To the blessed
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Description
Book Introduction
So that no failure becomes a failure of life itself, The most refreshing comfort from author Kim Geum-hee, who embraces all falls. The second full-length novel, "To the Blessed," by author Kim Geum-hee, who embraces universal human misfortune and sorrow with a firm perspective and witty writing style, has been published. Kim Geum-hee's novels, which nimbly capture the brilliant moments that allow us to endure the daily life where 'depression is the default', have won the trust and love of countless readers by colorfully depicting warm scenes created by seemingly indifferent and affectionate characters. With the unwavering support of critics, Kim Geum-hee has won numerous prestigious literary awards, including the Shin Dong-yup Literary Award in 2015, the Young Writer Award Grand Prize in 2016, the Contemporary Literature Award in 2017, the Woohyun Art Award in 2019, and the Kim Seung-ok Literary Award Grand Prize in 2020. She has now become a unique writer who is "always trusted and read." Kim Geum-hee's new work, "To the Blessed," was serialized on Naver Audio Clip for a month in August 2020, with the author's own voice reading the book, and it deeply moved the reader. It is receiving such a passionate response that the book has already been reprinted three times during the pre-order period. The author, who asked about the well-being of everyone in his first full-length novel, “The Heart of Respect” (2018), writes about “failure” that breaks and destroys a person’s life in “To the Blessed.” The story of Lee Young-cho-rong, a girl who had to move to an island off Jeju Island due to her parents' business failure and whose family's fortunes were ruined, later becomes a judge and is demoted to Jeju Island again. Lee Young-cho-rong and the people who are precious to her come face to face with painfully clear wounds from the past that they have not yet healed. However, as Kim Geum-hee's characters gradually become absorbed in Jeju's beautiful scenery and the islanders' resilient lives, they heal themselves and are able to rise again from the heart that has stumbled over certain failures. |
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index
To the blessed _007
Author's Note _239
Author's Note _239
Into the book
My aunt said that the smaller graves among them belonged to children.
It is said that the mortality rate of children on the island was high in the past.
There must be plenty of reasons for those young and fragile things to die.
In Jeju, there is a word called seolrunaegi, which refers to such pitiful babies, and a word called seolruneomeong, which refers to a sad and pitiful mother.
When sadness is repeated, it remains in words like that.
I had never thought that children like me could die, so my nose stung at my aunt's words.
--- p.18
Just being faced with such vibrant nature made the world seem to move on a completely different frequency.
It seemed obvious that there would be a grandmother.
The small caves, the threads, the water-soaked stone floor, the porous basalt, everything created that kind of atmosphere.
--- pp.23~24
“Once you meet someone, everything about that person’s life, tragedy, and pain is transferred to you.
Moreover, the people we meet are always those who have suffered injustice, are sad, have suffered loss, and have had something taken away from them.
For example, the judge gets hit in the eye every time.
A life of wet snow, perhaps.
But you have to shake it off quickly so that you don't get crushed by the weight of the snow."
--- p.39
“I hated my dad, I hated him because he failed.
But then I thought, "It's not my father, it's my failure that I'm hating."
My father tilted his head as if he heard me, then straightened his back for a moment.
“I didn’t hate my dad.
I wish you knew that.
“I’ve become a real social leader, so there’s no way that could happen.”
Dad either heard it or did it unconsciously, and smiled briefly, showing his teeth.
--- p.61
I felt sad for the place that had become so distant after just a few months of a season, but I clenched my teeth and suppressed my feelings as the sea breeze blew like a slap.
And like a blessed person, I tried to stand upright, facing the sea breeze head-on.
I wanted to adapt to the strength of the wind that shook my body, which was incomparable to that of the city.
To not close your eyes when faced with that force, to not retreat when surrounded, to be able to call out "Hey, hey, Gobokja!" even when the wind blows, and not to quiver when the cold or the sun is hot.
--- pp.86~87
As I ran along the shore, looking at the grandeur of the sea at Jungmun on a cloudy day, the gray waves that refused to be objects of leisure that humans could enjoy and enjoy, like vacations or swimming, I realized belatedly what the scar meant.
