Lost in the dark

[QuillPenLove]

What are your first impressions of the protagonist? What details hint at where he is emotionally or mentally?

[minoko]

To me, my first impression of him is like an image of a hardy weed sprouting up unexpectedly and robustly among the grass, alongside a sturdy tree beside it.

He curls his body to protect his pouch and never resorts to violence of his own accord.
In that way, he is like a resilient weed that doesn’t mind being stepped on, yet also like a tree because he possesses a warmth and calmness greater than anyone’s.

This impression remained with me until the very last chapter.
A weed is the lowest in the natural world, and a homeless person is the lowest in society.
Yet, he saves the people he meets at the store and remains a steady, ever-present figure. This is the impression I held all the way through to the final chapter.


“As he emerged toward the west station side, the man paused for a moment,
like a herbivorous animal refusing to leave the embrace of nature and climb onto a truck on the asphalt.”

“From the fallen fruit of the late autumn ginkgo trees along the street, a scent similar to the man’s drifted.”

[QuillPenLove]

minoko wrote: "To me, my first impression of him is like an image of a hardy weed sprouting up unexpectedly and robustly among the grass, alongside a sturdy tree beside it.

He curls his body to protect his pouch..."

What a poetic way of viewing it! I love it!

It really touched me how he was always judged at first, but never let that interfere with being the best person he could be, always winning people over at the end.
It felt to me that he was in great despair, which led him to where he was.
As people I think we always tend to judge others, not knowing all they could have been through and not really taking the time to understand.

[minoko]

I think so too.
Because he was in complete darkness—in despair—he can bring light to those around him.
But the only reason he can do that is because he can see the light beyond the darkness.

If we could become the light for just one single person, that would already be enough. That’s what I felt after reading your comment ❇︎˚✧₊⁎⁎⁺˳✧༚

[QuillPenLove]

minoko wrote: "I think so too.
Because he was in complete darkness—in despair—he can bring light to those around him.
But the only reason he can do that is because he can see the light beyond the darkness.

If w..."

Nothing like experience to give us a new perspective on things. And it’s lovely that he decided to share his learned wisdom with others in a constructive way. ❤️

[Melly]

QuillPenLove wrote: "What are your first impressions of the protagonist? What details hint at where he is emotionally or mentally?"

I was really curious about Dokgo's backstory at first, about where he came from and how he ended up at Seoul Station. Then, I realized after he helped Sihyeon see how good she would be at teaching people how to work in a convenience store that his current attitude and quiet way of helping people is what makes his character interesting. He has adapted to his life and found a kind of peacefulness because of that and tries in a very calm way to help other people find ways to adapt as well.

[QuillPenLove]

Melly wrote: "QuillPenLove wrote: "What are your first impressions of the protagonist? What details hint at where he is emotionally or mentally?"

I was really curious about Dokgo's backstory at first, about whe..."

That’s true. His candor and point of view on all manner of things became the focus after a while. More than wanting to know where he was from or who he was, after a while I saw myself wondering who he’d help next.