Author's Note

When I was little, I really hated eating alone.
Even now, I barely manage to eat alone.
Back then, I thought I could endure any hardship as long as I had friends.
I would like to express my gratitude to my friends who were by my side during those times, like Dalpyeong.

The 27th generation descendant of the Urung family, Dalpyeong, appeared in the cafeteria!

It was deep autumn.
It was around this time that Kongi saved Dalpyeong from freezing to death in the flower bed in “Welcome, Dalpyeong.”
Reflecting on that experience, Dalpyeong also takes a nap inside a warm greenhouse.
But maybe I let my guard down a bit? I woke up startled by a splash of cold water and found myself in the sink of an elementary school cafeteria.


This time, I was fortunate enough to meet a kind chef and spend every day eating fresh vegetables in a warm and moist cafeteria... ... but there's one child I keep worrying about.
Unlike other children who sit in groups of three or five and chatter away, this child always eats lunch alone in a corner.


Even on the day when Dalpyeong was caught by the grumpy nutritionist and decided to leave the cafeteria, the child was sitting in a corner eating lunch alone.
Dalpyeong, who was caught off guard by the lonely sight, decides to disguise himself as a cook and sit down with the child until he finishes eating.
And then he reveals his identity to the child.
“I think I’ll go back now, but could you tell me the way out of here?” Ji-young, nicknamed Earthworm, has eyes as big as googly eyes, but she doesn’t refuse Dal-pyeong’s request.


“Last time I looked, there was a door behind the kitchen.
“If you go out there, it seems to lead to the backyard of the school.” Following Yeong-i’s lead, they hid in the empty kitchen… but the nutritionist came back to look for their cell phones! Dal-pyeong, afraid of being caught by the nutritionist, quickly shrank down with Yeong-i.
Will Dalpyeong and Yeong-i, each barely a hand's length apart, be able to escape the kitchen safely? When Dalpyeong returns home, will Yeong-i be alone once again?

“Why do you eat alone?”
The story of that child who wishes anyone would ask

Sometimes a simple word, a simple action can disarm a person.
To Young-i, Dal-pyeong's question, "Why do you eat alone?" was like that.
Dalpyeong has become so accustomed to it (it is already deep autumn) that he takes notice of Yeong-i's 'eating alone', which no one else pays attention to, and asks her about the reason.
And wait silently until Young-i finishes eating.
The moment when the child's sharp heart slowly melts like a sugar cube melting in warm water, the scene of Dalpyeong and Yeong-i sitting facing each other in a corner of the cafeteria where the sunlight streams in long, might be one of the most beautiful scenes in this picture book.

It wasn't a long time, and not much was said, but as the moment of connection passed, Yeong-i came to think of Dal-pyeong as a 'friend'.
And he struggles with his small body to get that friend out of the cafeteria.
Although he pretended to be okay, and pretended not to be, Yeong-i was actually desperate for a friend.
“No! We’re just friends!” Yeong-i’s scream at the rat that swallowed Dalpyeong in one gulp is quite heartbreaking.
In the face of his friend's crisis, 'Earthworm', who was slow and sluggish, is reborn as 'Jiyoung', who is more agile and brave than anyone else.
For someone like that, making friends won't be as difficult as it used to be.

As was the case with his first picture book, “Hello, Loner,” and his previous work, “See You Again, Dalpyeong,” author Shin Min-jae’s gaze is always focused on lonely children.
It's about understanding the secret desires of such children, making friends for them, even if they are imaginary, and making those desires come true, even if only through books.
Using the comfort and encouragement they receive from books as a foundation, we help children take steps into the real world.
I think that is precisely why author Shin Min-jae continues to write and illustrate picture books.


Curriculum linkage
Korean 1-2-8.
Feel and express
Korean 2-1-5.
I can guess your feelings
Korean 2-2-4.
Express your feelings
Korean 2-2-8.
I'm a writer too