The fact that the moon is quite full and that Bokja, who lost her child, would have surgical scars.
I stopped the car and stood there, barely able to see the foam of the waves crashing against the cliff.
--- p.187
Don't worry too much about the blessings.
Because she looks just like her grandmother.
Bokja's grandmother was a stronger female diver than anyone I'd seen on Gogori Island.
There is a Jeju proverb that says, "If something upsetting happens, I would rather go to the sea than my parents' house."
I heard it from Bokja's grandmother.
When I think of Jeju, I think of it as a world of working women.
A world with an infinite sea where women who have cried and had sorrows walk step by step.
These are the people who touch the coolness of the world every time, then raise their heads out of the water and take a deep breath.
So wouldn't everything be okay?
--- p.189
But if you ever go to an island like that, Celine, you must let them know you're here and say hello, he added.
I need to let you know that you are here.
(…)
Especially to the island's old gods and barley fields, to the female divers, to the cat-shaped stones and the fish that never bite the clumsy fishing floats, to the walls decorated with horned conch shells and the graves where the snow squirts sleep, to the tourists who are a bit upset because they can only move on foot, to the sea squirts that disappear for about two weeks when a typhoon hits and then start life again, to the smallest ones, to the sea breeze that messes up no matter how well you comb your hair and to the ships anchored at the dock, to Mi-hye who is busy riding her scooter to resolve endless complaints, to Oh-se who has returned to the island after his dream change was approved, and to my wise friend, Bok-ja who knew how to tell me that even a melted ice cream can be enjoyed again if you put it in the freezer.
It is said that the mortality rate of children on the island was high in the past.
There must be plenty of reasons for those young and fragile things to die.
In Jeju, there is a word called seolrunaegi, which refers to such pitiful babies, and a word called seolruneomeong, which refers to a sad and pitiful mother.
When sadness is repeated, it remains in words like that.
I had never thought that children like me could die, so my nose stung at my aunt's words.
--- p.18
Just being faced with such vibrant nature made the world seem to move on a completely different frequency.
It seemed obvious that there would be a grandmother.
The small caves, the threads, the water-soaked stone floor, the porous basalt, everything created that kind of atmosphere.
--- pp.23~24
“Once you meet someone, everything about that person’s life, tragedy, and pain is transferred to you.
Moreover, the people we meet are always those who have suffered injustice, are sad, have suffered loss, and have had something taken away from them.
For example, the judge gets hit in the eye every time.
A life of wet snow, perhaps.
But you have to shake it off quickly so that you don't get crushed by the weight of the snow."
--- p.39
“I hated my dad, I hated him because he failed.
But then I thought, "It's not my father, it's my failure that I'm hating."
My father tilted his head as if he heard me, then straightened his back for a moment.
“I didn’t hate my dad.
I wish you knew that.
“I’ve become a real social leader, so there’s no way that could happen.”
Dad either heard it or did it unconsciously, and smiled briefly, showing his teeth.
--- p.61
I felt sad for the place that had become so distant after just a few months of a season, but I clenched my teeth and suppressed my feelings as the sea breeze blew like a slap.
And like a blessed person, I tried to stand upright, facing the sea breeze head-on.
I wanted to adapt to the strength of the wind that shook my body, which was incomparable to that of the city.
To not close your eyes when faced with that force, to not retreat when surrounded, to be able to call out "Hey, hey, Gobokja!" even when the wind blows, and not to quiver when the cold or the sun is hot.
--- pp.86~87
As I ran along the shore, looking at the grandeur of the sea at Jungmun on a cloudy day, the gray waves that refused to be objects of leisure that humans could enjoy and enjoy, like vacations or swimming, I realized belatedly what the scar meant.
The fact that the moon is quite full and that Bokja, who lost her child, would have surgical scars.
I stopped the car and stood there, barely able to see the foam of the waves crashing against the cliff.
--- p.187
Don't worry too much about the blessings.
Because she looks just like her grandmother.
Bokja's grandmother was a stronger female diver than anyone I'd seen on Gogori Island.
There is a Jeju proverb that says, "If something upsetting happens, I would rather go to the sea than my parents' house."
I heard it from Bokja's grandmother.
