From old friends to couple, now family
Our daily walk, free and cheerful, in step

The first essay written by Lee Ji-hoon, the author of "Okay Life," and his wife, Oh Song-min.
Highly recommended by art director Park Seon-ah and author Lee Seung-hee!

An essay about family life by Oh Song-min and Lee Ji-hoon, a couple who run a brand store and live together in Huam-dong, Seoul, facing Namsan.
The two, who started out as high school classmates, then lovers, and now family, have been running clothing and distribution brands together, including 'Atelier Love Song,' 'One Pound TIEB,' and 'Easy Mart.'
In the process, their sensibilities, attitudes toward daily life, and life philosophies were naturally revealed, and many people began to like and support not only the brand but also the couple's lifestyle. After the couple's difficult-to-conceive baby, Jayu, was born through in vitro fertilization, their bond became even deeper and stronger.

In 『Free Life』, the couple Oh Song-min and Lee Ji-hoon use ‘freedom’, which they have considered the most important value in life, as a keyword, and tell the story of the work and life that the two people with different personalities and tendencies have developed while influencing each other (Chapter 1, ‘In Search of Freedom’), as well as the journey of waiting to meet baby ‘Ja-yu’ (Chapter 2, ‘To Freedom’), and the ‘free life’ of the three people that has become stronger through this new relationship (Chapter 3, ‘Free Life’).
The 'free life' of these two people, who break away from the typical formula of wealth, fame, and success and live their lives in a cheerful and solid way in their own way, will inject vitality into our daily lives.

When I playfully ask my wife why she married me, she always talks about a memory from when she was twenty.
When I was twenty years old and had no money or anything, when we were friends and not even dating.
After drinking with my wife until late at night, the only money left was for the return fare.
My wife suggested that since it had come to this, we should just use the remaining money to buy some drinks and walk, and I agreed.

After walking about 10 kilometers, I took a break, sang a song, and went on as I pleased, when suddenly I started to roll forward.
My wife said that it was so funny, and if she only talks about this no matter how many times I ask her, I guess I was able to marry her thanks to my penniless, 20-year-old self-indulgent actions.

If that's the case, I hope our son, Jayu, is like that too.
Don't miss out on the joys of the present by worrying too much, and sometimes try to be a bit more proactive, and instead of regretting, just roll forward and have fun.

--- p.12 From "Ji-Hoon"

Yesterday was my husband's free time.
He said he wanted to go to the 24-hour sauna, take a leisurely bath, and watch TV.
It is truly a small but certain happiness.
The husband, who had achieved his simple dream, gave a chatty and unusual verification via text message.
(Omitted) He has two genius abilities.
The ability to find humor in any situation and the knack for making others feel cool even with the smallest things.
Listening to the live sauna broadcast, I felt so proud of myself for taking the time to do so.
Time alone ultimately strengthens the time we have together.
When everyday life gets dry, a moist day like today is essential.
By going back and forth between cold and hot water, we create our own family.

--- pp.18-19 From "Songmin"

I only brought two sets of clothes and there was a limit to how much I could return, so I thought I could at least function as a human being by doing laundry, but I didn't have money to buy detergent.
This may sound like a story from the 80s, but even though it was 2006, somehow I only had 300 won.
I don't quite remember how I solved that problem, but I vividly remember going into the supermarket and finally putting down my 1,000 won travel super tie and coming out. I felt a tremendous sense of crisis and pressure at that time.
At that time, the biggest wave in my life was a travel supertie. (Omitted) After every wave, there is another wave.
And then the waves.
Just hearing it should make you feel exhausted and out of breath, but for me, the fact that the waves are endless actually makes me feel free.
It's a feeling like, 'I'm going to fail the exam anyway, so let's just have fun and ride the waves that are coming anyway.'
Looking at it another way, having a lot of waves also means there is a lot to talk about.
I believe that it means living more enjoyably and, more importantly, growing more.

--- p.24 From "Ji-Hoon"

A person who does things that they don't have to do just because they enjoy doing them.
A person who just tries something if it's fun.
I really like that about Jihoon.
Even though no one told him to and no one might see it, he recorded his own killing voice and even suddenly started a mail serial.
With a powerful title that's hard for me to imagine, "The Unquenchable Furnace," and a vibrant story to match...
I said I wanted to do it, but Jihoon started doing something that I hadn't done for a long time just because he wanted to do it.
His courage gives me courage again.

