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?

Every one of us is like an island; alone and lonely. It’s not a bad thing. Solitude sets us free, just as loneliness brings depth to our lives. In the novels I like, the characters are like isolated islands. In the novels I love, the characters used to be like isolated islands, until their fates gradually intertwined; the kind of stories where you whisper, ‘You were here?’ and a voice answers, ‘Yes, always.’ You think to yourself, I was a little lonely, but because of you, I’m less alone. It’s a wonderful feeling and the book in your hands gives me a taste of that joy.

Often, she read in search of something. However, she didn’t always know exactly what she was looking for when she turned the first page. Sometimes she was several chapters in before she went, Ah, so this is what I’m looking for.

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?

Wasn’t this sufficient? To live a life completely different from the present. For those who dream of a brand-new tomorrow, the man’s future is a dream come true.

To read is to see things from someone else’s perspective, and that naturally leads you to stop and look out for other people, rather than chase after success

Books are not meant to remain in your mind, but in your heart.

He was able to stay positive because his hard work was always rewarded, giving him the unwavering conviction that hard work would always lead to the results he wanted.

He wanted to tell Sungchul that to know what he liked, he first needed the energy and bandwidth to begin exploring. To understand profound and abstract films outside of the mainstream offerings, he needed the concentration that could only be possible if he had time.

After a movie, Minjun would mull it over for a long time. There were times a whole day passed like this. It seemed so extravagant, to spend the entire day thinking about a film. He’d never spent that much time on something that didn’t serve a concrete purpose. Never did he have the luxury of taking all the time he wanted. In the process of figuring out his preferences, he had a vague realisation that, perhaps, spending time on a single thing was like looking deep into himself.

‘Those who can self-reflect are able to change a little just by reading one book.

Until she was called away, Yeongju wanted to sit and watch Jungsuh knit. If possible, she didn’t want to miss the moment the scarf was completed, as if by sharing the moment, she’d be able to escape the emptiness of being alone in the world.

‘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.’ ‘That’s a beautiful way to put it.’ Minjun lowered his head again. ‘I’ve been thinking about it today.’ ‘What is it?’ ‘Is there a way that will accurately tell us whether the current moment we’re living in is harmony or dissonance? How do I tell what state I’m in now?’ ‘Hmm, you won’t quite know while you’re in the moment. It’s only when you look back that the answer is clear.’

We should learn to think well of ourselves.’

Yeongju had once shared with him five reasons every neighbourhood should have an independent bookshop. That moment, he thought he was looking at the sixth. Gazing at the bookshop from the outside made him happy.

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?”

I’ve been thinking that what the government should do is not create more jobs, but to find a way for the citizens to make a living.’

‘“The problem here is not that the labour process presents no opportunities for expression and identification, but that the employer expects workers to become fully involved and invested in the job.”’

Workers are, in other words, transformed into ‘company people’. In Hephaestus, identification with work was promoted via an organisational rhetoric around ideas like ‘team’ and ‘family’, designed to encourage workers to feel a sense of devotion and personal obligation. Ideas like ‘team’ and ‘family’ function to reframe the workplace as a field of ethical rather than economic obligation, binding workers more tightly to the goals of the organisation.”’

‘“When significant proportions of our time are spent working, recuperating from work, compensating for work, or doing the many things necessary in order to find, prepare for, and hold on to work, it becomes increasingly difficult to say how much of our time is truly our own.”’

‘What it means is that we work too much. And when work eclipses life, work becomes a problem.’

‘Well, it’s not that we see things differently, but at least we need to see a glimmer of hope at the end of that sacrifice. But these days, there’s not even a shred of hope. So, we don’t see a need to sacrifice anymore,’ the younger ones chimed in.

‘It felt like growing up because I was doing things I had consciously chosen to do for the first time.’

she turned and headed down the stairs to the station, thinking what a happy thing it was to meet a person on the same wavelength.

‘I don’t think much of dreams that are stripped bare of pleasure. Dreams, or pleasure? If I have to choose one, I’ll take the latter. That said, my heart still flutters at the word dream. A life without dreams is as dry as a life without tears. There’s a line in Hermann Hesse’s Demian that goes: “But no dream lasts forever, each dream is followed by another, and one should not cling to any particular dream.”’ ‘Hearing this makes me hope that this kind of life can also be accepted,’ said Minjun, getting up slowly. Yeongju looked up. ‘What kind of life?’ ‘First, to cruise alongside what life has to offer. Then, to live it chasing dreams. And for the last shot in life, to live the life that I was better suited for, and to enjoy it as much as I can.’

‘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.’

It was as if a thought that was sprouting had come to full bloom on its own. As if the Minjun of the past and the Minjun of the present had finally come together for the first time in a long while. The Minjun of the past accepted him for who he was, and the Minjun of the present accepted who he had been. Life felt as though it had come full circle.

How is it that you were able to still find time to do things you liked when you were so busy?’ ‘You’re really a fool,’ Sungchul said as he tapped his fingers on the sink. ‘Obviously, it’s because I liked doing it. What other reason can there be?’