Who Are The Key Characters In Helpless Story?

As for your question regarding the main characters of ‘Helpless’, I’ve assumed that Jae Joon and Jae Hee (the missing sibling of Jae Joon) would be good subjects of discussion as the search for Jae Hee is the backbone of the novel. Jae Joon is a single-minded person determined to search for his missing sister and as he delves deeper into her life, the calm exterior of the main character begins to crumble. And, of course, we have to talk about Jae Hee and how she was living her life until the day she disappeared. We can only experience her through the eyes and recollections of the main characters but we slowly come to realize that Jae Hee is a complex, multi-faceted and, what seems to be, somewhat troubled young girl who led a life so very different from what her family had imagined.

Other important characters are in the story as well. Kim Jung-hoon, the detective working on Jae Hee’s case, at first acts as an obstacle to Jae Joon’s search for his sister but eventually Jae Joon can count on him. Also, characters from Jae Hee’s hidden life, like her exploitative boyfriend as well as apathetic or even complicit acquaintances and other figures from the dark corners of her life are of utmost importance. These secondary characters, as they appear in the story to interact with Jae Joon, often in very hostile or even pitiful manner, sometimes even evasive, help create a sense of unease, of claustrophobia and oppressive atmosphere and thus help define ‘Helpless’ as more than a mere thriller.

What lingers with me long after I finished reading this book is the portrayal of the relationships between the characters. Their exploration of themes of guilt, responsibility and the boundaries of love for family members is amazing. Jae Joon’s search for his sister, and his transformation of views towards her with every new piece of information, is at the same time a search for his right to reclaim her. The detective’s search for justice in a flawed system, too, mirrors Jae Joon’s search. All the key characters are moving within the orbit of the absence at the center of the story. Thus, even though the plot is basically about how a mystery is solved, it is the relationships and the emotions between the characters that make it so powerful and so meaningful.