I've been living in Seoul for three years now, and the way people here navigate public spaces still puzzles me—especially the unspoken rules around subway seating. Older folks get priority, sure, but there's this subtle hierarchy where even pregnant women hesitate to ask for a seat unless they're wearing the pink badge. Back home in London, we'd just make eye contact and offer, but here it feels like everyone's avoiding that moment of acknowledgment. My Korean friend says it's about saving face, not wanting to burden others, but I can't help wondering if this quiet system actually leaves some people suffering in silence. Do you think a more explicit approach to seat-sharing, like verbal requests or designated zones, would improve things, or would it just create awkwardness?