When I think of Jeju, I think of it as a world of working women.
A world with an infinite sea where women who have cried and had sorrows walk step by step.
These are the people who touch the coolness of the world every time, then raise their heads out of the water and take a deep breath.
So wouldn't everything be okay?
--- p.189
But if you ever go to an island like that, Celine, you must let them know you're here and say hello, he added.
I need to let you know that you are here.
(…)
Especially to the island's old gods and barley fields, to the female divers, to the cat-shaped stones and the fish that never bite the clumsy fishing floats, to the walls decorated with horned conch shells and the graves where the snow squirts sleep, to the tourists who are a bit upset because they can only move on foot, to the sea squirts that disappear for about two weeks when a typhoon hits and then start life again, to the smallest ones, to the sea breeze that messes up no matter how well you comb your hair and to the ships anchored at the dock, to Mi-hye who is busy riding her scooter to resolve endless complaints, to Oh-se who has returned to the island after his dream change was approved, and to my wise friend, Bok-ja who knew how to tell me that even a melted ice cream can be enjoyed again if you put it in the freezer.
--- pp.236~237
Publisher's Review
So that no failure becomes a failure of life itself,
The most refreshing comfort from author Kim Geum-hee, who embraces all falls.
The second full-length novel, "To the Blessed," by author Kim Geum-hee, who embraces universal human misfortune and sorrow with a firm perspective and witty writing style, has been published.
Kim Geum-hee's novels, which nimbly capture the brilliant moments that allow us to endure the daily life where 'depression is the default', have won the trust and love of countless readers by colorfully depicting warm scenes created by seemingly indifferent and affectionate characters.
With the unwavering support of critics, Kim Geum-hee has won numerous prestigious literary awards, including the Shin Dong-yup Literary Award in 2015, the Young Writer Award Grand Prize in 2016, the Contemporary Literature Award in 2017, the Woohyun Art Award in 2019, and the Kim Seung-ok Literary Award Grand Prize in 2020. She has now become a unique writer who is "always trusted and read."
Kim Geum-hee's new work, "To the Blessed," was serialized on Naver Audio Clip for a month in August 2020, with the author's own voice reading the book, and it deeply moved the reader. It is receiving such a passionate response that the book has already been reprinted three times during the pre-order period.
The author, who asked about the well-being of everyone in his first full-length novel, “The Heart of Respect” (2018), writes about “failure” that breaks and destroys a person’s life in “To the Blessed.”
The story of Lee Young-cho-rong, a girl who had to move to an island off Jeju Island due to her parents' business failure and whose family's fortunes were ruined, later becomes a judge and is demoted to Jeju Island again. Lee Young-cho-rong and the people who are precious to her come face to face with painfully clear wounds from the past that they have not yet healed.
However, as Kim Geum-hee's characters gradually become absorbed in Jeju's beautiful scenery and the islanders' resilient lives, they heal themselves and are able to rise again from the heart that has stumbled over certain failures.
“When I looked at the blessed one, I felt my whole heart sink.
But eventually I realized that it was the desire to exert force.”
The novel begins in the early spring of 1999, when Lee Young-cho-rong, a 13-year-old elementary school student, is entrusted to her aunt on Gogori Island, a place where she must take another boat from the main island of Jeju, in place of her younger brother.
Lee Young-cho-rong appeals to her parents by writing a detailed proposal explaining why she should stay in Seoul and study, but it is not enough to turn around the desperate situation.
Lee Young-cho-rong, who was spending gloomy days on Gogori Island, happens to meet a girl of the same age, Bok-ja, while walking alone around the island.
Bokja, who has a bold and bold personality, guides Lee Yeong-cho-rong to Halmangdang, saying that she must greet Halmangsin when she comes to the island.
“My house was completely destroyed.”
When I said that, this time Bokja flinched a little.
But once I opened my mouth, I felt at ease.
“I had a bad time in Seoul.
I opened the door because they said they were my dad's friends, but the men came in without even taking off their shoes, swore at me, and we fought.
When my father told me to take off my shoes, I said that a house that doesn't pay back other people's money is not a house for children.
I hid in the veranda storage room and listened to the song.
“The hero saw everything in the living room.”
