Jinri has always been a weak child; born to a pastry chef and a baker, she was diagnosed with Transposition of the Great Arteries (TGA) and Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD) just a day after she was born. Her parents, who had two perfectly healthy sons before her, were at a loss of what to do, and fearing for her life when they were told of the risks and possible consequences of undergoing surgery, postponed the operation. It wasn't until she was 21 months old when her parents decided to have her undergo Open Heart Surgery; it was a harsh winter night for the family, though all their prayers were answered, as after four grueling hours that felt like a lifetime to her parents, they received the news that the surgery was successful, and the next day, despite some pain, Jinri was already sitting up, a bright smile to offer her family. Her father then gave her the nickname Sulli — sul meaning snow, and li meaning a pear flower, to signify that she was reborn "as a flower that is small but full of strong vitality".

Being the only daughter in her family, she was spoiled and pampered, cared for and protected by not only her parents but by her brothers, though she never once took it for granted, spending a lot of her time helping out in their family-owned bakery (which, at her young age, consisted of greeting and welcoming customers with a big smile and helping clean up the place). She was growing up to be a beautiful, bright young lady - earning the (unwanted) attention of boys and the animosity of some girls, to the extent that at a church retreat, two older girls who she didn't know pushed her head into the water, refusing to let her get up until they were spotted by adults. It left her with hydrophobia, a fear of being called pretty, and terrible memories. But it did not succeed in dampening her spirit, especially not after she had finally found something she could call her passion.

Jinri was three when she first picked up a pencil; like many other kids her age, she was enamored by the things she could create with the stroke of a pen. She had the wildest of imaginations, dreaming up castles in the sky, monsters who came out in the dark to raid fridges, and all of these she tried to put on paper, to give others a window into her mind. Her parents had encouraged her creativity, putting up her drawings on the fridge and even around their bakery, and the praise she'd gotten kept her wanting to do more. She dabbled in other forms of art as well - painting, design, photography, mixed media, even the performance arts, attending numerous competitions and bringing home awards for her family. When words failed, she turned to art; when her spirit felt crushed, she took to pencils and watercolors and paper. She lived and breathed art - she turned to it in times of joy and times of trouble, offering her both escape and comfort.

Though she'd wanted to stay in Busan with her family after she graduated high school, her parents had encouraged her to attend Yonsei University, where her uncle worked as a Literature professor and where her parents knew that she would be offered greater opportunities to advance and hone her skills. It was difficult for her, being so close to her family, but she complied to her parents' wishes and applied and was accepted into the university as a Design and Visual Communications major, believing that it would help her grow as an artist capable of conveying ideas and messages to a wide audience.

She had her doubts about Greek life, hearing rumors that weren't all too pleasing about the ones at the university, but she'd decided to at least attend the rush parties at the advice of her uncle; the only ones she'd managed to stay for most of it was Kappa Delta and Sigma Kappa (the ZTA and DPE parties were too much for her - too much drinking, too much loud noises, too much wild antics that she didn't think she could keep up with). Although Sigma Kappa was lovely, she felt the most relaxed at Kappa Delta; she found a home away from home, with girls who made her feel protected, and pledging to the sorority was a decision she ended up not regretting.