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Barcelona's Legacy
Barcelona's Legacy
Description
Book Introduction
“I don’t think I can beat myself in the end.
So I wrote a will.”
"I Want to Die, But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki": Baek Se-hee's Debut Novel

In 2018, essayist Baek Se-hee, who lives with people who are not terribly depressed but not happy every day, published her first novel, “The Will of Barcelona,” in the Wisdom House Wepick series.

One day, author Lee Sam, whose first book was translated into 30 countries and sold 1 million copies worldwide, receives an email from Paula, the Spanish translator, asking to meet.
Paula, who appeared at Hapjeong Station, was a beautiful woman who aroused both admiration and an inferiority complex in Sam, who was intimidated by pretty people and had a growing desire to be a sidekick.

When the beautiful, young, and dazzling Paula invites Sam to her hometown, Sam boards the plane and is filled with envy and a desire to follow the beautiful being.
As the beach and streets become more beautiful, Sam begins to clearly see his own ugliness.
Even if my first book sells a million copies, and I hear people say I'm pretty, smart, and amazing, the Sam I see in the mirror is an old, fat, thirty-five-year-old.
Will Sam be able to discover the light within his heart, which “seems empty but is filled with a bright light,” and finally make peace with himself?
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Barcelona's Legacy
Author's Note
Interview with author Baek Se-hee

Into the book
You know, I've lived a life far from pretty since I was born.
Because of my severe atopic dermatitis, my whole body was like a monkey's.
It was hard to find a single healthy part of my body.
When Kangto asked me when I first wanted to die, I remembered a conversation I had with my mother.
I was six or seven years old. I couldn't sleep because it was so itchy, and I cried to my mom every day.
“It’s so hard.
“I don’t want to live like this.” That didn’t mean he wanted to die, did it?
But I think he definitely wanted to die.
--- p.25

Children are as rude as they are innocent, so my nickname was Monster, and Dam-i was Princess.
It made me more confused and angry because it wasn't her fault that she was pretty.
The funny thing is, while I was jealous of my sister and Dam-i, I also liked that they were pretty.
Whenever I see something pretty, whether it's a person, an object, or a place, my heart races.
To me, beauty was envy, desire, despair, and a world I could never reach.
--- pp.26-27

And I got on this plane to meet Paula, who was perfect both physically and mentally.
I always feel at ease when I follow something pretty, no matter what shape it is.
Of course, I, Isam, am not the clear spring that Kangto always spoke of, but a strange spring that has swelled up and is now an adult sitting in this seat.
Can anyone else understand my heart besides you?
--- pp.28-29

I told my sister about Paula.
How pretty and smart she is, how amazing she is for her age.
And I said I wanted to write a novel about Paula too.
Of course, I am a supporting actor and Paula is the main character.
My brother listened for a moment and then said this.
“Tell me about your sister, not Paula.”
When I was flustered, my brother answered coldly.
“Honestly, I feel a little uncomfortable.”
"uh……?"
“When my sister falls for someone, she idealizes them too much.
I don't know the kid, and I don't feel that great about him.
Of course, I could fall for someone like that too.
But it's unpleasant to hear my sister talk about her as if she's worthless compared to that child.
Then what would I become, someone who loves and cherishes my sister and thinks she's pretty? Someone who loves someone who's nothing special?"
--- pp.39-40

Paula looked happy.
I was even more envious of the fact that someone recognized and loved my beauty, because it meant everything to me.
But there's no one who will love me for who I am now.
Even if there is someone, I can't love that person and I can't meet anyone.
If you are not confident.
Since I lost fat without exercising, my arms and back fat have all sagged.
You'll be surprised when you see it.
I didn't think about my age and elasticity.
If I could go back in time, I don't think I would have chosen liposuction... but... who knows.
I may go to higher and higher levels.
For example, surgically removing all sagging skin...

Actually, I feel like I'm cutting myself off more and more.
Like a hard piece of paper that crumples and crumples itself and then cannot be folded any further.
Folded tightly so that it is neither cut nor torn.
--- pp.53-54

I don't hate myself.
I hate who I am now because I love myself too much.
I know that there is more to me than just dark water flowing, that there are deep, shining things within me.
I think that although I cry out every day that I am ordinary, there are more times when I am smart than others, and that there are things that only I can see and write.
People say they envy my honesty, but I was a liar.
Even though I was wearing the guise of honesty, the biggest lie I ended up telling was to myself.
--- pp.71-72

Publisher's Review
I've always been on the list of pretty things that make my heart flutter.
“I don’t think I can beat myself in the end.
So I wrote a will.”
"I Want to Die, But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki": Baek Se-hee's Debut Novel

In 2018, through "I Want to Die, But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki," essayist Baek Se-hee, who lives next to people who are not terribly depressed, but not happy every day, published her first novel, "The Will of Barcelona," as part of the Wisdom House Wepick series.

