First audition
Basic Environmental Survey
How invisible people live
Path of Darkness
Rose's Outing
Dandelion Society
Whale hunting
Day by day
Hidden Picture Game
Landscape with bicycles
A room filled with sunlight
Volume and mass of time
Child on the edge of a cliff
Someone who hurts me more than I do
meeting
Whale in the Pocket
First recording
Author's Note

A message of comfort from Lee Geum-i, a pioneer in youth literature, to young people.

Author Lee Geum-i, who is loved by young readers for her solid story and dense descriptions, wrote this work in 2006 to support the dreams of young people.
While working on the revised edition, he said he felt a greater sense of responsibility because the reality of young people has not changed much since then.
In his 'Author's Note,' he expressed his desire to comfort countless young people who are obsessed with studying rather than working towards their dreams, are evaluated by grades rather than talent, fail to realize the love of their families because of their worries about existence, and live with financial worries so they cannot even think about the future.

The whole world is depressed due to COVID-19.
I worked on the revised edition in a situation where things that I thought only happened in movies about disasters or the future have become part of everyday life. (Omitted) At first, the children in 'here and now' were considered different from the children in the novel simply because they were living a lost daily life.
But as time went by, the children in the novel and the children of today began to overlap.
And questions arose.
Can we confidently say that children's lives have improved as time has passed? Is the daily life children have lost these days solely due to the virus? It's difficult to say yes.
(Omitted) When I first wrote this novel, I was convinced that what the children were searching for was a dream, but looking back, I think it was hope.
I think that showing children that the world is worth living in, even in the most desperate of circumstances, and helping them find the daily life they deserve, is what adults should do for children.
- From the author's words

The story of a little whale that will soon come out into the world.

Featuring three boys and one girl, this novel is a story of growth and conflict between these unique and lovable protagonists, each with their own unique personalities worthy of a popularity contest, as they strive to achieve the small, unfulfilled dreams they hold in their hearts.
Min-ki, a handsome boy who wants to become a celebrity; Yeon-ho, who has a natural singing talent but struggles to make ends meet due to financial difficulties; Jun-hee, who is loved by his adoptive parents but suffers from love and hate for his biological mother; and Hyun-joong, who is last in his class but first in personality, dignity, and perceptiveness.
Four children with different backgrounds and thoughts get to know each other as they become entangled in Min-ki's eccentric behavior.
Min-ki and Hyun-joong dream of becoming celebrities, and Yeon-ho and Jun-hee have talent but no interest in becoming celebrities. How will the dreams of the four children unfold?
A passionate story about teenagers who are raising little dream-like whales in their hearts, each one unable to come out into the world.
The four children shed tears and frustrations in their quest to achieve their dreams, and even at times, their dreams seem far away, as if they are not theirs. However, they never give up and encourage each other as they work hard, which touches the hearts of the readers.

Young people growing up while enduring the heavy burden of life

Wouldn't it be great if life were as easy as it is young? Teenagers are constantly anxious, not only because of the practical concerns of schoolwork and relationships, but also because of an uncertain future.
However, adults take the troubles of teenagers lightly and bury them in ‘studying.’
Min-ki's father, who appears in the novel, cannot understand why his son, who has no worries about time or money, has poor grades because his wish was to study to his heart's content without being chased by money or time.
Min-ki feels resentful towards his father who does not acknowledge his dreams.
Also, Hyunjoong is good at using computers, has a personality that is not harsh, has good interpersonal relationships, and is quick to judge situations, making him a desirable talent of this era and a charming child.
But they are ignored by teachers and friends simply because their grades are not good.
Min-gi and Hyun-joong are discouraged by the adults' gaze, but fortunately, they do not lose heart and run towards their dreams with their characteristic positive energy.

Whether it's a child who studies hard, a child who practices singing because he wants to be a singer, or a child who focuses on computers to become an IT expert, they're all working towards their dreams.
If we acknowledge that children have different likes and talents, just as they all have different appearances and voices, wouldn't their future be much more positive?
The author is conveying the message that their dreams should not be frustrated or destroyed by the standards of adults, and that their 'dreams' should be supported.

The existence of kind adults who extend warm hands to lonely children!

In this writer's works, there are always warm and exemplary adults.
These are adults who sense the anxiety in the hearts of teenagers who are sometimes twisted and derailed by the storm and stress of emotions, and quietly reach out to them when needed.
Those people are Min-ki's mother, who prepares side dishes for Yeon-ho, finds a new house for him, and even packs his belongings, or Yeon-ho's homeroom teacher, who admits Yeon-ho to the hospital when he collapses from malnutrition and stress and secretly sheds tears.
If there were more adults like this around, wouldn't the wanderings of youth be much shorter? We realize one thing when we observe the adults depicted in the works.
No matter how difficult or painful it may be, if teenagers know that there are adults around them who listen to their stories, their wandering will not last long.


Introduction to the Lee Geum-i Youth Literature Series

This series, which began with the revised edition of 『Eugene and Eugene』 as its first book, is a series of youth literature by author Lee Geum-i that revises and reorganizes the youth literature works that the author has published so far. It is “a youth literature series by author Lee Geum-i that examines the ‘here and now’ of youth on the brink, resonates with the hearts entangled with dreams and wounds, and cheers for a bright future.”
This revision and serialization is not simply a matter of changing the book's appearance; it is a task of imbuing it with human rights awareness, a sense of the times, and gender awareness, all of which improve and raise standards as times change.
The revised edition of "The Whale in the Pocket" also took considerable time and effort from the author.
Without changing the content, we tried to reflect reality as much as possible in the details and descriptions, and to enhance the plausibility so that it can be read naturally.