can sit, and microwaves and hot water too, so you can eat right there.

But at the convenience store on campus, there are a lot of students and coworkers passing by, so sometimes I run into familiar faces while eating. In those moments, I have to say hello, and sometimes people ask me, “Why are you just eating ramyeon instead of a meal? ” —which can be a little annoying.

So usually, I just take my food to my office and eat quietly by myself. Sometimes, when I finish work early, I go pick up my daughter from kindergarten. And every time, we stop by a convenience store together.

At some point, it became a little routine for us to stop by the convenience store before going home. My daughter always sweetly begs, “Can I please buy just one snack? ” I tell her she can only pick one thing, and then we go in together.

Once inside, she slowly looks around the store, carefully choosing her snack. Since she can only pick one, she takes her time thinking it through seriously. It’s really fun to watch her like that.

When I see her wandering around choosing a snack, I realize that for kids, convenience stores probably feel like a tiny playground. Even for adults like us, it’s fun to check out new drinks and snacks sometimes, right? Even though convenience stores are much smaller than supermarkets, they still have that fun browsing experience.

After all that careful looking, my daughter usually ends up picking something she already likes. Her choices are different day by day, but she generally sticks to her favorites: Chupa Chups lollipops, Haribo gummies, or chocolate milk. Since it’s almost dinnertime, we only buy a small snack, but because she picked it herself, she enjoys it even more.

I think these little memories—holding hands and choosing snacks together —will become sweet memories later on. Sometimes, I grab a beer with a neighborhood friend at the convenience store near my house. When it feels too soon to go home after dinner, but going to a bar feels like too much, the convenience store is the perfect choice.

There’s usually a table set up outside, so it’s a great spot to have a beer, coffee, or ice cream. From spring to summer, when the weather is nice, it’s the perfect season for having a beer outside a convenience store. Convenience stores have a wide variety of domestic and imported beers, and they often run promotions too.

For example, you can sometimes buy four cans for 10,000 or 12,000 won, or they offer discounts on specific days of the week. My friend and I usually buy four cans and split them—two cans each. Since we like different beers, we each pick what we want.

I usually choose Cass or Asahi. For snacks, we get something salty, like butter-grilled squid or a fishcake bar. Sometimes, just sitting outside a convenience store and having a relaxed drink like this feels like one of the simple joys of life.

In this episode, I talked about different moments when I stop by a convenience store in my daily life. If you’d like to study a little more deeply with my content, you can find study materials on Patreon. The link is in the description box.

Thank you, as always, for your support! Now everyone, listen to the story once again. I'll read it a bit faster.