What does “정” (jeong) mean in Korean?

A Korean creator wrapping up a recipe video says it straight: 좋아요 누르면 정이고, 안 누르면 본전이에요 — “hit like and it’s 정; don’t, and nothing’s lost.” 정 (jeong) is the warm, hard-to-define bond Koreans build through shared time and small gestures — closer to “affection plus loyalty” than any single English word, and often invoked half-jokingly, like here, to nudge a tiny favor.

정 has no clean English equivalent — it’s less romantic love and more the quiet loyalty that builds between neighbors, coworkers, or a host and a guest, precisely because it’s unconditional and doesn’t keep score. That’s what makes “안 누르면 본전” funny: 본전 means “breaking even,” as if withholding a like costs you nothing — a wink at how automatic jeong-giving can feel.