introduction
Chapter 1.
○○ Research Institute
Chapter 2.
Director
Chapter 3.
Things I want to do
Chapter 4.
Don't try too hard to memorize it
Chapter 5.
My brother ran away from home
Chapter 6.
Real study
Chapter 7.
Write a letter
Chapter 8.
library
Chapter 9.
Deliberation
Chapter 10.
Gyeongju tour
Chapter 11.
Like a chimpanzee
Chapter 12.
Geon-i's secret
Chapter 13.
Each other
Chapter 14.
Find what you like
Epilogue

“In the end, when you know, you fall in love.”
Why should we study? How should we study?
A coming-of-age story depicting a rewarding journey of discovering the fun and meaning of studying.

Here, in the 'Let's Play Park', also known as the 'Forest in the City', there is a research center made of wood.
There, an unidentified owner bakes bread and studies bugs.
Twelve-year-olds Jeong-woo, Geon-i, and So-ri go back and forth to the institute, share their worries, discover the joy of studying, and resolve their conflicts.
They grow into healthy and confident children who are not swayed by their parents' expectations and pressure, but find their own desires.
The book "Studying I Want to Do," which guides us from "Studying = Exams" to "Studying = Life," has been published by Kim Young Publishing.

The title of the book, which omits the subject, makes us ponder whether children are doing the 'studying that their mothers, fathers, and teachers want them to do.'
It makes us reflect on whether our society has given children the opportunity to think about what they want to study.
I ask whether true study is not studying that helps both children and adults successfully overcome the threshold of growth in life, rather than studying for grades.

Let's go into the book.
The main character, Jeong-woo, wants to become a YouTuber who introduces architecture.
To visit architectural sites from around the world, one must be able to communicate, but Jeong-woo despairs that his dream will be impossible because he is not good at English.
When Jeong-woo confides his worries, the director responds.
“You have to try to find out whether something is possible or impossible,” he says, and “If you keep trying, your potential will come out.” He encourages people to try and doesn’t give up hope out of the blue.

Jeong-woo's friend Geon-i is good at studying and acts like he's a smart guy, but he becomes discouraged after failing the academy level exam.
He asserts that “studying without memorizing is not studying” and emphasizes that “the important things must be memorized, even if it means forcing oneself to do so.”
After hearing Geon-i's argument, the director breaks the stereotype about studying by saying, "If you have interest and curiosity, it's okay to start by learning the parts you like, even if you don't know everything from the beginning."
“If you study with interest, there will come a time when you will memorize it naturally.”

In this way, the owner of the book expands the perspective on the studies that children have been learning.
“There’s no such thing as pointless.” “Don’t try too hard to memorize.” “If you try this path and that path, you’ll find out which path you like.” “It’s okay to make mistakes.
“Speak confidently.” “It is important not to get angry at each other and to respect each other’s opinions and thoughts without criticizing them.” By giving these words of encouragement, they provide the driving force for children to study bigger and broader subjects.

"Studying What You Want to Do" conveys the message that "children grow when they are helped to do what they want to do and find what they like, rather than studying based on test scores."
It breaks the equation that 'studying is a test and a competition for college entrance exams' and gives insight that 'studying is something you do to live well', and breaks the prejudice that 'mistakes are failure and falling behind' and makes children realize again that 'mistakes are challenges and experiences', thereby instilling pride in children.

Children's book author Park Hyun-sook chose a story she wanted to tell children in "Choi Jae-cheon's Study" and created a surprising "realistic fairy tale."
He created a captivating narrative that comforts and encourages children trapped in the reality of endless competition, helping them find their own path.
Artist Ham Ju-hae's clear and warm watercolors enhance the emotions of the story and evoke empathy.

“I’ve never felt so proud in my twelve-year life.” This is what Jeong-woo thought after translating it into English himself.
“I want to find out what I like too.” This is what Geon said after talking with the manager.
“It’s not that I don’t like studying.
“You don’t want to go to medical school.” This is the rebuttal that Su-woo, Jeong-woo’s older brother, gave to his mother, who was urging him to go to medical school.
Parents may feel a pang of sadness at these thoughts and words.
Is it not the parents who choose and decide their children's future?


When you open the first chapter of this book and when you close the last, your thoughts about studying will completely change.
“Of course, mathematical formulas never change.
Korean grammar doesn't change either.
The English words don't change either.
But shouldn't the obsession with getting one or ten more points while attending school change? Rather than studying for grades that make you cry and laugh, we need to study for the purpose of living well in a changing world.
(…) Why do you think you study?” If you want someone to pinpoint how to improve your grades, close this book.
If you want to learn how to live well, open this book and read it.

“As you gain a lot of experience, you will discover what you like, what you are good at, and what you want to do.
You often hear people say, "Don't study, do something else." When you try out different things, your perspective on the world expands.
I hope everyone can go through that process to get to know themselves.
Everyone has something they're good at and something they like, but there are many cases where they don't know which direction their antennae are pointing.
I hope you will find the direction your antennae are pointing in.” Through “Studying What You Want to Do,” I hope that children and adults alike will not be bound by the report cards prescribed by our society, but will search, search, and read to find “their own path” rather than insisting on “a single path.”