Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982: A Novel

Jiyoung and Daehyun are engaged to be married. Their families meet to share a meal. Daehyun’s mother lavishes praise on Jiyoung, which she feels she does not deserve. Jiyoung and Daehyun can afford an apartment thanks to their joint savings, although Jiyoung notes that Daehyun has been able to save considerably more than her.

A month after their wedding, Daehyun presents Jiyoung with a legal document to officially register their marriage. A question on the form asks whether their future children would take the mother’s or father’s surname. In 2008, Korea abolished the hoju system, which mandated patriarchal surnames for children. Since then, however, an overwhelming majority of families have maintained the tradition. Jiyoung agrees with Daehyun that it would be easiest if their children took his surname. But she does not feel good about this decision.

Their families pressure them to start a family. They pester Jiyoung with phone calls asking if she’s pregnant yet. At a birthday party for Daehyun’s father, the elders make inconsiderate comments about her body and health, insinuating that she’s not pregnant through some fault of her own. She is angered but keeps her feelings to herself.

On the drive home, she fights with Daehyun and tells him that he should have stood up for her to his family.