Early in their courtship, Soo-Ja thinks of Min as weak: "But what she realized was that she wouldn't mind that - being the strong one. She’d like to swoop in and care for Min, who seemed like such a lost soul sometimes… He was the opposite of Yul, who seemed to need nothing and no one.” (p. 51-52) Is Soo-Ja's perception of Min correct?

I think Soo-Ja's idea of why Min was the way he was is probably correct. However, I don't think Min was as weak as Soo-Ja thought because he was controlling her in a way. He couldn't disappoint his parents, but I don't think he wanted to, either. I think he had guilt about fooling Soo-Ja, but not enough to let her go.

Is your childhood, and the influence of your parents, a valid excuse to act terribly yourself?

It is partially correct. What she doesn't realize is how selfish he really is and how tied to his parents. He certainly could have made her life less miserable even if he didn't fulfill her dreams