"We Loved Each Other So Much Until Yesterday"... Is a Breakup the Answer After a Boyfriend-to-Be Confesses to an STI? [What Do You Think?]

[Financial News] An online debate is heating up after a woman in her 20s, who had been in a serious relationship with her boyfriend with marriage in mind, said she is considering breaking off the engagement and ending the relationship after learning that he has been infected with herpes.

On the 25th, an anonymous post titled "My boyfriend, whom I was thinking of marrying, has herpes" appeared on the workplace community NOW Talk.
The writer, a woman in her 20s identified as A, began by saying, "I don't think my boyfriend lived a promiscuous life in the past, and I believe he was infected asymptomatically by a former partner who hid it from him." The couple had already met each other's parents and were dating with marriage in mind, but they recently began to clash after learning that the boyfriend is a carrier of herpes simplex virus type 2, or genital herpes.
A said, "Until yesterday, I really loved him, but the moment I heard the words 'genital herpes,' my first thoughts were, 'Can I really accept this and get married?', 'What about pregnancy and childbirth?', and 'I'm still in my 20s, do I really have to take this on?'"
She added, "If we keep the relationship going, I will probably get infected too, and I don't want to make my life harder by going down that road. I feel selfish for thinking that way, but I don't know if I love him enough to risk getting the disease myself."
A, who also took a blood test to check whether she had been infected, said, "If the result shows that I am infected too, then it will be the beginning of hatred and love-hate feelings, and it will feel like hell."

Reactions from netizens who saw the story were split. Many advised her to break up, saying, "Since it is a virus that can never be fully cured, it is better for both sides to make a decision before marriage if she cannot handle it," and "If you keep the relationship going out of pity, you will only be left with regret."
Others, however, said, "Herpes can be prevented from spreading with proper immune management and safe sex," and "It is not too late to make a calm decision after getting accurate tests and consulting a specialist first."
According to medical experts, herpes simplex virus type 2 is mainly transmitted through sexual contact, and it can still spread even when the infected person has no symptoms. However, the risk of transmission can be greatly reduced by taking antiviral medication, using condoms, and avoiding sexual contact when lesions appear. Pregnancy and childbirth are also possible if the patient receives prior counseling from medical professionals and follows careful management throughout the process.
[email protected] Moon Young-jin Reporter