“Oh, that was an experience.”
Bokja, who was at a loss for words, clapped his hands in agreement. (Page 24)
Lee Young-cho-rong, who accidentally confessed the tragedy of her life to someone else, and Bok-ja, who responded sincerely to the sad story of a child she had just seen.
The two children become best friends from that day on.
Bokja becomes a strong support for Lee Yeong-cho-rong during her unfamiliar island life, but one day, an incident occurs that damages their friendship.
They become embroiled in a conflict between the village elders and end up hurting each other deeply. They are unable to reconcile, and eventually all contact is lost when Lee Yeong-cho-rong returns to Seoul.
As time passes, Lee Young-cho-rong, who passed the bar exam, has now become a judge who feels deep skepticism about the duties of a judge.
Lee Young-cho-rong cannot ignore the fact that the strict language of the law sometimes flattens the detailed and heartbreaking stories of individuals.
Unable to bear the complexities and anger, Lee Young-cho-rong, who ended up hurling curses in court, was disciplinaryly transferred to the Jeju court. With a sense of defeat, she reunites with Bok-ja at the place of her childhood where she had returned.
But Bokja, who had not been heard from for a long time, is now struggling with a great irrationality there.
“You must have heard.
Because everyone heard it.”
Bokja answered, still facing the night sky.
“We’re in our thirties now.
But I don't know how life works, do you?"
"that's right."
“Some people say things like that.
In my case, where I had a miscarriage, there was a high chance that it would be recognized as an industrial accident, so I was told to use the money to get better and have another child.
But you know what, I don't know what it means to be healthy again.
“What does it mean to be like that again… … How did I become like that again?” (pp. 138-139)
Bokja, who worked as a nurse at Jeju's Yeonggwang Medical Center and endured poor working conditions, loses her child to a miscarriage and joins forces with other nurses who suffered the same fate to seek recognition of the accident as an industrial accident.
Bokja files an administrative lawsuit against the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service and fights to the end against the medical center that refuses to provide evidence to prove the damage.
Lee Young-cho-rong, who had been painfully watching her precious friend fight, decides to become a strong supporter of Bok-ja and jumps into the lawsuit as her legal representative.
Vivid vitality and generous wit fill the clear, cool scenery.
The strong footsteps that decorate Jeju, the island of working people.
The lawsuit of Bokja, which is at the center of the novel, is based on an actual industrial accident that occurred at a medical center in Jeju.
In addition, 『To the Blessed』 also features various social and historical issues, such as the Jeju April 3 Incident, the state administration corruption scandal, and the judge blacklist scandal.
The author depicts the incidents with a cool gaze, as if he no longer wants to romanticize the 'badness' of reality.
This attitude is also reflected in the character changes in Kim Geum-hee's novels.
Kim Geum-hee, who never lost a shred of affection even when depicting difficult characters, creates a 'real villain' in this novel that feels cold. That character is 'Elizabeth', who appears as the wife of the director of Yeonggwang Medical Center and leaves a strong impression.
“Before we do this, discuss it with the manager and avoid going to trial.
If we file a complaint, it will be difficult for us to get an article published.
That would be a tribute to the hard-working and faithful staff member in our internal medicine ward.
I even gave her a gift when I told her I was pregnant.
When my mother-in-law was hospitalized, I took great care of her.
I'm sure I had my reasons, and some group might have instigated it, but it wouldn't be right if my friends got involved, right? I'm not saying that it never happened.
But in the end, the law is not a sword, it's a scale.
“You have to measure fairly before you can take sides?” (page 204)
However, the positivity of Kim Geum-hee's novel, which believes in the "power of humanity" to rise above tragedy, shines even brighter in contrast to this evil.
Inspired by the strong will to live of the Jeju people, including Bokja, and their generous wit in taking responsibility for their lives through solid labor, Lee Young-cho-rong slowly mends and recovers from her past failures.
Kim Geum-hee's characters repeatedly grow closer and further apart like waves on the island, but they never stop living together, embracing all their conflicts.
『To the Blessed』 is a novel completed with inspiration from the days the author spent in Jeju.
