In lieu of a preface
Chapter 1, First Lesson ①
Chapter 2, First Lesson ②
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Chapter 3, First Lesson ③
Chapter 4, Second Lesson ①
Chapter 5, Lesson 2 ②
Chapter 6, Lesson 2 ③
*
Chapter 7: Jeong Yak-yong takes office as the magistrate of Geumjeong
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Chapter 8, Lesson 3 ①
Chapter 9, Lesson 3 ②
Chapter 10, Lesson 3 ③
Chapter 11, Lesson 3④
Chapter 12, Lesson 3⑤
*
Chapter 13, Lesson 4 ①
Chapter 14, Lesson 4②
Chapter 15, Lesson 4 ③
Chapter 16, Lesson 4
Chapter 17, Lesson 4⑤
*
Chapter 18: Jeong Yak-yong Arrives at Geumjeong
191 In lieu of a review
Cases related to Jeong Yak-yong 196

Jeong Yak-yong, full of self-indulgence and acting rashly, is a petty person.
I met some strong-willed kids in the classroom!!
An exciting classroom drama that rediscovers Jeong Yak-yong.

The great figures in history seem to be perfect in every way.
I believe that he is a very good person who does not act rashly just because he did well on a test, does not show off his intelligence or show off, and makes careful and prudent decisions when making important decisions.
It seems natural that Jeong Yak-yong, a great scholar of Silhak (practical learning) representing the late Joseon Dynasty and a superman who overcame adversity, would have done the same, but was that really the case?
Author Seolheun, who has been writing novels for a long time while studying the lives and thoughts of figures from the late Joseon Dynasty, approaches Jeong Yak-yong through his mistakes, failures, and regrets rather than focusing on the great figure of Jeong Yak-yong.
After passing the state examination, Jeong Yak-yong received praise from the king, acted rashly, and consistently made excuses for his Catholic faith, leading to his demoting from Seungji to Chalbang due to attacks from his political enemies. This allows us to get a closer look at Jeong Yak-yong as a person.

But the author does not focus only on Jeong Yak-yong's mistakes.
Throughout the text, we can see the attitude of recognizing one's own mistakes, finding the cause of failure, and the courage to act without looking back when it is the right thing to do.
Readers will encounter Jeong Yak-yong, a man of many faces, who made mistakes and fell into the abyss, and who sighed, "I am a person who wasted my life and then lost it."


Mysterious events, twists, and an unfamiliar ending

The novel begins with a Korean language teacher working at a school in Namyangju, where a bust of Jeong Yak-yong stands, coming to see the author with a report written by students in a special class regarding Jeong Yak-yong's mistakes.
The special class children and their teacher who had made a mistake gathered in room 301 of the annex during the vacation to ask the principal for forgiveness, wrote an original report on Jeong Yak-yong's mistake, and came to ask the writer to revise the report.

This strange report, which takes the form of a novel, caught the writer's attention, and he reviewed and refined the manuscript the teacher had left behind.
Then, he goes back to his Korean teacher to get the final reflections he missed in the report, and here, the readers are faced with an unexpected ending.

Not only that, it also includes a surprising twist at the end, which greatly piques the readers' curiosity.
Why on earth did the Korean teacher come to see the author, what mistake did they make, and who exactly is the author of this book?

Five characters with unique personalities

The harsh principal orders the Korean teacher, who has made a big mistake, to gather five children who have each made a mistake and create a special class for Jeong Yak-yong.
The teacher creates a collection of Jeong Yak-yong's materials that is over 500 pages long, and the children search through the collection to find Jeong Yak-yong's mistakes that interest them, discuss them with each other, and create reports.

Five children appear, each choosing a mistake that Jeong Yak-yong made: the 'Crow' who is generous with his own mistakes but cannot overlook those of others; the 'Sloth' who recklessly rushes forward wherever his heart leads him; the 'Rabbit' who is absent-minded and cannot hold back his thoughts for even a moment and immediately starts talking; the 'Hyena' who sits in the back and looks down on others and acts like he is better than everyone else; and the quiet and gloomy 'Owl'.
These mistakes resemble the personalities of the five children, allowing us to infer what mistakes they made.

Through the reports of five unique children, readers will be able to properly meet Jeong Yak-yong, a great man who made mistakes like any other ordinary person, but who moved forward through his mistakes.


Introducing the lives and thoughts of people from the late Joseon Dynasty in a delicious language
A new work by author Seolheun!

Seolheun, who won the first Changbi Youth Book Award for her work, “I Came to Play Because You’re Cool,” which tells the story of the friendship between Joseon Dynasty writers Lee Ok and Kim Ryeo, has long been interested in figures from the late Joseon Dynasty and has introduced them to young readers.
I have become deeply interested in Toegye's study method, Yeonam Park Ji-won's writing, and more recently, the person Dasan Jeong Yak-yong.
However, he said that he felt very small in front of such a great person as Jeong Yak-yong.
So I tried to find my mistakes, and I thought that by doing so, I could narrow the gap between me and the great man.

As expected, Jeong Yak-yong had more experience with mistakes and failures than expected, and so he was able to meet Jeong Yak-yong as a person. However, on the other hand, he said that he came to respect Jeong Yak-yong more for properly reflecting on the causes of his own mistakes and failures.
Through this novel, which contains the aspects of Jeong Yak-yong, an ordinary human being who makes mistakes, fails, and reflects, I encourage you to realize that Jeong Yak-yong is also a human being like us and to take a step closer to him.