Can anyone please explain to me why they don’t call the language used in the series Korean and instead call it English? At first, I thought it was just in the English subtitles, so I was ready to blame the translators. But when I checked the Korean subtitles and listened more carefully to the original audio, it became clear that Se Gye actually said “English” when talking to Seo Ri in Episode 10.

The English translation says, “No wonder your English is so bad,” while the original Korean is “어쩐지 영어가 짧더라니,” where “영어가” means “English” (the language). It doesn’t make any sense because they are speaking Korean throughout the entire series.

He doesn’t mean they are literally speaking English to each other. In that exact scene Se-gye said “English” (영어) loosely to refer to trendy slang, imported expressions, or modern vocabulary that comes from English, especially in youth culture, celebrity speech, and online spaces where English loanwords are everywhere.

The phrase “영어가 짧다” is somewhat sarcastic. Literally it means “your English is weak,” but culturally it can imply that someone doesn’t catch imported expressions, sounds a bit unsophisticated or outdated, doesn’t understand trendy vocabulary, or is out of touch with the social register being used. That's it. A lot of contemporary Korean speech naturally mixes in English-derived words and phrases, and this blend is often jokingly called “콩글리시” (Konglish), meaning English adapted into Korean pronunciation and usage. So the line is less about actual English ability and more about teasing someone for not being fluent in that modern, hybrid way of speaking.