Part 1: The Art of Enduring

1 Losing the Art * “The art of ______ isn't hard to master.”
2 The less you have, the greater the happiness * young, tongue, weep, sleep
3 What else is becoming * tree-desk-bed-plywood-paper-pencil-door 39
4 Freedom of the Underdog * “Don't be a dunce, be a dunce?”
5 The Ethics of Flowers Beyond Wounds * “Pain is a flower like that one.” 61
6 Essence cannot be destroyed * “Secrets of an Oak Tree” 71
7. The power to keep walking * “Deep breathing, step-by-step”

Part 2: The Power of Questioning

8 “April is the cruellest month” 93
9 Everyday Revolution * “In the place of birds' droppings” 103
10 Questions for Wisdom * “Those who ask questions deserve answers.” 113
11 Mysterious Encounters * “Nothing can ever happen twice.” 125
12 Hope from Despair * “Roll'd round in earth's diurnal course”

The Power of Connecting Part 3

13 Between Books and Life * “I'm on my way with dust in my shoes.” 145
14 On 'Memory' * “a single heart beating under glass” 155
Poster written at 15 o'clock * Cup ramen and spoon, clothespin and umbrella, keys 165
16 Flowers, the Girl, and the Young Man * “Where have all the flowers gone?”

Part 4 Alone Together

17 “The Sorrow of the Survivor” * “And then what happened?” 191
18 Quiet Voice * “What is your small revolution?” 201
19 The Principle of 'Difference' * "Only others save us." 211
20 No matter how lonely you are, * “No man is an island, entire of itself.” 219
21 Breathing Together * Brighter and Darker Brothers 231
22 Don't Give Up * "There Will Be More Than One Road to ______" 241

Epilogue * How to Ask Questions Through Poetry

But how can poetry foster creative thinking? "This book renews the way we question things through poetry," it says, guiding us to cultivate "a more nuanced perspective that allows us to think, question, and question more deeply, a perspective that sees far and wide, and the power to speak out loud."
But the goal is not simply to improve thinking skills.
It is to provide wisdom and courage to young people who will walk various paths in the future to navigate life.


A poem that gives us the courage and wisdom to slowly walk the path of life that we must walk alone yet together.
Because I believe in the power of poetry, this book is my gift to teenagers.
In a world where everyone feels like a loser amidst the cutthroat competition, it's easy to feel like entering college will solve everything, but that's a lie from adults! In such a world, this book challenges us to re-examine what truly makes each day meaningful for teenagers, and invites us to see things differently.
Let's study and play together.
―Jeong Eun-gwi, from ‘Alone Together’

"Alone Together" is composed of Part 1, "The Art of Enduring," Part 2, "The Power of Questioning," Part 3, "The Power of Connecting," and Part 4, "Alone Together."
At the end of each chapter, the author naturally helps children sharpen their 'language sense' through various language learning play models.
For example, in Part 1, when introducing a poet who overcame anxiety and deprivation, the reader is prompted to fill in the blank with “The art of _____ isn't hard to master.”
The author himself wrote loving/parting here.


● Transform pain and suffering into creative thinking!

Why should young people read poetry? For writers, life's pain can become a source of inspiration, transforming it into "a form of art."
At that time, art becomes ‘a technique’.
This is because “the painful patterns of life engraved in the poet’s heart become the process of giving birth to the art of poetry.”
By following the trajectory of thought of these creative poets, we too can gain hints on how to overcome life's adversities.
It will especially give inexperienced youth the courage to face their worries, big and small.


No road is a straight line, and no mountain is only uphill. When we find a good balance between the momentum we push through and the slow, shallow breathing we pause to catch our breath on the winding, uphill and downhill paths, we gain the strength to keep going.
―Jeong Eun-gwi, from ‘Alone Together’

We ultimately have to make our own decisions, but we can never live alone in the process.
“The longer we spend alone, the more we need to share and come together in different ways.” So, taking the time to ask questions together through poetry will be a great help in developing wisdom in life.
“For teenagers who still have too much to fill before they can even think about emptying themselves and becoming poor, I would like to talk about emptying and filling, what needs to be emptied and what needs to be filled, through poetry.” This is a method that the author confidently recommends to teenagers, as it is something he has vividly experienced through poetry.


On days when I felt frustrated and had difficulty finding answers to real-life problems, I would always look for poetry and read it to find answers in it.
When I was in college, I didn't have enough money to buy poetry, so I would climb up and down the stairs of the now-defunct Jongro Bookstore and read poetry books for hours on end. I would have a miraculous awakening experience where the dizzying wrinkles in my life would suddenly disappear and the answers to the problems I had been struggling with would come into clear focus.

―Jeong Eun-gwi, from ‘Alone Together’

For the author, poetry is a process of “awakening our eyes to things we have usually forgotten, hidden, or overlooked.”
It is an “eye-opening experience toward new thinking” that I had never thought of before.
This awakening becomes the most fundamental driving force that enables us to rise again, overcoming the squalor of reality, disappointment in ourselves, and the frustration of failure.
For example, we often get stuck in the past because of a momentary mistake or an irreversible regret, preventing us from moving forward.
But nothing can be turned back.
At this time, the poet talks about a way to bring life to life in a new way.
This is why we must read poetry.


When you ride a swing, the stronger the force you exert on the back, the farther you move forward. Think about that principle.
A life with purpose, a life with dreams, a life with hope—even if, for some reason, we temporarily drift away from our purpose, even if we temporarily lose touch with our dreams, even if anxiety temporarily outweighs our hope—their essence remains unchanged.
If you draw a line by setting a direction for the dreams, hopes, and goals you hold in your heart, what's important is the act of moving forward along that path, not speed, ranking, or competition.
(…) Above all, every moment, every day, comes to us like a gift as a new beginning, so let’s focus on that day and a new beginning.
In the middle of a very cold winter, the temperature of the ground is actually warmer than we feel.
Let's take a deep breath and believe in that invisible warmth.

―Jeong Eun-gwi, from ‘Alone Together’

There can be no obstacles on the road of life.
But “shaking is also an attribute of existence that exists in both life and death.”
But, just like that, there are infinite possibilities open to us in the process of becoming a certain kind of person.
And “the possibility of that transformation makes my heart race.”
Through the poetry stories of Professor Jeong Eun-gwi, who has loved poetry, translated poetry, and taught poetry all her life, we too will find ourselves more excited about the possibilities of the future than regretting the past.


I really want to tell you this: nothing just disappears.
The time I put in, the traces of my worries, and even the wounds I received in relationships do not disappear, but are engraved within me.
But even in things that seem to bear no fruit despite my dedication, invisible buds are sprouting somewhere.
―Jeong Eun-gwi, from ‘Alone Together’