Why do we have to perform happiness all the time?
So my girlfriend and I have been together for like 10 months and she’s awesome, really sweet and caring. But lately I’ve been feeling so drained by the whole ‘couple culture’ thing in Korea. Every weekend it’s like — match outfits, go to some trendy cafe, take 100 photos, post on Insta with some cute caption. I get it, she likes documenting stuff, but I don’t wake up feeling like a K-drama couple every damn day. Yesterday we argued because I didn’t want to wear the same color shirts at Namsan Tower. She said I don’t put in effort and that it makes her feel insecure when we don’t ‘look’ happy. Like… I *am* happy? But not in a performative way. I just wanna grab tteokbokki and walk around without staging a photoshoot. Now she’s side-eyeing me like I’m hiding something or cheating or whatever, which I’m not. I just hate feeling like every moment has to be curated. I brought it up and she said ‘if you loved me you’d want to show us off’ — that kinda broke me a bit. Not sure if I’m the asshole here or if this pressure is just too much. idk man