Model Text Analysis: “Yeouya”

Analysis by Ariel Rojas; "Yeouya" by Jiwoo Kim

Jiwoo Kim’s 2024 short story “Yeouya” is about a successful writer who suddenly finds himself stuck in a long period of writer’s block. At the same time, he struggles with memories from his past that he has never fully let go of. In this story, Jiyou Kim uses the Character's weakness and need, the story world, and character self-revelation to make the writing engaging to readers. Please make sure you read the story first!!

One of the first Truby storytelling ideas in the story is Character weakness and need. At the beginning, Jinyoung appears like he’s really successful, but on the inside, he is actually just stuck and closed off. His weakness shows through his writer’s block and frustration at himself. At one point he admits, “I grimaced and deleted the entire text I had written from yesterday evening till the next sunrise.” This moment shows that the problem is not just about his writing but, most likely, about something deeper he has not yet confronted. Jinyoung has spent years writing  crime stories, and critics even say his work is “lacking emotional literary sentiment.” In other words, he avoids emotions. His real ‘need’ is to reconnect with many feelings he has pushed away, especially the memories he has of Yuna. This weakness creates tension in the story because us as readers begin to see that the writing problem in the story is actually connected more to his past. 

Additionally, the writer used storyworld strategies to depict Jinyoung’s emotional moments. We can see this in the first scene of the story, where the atmosphere is deliberately made uncomfortable. The room is filled with repetitive sounds, like the ticking of the clock and the rattling of the washing machine, which make the space feel sort of lonely and messy as we read. This environment is likely a connection to Jinyoung’s mind because he also feels stuck and as if he’s going in circles. It is only after memories from his past come back that the outside world turns into a bigger part in the story. And later, the rain and even the song on the radio are all used to describe and bring back the memories of Yuna. For example, the moment they first meet, “Here, you don’t have an umbrella, right? You can have mine.” The yellow umbrella scene turns into a moment that shows Yuna’s kindness, which is very different from Jinyoung’s very serious personality. Because the story world keeps bringing these memories back to him, his past is slowly brought up in the story in a way that is satisfying to understand : ) . 

And, as the story continues, these memories lead to moments of character self-revelation. For example, when he unexpectedly meets Yuna again in the coffee shop, the moment is not meant to shock readers but to show how honest it can be. After talking and catching up, he notices that she is getting married and now living a completely different life. And later, he asks her a question, “Yuna, are you happy now?” Her answer and how the conversation ends allow him to understand his past far better, reflecting, “I was young, I thought to myself. Young and oblivious to know any better.” Jinyoung finally starts to understand that their relationship was just part of his life, and he should stop feeling stuck because of it. Because of this moment, he finally finishes a new manuscript that is different from the emotionless ones he usually writes, showing that he is ready to move forward in all aspects.

Overall, I hope you enjoyed reading Yeouya as much as I did. By showing Jinyoung’s emotional weaknesses, using story world aspects to reveal much of his feelings, and leading him to reflect and realize, that’s three reasons why this story is so well-written. Jinyoung finally faces the fact that his past will never disappear, but he’s always able to change and learn from it, moving forward to make more Tsuchikau and Kaizen experiences.