Tteokbokki

Tteokbokki is a popular Korean street food consisting of spicy simmered rice cakes, often paired with other ingredients like fish cake, boiled eggs, or scallions. As the title says, Sehee went through periods of depression where she could not even imagine getting the energy up to live, yet she still felt hunger for tteokbokki. Tteokbokki here symbolizes how even in the darkest of times, there still remains light. One of the most difficult things that Sehee is forced to accept in order to improve her mental health is that her life will, inevitably, be filled with both moments of joy and happiness, as well as moments of depression and heartache. As with many revelations Sehee has throughout the book, this is one that takes much longer for her to accept on an emotional level, though on an intellectual one she understands this as truth.

Seoul

Seoul is...