If you’ve spent any time in the Solo Leveling community, you know that the romance between Cha Hae In x Sung Jin Woo is a bit of a lightning rod. Some fans absolutely adore their quiet, slow-burn energy. Others? They think it felt rushed or even "forced" in the final chapters of the manhwa.
Honestly, the "smell" thing is probably the weirdest meet-cute in anime history.
But there is a lot more to this relationship than just an S-Rank Hunter being curious about a guy who doesn't smell like a rotting corpse. While the manhwa moved fast, the Light Novel and the sequel series, Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, add layers that most casual fans completely miss.
It started with a weird scent and a lot of curiosity
Let's look at the facts. Cha Hae In is one of the strongest hunters in South Korea. She has a unique, almost hyper-sensitive ability to smell the "mana" of other hunters. To her, every hunter smells like a dumpster fire—except for Sung Jin Woo.
He smells like nothing. Or rather, he smells like a clean, fresh forest.
That was the hook. It wasn't love at first sight; it was biological curiosity. She couldn't understand why this "E-Rank" hunter felt different. When she followed him into that A-Rank dungeon (the one with the High Orcs and Tusk), she wasn't looking for a boyfriend. She was trying to solve a puzzle.
The Jeju Island turning point
Jeju Island changed the vibe. Watching Jin Woo single-handedly dismantle the Ant King, Beru, while the rest of the S-Ranks were basically waiting for death? That did something to her.
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She saw his true strength, but more importantly, he saved her life when she was on the brink of death. In the Light Novel, the internal monologue is much clearer: she’s impressed by his power, but she’s also deeply comforted by his presence.
The amusement park date that almost didn't happen
Most people remember the "date" in chapter 170. It was short. Maybe too short.
Jin Woo realized he had a tiny window of time before the literal end of the world. He thought of her. They went to an amusement park, and she realized that for an S-Rank hunter, rollercoasters are actually boring because they’re too slow.
Then Jin Woo took her for a ride on Kaisel, his shadow dragon.
This is a huge moment. It's the first time he truly shares his world with her—the sky, the view, the quiet. He tells her about his father, who went missing in a gate in that very park. It wasn't just a date; it was a confession of trust.
What most people get wrong about the ending
When Jin Woo used the Cup of Reincarnation to reset the timeline, he effectively erased their entire history.
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- Cha Hae In forgot the hunters.
- She forgot the smells.
- She forgot the S-Rank raids.
- She forgot him.
In the new timeline, Jin Woo is a detective and Hae In is a track star. He could have walked away. He could have let her live a completely normal life without the weight of the Shadow Monarch’s world on her shoulders.
But he didn't. He went to her track meet. He sought her out.
Critics say this is "creepy" because she has no memories. However, the Light Novel clarifies that he didn't just force a relationship. He spent years letting her get to know him again as a normal person. He eventually gave her her memories back, but only after they had already built a foundation in the new world.
The Solo Leveling: Ragnarok era
If you haven't read the sequel, you’re missing the "happily ever after" that actually has some bite to it.
They get married. They have a son named Sung Suho.
In Solo Leveling: Ragnarok, we see Cha Hae In as a mother, but also as someone who has to survive while Jin Woo is off fighting literal outer gods at the edge of the universe. There’s a heartbreaking arc where she gets sucked into an interdimensional gate and survives in a frozen wasteland for five years, waiting for her son to find her.
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She isn't just "the wife." She remains a fighter.
Why their bond actually works (and why it doesn't)
Look, I get the criticism. Sung Jin Woo is basically a god. Cha Hae In is a very strong human. The power dynamic is totally skewed.
But the reason they work is that she is the only person who can look at him and not see a Monarch. To his sister, he's just a brother. To his mom, a son. But Hae In is the only one who knows the weight of being a hunter and chooses to stay by his side anyway.
She isn't intimidated by his shadows. In fact, she’s the only person who makes the shadows—like Beru—act like absolute idiots because they’re so desperate to please "the Queen."
Real takeaways for fans
- Don't skip the side stories: Chapters 180 to 200 of the manhwa (the epilogue) are where the real meat of the romance happens.
- Check out Ragnarok: If you want to see them as a functional (albeit stressed) married couple, the sequel novel is essential.
- The "Smell" Meta: It’s a metaphor for purity. Jin Woo's mana comes from the System/Death, which is "clean" compared to the messy, borrowed mana of other hunters.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the lore, your best bet is to start with the Solo Leveling: Ragnarok webtoon, which is currently fleshing out the family dynamic and Suho's growth.
Next steps: You should look into the Solo Leveling: Ragnarok manhwa to see the first appearance of their son, Suho, and how he inherits both Jin Woo's shadow powers and Hae In's combat instincts.