The Weight of Secrets
There are circumstances for everything
The most precious tears

Author's Note

★ Grand Prize Winner of the 25th Changbi 'Good Children's Book' Manuscript Contest (Elementary) ★

"The Weight of Secrets" offers a glimpse into the secrets of life through a fairytale-like imagination that children can relate to, and calmly approaches universal truths about humanity.
His unique positivity and cheerful imagination will provide a little comfort and joy to today's children, each with their own secrets.
_Judges' Comments (Kim Je-gon, Bae Yu-an, Won Jong-chan, Ivandi)

Sweet magic that leads you to a fantastic world!
A story full of fairy tale-like imagination

"The Weight of Secrets" is a collection of fairy tales that tells the story of Chan-i, who looks out the window at Namsan Tower whenever he feels depressed; Yu-na, who ends up living with her grandmother who has dementia; and Seung-mo, who receives care from his grandfather instead of his busy mother.
The story of the three main characters begins on a seemingly ordinary stage, but before they know it, they are plunged into a magical situation and lead the reader to an unexpected ending.
Author Sim Soon, who won the 2020 Dong-A Ilbo New Year's Literary Contest and received praise for "conveying the hazy sadness and beauty that only fairy tales can convey, and pushing forward a heavy subject matter with sincerity," once again demonstrated her literary prowess by winning the grand prize in the Changbi 'Good Children's Book' manuscript contest.
These three sweet, magical fairy tales will bring young readers the unique joy of reading fairy tales by capturing the beautiful truths hidden in every moment of life, without any intention of provocative twists or clear lessons.

Children who grow as they bear the weight of truth

All the main characters in fairy tales have a little secret in their hearts.
Chan-i in "The Weight of Secrets" hides Namsan Tower, which is tired of standing all the time, under the bed, and Yuna in "Everything Has Its Own Reason" knows who the culprit is who made a mess of the house, but she never tells her parents and keeps it to herself.
Seungmo in "The Most Precious Tears" does not ask adults for help, but instead sets out to find a way to fulfill his wish on his own.
Even the little creatures who seem cute and innocent each possess the strength to face the truth of life.
As we follow the events that these three children experience, we realize that discovering the hidden meaning behind phenomena comes with a price, but that the weight of that burden is the same as the growth we experience.

I wish I had a precious secret.
I hope you find some beautiful things.
I wish I could shed precious tears.
I really hope so.
_From the author's note

A fairy tale that brings previously unnoticed beings to center stage.

When familiar beings that were previously overlooked appear as the protagonists of a magical moment, the freshness is bound to be even more powerful.
"The Weight of Secrets" brings to the center of the stage beings that we didn't really pay attention to because they seemed like they would always be there.
It is special that the familiar landmark 'Namsan Tower' has become the protagonist of a fantastic story, and it is also worthy of evaluation as a new and meaningful attempt in our children's literature that a sick grandmother and a grandfather performing care work have taken on the lead roles of sharing beautiful moments of life with children.
The moments of communication between Namsan Tower and Chan-i, Grandma and Yuna, and Grandpa and Seung-mo shine even brighter because they each harbor their own precious secrets and circumstances.
I invite you to listen carefully to these three warm and fantastic stories.

● Changbi's 'Good Children's Book' manuscript contest was established in 1997 to foster an environment for writing and publishing good children's books and to encourage the creative desire of children's book authors.
Beginning with Chae In-seon's first award-winning work, 『Telephone Pole Children』, the group has led the change and development of Korean children's literature by publishing a series of major hit works, including Park Ki-beom's 『Problem Child』, Kim Jung-mi's 『Crown-billed Children』, Lee Hyeon's 『Jjajangmyeon Blows Up!』, Bae Yu-an's 『Chojeongri Letter』, Kim Seong-jin's 『How to Use Mom』, Jin Hyeong-min's 『Symbol No. 3 Anseokppong』, and Hong Min-jeong's 『Cat Problem Solver Kkamnyang』.