If I Had Your Face

Ara is one of the four main protagonists of If I Had Your Face. Ara is a young woman in her early twenties who works at a high-profile hair salon in Seoul. She is unable to speak and communicates via written notes due to a traumatic experience during high school; she was assaulted by several other girls from a rival high school gang. Throughout the course of the novel, Ara is obsessed with and emotionally dependent on a young man named Taein from the K-Pop group Crown. She has formed a parasocial relationship with him, and it is her goal to meet Taein and have him fall in love with her. Unfortunately, when Ara does meet Taein, she becomes disillusioned with him and his indifferent attitude toward her.

Ara’s main conflicts are internal. She struggles with finding a purpose in life after her accident, and as a result, she leans into the comfort offered to her through following and devoting herself to Taein. Ara also experiences external pressures from her parents who want her to find a husband and get married quickly; they are worried about Ara being able to find a husband who will be able to care for her.