--- p.31 From "Songmin"

I've realized this during our married life, but it seems like we don't really fit together.
You like the movie "Manchu" and I like "Iron Man".
You like to write with paper and pen, and I like to use a smartphone note app.
You like empathy and I like solutions, you're cold-blooded and I'm water-cooled. In MBTI, you're F and I'm T.

I've been living with someone who can't exist in my world for 7 years.
I've gradually stopped insisting that the world I knew was the only correct one, and I've come to realize that your world has its own charm, too. I'm so happy and excited that my world has finally become broader and more colorful because of you.
I still get a good night's sleep when we watch movies of my taste together, but I like it, I like sleeping soundly.

--- p.46 From "Ji-Hoon"

Chewy and salty, with a pleasant springiness and softness, it was a morning like salt bread, literally.
I thought as I opened the bag of bread.
I want to live my life fussing over even the smallest things.
I want to live by blowing up small joys like bread dough.
If you spend each day like that, you will probably gradually become accustomed to the adulthood that seeps into you little by little each day.

--- pp.61-62 From "Songmin"

The fever subsided for a while and I decided to be discharged.
The song “Purple Fragrance” coming from the radio sounded more beautiful than usual.
The movements of the baby in my stomach were especially special, and even strangers on the street were simply delighted.

“We always create beautiful stories that make us smile.”

I especially liked this part before the song's main chorus came out.
It felt like a promise we made together as we waited for the highlight of our lives.
Let's create beautiful stories, we sang along loudly.
Bravely believing in a future that will make today memorable.

Be more sincere about living in the present. Don't take for granted your morning commute, your lunchtime coffee, or your evening walk.
We've talked time and time again about how wonderful an uneventful, insignificant day can be.

--- p.84 From "Songmin"

My beloved son, Freedom.
People seem to all live similarly, but in reality they live differently.
Some people live their lives feeling heavy and bored with the same commute every day, while others live their lives feeling happy seeing flowers blooming on the same commute every day.
Depending on your mood, it can be a boring road or a flower garden.
Even though nothing has changed.

Son, where do you want to live? Dad, I want to live in Kkotbal.
Sending you love, freedom, and how to live in a flower garden!
--- p.131 From "Ji-Hoon"

Around 4 p.m., Jayu suddenly said he wanted to take the train while eating walnut cookies.
I couldn't hesitate when my son's wish was so specific and cute.
Besides, since our house is within walking distance of Seoul Station, I wanted to give Jayu a ride on his favorite train, even if only for a little while.
I bought a ticket to Gwangmyeong, the fastest way to get there, and took the train.
15 minute train ride.
I explored an unfamiliar neighborhood, bought ice cream, and even stopped by IKEA to buy a doll.

“Mom~ Today, riding the train was fun, the doll was fun, the ice cream was fun, the poop was fun, daddy coming was fun, and coming home was fun!”

Lying in bed, I recalled the day in detail, hour by hour, and told myself that in fact, every moment I spent with myself today was enjoyable. I felt so incredibly happy that it felt unreal.

--- pp.148-149 From "Songmin"

Among my favorite movies is a movie called "Kikujiro's Summer" (spoiler alert).
It's about a punk who goes on a random trip with his child.
As the journey continues, both the child and the adult grow up, and the fact that Kikujiro is not the child's name but the name of a punk, shows that it is the adult who has grown up.

I've never thought about things like the responsibility of being the eldest.
I just enjoy playing with my wife and son, and I feel happy a little more often than other people.
Don't look forward to happiness in 10 years.
I don't even expect that by then it will be better equipped than it is now.
Living comfortably right now is the greatest goal on earth.
The son sees that and the wife sees it.
That's all.

--- pp.150-151 From "Ji-Hoon"

So this is how you live.
It's my first time and I'm getting used to it little by little, and eventually I'm doing well.
In it, we help each other and become dyed in the same color.
My pointy nose fits perfectly into his fine groove.
We fit together well and can roll smoothly.
Thanks to that, I can now let some things be as they are.

--- p.163 From "Songmin"

Thanks to my son, I saw the laundry man smiling for the first time in five years.
The delivery man, who saw his son from afar, quickly hid his cigarette in his hand behind his back and smiled faintly.
Passing cars wait for my son to get out of the stroller without even honking their horns.
I knew little by little that they were locals, but I had never been able to say hello to them. I started to ask how they were doing, using my son as a lead.
Since my son was born, fairytale-like things have been happening in my neighborhood.

--- p.173 From "Ji-Hoon"