Summary
The narrator (a man named Mr. Cheong) comments that he always thought of his wife as unremarkable before she turned vegetarian. His first impressions of her as somewhat weak, average, and passive continued throughout their relationship. However, the minimal effort required to court her appealed to Mr. Cheong, so they eventually got married.
Mr. Cheong recounts an unsettling event that occurred last February in which he came upon his wife standing in front of the refrigerator at 4 A.M. When he repeatedly tried to ask her what was going on, she cryptically remarked that she had had a dream before wordlessly returning to the bedroom. The next morning, Mr. Cheong discovered that Yeong-hye had emptied the refrigerator of all its animal products, which she systematically placed in trash bags.
Yeong-hye provides a brief description of her dream told through poetic flashes. She finds herself trapped in a room filled with bloody raw meat. To escape, she has to put it in her mouth and soil her clothes with it. Escaping does not bring relief, however, because she finds herself in a beautiful park where people enjoy spending time together outdoors while barbecuing or snacking on meat.
Mr. Cheong rages against what he considers Yeong-hye's obstinacy when she cooks them a vegetarian meal. She calmly points out that he only eats breakfast at home, so he can still eat meat for lunch and dinner. Mr. Cheong recalls the different delicious dishes that Yeong-hye used to prepare, all of which contained meat.
Over time, Yeong-hye loses weight as she continues to adhere to her vegan diet. She barely sleeps and avoids sexual intercourse. After listening to her recount her dream once, Mr. Cheong feels no desire to delve further into what is going on. He comforts himself by thinking about how normal Yeong-hye's family appears to be, which in Mr. Cheong's mind lessens any possibility for "abnormality lurking in [his] wife's bloodline."
Yeong-hye stands out as the only vegan person attending a high-pressure company dinner for Mr. Cheong's work.
Analysis
Part 1 begins in the first-person perspective of Mr. Cheong as he recounts having always found his wife "totally unremarkable." He cites his wife's passivity as the main reason they got together. While Mr. Cheong is aware of the ways in which he consistently takes a middle-ground approach, he does not seem aware of the hypocritical nature of critiquing Yeong-hye on the grounds of apathy and conformity. Though he notices that Yeong-hye loves to read, he refers to her passion for reading as "unfathomable." He does not understand it, nor does he wish to. The same can be said for how he feels about his wife overall.
When Yeong-hye cleans out the fridge after having had a dream, it is the first morning in her five-year marriage in which she deviates from their usual routine. This includes arranging Mr. Cheong's things for him, ironing his work shirt, and seeing him off. Without her care, he comes across as hopeless and resentful. This shows that the domestic work Yeong-hye does in their household is taken for granted, coming across as invisible and unappreciated.
Brief interludes written in italics showcase Yeong-hye's perspective. Han writes these sections in poetic phrases that often leave out conventional grammatical elements. This heightens the tension and emphasizes certain visceral images. In the first interlude, Yeong-hye describes the dream that catalyzed her decision to adopt a vegan diet. Images of violent gore dominate this first interlude. For example, Yeong-hye struggles to escape a structure filled with "great blood-red gashes of meat, blood still dripping down." Desperation and disgust permeate the atmosphere of this dream, which uncannily blends with Yeong-hye's reality.
Further forays into Yeong-hye's perspective reveal important aspects of her character. For instance, in the second interlude showing her perspective, she tells her husband "If you knew how hard I've always worked to keep my nerves in check." What barely registers with other people can completely disregulate Yeong-hye. Rather than upsetting her, Mr. Cheong's anger numbed and even soothed Yeong-hye at times.
Despite observing the potentially harmful impacts that Yeong-hye's diet has on her health (such as extreme weight loss and insomnia), Mr. Cheong says nothing. He suspects that the dream prompted these changes in her, but he makes no effort to inquire further after listening to her describe the dream just once. Meanwhile, Yeong-hye hardly eats or sleeps, but "what trouble[s]" Mr. Cheong most is that Yeong-hye actively avoids having sex with him. When he confronts her about it, she informs him that his body "smells of meat." Nausea, physical disgust, and refusal are themes that will recur throughout the novel.
