“If you think it will make you happy, try it!”
A slow and quiet time of happiness has arrived in a life that always felt like homework.
A real survival story of a Seoul country bumpkin writer living in the countryside.

★Winner of the Production Support Project for Small and Medium-Sized Publishers!

The writer, who had been working in broadcasting for over 15 years, suddenly decided to live in the city for five days and the countryside for two days on a day when her and her husband's (broadcast PD) professional pride and convictions collapsed.
The intense times were eating away at the soul as well as the material rewards.
Leaving behind the fear of 'what if I fall behind others', I started a new life in a rural house in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province.
But country life wasn't easy.
The first crop was ruined by a typhoon, and the carefully planted pink muhly was completely destroyed by heavy rain.
Weeds grew faster than they could be pulled out, and if a spiderweb was cleared in the morning, a new one would appear in the afternoon.
Unlike apartment life in Seoul, there was plenty to do in the countryside.

As the writer faces the challenges that come his way, he realizes:
What seemed natural all along was not so natural.
That this world, though creaking, still turns thanks to someone's hard work and sweat.
And that true happiness lies in fully embracing every moment, fully experiencing the four seasons, and spending deep time with family.


Her husband, who used to work as a broadcast producer, has now settled down in the countryside, and the writer still travels between the city and the countryside to write broadcast programs.
I am using the energy I gained from a quiet life in the countryside to live a busy life in Seoul.

Our reality is that we live without even knowing the changes of the four seasons.
No one forced us to do this, but we all live like that.
The author says:
We all need to have time to look up at the sky, walk on the ground, touch the dirt, and feel ourselves and the four seasons.
Both the land and the animals get a chance to rest.
I recommend this book to those who want to find the courage to take a break when things are difficult and to let go when things are burdensome.

"okay.
If that makes you happy, then give it a try!”
Dad's words broke the silence.
The words telling me to give it a try, the words cheering for my happiness, struck me with a thud.

--- p.37

My dad sat me down and told me that he couldn't take care of me and my younger sibling because he was working too hard to make money, so I should spend a little more time with my grandparents.
The sweets that had been sweet just a moment ago felt like sand and wouldn't go down my throat.
I wanted to cry out loud, but my dad's eyes looked so sad that I held back my tears and swallowed the snack.
I saw my dad driving out of the yard, pretending to be okay.
I tried to wave my hand.
I hope Dad doesn't cry on the way there.

--- pp.52-53

When I first planted barley, it was just the first time, so it was exciting and fun.
But I liked the feel of the barley that had fallen and was covered in dirt when I touched it with my hands, and even the smell of the dirt.
When was the last time I touched dirt for this long?
Probably not, except when I was little and playing with my friends at the playground.

--- pp.66-67

Since coming to Dangjin, small changes have occurred in our daily lives.
I'm experiencing the small, everyday things that I didn't realize before, everyday things that feel like gifts, like sitting across from each other and having a heated discussion about what to eat for a late-night snack, packing red ginseng for my wife before she leaves for work, or smiling at a simple text from my husband.
Now, it seems like our lives have finally become peaceful.

--- p.104

I filled my plate with the food I wanted to eat.
I sat down at the table and took a spoonful of white rice, and tears welled up in my eyes without me realizing it.
It reminded me of the lunchbox my grandmother packed for me during the sports day.
I remembered myself as a child, whining and asking for kimbap to be wrapped on top of the white rice I hated so much.
Tears fell down onto the table.
--- p.125

In fact, whether it's a luxury bag or a pair of skinny pants, consumption driven by desire can be said to be a means to fill the mind, a means to calm the dizzy mind at that moment.
If the expensive image of luxury goods satisfied me in Seoul, the act of losing weight in Dangjin satisfied me.

--- p.140

After three years of living in the countryside, my husband was already adapting perfectly to the changing environment.
There are times when I find myself getting more energetic as I see my husband, who is more energetic than I was in Seoul.
Looking at us like that, I think again, 'We've really started our country life well!'
It may be a bit awkward at times, but isn't this the perfect way to complete our own rural life?
--- p.168

My sisters and I have never been apart for even a moment.
When I went shopping, I liked going with my younger sibling rather than with my friends, and when I went on a trip, I liked going with my younger sibling.
Whenever I wanted to go to a good restaurant or a cafe, my younger sibling was the first thing that came to mind.
So we shared a lot and did a lot together.
But sometimes, the natural situation where each of us has to start our own family and live in our respective positions first is strange and admirable.

--- pp.172-173

Learning that nothing in this world is a given by taking the obvious for granted.
This is how I am changing the course of my thoughts.
Just as a plant's stem changes direction, so does the direction in which it bears fruit, I believe that this change will soon bring about a change in the direction of my life.

--- p.183

In the countryside, I can focus solely on myself.
I'm immersed in finding what I want to do now, what I can enjoy doing, and what I can do to be happy.
I no longer felt anxious or wanted to run away.
Those two days gave me the strength to live and helped me get through the five weekdays well.

--- p.218