Why finding a decent spot for a video interview in Seoul is harder than I thought

The struggle of finding a quiet box in a noisy city

I really underestimated how difficult it would be to find a decent place for a one-hour online interview near the Gangnam area. My apartment is right next to a construction site where they have been drilling into concrete since 7 AM for the past month, so there was absolutely no way I could host a professional video call from my bedroom. I thought it would be as simple as walking into a local library or a study cafe, but I quickly realized that most places around Gangnam or Sadang Station are either too loud or have paper-thin walls that let in every sound from the neighbors.

Paying for a sliver of silence

I ended up booking an ‘interview room’ at a private studio near Seoul National University station. It cost me about 15,000 won for two hours. Honestly, the price felt a bit steep for such a tiny room that looked like a converted walk-in closet, but at the time, I was desperate. The air circulation was terrible, and even though they advertised high-speed Wi-Fi, I spent the first twenty minutes just trying to get my laptop to stop buffering. I had to tether it to my phone anyway, which was a huge relief, though my data plan definitely took a hit. If I had known the connection would be that spotty, I would have brought my own portable router.

The weird lighting setup that wasn’t enough

One thing I didn’t expect was how much the ‘professional lighting’ they mentioned in the booking would actually fail me. The studio provided a small ring light, but it made my face look completely washed out against the plain white wall behind me. I spent fifteen minutes fiddling with the settings and trying to position the camera so I didn’t look like I was being interrogated. It felt very different from the smooth, well-lit interviews you see on YouTube or in professional media pieces. My camera angles were all off, and I spent half the time worrying if the background looked too much like a cheap study cafe desk.

Watching others try to pull it off

While I was packing up my gear, I saw a guy in the hallway waiting for his turn. He had a giant professional-grade microphone and two separate LED panels in his bag. I felt so underprepared with my tiny laptop webcam. It’s funny how everyone is trying to perform this ‘professional’ version of themselves in these tiny, cramped boxes scattered across Seoul. Whether it’s at a fancy co-working space in Gangnam or a smaller study cafe in Sillim, we are all just scrambling for a background that doesn’t have a visible roommate or a noisy coffee machine in the background.

Was it really worth the hassle?

Looking back, I’m not sure if renting that specific room was worth the trouble. By the time I set up, adjusted the frame, and dealt with the Wi-Fi issues, I was already sweating and slightly annoyed before the actual interview even started. I wonder if it would have been better to just find a quiet corner in a park or a very early morning slot at a regular cafe, even if there was some background noise. There is this expectation now that if you have an online interview, you must be in a ‘perfect’ studio environment. I felt like I was playing a character in a drama rather than just being myself. I didn’t even get a follow-up email yet, so all that stress over the lighting and the room rental feels even more hollow now.