Chapter 67 Summary, Themes, and Analysis

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with Ji-won trapped in a nightmare. In the dream, George's hands close around her neck, strangling her. Her eyes are sealed shut with a viscous liquid, and she cannot open them. She knows it is George even without sight—his heavy breathing and grunts give him away. She claws at his skin, breaking flesh, and he releases her with a squeal. When she finally manages to open her eyes, she discovers she is blind: her eyes are gone, and George is feasting on them. She screams herself awake, bolting upright in her hospital bed, and frantically feels her face. Her eyes are intact. It was only a nightmare.

A week later, Ji-won receives a surprise visitor: Alexis. Her friend hugs her, fussing over the ill-fitting hospital gown and the stitches running along half of Ji-won's head. Alexis jokes about Ji-won's shaved head, calling the new look edgy, and Ji-won playfully protests that making fun of a surgery patient is mean. The two share a light moment, and Ji-won takes in details of Alexis's face—her long eyelashes, her freckles.

Alexis asks what happened and whether Ji-won is allowed to talk about it. Ji-won recounts the same story she told her mother, Umma, and her sister, Ji-hyun. Alexis listens with shock, her mouth dropping, and calls the story insane.

Alexis then asks about Geoffrey. Ji-won shows her phone to Alexis, revealing that Geoffrey has been calling and texting every day. His messages are desperate: he asks if she's okay, insists they need to talk, claims the police think he did something wrong, and pleads with her to let the hospital staff know he saved her so he can visit. Alexis makes a face and tells Ji-won to block him. Ji-won agrees she probably should and puts the phone away.

Alexis says Ji-won needs to rest and prepares to leave, promising to return soon. Ji-won watches her go with warmth spreading through her chest, grateful that Alexis has forgiven her and that their friendship is restored.

The chapter closes with a routine that has become part of Ji-won's hospital life. Four times a day, a chatty, enthusiastic nurse brings a cup full of pills. He asks how she's feeling, whether she's in pain. Ji-won grits her teeth and pretends to be cheerful, even though every nod sends shards of glass through her skull. She swallows everything he gives her except for two small round pills stamped with tiny letters R and P. Those she holds under her tongue until he leaves, then hides them beneath her pillow. She knows the pills would make the ache disappear, but she chooses to keep the pain—it serves as a reminder.

Key Events

Ji-won wakes from a nightmare in which George strangles her and eats her eyes; she finds her eyes intact.
A week later, Alexis visits Ji-won in the hospital, joking about her stitches and shaved head.
Ji-won tells Alexis the same account she gave Umma and Ji-hyun; Alexis reacts with shock.
Alexis asks about Geoffrey; Ji-won shows her his persistent texts claiming the police suspect him and that he saved her.
Alexis advises Ji-won to block Geoffrey.
Alexis leaves, promising to return; Ji-won feels their friendship is restored.
Four times daily, a chatty nurse brings pills; Ji-won feigns cheerfulness despite severe head pain.
Ji-won secretly conceals two pills stamped with R and P under her tongue and hides them under her pillow, choosing to endure the pain as a reminder.

Character Development

Ji-won continues to navigate a fractured reality. The nightmare reveals the depth of her trauma—George's attack has left psychological scars that mirror her physical ones. Her instinct to check her eyes upon waking shows how central the threat of blindness is to her psyche. In the hospital, she performs cheerfulness for the nurse, a continuation of the masking behavior she has used throughout the novel. Her decision to hide the pain pills is particularly revealing: she actively chooses suffering over relief, suggesting that the pain has become meaningful to her, perhaps as proof of survival or as a way to stay vigilant.

Alexis re-enters the story as a stabilizing presence. Her visit, though lighthearted and joking, signals a reconciliation. Ji-won's relief at their restored friendship suggests how much the relationship matters to her. Alexis's practical advice—block Geoffrey—positions her as a voice of reason in contrast to Geoffrey's manipulative texts.

Geoffrey, though absent, looms over the chapter through his messages. His claims that he saved Ji-won and that the police suspect him are self-serving and manipulative, attempting to control the narrative of what happened. His persistence—calling and texting daily—shows a refusal to respect boundaries.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Eyes and blindness. The nightmare literalizes Ji-won's deepest fear: losing her eyes. George eating her eyeballs in the dream connects the act of seeing with identity and survival. Her relief upon waking—feeling her eyes intact—underscores how central vision is to her sense of self.

Trauma and nightmares. The nightmare is a direct manifestation of Ji-won's trauma. It shows that even in the hospital, supposedly safe, her mind returns to the attack. The dream's vividness—the goopy liquid, the gnashing teeth—suggests the attack has not been processed but continues to haunt her.

Pain as remembrance. Ji-won's refusal to take the pain pills is the chapter's most striking choice. She explicitly states the pain serves as a reminder. This transforms suffering from a passive experience into an active choice, a way of keeping something—perhaps the truth of what happened, or her own agency—alive.

Deception and performance. Ji-won's feigned cheerfulness for the nurse is a performance. She grits her teeth and pretends, hiding her true condition. This motif of performance runs through the novel, as Ji-won has repeatedly presented a false front to those around her.

Manipulation and control. Geoffrey's texts are an attempt to control the narrative. By claiming he saved her and that the police suspect him, he tries to position himself as the victim and Ji-won as someone who owes him something. Alexis's advice to block him is a counter-move, an assertion of Ji-won's control over her own life.

Friendship and reconciliation. Alexis's visit and Ji-won's relief at their restored friendship show the importance of connection. After the isolation of the attack and its aftermath, this reconciliation offers Ji-won a lifeline.

Why This Chapter Matters

Chapter 67 is a pivotal moment of aftermath and choice. It shows Ji-won in the hospital, physically recovering but psychologically haunted. The nightmare establishes that the attack has left deep psychological wounds, while Geoffrey's texts introduce a new threat: the manipulation of the narrative. Ji-won's decision to hide the pain pills is a quiet act of defiance, a refusal to let the pain be erased. This chapter sets up the tension between healing and remembrance, between accepting comfort and holding onto the truth. It also restores a key relationship—Alexis—just as Ji-won faces the challenge of Geoffrey's persistent claims.

Study Questions and Answers

1. Why does Ji-won choose to hide the pain pills rather than take them?

Ji-won hides the two pills stamped with R and P because she wants to keep the pain. She explicitly thinks that the pain serves as a reminder. The pain is not just physical suffering; it is a way of holding onto something—perhaps the reality of what George did to her, or her own agency in a situation where she has been victimized. Taking the pills would erase the ache, but it would also erase the reminder. Her choice suggests that she is not ready to let go of the experience, or that she fears what forgetting might cost her.

2. How does Geoffrey's texting reveal his manipulation?

Geoffrey's messages are designed to control the narrative. He claims the police think he did something wrong, positioning himself as a victim of suspicion. He insists he saved Ji-won, casting himself as her hero. He pleads with her to let the hospital staff know it's okay for him to visit, making her responsible for his access. Each message is self-serving, ignoring Ji-won's needs and focusing on his own reputation and desires. Alexis's blunt advice—just block him—cuts through this manipulation, recognizing that Geoffrey's persistence is not concern but control.

3. What does the nightmare reveal about Ji-won's psychological state?

The nightmare reveals that Ji-won's trauma is far from resolved. In the dream, George strangles her and eats her eyes, and she is blind and helpless. The dream literalizes her fears: loss of sight, loss of control, and the continuation of George's violence. Her frantic checking of her eyes upon waking shows how deeply the threat of blindness has penetrated her psyche. The nightmare also suggests that the attack is not over for Ji-won—it continues to replay in her mind, shaping her perception of safety and danger.