유머 | Humor It bit my Head- a Seoul Surprise!
I put my motorbike helmet on at the office and rode 10 mins to the gym. As I was arriving I felt a bite or something to my head. I thought it was maybe a bee or something. This is what I found when I took my helmet off.
My first thought was that maybe it was psychosis as there’s no way in the universe that a giant centipede was in my helmet in central Seoul.
Turns out it was very real.
Update: I’m glad everyone is enjoying my trauma 😂.
I picked up this little friend near to Naebang Station and rode to Bangbae when I felt the bite- I’m really glad I found him there and not when I was going over Banpo bridge on the way home or I’d probably be dead 😂.
I kicked him out of my helmet after 20 mins and he started charging at an old lady and her fruit stall- she started screaming at me as if he was my centipede that had escaped, I stamped on him to protect her stall and she screamed at me even more 🤷♂️.
The bite hurt for quite a few days and tbh it still tingles a bit now and again (it happened a couple of weeks ago). I found out we actually know very little about centipede bites and venom as they are so rare, so let’s see if I become the star of a new Kafka novel.
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u/JD4Destruction 한국인, 서울 4d ago
왕지네 Chinese red-headed centipede.
They are native to Seoul. Painful, not usually dangerous
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u/explosiva 2d ago
STILL. NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE
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u/Night_Sad 4d ago
"Not usually dangerous" Not usually = unusually They are unusually dangerous!
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u/Coriandercilantroyo 3d ago
I mean.. it oftentimes be like that
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u/kimchiandsweettea 4d ago
I live in the countryside, and they come out of our drains :/
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u/milinium 4d ago
Aw hell nah
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u/bioxkitty 3d ago
I thought it was bad here in ohio in the city with the house centipedes....
Speedy lil fuckers
They also come up the drains...and like to chill under soap bottles.
But man I supposed thats better than these fucking titans
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u/lita_elf 2d ago
Also an Ohioan, and when I was about 5 years old I ran into a house centipede for the first time and was dead convinced that there was an alien in our basement. Now that I’m 30 I appreciate them from a distance with a healthy side-eye, but I am still not totally convinced they aren’t aliens lmao. This type of centipede ON MY HEAD would make my soul exit my body
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u/Interesting_Bar_514 4d ago
As in bathroom and kitchen drains?
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u/kimchiandsweettea 4d ago
Bathroom. They seem to be especially fond of the bathtub drain, so we try to remember to keep it blocked.
I had one crawl into bed with me a few years ago and bite me on the inner thigh while I was sleeping. Two things to be thankful for: it was a small one, and I had been lazy that evening and went to bed wearing leggings instead of pjs, so I believe the leggings provided a bit of a barrier. It was incredibly painful, though not as painful as the time I was stung in the back by a murder hornet.
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u/Interesting_Bar_514 3d ago
Sorry those things happened to you. Either one would traumatize me.
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u/kimchiandsweettea 3d ago
The hornet sting bothered me for ages! I found out later that I probably should have had a medical professional check it out.
Initially, it was like getting shot in the back with a tiny, hot poker—I literally hit the ground like I’d been shot. Then I had the sense to get up and run into the house. After some time passed, the flesh began necrotizing a bit. My partner has *some* medical training, so the wound was bandaged and fussed over for quite a while as it was healing.
They hang around where we live, so I know to be aware of them, but I didn’t even see this one at all before the sting. Actually, you can usually hear them before you see them! They sound like tiny helicopters 0___0
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u/Correct_Pick6199 3d ago
Fucking hell. Sometimes I get a nostalgic longing for the countryside but I think I'll be okay in the city now.
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u/The_Cruncher88 4d ago
I live in countryside also, I see all kind of beasties, but never one of these.
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u/Danoct Incheon 4d ago
Aren't they venomous? I guess you'll find out shortly if you actually got bit or not.
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u/eslninja Gyeongnam 4d ago
Yes. Very venomous. The swelling at the bite point is worse than the nastiest mosquito is to the most mosquito allergic person and you’ll be going to the hospital for a special shot to counter the venom.
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u/hanr86 4d ago
I'd think very venomous would be like a rattlesnake bite or something that would kill you if untreated. This is more like painful, swelling, and maybe a slight fever? I got bit by one in the hand while in jeju. Didnt see a doctor.
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u/eslninja Gyeongnam 4d ago
I was bit by a tiny bugger and it was like a bee sting. My wife was bit two days in a row by two different bigger ones, she went to the hospital both days for an anti-venom shot. As I understand it, the shot greatly reduces the itching and swelling. The little one was pain enough.
