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Lee Joo-Hee fans rejoice asSolo Leveling’s creator, Chugong, drops an important tidbit about Sung Jin-Woo’s feelings for the beloved B-rank healer. From the beginning, these two characters share a complicated relationship, dividing fans on whether Jin-Woo harbors romantic feelings for Joo-Hee or simply respects her. However, even before their story truly begins, their romantic development has already ended due to various circumstances.
Solo Levelingis not a romance-heavy series that focuses onSung Jin-Woo’s relationshipswith potential love interests like Lee Joo-Hee. Despite this, the series puts him in situations where fans see his chemistry with the B-rank healer, especially in the early story arcs. So, it’s no surprise that fans still rally behind the Jin-Woo and Lee Joo-Hee ship. After all, before Cha Hae-In enters the picture, Lee Joo-Hee is seemingly poised to be Jin-Woo’s “canon wife.”
Solo Leveling’s Creator Breaks the Silence on Jin-Woo’s Feelings for Lee Joo-Hee
Jin-Woo x Joo-Hee Supporters Are Right All Along
Lee Joo-Hee is one of the most infamous love interests of Sung Jin-Woo due to her crucial role in the early story arcs ofSolo Leveling. She serves as a valuable part of Jin-Woo’s support system, being one of the few hunters who recognize his worth as an E-rank hunter and show genuine concern about his unfortunate situation. On top of that, she’s arare breed of B-rank healerwho’s willing to go above and beyond to ensure Jin-Woo’s safety without asking for anything in return.
In other words, Lee Joo-Hee is an ideal love interest deserving ofJin-Woo’s unconditional love and affection. However, despite being the perfect candidate to assume the position of Jin-Woo’s “canon wife” down the line, she makes an unexpected early exit from the battlefield. With that departure, she gracefully ends her run in the race for Jin-Woo’s heart, allowing another love interest to take her place.
“Jin-Woo, do you have a reason to not quit being a hunter?"—Lee Joo-Hee to Sung Jin-Woo
Naturally, fans are upset and divided over the abrupt end to Joo-Hee and Jin-Woo’s uneventful relationship. Worse, many are unsure whether Jin-Woo truly had feelings for Joo-Hee, given his complex and ambiguous behavior towards her. Fortunately, after a very long time of waiting,Solo Leveling’s creator, Chugong, has finally clarified Jin-Woo’s feelings for Joo-Hee, and here’s what he has to say:
“Joohee’s mental fitness was very weak and therefore couldn’t handle the path Jinwoo would be going forward. Jinwoo also judged that this was the case and let her go due to this reason. (In fact, because she was with Jinwoo, she was involved in various incidents as well before). Jinwoo did have feelings for Joohee before they went their separate ways.” Translations courtesy of Reddit userDeath_Usagi
The key takeaway is that Jin-Woo and Joo-Hee are destined to walk different paths in life. While Jin-Woo longs for more power, reaches new levels, and is driven by change, Joo-Hee struggles to keep up with therelentless growth of the E-rank hunter. The pressures of standing beside someone like Jin-Woo eventually become too much, making their separation inevitable. One thing that fans should accept is that even the most compatible people aren’t meant to end up together. Simply put, their relationship is meant to fail.
Why Sung Jin-Woo’s Feelings for Joo-Hee Matter
What This Means for Fans
While everyone knows about Sung Jin-Woo’s abilities, no one truly understands his feelings except for himself. He isn’t the type of protagonist who can open up to anyone, even to his close friends and loved ones, as he prefers to deal with and shoulder everything alone. Because of this, there is room for fans to interpret his actions and decisions differently. In particular, some fans are upset over his actions in his final moments with Joo-Heebefore meeting Cha Hae-In.
At the time,Joo-Hee informs Jin-Woo about her retirementafter witnessing his incredible feats in the Dungeon and Prisoners Arc. She shares her frustrations, revealing that no matter how hard she tries, she can’t summon the same drive to survive that he has. In a symbolic gesture, she then returns the mana crystal he gave her during the double dungeon incident as if she’s resigning her feelings for him as well. Her announcement shocks Jin-Woo, but he quickly accepts her decision without hesitation.
“Please take care of her”—Sung Jin-Woo to Song Chi-Yul
This final moment leads some fans to believe thatJin-Woo abandoned Joo-Heeby not pursuing her in the later story arcs. They remained hopeful that Jin-Woo would follow her to Busan, despite the weight of his growing priorities. Some even call Jin-Woo ungrateful, accusing him of taking Joo-Hee for granted when he was just a lowly E-rank hunter. For these fans, his relationship with Joo-Hee becomes a missed opportunity.
Thankfully, Chugong’s confirmation of Jin-Woo’s feelings for Joo-Hee brings a sense of closure and acceptance to many fans. This important piece of information, which was left out of the webtoon and novel, finally sheds light on one ofSolo Leveling’s most complex relationships. It also urges fans to avoid casting Jin-Woo in a negative light. Most importantly, it allows fans to treat Joo-Hee with more respect, recognizing her not as a poorly written side character, but as someone who made a silent but huge impact on Jin-Woo’s heart.
