An elderly woman on Seoul Subway Line 1 checked on a heavily pregnant commuter and pressed 10,000 won into her hand, telling her to buy something delicious for the baby. [Newsis]
An elderly woman on Seoul Subway Line 1 checked on a heavily pregnant commuter and pressed 10,000 won into her hand, telling her to buy something delicious for the baby. [Newsis]

A heartwarming story is making the rounds online after an elderly woman on a crowded Seoul Subway Line 1 train pressed 10,000 won ($8) into the hands of a heavily pregnant commuter during the morning rush, telling her to buy something delicious for the baby.

The story was shared Wednesday on Threads by a pregnant woman identified only as A, who recounted the act of kindness she received while riding an express train on Line 1 bound for Cheongnyangni.

"I was barely managing to stand by the doors, guarding my big belly as usual, when an elderly woman far across the car waved me over," A wrote.

The train was too crowded for A to move, so A smiled and declined. But the woman appeared unable to let it go, A said, and kept watching the surrounding seats to see if a spot would open up nearby.

When a seat became available at Gasan Digital Complex station, A sat down — and the woman came over and pressed 10,000 won into A's hand.

"She came up and said it must be hard, and to buy the baby something yummy," A wrote. "I said it was fine, really fine, but she tucked it into my pocket anyway."

A went on to describe the daily toll of commuting on Line 1 while heavily pregnant — packed trains, and people sitting in the priority seats for pregnant women while pretending to sleep or staring at their phones. "I've been counting down the days until my leave," A wrote.

A added: "I've always cursed Line 1 as the worst, but today my faith in humanity is fully restored. Experiencing something this heartwarming melts away all the hurt I've been carrying."

A closed the post with a message to the woman: "I'm crying on my way to work, grandmother. Thank you. I'll buy the baby something yummy."

Readers flooded the comments with responses such as "What a warm-hearted grandmother," "That's a Korean grandmother for you," and "Wishing nothing but good things for both of you." One commenter shared a similar experience, writing that after usually avoiding Line 1 in favor of the bus, taking it in a hurry that same day led to a woman noticing the commenter's pregnancy badge and immediately giving up her seat with a smile.


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