Nine years have passed and a lot has changed.
Personally, I've escaped basic livelihood security, become a lawyer, written extensively, including one book, founded a theater group that failed, and experienced new friendships and love.
However, the most fundamental desire I had at the time of publishing this book—to accept my disability as a part of myself rather than being ashamed of it, and to live proudly and beautifully with my disabled body without shrinking—remains unfulfilled.
--- p.6

In fact, desire is fleeting.
We know from the advice of sages throughout history that the greater our desires, the more suffering and frustration they bring. We hear the direct words of monks like Beopryun and Hyemin, and we learn from the experiences of our parents.
If you dream of space exploration in a country torn apart by war and poverty, or hope to live a long and healthy life with two children and a large dog in a village with a beautiful garden, this is likely to lead to even greater disappointment.
Even if you, a person born with a silver spoon in your mouth, dream of commuting to Samseong Station with a beautiful partner from your house in Cheongdam-dong (a dream of not having to commute), the possibility of that happening is very slim.
Above all, it is difficult to know which desires are entirely mine and not someone else's.
Hope, on the other hand, seems to speak of a more lofty dream that leads us toward a fulfilling life.
Society also readily approves of dreams that are brought up in the name of hope.
--- pp.10~11

Can we overcome my body, our body, a body that fears falling into poverty, disease, and ugliness? Despite my long struggle to overcome my disability, I still don't have a definitive answer to this question.
But one thing I have come to understand clearly is that disabled people can never overcome their disability, and the moment they overcome it, they are no longer disabled.
If someone were to say to me, "I am a disabled person who has overcome my disability," I would become a contradiction in that moment.
If I overcame my disability, why am I still disabled?
--- p.19

Is overcoming the only way to free ourselves from such conditions? I don't think so.
Rather, I believe we must stake our future on the challenge, solidarity, and imagination that place our conditions at the center of the world.
Most of us are not people who can overcome disability and poverty without any help and join the ranks of beauties through meticulous self-management and dieting, and in fact, there is no reason for us to do so.
--- pp.19~20

Puberty came when I was around twelve years old.
His voice grew deeper and his lower body became darker.
Although the number of fractures decreased thanks to my long stay in the hospital, my reality has hardly changed.
I was still spending my precious teenage passions opening the door and watching the children go to school, the dogs in the yard basking in the spring sun, or eating the ice cream my grandmother bought me.
--- p.45

The desk where I sat was covered with children's doodles.
It was written in a confusing manner, with things like, "So-and-so is dating so-and-so," and "That celebrity is the coolest."
I read the contents carefully.
A world that is disorganized and chaotic, yet somehow filled with diverse stimuli, a world where children's imaginations, desires, jealousy, freedom, and oppression are intertwined.
That was my first encounter with the 'real' world, outside of the hospital and my hometown.
--- p.49

This moment, when I stepped into a 'new world', may seem dramatic in itself, but I have no intention of distorting its meaning.
If a middle school student needs this much help from so many people and better grades than others to get into the high school of their choice, isn't that ridiculous in a country like South Korea where education is considered a fundamental right?
No middle school student worries about not getting into a school even though they have the help of a "support group," have "negotiations" with the principal, and have better grades than others.
Even if you are ranked 150th, not 15th, if you meet the admission criteria, you should be able to enter without any problems.
That's 'normal'.
--- pp.115~116

How can we get back on stage?
I don't want to be the lead.
But I want to at least 'appear'.
Becoming a so-called 'super disabled person'.
That was my choice.
Super-disabled people first challenge things that others never thought of, and overcome various obstacles with their cheerful and bold personalities.
Always armed with confidence and poise, he has the audacity to say, “People are looking at me because I’m handsome.”
Of course, you have to be good at studying, and you have to have athletic ability and dating skills.
Of course, the 'guts' that allow you to be courageous and not be discouraged in any situation are essential.
--- pp.121~122

Myungryun and I did a lot of things together.
I sneaked out of the dorm, bought some ramen, and walked up the long hill that was several hundred meters long.
To others, it might have seemed like Myeongryun was helping me unilaterally, but surprisingly, Myeongryun's mother would call me occasionally to thank me for being close to her.
Parents of children with disabilities often worry that their children might hurt their friends by helping them, or that hanging out with their friends might prevent them from socializing with their non-disabled peers.
However, Myeongryun's mother said that she was grateful that I was being a good older brother to Myeongryun.
--- p.129

