anniversary and birthday
A justified feeling of guilt
To stand in a high place

Author's Note

“It takes courage to stand high.”

Soaring above the contradictory mind
A coming-of-age novel for everyone


When an event we thought was over turns into the seed of all misfortune, will we be able to survive once more? As our perilous mental adventure reaches its climax, we realize this.
This story is a shining survival story of our own, who, with the greatest courage of our lives, decided to live our own lives.
Yoon Ga-eun (film director, "Us")

Healing is not about making you feel good, but about helping you discover your true self.
I present the healing novel 『Yuwon』, which gives new life to the countless 'me's' around me who are going through the trauma of everyday life.
Jeong Hye-shin (psychiatrist, author of "You Are Right")


Isn't the very existence of 'me' a huge debt?
Reflective sentences, sharp eyes,
The voice of a new generation

Yuwon is an eighteen-year-old high school student who survived an apartment fire twelve years ago.
When the fire started from the cigarette butt of the grandfather upstairs and spread to the lower floor, the older sister who was at home wrapped her younger brother's body in a wet blanket and dropped him down from the 11th floor veranda in front of people watching, saving him.
At the time of the accident, Yu-won was six years old, and the memories and scenes of that day were irretrievably etched into his heart.

The story begins with church guests visiting the deceased sister's birthday.
The fact that my sister had received a birthday wish just a few days before she passed away was almost the only consolation for the family.
Yu-won feels guilty and burdened by the fact that his older sister, who was a source of pride to many, died saving him.
“I have to be happy for my sister’s share too” and “I have to work twice as hard.”
But Yu-won finds it strange and absurd that people still remember her in such detail even twelve years after her sister's death, and the task of honoring her sister becomes increasingly burdensome.


Every time my heart feels heavy and I stagger
If there is someone who supports me

There is another being that is harassing Yuwon.
The man who caught Yuwon as he fell from the 11th floor veranda during the accident.
The uncle always visits Yuwon's house on his sister's birthday.
The moment he limped into the living room, an uncomfortable atmosphere hung over the entire house.
The man whose leg was damaged while saving the amusement park still borrows money from his parents and sometimes gets dinner from them even after twelve years.
The sight of him, once a 'brave righteous man' and a 'citizen hero', clinging to his family brings to Yu-won a sense of pity, anxiety, guilt, and disgust.

In this way, 『Yuwon』 tells the story of Yuwon, who lives his daily life in a delicate relationship where it is difficult to easily distinguish between the perpetrator and the victim.
The world seems absurd to Yu-won, who was once called a "symbol of miracles" by the townspeople who still remember him as a "fire survivor" or a "blanket baby," through anonymous comments on internet articles from over a decade ago that covered the accident.
What should I do with this confused mind?

In articles from twelve years ago, words like “hope,” “miracle,” and “light” appear frequently.
The attempt to seek out things in myself that are rare in the entire world feels violent.
(Page 191)

Meanwhile, Yu-won meets his classmate Su-hyeon on the school rooftop where he used to go to be alone, and gradually becomes closer to Su-hyeon, who has a more direct personality than him.
When she gradually opens her heart to the world she had been wary of and finally confesses her inner wounds to Soo-hyun, she learns that Soo-hyun also had a pain that no one knew about.
Sharing their emotional burdens and leaning on each other, Yu-won and Su-hyeon realize that their empathetic attitude can be the strength to pull the other person out of the hell of their heart.

“The problem with guilt is that it doesn’t just end with feeling sorry, but spreads like complications.
Feelings of guilt, self-loathing, and depression.
My unconscious instinct to defend myself quickly caused my anger towards myself to shift to anger towards others.
“Every time I stumbled because I was so heavy, Su-hyeon supported me” (page 247)

“The meaning of the name is ‘won’ (願), meaning to want or hope.”
A faint hope emerged from the novel
To comfort everyone.

『The Garden』 naturally brings to mind painful incidents that have occurred in Korean society in the past.
From childhood, when he should have been growing up receiving love, to days when he had to be hurt, suspicious, and wary of those around him despite the comfort he received, no one can imagine the emotional weight that Yu-won, the victim and party involved in the incident, had to bear.
However, Yuwon does not blame others or become pessimistic easily.
What Yuwon reflects on is himself and the soft and fragile inner self of those around him.

Reading "The Amusement Park" makes us think again about responsibility and debt, sin and forgiveness, and what love and compassion are.
In Yuwon's voice, which calmly observes the ripples of his heart that he cannot easily reveal to anyone, we can feel the depth of life and literary truth.
Reading 『The Garden』 means gaining the courage to grasp the meaning of life that will continue in the future.
The meaning of Yuwon's name is 'won (願),' which means to want or hope.
It is a name that will remain in the hearts of readers for a long time.

Reading 『The Garden』, I learned again what recovery is.
Carrying or erasing an unbearable weight without being consumed by hatred.
Living with loss.
Becoming stronger and lighter at the same time.
When I recall the dense and intense sentences of this novel, I feel like I can always muster up the courage to do so.
Isul-a (author, publisher of Daily Isul-a)

[Rave reviews from 300 pre-readers]

“A story I want to tell to someone suffering from hatred growing in their heart.” @nosilv*********

“It’s difficult to put into words my own unknowing feelings, but this book accomplishes it.” @areu****

“The dazzling blue sky seemed like a hope that allowed them to fly higher and higher in their lives.” @book_jeo*****

“I felt like hugging Won-i’s shoulders tightly.” @booook_wi*****

“A book to read when you feel guilty about waking up in the morning, when the things that saved you feel like they’re suffocating you.” @pangb*****

“A truly enjoyable coming-of-age novel.
“It was a shame it was ending.” @janey****

“A story of constant conflict and growth between myself and the world around me.” @kim.h*****

“I promise to never forget that the words I usually say, those very formal, emotionless words, can be sharp and piercing.” @pamiy*****