One day, author Lee Sam, whose first book was translated into 30 countries and sold 1 million copies worldwide, receives an email from Paula, the Spanish translator, asking to meet.
Paula, who appeared in front of Sam as he headed to Hapjeong Station, looking forward to talking about books, was a young and beautiful woman who made everyone passing by look back.
Paula aroused both admiration and an inferiority complex in Sam, who was intimidated by pretty people and grew a growing desire to be the bridesmaid after having the red carpet rolled out for her.

As a child, I was the ordinary younger sibling of my strikingly pretty older sister and the 'monster' friend of the prettiest kid in class, and to Sam, who grew up hearing her mother grumble that she was "not pretty" when she stood in front of the mirror, admiration and inferiority complex, the feeling that I was strange and wrong, and the desire to live while wanting to die were long-time companions.

When the beautiful, young, and dazzling Paula invites Sam to her hometown, Sam boards the plane and is filled with envy and a desire to follow the beautiful being.
Arriving in Barcelona, ​​Sam is unable to enjoy the place with Paula as he had hoped, and falls into a state of lethargy, eventually writing a will.
Paula wants to show the beauty of Barcelona and Sam doesn't want to leave the bed.
As the beach and the streets become more beautiful, Sam becomes more aware of his own ugliness.
Even if my first book sells a million copies, and I hear people say I'm pretty, smart, and amazing, the Sam I see in the mirror is an old, fat, thirty-five-year-old.
Will Sam be able to discover the light within his heart, which “seems empty but is filled with a bright light,” and finally make peace with himself?

A special experience that allows you to breathe deeply into 'a single story'


Beginning in November 2022, Wisdom House will be introducing the most diverse and newest stories of Korean literature, one per week, through its short story serial project, "Weekly Fiction."
Over the past year, 50 stories have been loved by readers, including Gu Byeong-mo's "Shred," Jo Ye-eun's "Waiting for the High Tide," Ahn Dam's "The Girl Grows Alone," and Choi Jin-young's "Aurora."
The Wepick series publishes serialized novels in this way, and rather than the conventional method of binding together several short stories, it takes the unusual approach of composing a book with only one short story, giving readers the special experience of breathing deeply into each story.
Wepick is not bound by any criteria or distinctions such as material or format, and focuses solely on the completeness of a single story.
Through novels by a variety of authors, including novelists, non-fiction writers, poets, and youth literature writers, we break down genres and boundaries, expanding the possibilities and enjoyment of stories.

Following the 50 episodes of Season 1, Season 2 is filled with even more new writers and stories.
Season 2 will feature writers Kang Hwa-gil, Lim Seon-woo, Dan Yo, Jeong Bo-ra, Kim Bo-young, Lee Mi-sang, Kim Hwa-jin, Jeong I-hyeon, and Lim Sol-ah.
Additionally, Season 2 will include author interviews, telling a variety of stories both inside and outside of the works, further enriching the annual festival of 50 stories.

Introducing the Wepick Series

Wepick is a short story series from Wisdom House.
It offers a special experience of breathing deeply into ‘one story’.
I dream that this small piece will become a new piece that expands your world, that each small piece will come together to become your story, and that it will become a piece of literature that will be deeply engraved in your heart.