The fictional space of Gogori Island, created by the author, is vividly portrayed through the vivid harmony of clear, almost chilling scenery and the lively voices of the people.
On this island, alive and breathing with the people who work for it, every failure is comforted and embraced as evidence of the struggle to survive.
For all those who have experienced failure in their relationships with others, in their studies and life, or in their quest for success, this place will be a place that encourages them to embrace life and move forward.
As Kim Geum-hee said in the author's note, "As long as life continues, our failures will continue, however painful, but let's not let them become the failure of life itself."
The most refreshing comfort from author Kim Geum-hee, who embraces all falls.
The second full-length novel, "To the Blessed," by author Kim Geum-hee, who embraces universal human misfortune and sorrow with a firm perspective and witty writing style, has been published.
Kim Geum-hee's novels, which nimbly capture the brilliant moments that allow us to endure the daily life where 'depression is the default', have won the trust and love of countless readers by colorfully depicting warm scenes created by seemingly indifferent and affectionate characters.
With the unwavering support of critics, Kim Geum-hee has won numerous prestigious literary awards, including the Shin Dong-yup Literary Award in 2015, the Young Writer Award Grand Prize in 2016, the Contemporary Literature Award in 2017, the Woohyun Art Award in 2019, and the Kim Seung-ok Literary Award Grand Prize in 2020. She has now become a unique writer who is "always trusted and read."
Kim Geum-hee's new work, "To the Blessed," was serialized on Naver Audio Clip for a month in August 2020, with the author's own voice reading the book, and it deeply moved the reader. It is receiving such a passionate response that the book has already been reprinted three times during the pre-order period.
The author, who asked about the well-being of everyone in his first full-length novel, “The Heart of Respect” (2018), writes about “failure” that breaks and destroys a person’s life in “To the Blessed.”
The story of Lee Young-cho-rong, a girl who had to move to an island off Jeju Island due to her parents' business failure and whose family's fortunes were ruined, later becomes a judge and is demoted to Jeju Island again. Lee Young-cho-rong and the people who are precious to her come face to face with painfully clear wounds from the past that they have not yet healed.
However, as Kim Geum-hee's characters gradually become absorbed in Jeju's beautiful scenery and the islanders' resilient lives, they heal themselves and are able to rise again from the heart that has stumbled over certain failures.
“When I looked at the blessed one, I felt my whole heart sink.
But eventually I realized that it was the desire to exert force.”
The novel begins in the early spring of 1999, when Lee Young-cho-rong, a 13-year-old elementary school student, is entrusted to her aunt on Gogori Island, a place where she must take another boat from the main island of Jeju, in place of her younger brother.
Lee Young-cho-rong appeals to her parents by writing a detailed proposal explaining why she should stay in Seoul and study, but it is not enough to turn around the desperate situation.
Lee Young-cho-rong, who was spending gloomy days on Gogori Island, happens to meet a girl of the same age, Bok-ja, while walking alone around the island.
Bokja, who has a bold and bold personality, guides Lee Yeong-cho-rong to Halmangdang, saying that she must greet Halmangsin when she comes to the island.
“My house was completely destroyed.”
When I said that, this time Bokja flinched a little.
But once I opened my mouth, I felt at ease.
“I had a bad time in Seoul.
I opened the door because they said they were my dad's friends, but the men came in without even taking off their shoes, swore at me, and we fought.
When my father told me to take off my shoes, I said that a house that doesn't pay back other people's money is not a house for children.
I hid in the veranda storage room and listened to the song.
“The hero saw everything in the living room.”
“Oh, that was an experience.”
Bokja, who was at a loss for words, clapped his hands in agreement. (Page 24)
Lee Young-cho-rong, who accidentally confessed the tragedy of her life to someone else, and Bok-ja, who responded sincerely to the sad story of a child she had just seen.
The two children become best friends from that day on.
Bokja becomes a strong support for Lee Yeong-cho-rong during her unfamiliar island life, but one day, an incident occurs that damages their friendship.
They become embroiled in a conflict between the village elders and end up hurting each other deeply. They are unable to reconcile, and eventually all contact is lost when Lee Yeong-cho-rong returns to Seoul.
