The revised and expanded edition of the 300,000-copy bestseller, "I Almost Lived Hard"!
6th Anniversary Special Edition Released
For a life that leads, not a life that is dragged along
Determination to live at my own pace

★★ Hip cover illustration exclusive to the revised special edition ★★
★★ Special Q&A with the author, covering six years since publication ★★
★★ Completely rewritten manuscript, including the table of contents! ★★
Back with a new look!

In 2018, "I Almost Lived Hard," which caused a sensation in Korea by selling over 300,000 copies, has returned in a special revised and expanded edition six years after its publication.
This book, which received enthusiastic responses from not only numerous domestic readers but also overseas readers, with its copyrights exported to more than five countries including Russia and the Philippines, became a bestseller through word-of-mouth at the time of its publication and created a buzz.


This newly revised and expanded edition features a more sophisticated and leisurely green cover illustration, and a new subtitle, "A Resolution to Live at My Own Pace," conveying the author's message of living a "life that leads, not one that is dragged along."
In addition, we have included a special 'Revised and Expanded Edition Commemorative Q&A' in which the author honestly answers the changes that have occurred in the six years since the first edition was published, capturing the behind-the-scenes story of this bestseller.

I know it's absurd to say that you won't work hard in a world where everyone works hard.
I have no intention of insulting people who work hard.
I just want to give you a chance.
A chance to live differently… … .
Maybe it's a 40th birthday gift to myself? Honestly, I don't even know what the consequences of this choice will be.
This is my first time living a life without effort.
So, this is an experiment that I'm risking my life on.
Will this experiment succeed?
---From "A Resignation Letter Written Just Before Turning Forty"

I dropped out of school without telling my parents.
I lied about going to school and started preparing for the entrance exam again.
It was the 4th move.
There was no place to retreat anymore.
Going there was my only hope, there was no other way.
Ah, that student who had to repeat the college entrance exam seven times because of Hongdae disease.
It wasn't a lie.
It turns out that someone like me is one of those college entrance exam takers.
I wondered if it was worth spending seven years just for a university's reputation, but at the time, I thought it could be done.
It was clear that something was caught in his eye.
Time passed, winter came again, and I took the Hongik University entrance exam.
And that year, I passed the Hongik University entrance exam in just four attempts.
If you read this story as a success story about not giving up and challenging yourself to achieve your dreams, you are very much mistaken.
This is a story that shows how a false goal, the belief that there is only one way, can destroy a person.

---From "There is not just one road"

Wise giving up takes courage.
The courage to admit failure.
The courage to let go even if the effort and time have not borne any fruit.
The courage to try something new again even after failure.
Wise giving up is different from the resignation that comes when you have no choice but to hold on until the end or the weak will to just give up when things get difficult.
It's about having the courage to quit when you still have more time to go.
Why? Because it's profitable to do so.
Life also requires cutting losses.
If you miss the timing, what should have been a small loss can turn into a big loss.
It is not the case that just blindly enduring and trying hard is the solution.
It seems like we need courage more than effort right now.
The courage to take on challenges recklessly, and the courage to know when to give up.

---From "The Art of Giving Up"

Because I want to do well, because I don't want to be wrong.
It takes strength to have this kind of mind.
Being tense means being stiff, inflexible, unnatural, greedy, and scared.
I've never seen anything that required effort turn out well.
Painting, singing, exercise, maybe even life.
Could it be that my life has become so crooked because I've been putting in so much effort? Isn't it true that effort is exhausting?
---From "Drawing Without Force"

I've always been concerned about what other people think, and I've always tried to live a life that looks good to them.
It didn't go well, though.
In fact, if possible, I wanted to live according to the 'Life Manual'.
But that's not really easy.
What I should be truly ashamed of at this age is not that I don't have things appropriate for my age, but that I have lived without having my own values ​​or direction.
Everything I desired and pursued was pointed out to me by others.
These were things that looked good to others.
That's embarrassing.
I am a person who chased after something hard but was unable to keep up and fell down.
Since I'm already here, I think it would be good to take a break and find my own path.
From now on, it's my way.

---From "My Way"

Do we really have to live at the same pace as everyone else? People say they don't want to live the same way, yet why do they strive to keep up and feel anxious when they fall behind? And even if they do fall behind, is it really that big of a deal? Everyone has their own pace.
If you lose your own pace and try to keep up with others, you will suffer.
Just by walking slowly and differently from others, you can live a completely different life from others.
It's individuality.
Ooh, unique!
---From "The Resolution to Live at My Own Pace"

Now, my life of working hard is over.
I have lived a life of endurance.
Life from now on should not be a life of enduring for the sake of results.
The process itself is fun.
That's what makes life fun.
I decided to think that way from now on.
You should have a good time, not a time you want to skip over.
The fun that I had forgotten about suddenly comes back to life.
Was this really this fun? The impatience to finish quickly has vanished, and now I'm the one who wishes the once tedious sewing could continue a little longer.
Nothing is finished yet, but this much is certain.
I'm really enjoying it right now.
Phew, I almost lived too hard.

---From "Because the process is also life"