Twenty popular Korean illustrators love the most
Neighborhood Bookstore Story

Twenty popular illustrators who are heating up social media have gathered together.
What would be their favorite neighborhood bookstore in Korea? If they were to draw it and compile it into a book, what would it be? That's how "Drawing a Bookstore" began.
Twenty neighborhood bookstores quietly hidden in the alleyways.
A book of prose interwoven with gentle and beautiful pictures.

Yangjae-dong 《Shape of Time》, Bangbae-dong 《Maison India Travel & Books》, Seongbuk-dong 《Chaekbonyang》, Daejeon 《Dadarda》, Suwon 《Gyeonggi Bookstore》, Gwangju 《Yulim Bookstore》, Gunja-dong 《Bookstore Gojeunok》, Jamsil 《Kyobo Bookstore》, Cheonan 《Bookstore Juui》, Sillim-dong 《Revolving Door Bookstore》, Bongcheon-dong 《Holo Store》, Sejong 《Danbi Bookstore》, Bangbae-dong 《Novelist's Afternoon》, Mapo 《Bookstore Musa》, Suwon 《Broccoli Forest》, Jeju 《Ihu Books》, Uijeongbu 《Sungmundang》, Tongyeong 《Bomnal's Bookstore》, Jongno 《The Forest Choso Bookstore》, and lastly 《Citylights》 in San Francisco.


Complex large bookstores, independent bookstores in alleys, old neighborhood bookstores, and old-fashioned used bookstores with dusty old books are all captured in "Drawing a Bookstore."
None of them were trivial, and none of them had a story.
After reading the book, you might find yourself wearing sneakers with the heels turned down, wearing a hat pulled down low, and getting ready to go to the bookstore.
There will be an extraordinary amount of fun in owning 40 paintings by Korea's most iconic and hip illustrators.

There are two cats living in 《Book Cat》.
Hello and Hadong.
Haro was rescued from Yeonnam-dong in the summer of 2014, and Hadong was adopted from Yeonhui-dong in the spring of 2016, and they have been together ever since.
The bookstore owner decided to open this space as a bookstore because of the layers of cats, books, and the old studio scenery.

--- p.32

When I was young, my father's stationery store was a nice, yet always cautious place.
I had to remain quiet, unable to laugh out loud or touch anything, but there was one thing I could freely inhale.
The smell of paper, the smell of ink, the unique scent of a new product.
It was a familiar smell that lingered faintly in my father's arms when he returned home.

--- p.12

As I opened the door, soft music filled the space, and the dark green walls and soft orange lighting blended beautifully with the wooden furniture. Even without the bookstore owner's guidance, I could immediately tell what kind of mood I would enjoy in this space.
Although the closed door didn't completely block out the street noise, it strangely felt like I was cut off from the outside world.
The interior, which was dark and hard to see from the outside, looked like a bright alleyway pouring in through the large glass windows as we entered.
It felt like I was in a secret room.

--- p.103

There is a space I like the most in Maison India Travel & Books.
It is a corner space on the right that you see as soon as you enter the door.
A small sofa nestled in a cozy corner and a table inspired by an old suitcase are keywords that describe this bookstore.
'You can go on a journey with a book here.
'With a book, you can go anywhere.' Drawn by that atmosphere, I often sat on the small sofa for a long time.

--- p.24

“1972… That’s right, ’72.
“It started at the Eastern Police Station and then came here in 1978, so it’s been over 50 years.”
“So, you must have experienced the May 18th incident at this bookstore?”
It was also a question that I couldn't avoid while living in Gwangju.
The boss made a face as if it was obvious.
"yes.
Armored vehicles passed by and soldiers walked around on the road in front of this bookstore.
I sat here and watched it all.
Luckily, no soldiers came in here.
“It seems those gentlemen don’t like books.”
--- p.65

In fact, for me, a bookstore is not just a place to choose and buy books.
When I was young, there was no real meeting place other than the bookstore, so my promise to my friends was always, “Let’s meet in front of the bookstore.”
The front of the bookstore was a place of excitement, waiting for someone, and a place of memories where we laughed and chatted together while choosing books.
Maybe that's why I still feel a warm feeling in my heart when I enter a bookstore.
The bookstore was a memory and a promise to me.
Time has passed, and the place has changed, but my feelings toward bookstores remain the same.
--- p.112

《The Forest Bookstore》 is not just a place to buy books and drink coffee.
It's a space where you can pause, catch your breath, and clear your mind.
For me, who draws, that kind of time is really precious.
If you get a chance, you should definitely go there.
Anytime is fine.
I'm fine with being alone.

--- p.196

I first got to know Yozoh through the song [Tokyo Girl].
I started listening to Yozoh's music one by one.
As I listened to each one, I realized that I had been listening to Yozoh's music for a long time.
When I realized that the familiar melody and lyrics I had heard somewhere when I was young were Yozoh's songs, I couldn't help but smile and feel happy.
It felt like I had accidentally met a childhood friend again.
--- p.139

In my childhood memories, my mother was always with books.
When I came home from school, I was always reading a book on the sofa, at the table, or on the floor.
I loved books so much that I read all the books in the small library in my neighborhood and was featured in the newspaper.
And my older sister also loved books like her mother, so I always got stories from her.
He told me about the book in such an interesting way that I was later confused as to whether I had read the book or just listened to it.
The stories I heard like that always floated around in my head as images, and as time passed and I came to my senses, I found myself writing and illustrating picture books.

--- p.134

San Francisco is the city I consider the most romantic in the world.
I'm always thrilled by the Victorian-style pastel-toned houses and grand brick buildings, as ornate as Christmas decorations.
The Golden Gate Bridge dimly appearing in the thick fog, the cable car ringing its bell as it climbs the hill, and even the cool sea breeze.
This city is a place where romance and loneliness coexist.

--- p.200