Photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]
Photo is unrelated to the article. [Getty Images Bank]

A woman in her 60s who runs a small shop has shared her frustration over a landlord who repeatedly brags about her children and makes pointed comparisons to her own.

According to JTBC's "Sageon Banjang," a TV advice program, the woman, identified only as A, said her landlord is also a woman in her 60s. Both have a son and a daughter in their 30s, and the two initially got along fairly well.

At some point, however, A began to feel unsettled after their conversations. The landlord, she said, never missed a chance to bring up her children whenever they met.

According to A, the landlord would say things like, "My son's salary shot up," and "My daughter is so capable — she gives me a generous allowance." The landlord would then subtly compare or belittle A's own children.

The remarks grew worse recently as the landlord's daughter's wedding approached. The landlord emphasized that her daughter works at a large conglomerate, saying, "She worked so hard to get into a big company, and now that she's settled in, she has room to breathe." She then turned to A's daughter and said, "Things must have been pretty tight for your daughter's wedding — it must have been hard. Small and medium-sized enterprise and all."

A replied that her daughter was "so sharp and thrifty that she managed everything beautifully," but the landlord kept repeating "small and medium-sized enterprise" and drawing the comparison to her own daughter.

"I was seething inside the whole time, but I'm not the type to say unpleasant things to people, so I just swallowed my anger," A said. "If she were a friend, I could just stop seeing her — but she's my landlord, so I can't do that." She asked for advice on how to handle the situation without damaging the relationship, wondering whether she should simply keep enduring it.

Attorney Son Su-ho, who reviewed the story, advised that picking a fight could backfire given the landlord's personality. "The safest move is simply to avoid her," he said.

Psychology professor Park Sang-hee agreed there was no need to stir up trouble. "Just because someone is a landlord doesn't mean their character or level of thinking is elevated," she said. "What would you gain from fighting with someone of low caliber?" She added that boasting is a habit. "Pointing it out won't change her easily," she said.


choigo@heraldcorp.com