바람도 쐴 겸 너도 볼 겸 왔어

The line, explained

Korean dramas have a favourite move: the visit with an excuse. Someone appears at a door, late at night, and offers a reason that is obviously not the reason. The grammar that makes this possible is -(으)ㄹ 겸, which lets you list two purposes for a single action. It is completely everyday, used for running errands and planning trips, but in romance it lets a character hide the real reason in plain sight, tucked behind a casual first one.

바람도 is 바람, 'wind' or 'breeze', with 도, 'also'. 쐴 is from 쐬다, a verb that means 'to be exposed to' something like air, sun or wind. 바람을 쐬다 is a set phrase: to get some fresh air, to step out for a breather. Its stem 쐬- ends in a vowel, so it takes -ㄹ, giving 쐴 (ssoel). Korean speakers use 바람 쐬러 가자 constantly to mean 'let's get out of here for a bit'.

겸 is a short noun meaning 'doubling as, combined with'. You might already know it from 아침 겸 점심, 'breakfast combined with lunch', which is the Korean for brunch, or from 가수 겸 배우, 'singer and also actor'. In this pattern it attaches to a verb in the -(으)ㄹ form and means 'for the purpose of A as well'. 쐴 겸 is 'also to get air'. It is always followed by an action, here 왔어.

너도 볼 겸 repeats the pattern with the real purpose. 너 is 'you', 도 is 'also', and 볼 is from 보다, 'to see'. Notice how 도 attaches to both objects: 바람도, 너도. That parallel 도 is a natural feature of the pattern and gives it a light, listing rhythm. 왔어 is 오다, 'to come', in the casual past, with the ㅆ linking forward: wa-sseo. The full meaning: I came both to get air and to see you.

Change the first purpose and the excuse changes: 커피도 마실 겸 너도 볼 겸 왔어 (to grab a coffee and see you), 책도 돌려줄 겸 너도 볼 겸 왔어 (to return your book and see you). For consonant stems, add 으: 밥도 먹을 겸. Outside romance, the pattern is a staple of everyday planning: 운동도 할 겸 걸어가자 (let's walk, it's exercise too). Learn it and you can always find a casual reason for anything.