"Choice" is a novelized biography of Jang Gye-hyang, a 17th century ancestor, by marriage, of Yi Mun-yol. (She is referred to in the book as Mrs. Jang, her maiden name, which is common practice in Korea.)  She was the daughter of Jang Heung-hyo, pen name Gyeongdang, a renowned Confucian scholar. She is highly talented in art and poetry which leads her father to lament that she was born a woman. His lament was interpreted as an expression of love but also as a warning of the discord that would occur if she were to insist on realizing her talents. She “chooses” instead to become a devoted wife, daughter-in-law, and mother. She rationalizes her circumstance with the statement: “there is nothing bigger and more beautiful than maintaining this world as a wife and preparing for a better world in the future as a mother”. Mrs. Jang’s talent for poetry once again awakened in her old age, after giving it up as a child. This allows her to stand at the peak under a matriarchal system, which is inspired by the patriarchal system.