Disabled people and artists, friends and enemies, sorrow and joy… …
A hug that breaks down all boundaries in the world

Author Jeong Eun-hye was diagnosed with Down syndrome when she was three months old.
Although she went to school with her friends with disabilities and graduated, Eunhye, now in her 20s, had nowhere else to go.
The author describes in the book the dark and stuffy times when she knitted alone in the corner of her room and curled up under a blanket as living in a 'cave'.
Then, while helping her mother, who was a painter, clean and tidy up her studio, she started painting herself, and from that moment on, all kinds of colors and love for people poured into Eunhye's life like sunlight.


The first person Eunhye embraced after her cave days was the director of 'Moonho-ri River Market'.
Eunhye has drawn caricatures of over 4,000 people so far under the sign “Your Face Eunhye” at the Munho-ri River Market.
At first, there were people who said, “It’s ugly! Please redraw it! Give me a refund!” after seeing Eunhye’s drawings with their unique proportions and expressions.
However, Eunhye had a boil on her buttocks and no matter how cold or hot it was, she stayed strong and continued to draw people's faces.
As the pages of Eunhye's books are filled with the unique faces she has drawn, the passages where Eunhye casually pours out words filled with her strong identity and pride as an artist are admirable.

“When I was painting in Munho-ri in the summer, I used to soak my feet in a bowl of ice water.

I also have a boil on my butt.
But no matter how cold or hot it is, there is never a day I don't want to go. Not at all.
Because I have to draw a picture in Munho-ri.
“That’s important to me.”

“There are no mistakes in my paintings.
I've never been wrong.

“Yes, there are no mistakes.”

“My greatest courage is drawing.

“I will do it without getting tired, without giving up, and while taking breaks.”

“Let’s laugh together.
“Don’t cry, crybaby.”
Drawing a mother after shaving her head to support the struggle of people with developmental disabilities.

Among the people that writer Jeong Eun-hye wants to embrace and love for a long time, she cannot leave out her family.
The book contains a touching account of the family history written by author Jeong Eun-hye along with drawings of her family members.
In the painting by artist Jeong Eun-hye, the mother, Jang Cha-hyeon, has short, messy hair like a man and stands with her mouth slightly open, as if she is laughing or crying.
Jang Cha-hyeon, a cartoonist, oriental painter, and the head of the Yangpyeong branch of the Korean Parents' Association for the Disabled, shaved her head to support the struggle of people with developmental disabilities.
Next to the picture of such a mother, writer Jeong Eun-hye writes:


“My mother was tired from raising me for so long.

I wish my mom would laugh a lot.
Because my mom is so worried and depressed.

don't
Let's laugh together.
“Don’t cry, crybaby.”

As you turn the page, a man appears next to the crybaby mother.
When Eunhye was fifteen, her mother got a boyfriend.
Director Seo Dong-il was seven years younger than writer Jang Cha-hyeon.
And between the two, Eun-hye's younger sister Eun-baek is born, and the two finally get married.
This unique family became one by having a 'family meal' rather than a 'wedding ceremony'.
Eunhye originally called director Seo Dong-il 'oppa', but it is said that she gave this 'congratulatory speech' at a family ceremony.


“You’re all grown up now, so you can be my dad.”
And to anyone who might find this family strange or look at it with prejudice, he wrote this in the book:

“Director Seo Dong-il is a cool person,
“He’s not my stepfather or adoptive father, he’s just my biological father.”

After "Our Blues"...
A letter to myself and to my friends with disabilities

The book also includes drawings by writer Noh Hee-kyung, who cast Eun-hye in the drama "Our Blues," which made writer Jeong Eun-hye known to the world, and actors Han Ji-min and Kim Woo-bin, who acted with her.
The drama "Our Blues," in which writer Noh Hee-kyung observed Eunhye's appearance and habits for a long time and incorporated them into the character of "Younghee," allowed Eunhye to become more relatable to the world.
However, writer Jeong Eun-hye says that there is one clear difference between herself and 'Young-hee'.


In the drama, Young-hee asks her younger sister, Young-ok, to earn a lot of money so she can get plastic surgery, but writer Jeong Eun-hye loves and cherishes herself at this moment.
When people ask me what my future dreams are, I always say, “I’ve already achieved all my dreams.
“I’m always happy,” confesses Eunhye.
He is now free from the painful past of being sexually harassed and suffering from obsessive stares when riding the subway alone, and from the anxiety of an unknown future.


In the book's recommendation, author Noh Hee-kyung wrote that "whenever I meet Eun-hye, my mind often becomes brighter and my fatigue and distracting thoughts disappear."
Since we are unable to completely escape the wounds of the past and the worries of the future, aren't we once again surprised and moved by Eunhye's different lines, colors, thoughts, and words that focus solely on 'this moment, today.'


Eunhye, who is active as an actress, painter, and writer in dramas, movies, exhibitions, and publishing, is happy at this moment.
But on the other hand, I don't forget that many of my disabled friends, similar to me, are still in 'caves' and facilities.


“I hope that other people with developmental disabilities can come out into the world happily without being intimidated or discouraged by other people’s gaze.
I hope to do what I want to do, make money, and be happy by communicating and meeting people.


I wish they would come out into society instead of staying in the facility.
When I came out,

“Um… … come play with me.”

One day, while looking through Eunhye's photos, I discovered that there were many photos of her hugging her favorite friends.
Looking at the photo, there is no gap between the two people.
I couldn't see any awkwardness or courtesy(?) of keeping an appropriate distance when meeting for the first time.
I am overcome by Grace's boundless gestures.
Just looking at the photos of them smiling brightly and hugging each other with infinite friendliness makes me feel happy.
Such memorable photographs became the subject of the painting.
In a time when keeping distance between people has become the norm, Eunhye's hugging painting reminds us of a time when we were disarmed and could embrace each other with affection.

The "Embrace Exhibition" and this picture book, which are made up of those pictures, confirm the boundary between the past when we could meet people comfortably and the harsh present.
Furthermore, amidst the difficult circumstances we face due to COVID-19, we are once again reminded of how precious it is to love and connect with others.

Eunhye was born into this world as a being of worry rather than a blessing, and suffered from mental illness as she repeatedly experienced the cold gazes of lowly humans who thought, "What good are you?"
As an adult, I endured the cruel punishment of being pushed out of the world with no place to live and being completely ignored by all members of society.
Such grace is proving her existence through her own power.
Through the silent act of drawing, he healed himself without dwelling on the existential barriers and limitations that were fatefully imposed on him, and the emotional wounds that resulted from them, and sublimated the cruel time of punishment into art.
In the past, she used to blame herself, saying, “Why was someone like me born with a disability?” Now, she is reborn as someone who comforts people, saying, “Oh my, I was originally pretty.”

Eunhye's self-healing power to heal the mental illness and wounds within her, and to transform them into positive energy, is greater than we think.
That's why people say that after meeting Eunhye, their minds become clearer and their mood improves.
Sometimes even the worries within you become useless.

- Jangcha Hyunsil (cartoonist, oriental painter, Yangpyeong branch president of the National Association of Parents of Persons with Disabilities)