Unrequited Love

The major theme of this novel is unrequited love because much of the plot deals with the love affair between Soo-Ja and Yul that remains unfulfilled for much of the novel. Soo-Ja feels a connection with Yul from the moment they meet and he even saves her life, but by the time Yul allows her to know how he feels about her, she has already given herself to Min. When Yul finally asks Soo-Ja to marry him, she has already given her body and soul to Min so she refuses him even though she knows this could be the biggest mistake of her life.

Soo-Ja and Yul meet again three years later, but by then they are both married to other people. Yul still loves Soo-Ja deeply and admits to her that he left Daegu in order to avoid seeing her on the streets. Yul tells Soo-Ja...