I Was Angry at the Agent… Then Something Shifted (From Emotion to Understanding, and the Brief Afterglow)
📞 After receiving a loan offer call today
Today, I received a loan offer call from Hyundai Card. Since it’s a place I use often and trust, I picked up, wondering if the terms might have changed since last time.
At first, the agent’s tone was fairly kind, but the conversation felt a bit one-sided. Thinking they weren’t really listening to me, a little anxiety and anger slipped into my voice without me realizing. Still, noticing my emotions and trying not to judge too quickly, I ended by saying “Thank you” and hung up.
And once I calmed down, this thought suddenly came to me.
They must be having a hard time too.
🧒 Seojun as a kid, and me now
In the past, if I got a call that felt pushy, I’d hang up right away or respond with irritation.
Back then, my emotions often came first, and I didn’t have much room to breathe.
But these days, it’s a little different.
Somewhere along the way, I’ve been through more, and I think I’ve learned to consider people’s circumstances and feelings a bit more.
So I started to think that the agent who called might be living through a day much like mine.
They’re someone’s family, someone’s friend—another person living in this world alongside us.
Thinking that way softened my heart, even if only a little.
☎ What is a day like for an agent?
An agent’s daily life means making dozens, even hundreds of calls a day.
They face different reactions every time, and sometimes they’re hurt by rude words and behavior. In that repetition, emotions can gradually go numb, and eventually relying on a set script may be the most natural thing in the world.
Maybe that’s why their tone is polite, but what they say can sometimes feel contradictory or flimsy. It can feel mechanical, like it isn’t coming from the heart—but perhaps that’s because they have to get through the day somehow.
Maybe the agent wasn’t trying to ignore my situation—maybe it just didn’t occur to them in that moment. They could have been tired, or emotionally drained. I found myself wanting to understand those possibilities.
🤝 My response, and theirs
In that moment, anger definitely rose up in me. I felt unsettled, but I deliberately ended the call with a cute “Thaaank you~”. It wasn’t about forcing my feelings down—it was because I didn’t want to hate anyone. I was simply hurt that I didn’t feel understood in that moment.
After the call, the agent wrapped up the goodbye and hung up with a voice that sounded slightly rushed. Maybe that was when they finally sensed, at least a little, what I had been feeling.
🧭 All of us are speaking just to keep going
As we live in this world, there comes a time when everyone needs to be understood.
The agent who has to persuade people all day, and we who have to receive those calls—we’re all living our lives, crossing paths within each other’s days.
Sometimes we can hurt each other, and someone might even say “I’m right”. But if that “rightness” includes words that put someone down, doesn’t it end up hurting all of us?
I have a house, a car, lots of money, and I live elegantly.
But I don’t like that homeless person because they smell. I wish they wouldn’t come to our restaurant.
Even if the tone is different, words like these can become a deep wound in someone’s heart.
If someone has sensitive emotions, even a small remark can make them shut down.
What if I get another call next time?
If I receive a call like this again, I want to accept it and observe it with a little more generosity. Maybe I won’t pick up—but what matters more is the perspective of trying to understand them as a fellow human being.
I hope that you, too, can feel someone’s sincerity and warmth within this short experience today.
🔽 Consultation calls can come when you need them 🙂
💬 Lastly, remembering Venerable Beopjeong’s words
“When you like others, you feel good. When you envy or hate others, you suffer.”
Today as well, I’m trying to make myself warmer,
and I hope you have a peaceful day too.
From Shinbi Days, Seojun.
