Jung

Jung names a connection that cannot be cleanly severed, even when love turns to hate. Taught to Lara Jean Song Covey by Grandma, the concept gives language to lingering tenderness: old feelings may remain after conflict, and a person may never be entirely shaken loose from another. In the novel, Jung is not a promise that relationships will return to what they were; it is a way of recognizing that affection and hurt can coexist.

Meaning and Origins

Grandma teaches Lara Jean the Korean word and its emotional meaning. Jung describes a tie that survives a change in feeling: love may give way to hate, yet tenderness remains. Its emphasis falls not on reconciliation or approval, but on the persistence of attachment even when the relationship has become painful.

Lara Jean and Genevieve

Lara Jean applies the idea to her own feelings for Genevieve. She cannot hate her, despite the antagonism between them, because their history has left a tenderness that Lara Jean understands as part of Jung. Their connection is presented as something neither hostility nor the wish to be free of the conflict can simply erase.

The idea becomes vivid when Lara Jean sees Genevieve approaching with Peter Kavinsky, her arm linked in his. For a moment, the sight makes the previous year seem to disappear, as though Lara Jean and Peter had never been together. Jung does not spare Lara Jean that shock. Instead, it helps explain why the people in this fraught triangle remain emotionally bound to histories they cannot undo.

Peter and Genevieve

Lara Jean extends the concept to Peter and Genevieve. She reasons that Genevieve, facing her father’s actions, might turn to the person who had never turned her away, had always been there, and had loved her more than anyone. Peter occupies that role for Genevieve, and Lara Jean sees their bond as another instance of Jung.

This recognition complicates jealousy without making it disappear. Lara Jean asks herself how she could begrudge Genevieve the comfort of someone who has been steadfast for her. Jung therefore allows Lara Jean to hold two truths together: Peter’s enduring connection to Genevieve hurts, and Genevieve’s need for that connection is understandable. The concept frames attachment as a lasting human tie, not a verdict about who should be together.