🎙️ Tina’s Diary | Ep.3 – We Argue… and Still, We Love

Welcome back to Tina’s Diary — a soft and honest podcast where I share pieces of my life, and help you learn Korean through real emotions and gentle storytelling.

In today’s episode, I talk about a small fight with my husband… and a bigger one with my two-year-old daughter.

We all lose our temper sometimes.

But when love is strong, we always find our way back to each other. 💛

From an old Korean proverb to a little voice saying “Mommy, I love you,”

this episode is about what it means to be family — to hurt, to forgive, and to love again.

🌸 You’ll also learn Korean words like:

• 말다툼 (a small argument)

• 부부싸움은 칼로 물베기 (proverb)

• 신혼 (newlywed period)

• 부부 (married couple)

• 화나다 (to get angry)

• 짜증나다 (to be annoyed or irritated)

• 서운하다 (to feel hurt or let down (emotionally))

• 예민하다 (to be sensitive)

• 화해하다 (to make up)

• 안식처 (a place of comfort and rest)

No matter your level, I’ll explain each word gently and clearly.

So sit back, take a deep breath, and enjoy this quiet moment with me. 🌿

Let's listen to it!

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팟캐스트에서 내용을 들으셨다면, 아래 스크립트도 함께 확인해 보세요!

If you listened to the podcast, check out the script below!

🎙️ July 14, 2025. Tina’s Diary.

This past weekend, I had a small argument with my husband.

When we were newly married,

we didn’t know each other well—

so it took a long time to understand one another.

After a fight, it would take ages to feel okay again.

But now, after years of being together,

we’ve come to know each other more deeply.

지난 주말에 남편과 사소한 말다툼을 했어요.

신혼 때는, 서로를 잘 몰라서 이해하는 데 시간이 오래 걸렸어요.

싸우고 나면 기분을 풀기까지도 한참 걸렸죠.

하지만 함께한 시간이 길어지니까 서로에 대해 조금 더 잘 알아요.

Even if we argue,

we end up smiling again, not long after. 😊

I think it’s because the trust between us has grown stronger.

There’s a Korean saying:

“A fight between a married couple is like cutting water with a knife.”

그래서 싸우더라도 금방 다시 웃게 돼요. 😊

서로에 대한 신뢰가 커진 것 같아요.

한국에는 이런 속담이 있어요.

“부부싸움은 칼로 물 베기!”

No matter how hard you try to cut water,

it flows back together—instantly.

That’s how it is with people who love each other.

Arguments may come,

but so does forgiveness—quickly and gently.

물을 칼로 베어봤자 다시 금방 합쳐지잖아요?

이처럼 서로 사랑하는 부부의 싸움은 쉽게 화해하게 돼요.

This morning,

I had a fight with my sweet little two-year-old daughter too.

She had to go to daycare,

but she didn’t want to get dressed.

She got upset, shouted, and almost cried.

오늘 아침엔

저의 사랑스러운 두 살 딸과도 싸웠어요.

어린이집에 가야 하는데 옷을 입기 싫다며 짜증을 냈어요.

화도 내고, 울먹이기도 했죠.

Last week, she had been sick,

and I barely slept during that time.

She would wake up every night,

cling to me more than usual.

I guess… I had become sensitive and tired too.

Without realizing it,

my voice got louder. 😔

지난주에 딸이 아픈 바람에 저는 잠을 거의 못 잤어요.

새벽마다 깨고 어리광도 많아졌거든요.

그래서 저도 많이 예민해져 있었나 봐요.

나도 모르게 목소리가 높아졌어요. 😔

And as soon as it happened—

my heart ached.

“She’s only two…She probably just didn’t want to be apart from her mom…”

I had gotten caught up in my own feelings,

and forgot to look into hers.

그리고 나서 마음이 너무 아팠어요.

“아직 두 살 밖에 안 된 아기인데.. 엄마랑 떨어지기 싫어서 그랬을 텐데…”

순간의 감정에 휘말려서 딸의 마음을 제대로 들여다보지 못했어요.

But just before I dropped her off at daycare,

she looked up at me with a bright smile and said:

“Mommy, I love you!”

That one sentence…

brought tears to my eyes.

그런데, 어린이집 앞에서 딸이 환하게 웃으며 이렇게 말했어요.

“엄마, 사랑해!”

그 한마디에 눈물이 핑 돌았어요.

Yes.

Family is just like that.

We may hurt each other,

get upset,

feel misunderstood—

but we always come back.

Because the more you love someone,

the easier it is to hold them close again.

I want to be a warm home for my family.

A place they can always return to.

A soft place to rest their hearts.

그래요.

가족은 그런 것 같아요.

사랑하는 만큼 상처도 줄 수 있지만, 그만큼 더 빨리 서로를 안아줄 수 있는 존재- 그게 바로 가족인 것 같아요.

저는 우리 가족에게 따뜻한 집이었으면 해요.

언제든 들어와 쉴 수 있는 마음의 안식처가 되고 싶어요.

Now, I’d like to share some Korean words from today’s diary.

📚Today’s Korean Words

• 말다툼 [말ː다툼] – a small argument

• 부부싸움은 칼로 물베기 – a Korean proverb: fights between married couples don’t last long

• 신혼 [신혼] – newlywed period

• 부부 [부부] – married couple

• 화나다 [화ː나다] – to get angry

• 짜증나다 [짜증나다] – to be annoyed or irritated

• 서운하다 [서운하다] – to feel hurt or let down (emotionally)

• 예민하다 [예ː민하다] – to be sensitive

• 화해하다 [화해하다] – to make up / reconcile

• 안식처 [안식처] – a place of comfort and rest

📝 Here’s a simple summary of today’s diary using all the words:

지난 주말에 남편과 말다툼을 했어요.

Last weekend, I had a small argument with my husband.

신혼 때는 부부가 싸우면 화해하기 어려웠어요.

When we were newlyweds, it was hard for us as a married couple to make up after a fight.

하지만 지금은 쉽게 화해해요.

But now, we can make up more easily.

왜냐하면 부부싸움은 칼로 물베기니까요. 😊

Because in Korea, there’s a saying: “A couple’s fight is like trying to cut water with a knife.”

오늘 아침에는 딸이 옷을 안 입겠다고 짜증을 냈어요.

This morning, my daughter didn’t want to get dressed. She got annoyed and started fussing.

저도 화가 나고, 예민해서 소리를 질렀어요.

I also got angry, and because I was sensitive, I raised my voice.

딸은 아마 서운했을 거예요.

She was probably hurt by that.

그런데 딸이 말했어요.

But then, she said,

“엄마, 사랑해!”

“Mommy, I love you!”

그 말을 듣고 가족은 서로의 안식처라고 생각했어요.

After hearing that, I thought, "Family is a safe place for each other where love always waits.❤️"

📖 That’s it for today’s diary.

Thanks for staying with me until the end. Let’s keep walking this journey — slowly, gently, together.

If this story touched your heart, I’d love to hear from you — like, comment, or subscribe.

This was Tina’s Diary.

💛 티나의 일기, 끝! 💛