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In the past, she used to live by mantras like passion and willpower, as if by imprinting the words on her mind, they would somehow breathe meaning into her life. Then one day she realised it felt like she was driving herself into a corner, and she resolved never to let those words dictate her life again.
Instead, she learnt to listen to her body, her feelings, and be in happy places. 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.
‘I’m trying to be less perfect, more human.
As if trying her best to mend a broken friendship from her childhood, she immersed herself into the books, day and night, never leaving their side. It didn’t take long for their treasured relationship to rekindle. The books welcomed her back with open arms without judging the person she’d become, and accepted her for who she was.
She grieved, suffered, and emerged stronger with them. As if sharing their experiences and emotions would, at the end of the book, allow her to understand anyone in the world.
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?
Despite never liking fruit much, he’d gotten so used to it that skipping a day of fruit felt odd enough that he would go out of his way on his rest days to buy some for himself. And that is how habits are formed.
Reading makes you deviate further from the textbook definition of success because books don’t make us go ahead of or above anyone else; they guide us to stand alongside others.
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 in the rat race. If more people read, I think the world would become a better place.
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. At a crossroads in life, a forgotten sentence or a story from years ago can come back to offer an invisible hand and guide you to a decision. Personally, I feel like the books I’ve read led me to make the choices I’ve made in life. While I may not remember all the details, the stories continue to exert a quiet influence on me.
On days when you can’t concentrate, ask yourself what’s been on your mind recently. Humans are naturally motivated to be curious about things we’re interested in. For example, many of us want to quit our jobs. If you’re thinking of quitting, read books written by people who’ve quit. There are many such books. If you want to emigrate, read stories about people who’ve moved across lands and oceans. If you’re struggling with low self-esteem, have lost touch with a good friend or feel depressed, seek out books about that.
The flow of the needle poking in, looping the thread, and pulling out again was as regular as a heartbeat. 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.
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.
‘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.’
I’m always logical, and when the other person is emotional, I try to compensate by dialling up the logic, which can come across as rigid and unyielding. I’m aware of this fault of mine, and I try to be mindful of it. But sometimes, it’s difficult.’
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.”’
Those who work can’t live a decent life because they’re exhausted all the time; those who don’t work also can’t live a decent life because they have no money. The book posits that if people work less, we can then redistribute some of that work to those who don’t have a job, and that it’s theoretically possible.’
There’re two great things about returning to reality after a couple of hours of knitting. First, I made something. Second, I feel refreshed. At the very least, I wasn’t angry while I knitted.’
He couldn’t even be his normal self, much less perform at his very best. In that case, he might as well do away with the greed of wanting to do well. As long as he wasn’t bothered by how others might view him, he had already successfully avoided the worst-case scenario.
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?
Life is too complicated and expansive to be judged solely by the career you have. You could be unhappy doing something you liked, just as it was possible to do what you didn’t like but derive happiness from something entirely different. Life is mysterious and complex. Work plays an important role in life, but it isn’t solely responsible for our happiness or misery.
Even if the tears returned, it was something she had to see through. To learn to let go. When the time came for her to be able to recollect the past without tears, she would finally be able to put her hand up and happily hold on to the present. And to cherish it dearly.
‘The latter, I think. While I might be happy chasing a dream, it seems like I have a better chance at happiness after abandoning it. I just want to enjoy living.’
‘Why did you tell me who that man was?’ Their eyes met. Her eyes were quickly morphing into the look she wore when telling him about the existence of her ex-husband. Sad. Conflicted. She was definitely masking her feelings. He was sure now. ‘Because I didn’t want to lie.’ Her voice remained calm. ‘What do you mean?’ ‘Keeping silent can also be a form of lying. Sometimes, not saying anything makes no difference. But sometimes, it becomes a problem.’ ‘When is that?’ he replied evenly. ‘When the other person has special feelings.’
‘I told you about my ex-husband . . . to make it easier for you to move on.’
‘It’s not the fact that I was divorced, but the reason for the divorce that is more important. Why I got the divorce.’
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. This was why she didn’t want to love ever again. But Seungwoo had never once met anyone who hadn’t hurt someone else, nor had he met a completely selfless person who places others above themselves.
‘Yeongju. I’m not asking you to marry me. I’m just saying, let’s like each other.’
‘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.
This episode made me realise that being able to end things that don’t work is a way of living well. There’re so many instances of people not being able to put an end to things because of fear, of others’ judgement and of the possibility of regretting it in the future. I was the same. But now, I feel so relieved.’