As time passes, Lee Young-cho-rong, who passed the bar exam, has now become a judge who feels deep skepticism about the duties of a judge.
Lee Young-cho-rong cannot ignore the fact that the strict language of the law sometimes flattens the detailed and heartbreaking stories of individuals.
Unable to bear the complexities and anger, Lee Young-cho-rong, who ended up hurling curses in court, was disciplinaryly transferred to the Jeju court. With a sense of defeat, she reunites with Bok-ja at the place of her childhood where she had returned.
But Bokja, who had not been heard from for a long time, is now struggling with a great irrationality there.
“You must have heard.
Because everyone heard it.”
Bokja answered, still facing the night sky.
“We’re in our thirties now.
But I don't know how life works, do you?"
"that's right."
“Some people say things like that.
In my case, where I had a miscarriage, there was a high chance that it would be recognized as an industrial accident, so I was told to use the money to get better and have another child.
But you know what, I don't know what it means to be healthy again.
“What does it mean to be like that again… … How did I become like that again?” (pp. 138-139)
Bokja, who worked as a nurse at Jeju's Yeonggwang Medical Center and endured poor working conditions, loses her child to a miscarriage and joins forces with other nurses who suffered the same fate to seek recognition of the accident as an industrial accident.
Bokja files an administrative lawsuit against the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service and fights to the end against the medical center that refuses to provide evidence to prove the damage.
Lee Young-cho-rong, who had been painfully watching her precious friend fight, decides to become a strong supporter of Bok-ja and jumps into the lawsuit as her legal representative.
Vivid vitality and generous wit fill the clear, cool scenery.
The strong footsteps that decorate Jeju, the island of working people.
The lawsuit of Bokja, which is at the center of the novel, is based on an actual industrial accident that occurred at a medical center in Jeju.
In addition, 『To the Blessed』 also features various social and historical issues, such as the Jeju April 3 Incident, the state administration corruption scandal, and the judge blacklist scandal.
The author depicts the incidents with a cool gaze, as if he no longer wants to romanticize the 'badness' of reality.
This attitude is also reflected in the character changes in Kim Geum-hee's novels.
Kim Geum-hee, who never lost a shred of affection even when depicting difficult characters, creates a 'real villain' in this novel that feels cold. That character is 'Elizabeth', who appears as the wife of the director of Yeonggwang Medical Center and leaves a strong impression.
“Before we do this, discuss it with the manager and avoid going to trial.
If we file a complaint, it will be difficult for us to get an article published.
That would be a tribute to the hard-working and faithful staff member in our internal medicine ward.
I even gave her a gift when I told her I was pregnant.
When my mother-in-law was hospitalized, I took great care of her.
I'm sure I had my reasons, and some group might have instigated it, but it wouldn't be right if my friends got involved, right? I'm not saying that it never happened.
But in the end, the law is not a sword, it's a scale.
“You have to measure fairly before you can take sides?” (page 204)
However, the positivity of Kim Geum-hee's novel, which believes in the "power of humanity" to rise above tragedy, shines even brighter in contrast to this evil.
Inspired by the strong will to live of the Jeju people, including Bokja, and their generous wit in taking responsibility for their lives through solid labor, Lee Young-cho-rong slowly mends and recovers from her past failures.
Kim Geum-hee's characters repeatedly grow closer and further apart like waves on the island, but they never stop living together, embracing all their conflicts.
『To the Blessed』 is a novel completed with inspiration from the days the author spent in Jeju.
The fictional space of Gogori Island, created by the author, is vividly portrayed through the vivid harmony of clear, almost chilling scenery and the lively voices of the people.
On this island, alive and breathing with the people who work for it, every failure is comforted and embraced as evidence of the struggle to survive.
For all those who have experienced failure in their relationships with others, in their studies and life, or in their quest for success, this place will be a place that encourages them to embrace life and move forward.
As Kim Geum-hee said in the author's note, "As long as life continues, our failures will continue, however painful, but let's not let them become the failure of life itself."
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: September 9, 2020
- Format: Hardcover book binding method guide
- Page count, weight, size: 244 pages | 356g | 130*195*20mm
- ISBN13: 9788954674492
- ISBN10: 8954674496
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