Hans Christian Andersen Award Honorary List
『Blue Lion Wanini』 presented by author Lee Hyeon
A heartwarming story of a boy and a wild dog

“In the world we live in, each of us has our own place.
“To me, to you, and to the ‘villain’.”

Author Lee Hyeon's children's story, "The Weight of a Villain," which sharply criticizes reality while also telling the story with a warm gaze, is a heartwarming story about a boy who accidentally encounters a stray dog.
The main character, Suyong, is an introverted and small child compared to his 5th grade classmates.
One day, as usual, I encountered a wild dog on the neighborhood walking path.
The stray dog, with its yogurt-colored body and distinct red spray marks on its flanks, overwhelms Su-yi with its untamed, cool gaze and upright posture.
Suyong names the stray dog ​​'Villain', and as he meets this villain, Suyong's world begins to shift.

Author Lee Hyeon, who is loved by many readers for his unique materials and fast-paced, suspenseful narrative, has taken a swipe at a cross-section of reality through the children's story "The Weight of the Villain."
Recently, abandoned pets are wandering the streets, becoming a social problem.
The story of the protagonist, who is fascinated by a wild dog he encounters on the street, becoming friends with it, and struggling to protect it, is all the more vivid and touching because it reflects real-life issues, while also touching the heart.

This work is not simply a story of friendship between a dog and a child.
This is a story that tells us that there are countless other living beings in this world besides humans, and that we all live together.
It provides our children, who grow up with countless lives, with time to reflect on the relationship between people and dogs, people and animals, and all lives and people.

Exactly 2 meters.
The villain stood at a distance and stared at us without saying a word.
We always just looked at each other in silence.
That alone was enough.
It would have been better if we didn't say anything.

--- From the text

"What did that dog do wrong? People can harass dogs for no reason, but dogs can never talk back to people? Where's that law?"
--- From the text

I know that too.
The villain is a dog.
People and dogs are different.
We look different, live different lives, and don't even speak the same language.
It's just that different.
Even dogs have only one life.
You won't want to die.
If I were to die, I would be terribly scared, in pain, and sad.
That's no different for dogs or people.
That's what I think.

--- From the text

The dog stood with its four legs firmly planted on the dirt floor.
It was a stable posture, as if the left and right sides were perfectly symmetrical, like a circle drawn with a compass.
Two black, bead-like eyes looked straight at me.
There was no expression whatsoever.
Without any blood or tears, that's exactly what came to mind.
A blank face is the most terrifying expression.
---p.28

Who the hell did that red spray?
Until now, I thought that having a grim face only made the villain more villainous.
But it's not a beautiful scar, it's just a horrible scar.
It's clearly human work because it's a spray.
Someone, that is, someone, deliberately drew red lines on the villain's body.
It's not as playful as the graffiti drawn on the faces of sleeping children during retreats, nor is it as cool as a celebrity's tattoo.
It wasn't drawn by mistake.
The word malicious came to mind.
Malice, that means something very bad.
Someone had left a knife-like mark on the villain's side with very, very bad intentions.

---pp.121~122

I thought laughter made a good impression on people.
But I was wrong.
Mr. Hwang's smiling face looked so cruel.
That was the face of a real villain.
villain.
I regret giving him that name.

---p.123

I wish there was a world for dogs somewhere.
In such a world, dogs might become masters and raise people.
Then people will be helpless and at the mercy of dogs.
If you meet a bad dog, you'll be abandoned on the street, if the bad dog leaves a red spray mark on your side, no one will help you, and if you get beaten up for no reason, you'll be euthanized without even being able to make an excuse.
It would be nice if there was a world where both dogs and people were happy.
---p.144

Can I do it? I'm not sure.
No matter how many times you climb the stairs, you will never find the answer.
Perhaps there are more things in the world that we cannot do than things that we can do.
That doesn't mean you can't do anything.
I decided to do what I could.
---p.145

The world we live in is not just made up of people.
A group of friends with different appearances live together.
It's like a classroom where friends with different faces gather.
One person, one seat, that's the rule of the classroom.
For example, one crow, one crescent moon bear, one frog, one shiri, and one person.
Of course, a place for our 'villain' too.

--- From the author's note