[Korea Chaos Story] “I Just Wanted to Work in Peace”… When Group Chats Turn Emotional

Chaos Story

It started with something small.
An Excel cell out of alignment. A missing image in a report.
Minor things—nothing most people would even notice.

But the team group chat always noticed.
Or more accurately, he did.

Every time she made the smallest error, he posted about it publicly.
“Image missing on slide 2.”
“Please double-check cell formatting.”

It wasn’t aggressive. It wasn’t kind either.
It was just… constant.

Twice a week, for nearly a year.
Always in the team chat.
Never in a private message.
And never once addressed by the manager.

The man posting these messages? A 2nd-year coworker who no longer worked in her team.
He had been reassigned to another department.
She was the one now handling almost all of the team’s customer service work alone.
But he still kept watching—and pointing out every slip she made.

At first, she told herself it wasn’t worth reacting.
“It’s not that serious.”
“He probably means well.”
But that patience wore down over time.

Then one Monday, when the group chat pinged again, she finally responded.

“Noted, thank you.
Since it’s a busy day and I’m covering most of the front-facing tasks alone,
I’d really appreciate it if small corrections like this could be sent via private message.
I believe mutual respect in how we communicate goes a long way.”

No accusations. No anger. Just a boundary.

But what came next wasn’t professional.
It was personal—and private.

A direct message landed immediately:

“What exactly do you even do?”
“Most of the work falls on me. I deserve more than people like you.”
“You make mistakes and expect others to stay quiet?”

She was stunned. Not because it was shocking—
but because it confirmed what she had suspected for months.

This wasn’t about standards.
It was about control.

She replied, as calmly as she could:

“We each contribute in different ways.
And I believe what matters is how we support each other—not how we rank one another.”

But he wasn’t done.
“If I disappear from this team, just know it’s because I said what no one else had the guts to.”
“Don’t worry about me. Worry about yourself.”

Not a single word from the manager.
Not then. Not ever.

And in that silence, it became clear:
It wasn’t just the messages that wore her down.
It was the quiet approval behind them.


Some say:
“He was just giving feedback. She took it too personally.”

Others say:
“There’s a difference between feedback and passive-aggressive control. Especially when it’s public—and repeated.”

What do you think?

Community Comments

“This isn’t about work. This is slow, public humiliation.”

“The real problem? The manager watched and did nothing.”

“If someone says ‘please speak to me privately’ and you double down… you’re not helping.”

“Boundaries are healthy. Her message was respectful. His reaction wasn’t.”

“This feels less like a feedback issue and more like a power game.”