"Our Daughter Works for a Major Company..." Tenant Fumes Over Landlord's Repeated Bragging About Her Children

[Financial News] A woman in her 60s who has run a small shop for five years said she is stressed by her landlord's repeated bragging about her children and remarks comparing them.
According to JTBC's 'Sageon Banjang' on the 16th, Ms. A said the owner of the building where she rents space for her shop is also a woman in her 60s. Both women have one son and one daughter in their 30s, so they initially had a relatively close relationship.
Over time, however, Ms. A increasingly felt uncomfortable after talking with the landlord. She said the landlord repeatedly bragged about her children whenever they met.
According to Ms. A, the landlord often brought up her children, saying, "Our son's annual salary has gone way up" and "Our daughter is so capable that she even gives us a generous allowance." She later began making remarks that seemed to compare her children with Ms. A's or belittle them, she said.
Ms. A said the comparative remarks became even more frequent recently as the landlord's daughter prepared to get married.
The landlord emphasized that her daughter worked for a major company and said, "She went through so much to get into a major company, but once she settled in, she became more financially comfortable."
She then appeared to compare the two daughters, saying of Ms. A's daughter, "Things seemed pretty tight for your daughter when she got married. It must have been difficult. A small and midsize company," according to Ms. A.
Ms. A responded, "My daughter is very smart and frugal, so she did very well," but said the landlord again brought up the fact that her daughter worked for a "small and midsize company," comparing the two women once more.
Ms. A said, "I was seething inside the whole time, but I usually have difficulty saying unpleasant things to others, so I kept my anger bottled up," adding, "If she were a friend, I could simply stop seeing her, but I can't do that because she is my landlord."
She asked for advice, saying, "Is there any way to respond without damaging the relationship? Do I just have to keep putting up with it?"
Attorney Son Su-ho, who heard the story, believed it would be better to keep one's distance rather than confront the landlord directly. He advised, "Given the landlord's personality and disposition, taking a confrontational stance could put you in an even more difficult situation. It is best to simply avoid her."
Psychology professor Park Sang-hee also said it would be better not to escalate the conflict. "There is no need to create unnecessary trouble," Park said. "Just because someone is a landlord does not mean that person's character or level of thinking is any higher. What would you gain by picking a fight with someone of poor character?" She added, "Bragging is a habit. Pointing it out will not make the person change easily."


[email protected] Han Seung-gon Reporter