The Day I Realized My Legs Hurt Because I Live in Seoul

I moved to Seoul. Got a step counter app. Just curious.

Day 1: 3,000 steps. Normal.
Day 7: 14,000 steps.
Day 30: 18,000 steps.

I wasn’t exercising. I swear. I was just… living.

My legs started hurting. All the time. I thought I was sick.

Turns out I just live here.

I Tried to Take a Taxi and Walked 15 Minutes to Find It

I was late. For a meeting. In Gangnam.

I opened the taxi app. It said “Driver 2 minutes away.”

I went outside. The street was a parking lot. Cars everywhere. Not moving.

My driver texted: “I’m stuck. Can you walk to the main road?”

The main road was 15 minutes away. On foot.

I walked. In dress shoes. In July. I arrived sweating. Like I ran a marathon.

Got in the taxi. Driver said “Traffic.” We moved 2 blocks in 10 minutes.

I got out. Walked the rest. I was on time. And dead.

I learned: in Seoul, walking is faster than driving. Unless you like sitting in a hot car feeling your life slip away.

I Went to the Han River Because Everyone Else Did and My Legs Gave Up

My friend said “Let’s go to the Han River after work. It’s nice.”

I said “Is it far?”

He said “No. Just a walk.”

We walked. From the office. For 25 minutes.

We got there. It was… a river. With people. Lots of people.

Walking. Sitting. Eating. On mats. In the grass.

We found a spot. Sat down. My feet were screaming.

My friend bought chicken. And beer. From a store right there.

We ate. It was nice. For 20 minutes.

Then he said “Want to walk back?”

I said “I’ll take the subway.”

I walked 15 minutes to the subway. Stood on the train for 30 minutes. Walked 10 minutes home.

Checked my phone. 22,000 steps.

I went to bed at 9 PM. Like a grandpa. My legs haven’t forgiven me.

I Tried to Hike a Mountain at 6 AM and Was Destroyed by Pensioners

I heard mountains are a thing here.

I woke up Saturday. 6 AM. Thought “I’ll be healthy. I’ll hike.”

Got to the mountain. By subway. Then bus. Then walked 20 minutes to the trail.

I started climbing. It was stairs. Forever. Straight up.

10 minutes in, I was dying.

A group passed me. All of them were 65+.

They had sticks. And gloves. And hats. And vests with 20 pockets.

One lady said “Hwaiting!” and speed-walked past me. Uphill. While talking.

I made it 30 minutes. Sat on a rock. Drank water. Went back down.

The pensioners were still going up. I think they live there.

I took the bus. Then subway. Then walked home. 23,000 steps.

I deleted the hiking app. My knees still hurt.

Summary

I thought I was just lazy before.

Turns out I lived in a city where you have to walk 20 minutes to buy milk. Where traffic means walking is faster. Where “hanging out” means walking to a river. Where 65-year-olds hike before breakfast.

📌 Things I Noticed

• The subway makes you walk: You walk to it. In it. From it. It’s a walking conspiracy.
• Taxis are a trap: You’ll walk 15 minutes to meet the taxi that’s stuck in traffic. Just walk the whole way.
• If you’re new: Buy good shoes. Not dress shoes. Not hiking boots. Just shoes that won’t kill you. Because you will walk. Everywhere. All the time. Forever.
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This is just what happened to me. I don’t know why people walk here. I’m not a city planner. Don’t ask me for fitness tips. I once took a taxi and still walked 15 minutes.

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