Saturday, September 12, 2026

"Is My Grandmother's Funeral More Important Than My Birthday?" Friend Who Attended Funeral Told to End Friendship [What Do You Think?]

Input
2026-09-12 06:00:00
Updated
2026-09-12 06:00:00
An AI-generated image intended to help readers understand the article. Photo=ChatGPT

[Financial News] A 22-year-old college student said she was told to end her 10-year friendship after she could not attend her friend’s birthday party because of her paternal grandmother’s funeral. The friend reportedly sent her a message saying, "My birthday party happens only once a year, and you think your grandmother’s funeral is more important than that?"
On the 9th, a post titled "A Friend Declared the Friendship Over Because I Went to My Grandmother’s Funeral—Am I the Strange One?" was uploaded to an online community.
The author, identified as A, said she was a 22-year-old college student. She wrote, "I have a friend I’ve been close to since elementary school. We’ve been friends for 10 years. The incident happened last week."
According to A, her friend B’s 22nd birthday party was scheduled for Saturday evening at a private-room bar in Hongdae, Seoul. A had also promised to attend the party.
On Friday night, the day before the gathering, A’s paternal grandmother, who lived in the countryside, suddenly died from a chronic illness.
A said she had no choice but to rush to the funeral home. She explained, "She was my beloved grandmother, and she raised me when I was young. My parents and I cried as we hurried to the funeral home in the countryside."
A sent B a KakaoTalk message explaining why she could not attend the birthday party. It read, "OO, I’m really sorry. My paternal grandmother suddenly passed away, so I have to go to the funeral home in the countryside now. I don’t think I can make it to your birthday party. I’m so sorry. I’ll buy you something delicious later."
A thought B would understand the situation, but the response was different.
B took issue with A’s attendance at the funeral and declared that she was ending their friendship. In the message A shared, B wrote, "Honestly, your paternal grandmother isn’t even an immediate parent, so did you really have to stay there for three days? My birthday party happens only once a year, and you think your grandmother’s funeral is more important than that? You really take our friendship lightly. Let’s cut ties."
A said she sent another message because she was dumbfounded but received no reply. She stated, "I was so shocked that I asked, ‘My grandmother just died and I’m devastated, and you’re talking about cutting ties because I didn’t come to your birthday party?’ But there was no response."
According to A, B read the message but did not respond, then posted on social media. The post said, "Friendship is more important than funeral rites, but I cut ties with a fake friend who used a sad event as an excuse not to come to my birthday party."
A said she was frustrated because she did not know whether she had done anything wrong. She asked, "Am I the strange one for going to my grandmother’s funeral after my friend declared that she was ending our friendship?"
Most online users who read the story said B’s reaction had gone too far. Comments included, "Her late grandmother filtered out that kind of friend for her," "How can you still not know what matters at that age?" "This is the end of the world," "Her grandmother saved her from a bad relationship," and "Someone like that is absolutely not best-friend material."


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter