Seoul is one of the most amazing places in the world. There’s a level of sophistication, culture, food and nightlife that rivals anyplace. And, the people work as hard as they play.

My visits to Seoul would go something like this. I would land at night and work in the car during the hour ride from Incheon Airport to downtown Seoul.

The next morning, I would take the subway into the office because it was faster than a cab, and taking the subway would earn me street cred with my colleagues. I would then work until 8pm or so, and then join the team for dinner. If I was lucky, after dinner, my friends would join me for after hours drinks followed by noodle soup around 3am. If my friends were not so lucky, they would skip the drinks and head back to work after dinner. Eventually, they pass out in the office around 4am, wake up before the office did, unwrap a new shirt in the morning, and the hamster wheel would crank another turn.