Yes, that's right.
Yes, I am disabled.
But the fact that I am disabled and shouting “I am disabled” are two entirely different things.
I was a college student at Seoul National University in South Korea, where 50 percent of people with disabilities only graduate from elementary school.
I didn't want to once again put my identity as a disabled person before my pride and my dreams.
I didn't want to fall.
Can't I live without any connection to my disability?
Even though I just use a wheelchair, can't I have the skills, the job, the knowledge, the humor, the cheerfulness, etc. to the point where people around me wouldn't even notice that I'm disabled?
--- p.143

Contrary to the common belief that the rights of people with disabilities have improved in modern society, there are also studies that show that for some disabilities, the social status and quality of life were much higher during the Joseon Dynasty.
In particular, the visually impaired were considered to be of a higher social status at the time, and actively participated in the community through occupations such as pharmacists and fortune tellers.
Michael Oliver, a disabled British sociologist, also revealed how people with physical disabilities were marginalized from the community as society moved into the capitalist system and factory work became commonplace.
--- p.157

Changing some of the school's facilities was just one of the things we gained.
What's more important is that the fact that they entered Seoul National University itself, and the fact that disabled students who had been intoxicated by the praise from those around them for "overcoming their disabilities" because of it, began to look at themselves squarely.
Do we really need to 'overcome' our disabilities?
Is it even surmountable?
--- p.
161

I still can't walk.
But that doesn't mean I've failed in my struggle to get healthy.
Success or failure in the fight against the disease is not a matter of overcoming the disability or eliminating the cause of osteogenesis imperfecta from my body.
I grew into an adult who maintained a stable balance in this state.
Therefore, biological disease treatment and body healing are not the same concept.
I was not cured, but I was healed.
--- p.171

I find upright walking erotically appealing.
Movement of the shoulders and crossing of the arms and legs.
I'd argue that pushing a wheelchair once every 1.8 seconds is the sexiest thing ever, but that's really nothing.
The feeling of looking down on a world over 170 centimeters high, holding someone's hand on a date while riding the subway and bus, and strolling through campus with a coffee in one hand and a book in the other.
At some point I wanted to shout that I wanted to walk.
But at that time, I was the team leader of the Disability Rights Solidarity Team.
Disability is an identity, and our damaged bodies must soon become our own identities.
For me, saying, “Actually, I want to walk,” felt like a pathetic and cowardly confession.
--- p.227

I find it very unpleasant to be interrupted by someone while walking up the stairs, but even in this case, 'coolness' is essential.
Isn't it rude to show displeasure to those who help me?
So, it's essential to be able to say something cool even when you're holding someone's hand precariously on the stairs.

"Hey, this totally makes me feel like a king?" --- p.234

Bad Body claimed that the stigma attached to him and the discrimination he had suffered were in fact 'social'.
And the world changed.
Like Lucifer, who refused to be an angel and chose 'freedom', the bad body, especially the disabled, who are the representative of it, have now become political subjects.
--- p.248

Legal philosopher Ronald Dworkin distinguishes between misfortunes imposed by God and misfortunes created by society.
Misfortunes given by heaven include earthquakes, typhoons, and diseases that cannot be cured by modern medical technology.
On the other hand, misfortunes created by society include inequality caused by socioeconomic structures or policies, disasters that are more severe due to a lack of adequate countermeasures, and cases where curable diseases cannot be treated due to lack of medical expenses.
… However, the standards for ‘misfortune given by heaven’ and ‘misfortune created by society’ are ambiguous.
That is the 'body of a disabled person'.
--- p.255

The disability movement has successfully shifted many things that were once considered "heavenly misfortunes" to the realm of "social misfortunes."
Our problems, which have moved to social misfortune, have now become solvable challenges.
But even at this point in time, there still exist bodily conditions that seem like they will never move into the realm of social misfortune, that is, they will forever be considered only 'misfortunes given by heaven.'
That is a body with a severe disease, a body whose damage is so severe that no matter what society does, it will eventually have to prepare for death or focus solely on survival.
This also applies to the body that harbors desires and pain that cannot be overcome no matter how much social effort is made.
You can install an elevator for me who can't walk, but you can't fulfill my desire to run.
--- p.256

But even to me, who tried to act all smart but ended up just taking refuge inside myself, someone said, “I love you, loving is cooler,” “Go on stage, that’s sexier,” and “Write.
“If you write your story, you will be free,” he said, extending his hand.
--- p.305

My life has been completely transformed among those who have practiced this freedom with their whole being, and my freedom, my body, my love bear witness to it.
Therefore, I wrote this to testify to the power of freedom and solidarity.
I still lack the experience, ability, and courage to be the subject of practice.
But if I ever get another chance to write something in the future, I want to go beyond testimony and make a defense.
What that argument seeks to defend is the freedom of my body, your body, my friends' bodies, and all of our bodies.

--- p.308