I read "foreshortening" as "foreshadowing" and was racking my brain for a couple seconds trying to figure out what was being hinted at, before re-reading your comment.
What do you mean? If you're talking about why he needs to have a relationship with so many women, then it's because the love god told him that if any of his 100 soulmates met him and didn't start a relationship, then they would start having terrible luck that would likely kill them. He's in love with all of them, and the ones he doesn't/can't make it work with will die.