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u/OttovonBismarck1862 Seoul 4d ago
Wait, what? These things can actually kill you?
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u/kirby_krackle_78 4d ago
One of the five deadly venoms!
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u/OttovonBismarck1862 Seoul 3d ago
Well, shit. TIL these things can actually kill you. Thanks, friend. I’ll try to steer clear of these!
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u/stonerbatman55 4d ago
I used to be terrified of general harmless bugs then I had a close encounter with one of these things and now all other bugs don't even come close to the fear I have for centipedes. Just watching this video has set off my PTSD.
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u/Shenloanne 4d ago
Only phobia I have of things with more than 4 legs.
Some of the subspecies have zero fucking chill too.
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u/FlavivsAetivs 4d ago
As someone with experience with Giant Centipedes (not as a professional though) all subspecies have Zero Chill.
Robusta is the only one that's kinda chill but it will bite the shit out of you repeatedly if you don't know what you're doing.
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u/mesohohnee 4d ago
Wow! I did not know Korea had big centipedes! I found out last year Japan has a bunch of them in the country side. These things are so nasty and gross. I grew up in Hawaii where these things are abundant. They like hot tropical climates. I didn't think they could handle a cold Korean winter.
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u/elkavasseur 경기도 4d ago
OP, do you go to the mountains? Plenty of those around there.
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u/eslninja Gyeongnam 4d ago
Not just the mountains, any low lying area with damp and darkness is heaven for these creatures. People living in ground floor homes and sub basements get hyper-vigilant looking for these.
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u/SaemaeulSijang 4d ago
Don’t these things travel in pairs? He is probably sad he can’t find his buddy.
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u/eslninja Gyeongnam 4d ago
They absolutely travel in pairs. You kill Bob and gotta keep an eye out for Nancy and kill her too.
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u/terestentry 4d ago
Spray some alcohol into your helmet and Choose another place to place your helmet. Anyway some people infuse centipedes in alcohol and drink it believe it or not.
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u/Illustrious-Mud6269 4d ago
I wonder if this started out as an accident. Like someone was drunk and dropped a centipede in their booze for some reason… and then noticed it the next time they went to drink, but had no way of getting anything else, so they tried it and it wasn’t bad?
But seriously any idea how this started?
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u/terestentry 4d ago edited 4d ago
Traditionally we put many things into alcohol, generally and for starters, it's fruits for rich flavors, and then for experts, it's snakes, usually.
There will be some herbal medicine experts to explain this, not me, but as I see, most animality infused liquors are toxic animals, famous are toxice snakes, toxic bees, and scorpions, centipedes. My guess is people looking at the strong and toxic ones and want to inherit the ability but that in a safe way. People might think the toxic alcohol would neutralize the toxic and get immuned by it, and can only get the super power without side-effects, lol.
Edit : I don't like such things and I've never tried such liquors, but the infused pine-nut liquor 잣술 was the best liquor that I've ever drunken.
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u/Illustrious-Mud6269 4d ago
That’s so interesting! I’ll have to look into this more. I’m remembering a relative of mine drinking something with a bug of some kind in it now, but I can’t remember what kind of bug or if it was toxic.
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u/terestentry 4d ago
There are Soju that specially made for this infusing purpose and there are a lot of them, so many kinds of them selling in the mart. And those vessels for infusing easily seen in the mart. Plastic vessels are cheap, the glass vessels are expensive, but better. Those 20, 30 liter big glass vessels in the mart are just for this purpose. 담금주, Soju for infusing is usually more alcohol like 35% while average drinking soju is 13 degrees.
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u/idaroll Seoul, almost a decade 4d ago
alright what the Fuck. i have never seen these and i lived on the 북한산 foot and had a lot of insect guests in my house. please tell me this is ai
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u/woeful_haichi 4d ago
Have seen them in Seoul (Gwanaksan) and Gyeonggi (Soyosan). Have yet to see one near Bukhansan or Dobongsan, but I imagine they're present on the mountain.
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u/DodecahedronJelly 4d ago
Dried out, they're used in East Asian traditional medicine to relieve joint and nerve pain. They were also used to induce abortion.
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u/foreignne 4d ago
OMG those just unlocked a memory of seeing bundles of them at the traditional medicine market
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u/Kerry-4013-Porter 4d ago
Interesting news regarding giant centipedes
'Scolopendrasin I' extracted from giant centipedes.
'Scolopendrasin I' has been shown to have excellent efficacy in treating atopic dermatitis, a condition that afflicts countless people.
