A report written about one another and about oneself

The first book in the new essay series "Two People" written by two people in Open Books presents "Nobly and Vulgarly," a collection of letters exchanged between musician Kim Sa-wol and poet Lee Hwon over the course of a year.
The title of the book is a quote from Kim Sa-wol's writing, "On the bedroom desk, the most noble things; on the living room desk, the most vulgar things." In this way, contrasting images and perspectives naturally blend together in the two people's writing.
The first letter dates back to October 2023, and the last letter ends exactly one year later, in October 2024.
The two long-time friends meet not only as a friend's husband and a friend's wife, but also as fellow artists who write poetry and compose songs, they open up to each other, share their concerns and honest feelings, and then move on.


Not all of their writings take the form of letters.
Some days, he calls them by their names, [Sa-wol-ah] and [Hyeon-ah], and writes down his deep stories that he has never revealed to anyone, like a diary.
Another day, we interview each other.
The singer asks the poet about his understanding of poetry, and the poet talks to the musician about the stage and how to create and sing such songs, and they even take pictures of each other.
Another day, the two of us write about each day in 500 characters.
Tell us what you ate, where you walked, and what emotions you came back with.
That is why, as Lee Hwon said, “This book is a journal of the world written by the two of them, a witness account of each other, and a report written about themselves.”

Why do you keep crying?
--- From "First Sentence"

I heard that there is a time difference in sadness between the person who lives and the person who writes.
We are late for some important scene.
I go back and write down things here and there.
Could the music April creates be similar? I've come to believe that the love that a slightly precarious person can unleash, the courage that becomes possible on stage, exists.

--- p.16

I like you, Hwon, because you're a man who cries.
Perhaps male liberation can begin with freedom from tears.
It may seem a bit mean, but I like the way you can cry like a dam breaking.
Didn't you build a soft boundary, hoping it would eventually crumble? Thinking that the tears that overflowed will flow into your words, photos, and the joy of life, my tears feel like sweet rain.

--- p.19

On days when I talk a lot on stage, I become unusually quiet when I get home.
Do you sometimes feel like you want to speak up or express yourself without making a sound?
--- p.31

Will I ever be strong enough to gaze upon the pitiful figure of my beloved sleeping?
I don't know if I always run away because I'm afraid of becoming strong, or if I just don't have the will to become strong, but I ended up being alone and I liked that.
I guess the convenience and solitude of a life where I only have to take responsibility for myself is nice.
When I see you in love now, I feel a sense of awe.

--- p.55

Even the photographer doesn't know where the photo will take us.
The reader doesn't even know.
One thing is certain: after encountering a certain photo, we become a little different.
If we don't meet, nothing happens.
So we continue to create a world made up of the unknown and chance.

--- p.60

The show is so fleeting that I want to say something really important.
The feeling of speaking your true feelings knowing they will evaporate.
You know how I feel like hiding when I have a moment to spare.
You record me so that some part of me will not die.
Is it such a big deal to save people with words?
Thank you for leaving me behind and thank you for saving me.

--- p.88

Do you ever feel that way when you listen to a song, April?
When you feel like you want to live.
When you're living, living, and want to live so badly.
When you feel saved from everything.
When you feel a little less ashamed of the flaws you've hidden deep under your desk.

--- p.101

You are really an image seeker.
When I hear you talk, I get the feeling that you enjoy visual things and I enjoy storytelling.

--- p.141

Feed yourself lots of good things and live, my friend, even when faced with a landscape that almost drives you to death.
I also listen to the radio sometimes.
In fear.
Without being afraid of anything.
Some days, I just let the tears flow freely.

--- p.173

I looked again at what I had seen, more slowly than when I was alone, through your eyes, through the eyes of the person who had passed you, and through the eyes that passed through me again.
Because letters are like a guide to rereading the world.
This book is a journal of the world written by the two of them, a testimony about each other, and a report about themselves.
It is also a friendship in the wilderness that reaches out to more people.
I've wanted that kind of friendship for a long time.

--- p.218

I was so happy that you found me then.
So I'm sad for a long time.
I dare say I understand your pain a little.
You came to me again and again, smelling my scent as I suffered similar pain.
I feel so bad for you when I think that you must have been in as much pain as I was, or even more so.

--- p.224