Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop

by Hwang Bo-Reum

She would ask herself these questions: does this place make me feel positive? Can I be truly whole and uncompromisingly myself? Do I love and treasure myself here? For Yeongju, the bookshop checked all the boxes.

The days of listlessly sitting in her chair dwindled as each morning felt a little more hopeful than the last. She didn’t have enough energy yet to do more for the bookshop, but she started reading voraciously again.

As Yeongju watched her leave with the book in hand, she thought about the power books held. Is there a book that’ll unclog a smothered heart? Will a book have that much power?

Despite falling short of expectations, could a book, if enjoyed, be considered a good read?

themselves, about the human condition. When authors delve deep into their understanding of life to touch the hearts of readers, helping them to navigate life, isn’t that what a good book should be?

Books are not meant to remain in your mind, but in your heart. Maybe they exist in your mind too, but as something more than memories.

‘Coffee beans from trees cultivated at a low altitude have a lower acidity and the flavour is often mild and bland. High-altitude beans tend to be more acidic, resulting in a stronger fruity or floral scent and a more complex flavour.’

‘In high school, my mum used to say that if the first button is done up properly, the rest of the buttons will line up neatly, and just like that, life will be smooth sailing. The first button, she said, is getting into a good university. I was so relieved when I got my acceptance letter. If I continued at this pace, it seemed that I could easily do up the second, third and the rest of the buttons too. Was I foolish to think so?

It was part of the balance of life – a person’s dream coming true could mean the collapse of someone else’s life.

Was it because he enjoyed reading novels? Minjun thought Wooshik was a sensitive soul. Or was it the other way round – that he was a sensitive soul and hence preferred novels? Or maybe there was no link.

Her mother always made her feel that there was no one in the entire world who was on her side.

Sometimes, I despair that I’m worthless, especially when I bring misery to those who’ve showered me with care, concern and love.

A small act of kindness in the eyes of others could be heard as ‘I’m your fan’. We’re all inadequate, weak and ordinary beings. But because we’re capable of being kind, for a moment – no matter how fleeting – we can be extraordinary.

‘Do you know what’s the most amazing thing a person can do?’ she wrote to me in a letter. I shook my head as I read. ‘Someone once told me,’ she wrote, ‘that saving a person is an extraordinary act not anyone can accomplish. So . . . no matter what happens, remember this. The camera you gave me saved my life.’

As I close the book, I think to myself – I should stop labelling myself an inadequate person. I still have opportunities, don’t I? Opportunities to act kindly, to speak with compassion. Even a disappointing human like myself can still be, occasionally, a good person. The idea gives me strength. And for the days ahead, hope.

Yeongju hadn’t seen her mother for several years but having to fight with her in her own head was exhausting enough.

‘I’m satisfied, but . . . it just feels like dreams aren’t everything. I’m not saying that dreams are unimportant, or that there’s something else above them, but life is too complicated. Just because you’ve achieved your dreams doesn’t mean you’ll always be happy. Well, something like that.’

‘Dissonance before moments of harmony makes the harmony sound beautiful. Just as harmony and dissonance exist side by side in music, life is the same. Because harmony is preceded by dissonance, that’s why we think life is beautiful.’

‘When it comes to parents . . . I think it’s more comfortable to live a life that you want instead of a life that would not disappoint them. Of course, it’s a pity that the closest people to you are the ones disappointed in you. But there’s no way to live your whole life according to your parents’ wishes.

While it is unfortunate that the publishing industry is facing strong headwinds, this is no excuse for readers to put up with poorly written sentences.

She needed her ‘me time’, even if it was to sit alone in silence for an hour. This was why Sundays were precious to her. At the very least, for one day, she had an escape from the anxiety of socialising.

‘“What is so great about work that sees society constantly trying to create more of it? Why, at the pinnacle of society’s productive development, is there still thought to be a need for everybody to work for most of the time?”

‘You need to work to make a living. This is what society has ingrained in us, so I’m not able to immediately separate the two concepts.

woman in her thirties who’d just gotten a haircut. ‘The Puritan work ethic has also influenced the way we think about work – placing work on a moral pedestal. Those who work are contributing members of society; skivers are useless. It’s ridiculous that the idea of hard work as a way of gaining salvation survived centuries, crossing time and space to be passed on to people like me – a non-religious person living in twenty-first-century Korea, precariously holding on to my job.

‘That said, the problem is that our society is too obsessed with work, and working takes away too many things from us. It’s like we surface from the depths of work to get a breather, only to feel thoroughly spent. And when we return home after a long workday, we no longer have energy for leisure time or hobbies.

Yeongju recalled how Jungsuh had asked her how often she needed to order a new coffee in order not to be a nuisance to the bookshop. So that was her trying her best to mind her manners. Was it because she thought good manners was the optimal way to obtain the greatest freedom without inconveniencing others?

Thinking back to what Yeongju had said – that it wasn’t possible to be perfect from the beginning, that people would understand – she forced back the tears that threatened to spill.

During our book club meetings, I’d like to suggest that everyone be on a first-name basis. I don’t want to be addressed as Mincheol’s mother. I want to be called by my name – Heejoo. Let’s do another round of introductions, not as someone’s wife or someone’s mother, but with our names.

At first, the members were shy, waving their hands in refusal to speak, but later, everyone jostled for airtime all at once. These ladies, who normally talked only about their husbands and children during a get-together, were fascinated that they suddenly had two whole hours to talk about themselves.

What I’m trying to say is: whatever you do, you will face challenges. Even if it’s not a bookshop, you’ll fret over whatever business you’re starting; if you work for a company, that comes with its own set of worries too. In the end, it boils down to this: what kind of work do I want to do, despite all the worries?

‘Being relaxed or relieved is not the state that we always have to be in. Sometimes, there’s a need to hold on to the frustration of the situation, to the complexity of things as you think and ponder.’

He was going to stay true to his path. He learnt that if he hated the wavering, the uncertainty, all he needed to do was to hold on to something to stay focused.

Yeongju seemed to think that she held full responsibility for the divorce. She had branded herself a very selfish and self-centred person and that was why she thought she might possibly hurt another person again.

‘A life surrounded by good people is a successful life. It might not be success as defined by society, but thanks to the people around you, each day is a successful day.’

Her mother was weak in the face of failure; she simply did to her daughter what any weak person would do. To such a mother, Yeongju didn’t want to explain that she was wrong, that the world had changed, and above all, that her daughter was no failure. She still didn’t want to be the one to reach out first.