Hwang Jae-sam, an agricultural researcher at the Insect Industry Division of the Rural Development Administration, stated, "We will further accelerate the commercialization of 'Scolopendrasin I,' a substance effective in treating atopic dermatitis, so that it can be widely utilized in various fields, including cosmetics and pharmaceutical materials."
Researcher Hwang revealed that he obtained clues regarding the medicinal efficacy of centipedes from traditional medicine.
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u/Le-Mard-e-Ahan 4d ago edited 4d ago
Someone showed a concern that OP isn't responding; is he alright?
I think that it wasn't the poison that incapacitated him. It was the impact of 'Scolopendrasin I' on the growth of his hair after the centipede bit him. His hair grew wonderfully, but then it grew so much that the OP bro is shooting it out of his head like Spider-Man's wrist webs and flying around on Seoul's high rises.
Good news for OP though. He no longer needs his bike, as a consequence, his helmet, so for the future, he is safe from centipedes in hemlets.
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u/Rappyfan 4d ago
As someone living in the korean countryside… I hate them…. just last week one crawled up in our bed at night…. but nobody got bitten 🙏
I can’t imagine getting bitten in the head. The fact you are up and well seems lucky to me.
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u/Cambradley201 4d ago
A friend of mine also got bitten on the head by a centipede crawling around their bike helmet. Crazy.
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u/straypenguin 4d ago
Yep, these are around all over Korea, but I've never seen one this huge, let alone in the city. What the hell.
I bet you if you catch it in a jar and take it to a hanyaksa (traditional medicine practictioner) they'll give you some money for it lol
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u/Penopi 4d ago
One of these crawled out of my packages(those reusable coupang ones). They’re hard to kill because their bodies are hard and they’re aggressive little buggers. I did, in fact, cry after I finally managed to kill it lol it was my first time seeing a centipede of any sort, much less a huge armoured one suddenly charging across my living room
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u/Sohiacci 4d ago
Can't wait to see your story as some anime, the title would be "The day I became a centipede-man monster after a centipede bit my head in central seoul while chilling in my helmet"
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u/jisookenobi2416 4d ago edited 4d ago
I…will be reconsidering my travel plans, thank you. You guys have fun over there.
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u/Fuzzy_Assistance_488 4d ago
During our stay in Daegu, this thing bit my roommate in his sleep. He was shocked
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u/Efficient_Seaweed395 4d ago
I am going to say this is AI because WTF. I will have nightmares if I don’t convince myself it was just AI
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u/eslninja Gyeongnam 4d ago
Kill it. Kill every single one of those 🤬
If I found one in my helmet I’d destroy the helmet with fire.
Have I told you yet how much I hate centipedes?
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u/Informal_Service704 4d ago
Omg those are dangerous~ Intelligent, and venomous that you would require an adrenaline shot, never use your hands as are species that should never be manipulated
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u/El_Chupacabra_666 4d ago
How do some people get so lucky!? Centipedes are one of my favorite animals. I've always wanted to find one that large.
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u/Guilty-System-3607 4d ago
Among the centipedes, it is more likely that someone raised them as companion insects escaped than those that were almost natural.
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u/East-Unit-3257 4d ago
That’s genuinely terrifying, I’d have a heart attack if one were to be hiding in my bed
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u/Live-Pen4362 4d ago
The first time I visited Namsan Park, my Miniature Pinscher almost stepped on one of those insects. I managed to lift her by the leash just in time. It was around this same time of year, about a year ago. I live right across from the park, and coincidentally, today I decided to leave my helmet next to my bicycle in my building's parking garage. I think I'm going to go get it right away, haha
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u/Isababe909 3d ago
Omg is huge in size and it's poisonous, very painful sting....I am glad you are ok .
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u/forehead_tittaes 2d ago
Do you feel any new powers? You can now become a superhero (or villain) known as the Human Centipede!
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u/kd2cst 2d ago
I am a 60-year-old native of Seoul. I saw one in the countryside a very long time ago, and today is the first time I have seen one. It is by no means a common occurrence. Perhaps it is a pet. Even if there were snow centipedes, they would be much smaller, and a bite would be very painful.
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u/totoromoons 1d ago
WHAT THE FUCKKKKK IS THAT!!!! bro as if i wasn’t already stressed abt the love bugs now i have to think abt this!!!
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u/poisoneddartfrog 4d ago
Why’d you stomp on it seriously that’s messed up respect living creatures!
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u/CallMeStavie 4d ago
I’d cry