“Because I wasn’t happy.’ Her face was slightly flushed. ‘Accomplishments over a lifetime of hard work are amazing. But I grew to understand that what Ari-what’s-his-name said is, basically, to work for your whole life so as to earn the final few moments of happiness. To achieve happiness at the end of life, you have to be miserable for a lifetime. When I think of it this way, happiness becomes horrible. It’s such an empty feeling, to stake everything on a single accomplishment in life. So, I changed my mind and decided to chase after pleasure – the feeling of happiness – instead.”
―
Hwang Bo-Reum,
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop
