Mr. Cheong and Ji-woo’s Father–Son Bond

This flow traces the distance between Mr. Cheong and Ji-woo, from a father’s intermittent presence to a belated request for contact after the family has broken apart.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

A Father Seen Rarely

A Father Seen Rarely An Intermittent Presence Mr. Cheong’s work and personal pursuits keep him away from home for long periods. Ji-woo sees little of him, even while the parents are still together, and asks In-hye whether their household has a father. The child’s question turns an adult pattern of absence into a direct measure of their relationship. A Bond Not Yet Built Mr. Cheong does have a son, but the narrative gives little evidence of a close emotional bond between them. His attention is more often directed toward work, his own frustrations, and later his fixation on Yeong-hye. Ji-woo’s daily care is principally provided by In-hye. The distance is established through routine rather than a single dramatic rupture. Because Mr. Cheong is rarely present, the father–son relationship has little shared experience on which to rely when the family later separates.

The Missed Sunday

The Missed Sunday A Family Obligation In-hye asks Mr. Cheong to keep Sunday daytime free so that Ji-woo can spend time with his father and she can rest. This request is modest, but it identifies a need the child and household share. Mr. Cheong nevertheless devotes the day to a performance and his artistic plans involving Yeong-hye. Choosing the Studio When the babysitter cannot collect Ji-woo, In-hye asks Mr. Cheong to pick him up. He says he cannot do so until late and later leaves the sleeping child with a neighbor so that he can return to the studio. His choices place an adult obsession ahead of the ordinary work of fatherhood. Ji-woo does not see the decision being made, but the absence is still consequential. In-hye must arrange care and absorb the emotional strain, while Mr. Cheong treats the child’s safety as sufficiently handled by someone else.

A Home Left Behind

A Home Left Behind Family Rupture When In-hye discovers Mr. Cheong’s filmed sexual encounter with Yeong-hye, the marriage collapses. Mr. Cheong is removed from the household and does not return to ordinary family life. Ji-woo remains with In-hye, who takes responsibility for parenting after the separation. Absence Becomes Normal The child continues to ask about his father, but In-hye’s practical answer is that there is no father in their family, only the two of them. Her words express both the visible reality of Mr. Cheong’s absence and her effort to give Ji-woo a stable account of their home. The father–son bond is not shown resolving through a shared conversation. Instead, the relationship becomes something Ji-woo lacks and In-hye must explain, while Mr. Cheong’s disappearance leaves little room for the child to understand what ended the family.

The Request for Access

The Request for Access A Late Call Mr. Cheong calls In-hye from a public telephone and asks to see Ji-woo, if only once. His request is focused on the child, but he does not ask whether Yeong-hye is all right or offer an apology to In-hye. The narrowness of the appeal leaves the history of his departure unaddressed. No Repair Offered In-hye knows that refusing him may end the chance of further contact. She hangs up without answering, unwilling to treat a request for access as proof that Mr. Cheong has become ready to take responsibility. Her decision protects the boundary she has established after the betrayal. The call suggests that Mr. Cheong still claims an emotional connection to his son, but the relationship has not been rebuilt through sustained presence. Ji-woo is not consulted in the moment, and the adults’ unresolved history determines whether contact will occur.

An Unfinished Connection

An Unfinished Connection The Child’s Future In-hye imagines that Ji-woo will grow old enough to hear what happened in the family. She worries about how to explain it and how to preserve his happiness without pretending that the past was harmless. Her concern confirms that Mr. Cheong’s absence remains part of the child’s life even when he is not present. No Shared Resolution Mr. Cheong does not re-enter Ji-woo’s daily world in the narrative’s final movement. In-hye continues to carry the practical and emotional responsibility of raising him, while the father–son relationship remains unresolved. The book offers no reunion or evidence that the earlier request has led to renewed contact. Their bond therefore remains a possibility burdened by absence rather than a repaired relationship. Ji-woo’s future is not defined solely by his father’s failure, but that failure is one of the family histories In-hye fears he will eventually have to understand.

During Ji-woo’s early childhood

During the period when Mr. Cheong makes the body-art video

After In-hye discovers the recording

About nine months after Mr. Cheong disappears

Near the ending, after the unanswered call