A Piece of Literature, Wepick


Koo Byung-mo's "Shred"
Lee Hee-joo's "Mayumi"
Yoon Ja-young's "Grandma's Tteokbokki Recipe"
Park So-yeon's "Crowded but Secretive"
Kim Ki-chang's "The Visitor on Christmas Eve"
Lee Jong-san's "Blue Marble"
Kwak Jae-sik's "The End of Space War"
Kim Dong-sik's "The Hundred Buttons"
Bae Ye-ram, "I Will Be Under the Water"
Lee So-ho's "My Crazy Neighbor"
Oh Han-gi's "My Happy Parenting Diary"
Jo Ye-eun's "Waiting for High Tide"
Dojinki 《Animation》
Park Sol-moe's "Girlfriends of the Far East"
Jeong Hye-yoon's "Workshop for People Who Want to Feel at Peace"
Hwangmogwa's "10 Seconds Forever"
Kim Hee-sun in "Samcheok, Immortal"
Choi Jeong-hwa's "Botross Report"
Jeong Hae-yeon's "Model"
Jeong I-dam's "Flower of Reincarnation"
Moon Ji-hyuk's "Christmas Carousel"
Kim Mok-in, Marcel Accordion Club
Jeon Geon-woo's "Ange"
Choi Yang-seon's "Shadow Butterfly"
Lee Ha-jin's "The Grave of Probability"
All of them are sweet and earnest
Lee Yuri, "Can You Sleep?"
Sim Neul's "Oh My, My Mom Kidnapped the Spaceship"
Choi Hyun-sook, "Women of Changsin-dong"
Yeonyeom 《Limited 2nd Semester Book Club》
Seo Mi-ae's "My Girlfriend"
Kim Won-young's "Our Climbing"
Jeong Ji-don, "Deaths That Cannot Be Called Modern"
Lee Seo-su's "What My First Love Left for My Sister"
Lee Kyung-hee's "Knot Organizer"
Song Kyung-ah's "Rainbow Pet Columbarium"
Hyeon Ho-jeong's "Three Colors"
Kim Hyun, "Unique Form"
Kim Yi-hwan, "A Better Human"
Lee Min-jin's "Muching"
Andam "Girls Grow Up Alone"
Jo Hyun-ah's "The Clown's Livelihood"
Kim Hyo-in's "Refresh"
Jeon Hye-jin's "Cutting the Gordian Knot"
Kim Cheong-gyul's "Dehumidifier Diet"
Choi Ui-taek's "Nontunneling"
Kim Yu-dam's "Space M"
Jeon Sam-hye's "The Road to Myself"
Choi Jin-young's "Aurora"
Lee Hyuk-jin's "Solid and Rustless"
Kang Hwa-gil's "Young-hee and James"
Lee Moon-young's "Lucas"
Hyeonchan Yang, "For Queen Inhyeon's Return to the Royal Palace"
Cha Hyun-ji's "Different Days"
Kim Seong-jung's "Mole Man"
Kim Seo-hae's "Rabiu and Ring"
Lim Seon-woo's "0000"
Dune "Bari"
Han Yu-ri's "Immortal Injeolmi"
Han Jeong-hyeon, "Love and Union, Chapter 0"
Wi Su-jeong's "The Turkey is Hidden"
Cheon Hee-ran, Author's Note
Information on "Window"
Lee Ju-ran's "At That Time"
Kim Bo-young's "It's a Wild Thing"
Lee Ju-hye's "The Room with the Chinese Parrot"
Jeong Dae-geon, Buonissimo, Naples
Kim Hee-jae, "Mars and the Attempt of Creativity"
Danyo "Verbena Beyond the Wall"
Moon Bo-young's "The Sad You Who Knows the Name of a Bird"
Park Seo-ryeon's "Body Body"
Geum Jeong-yeon, "It's Sunday for Everyone"
Park Yi-kang's "Job Interview"
Kim Na-hyun's "Universe of Premonition"
Kim Hwa-jin, "I Want to Be a Frog"
Kwon Kim Hyun-young's "Neither the Recipient nor the Sender, CC"
Bae Myung's "Summer of Gyehwa"
Lee Du-on's "The Disease That Kills You If You Don't Spend Money"
Kim Ji-yeon's "New Year's Practice"
Jo Woo-ri's "The Four Books of Suffering"
Yesoyeon's "Noisy Whispers"
Lee Jang-wook's "The World of Superhumans"
Seong Hae-na, "When We Are Born and Die Ten Times"
Jang Jin-young's "Kim Yong-ho"
Lee Yeon-sook's "Dad's Novel"
Seo Yije "Let's Dance Like a Fool"
Kwon Hee-jin's "First, Believe"
Jeong I-hyeon, "The Living Person"
Ham Yun-i's "The Story of a Cattle Thief Growing Up"
Baek Se-hee's "The Testament of Barcelona"
Lee Hyun-seok's "The Age of Confession"
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: June 18, 2025
- Format: Hardcover book binding method guide
- Page count, weight, size: 96 pages | 174g | 100*180*12mm
- ISBN13: 9791171714384
- ISBN10: 1171714386

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