The National Association of Korean Language Teachers analyzed it with three keywords:
The Fourth Story in the Commentary on Must-Read Literature for Youth: "Labor and Everyday Life"

Since 2018, the National Korean Language Teachers Association has been consistently introducing various literary works through in-depth and engaging commentary on the Naver Audio Clip channel, "Literary Stories Opened with Three Keyword Words."
The series, “Literary Stories Opened with Three Keyword Words,” is a new compilation of recordings made over seven years for young people and general readers who enjoy literature.


This book extracts three keywords that are essential for understanding a literary work and develops the story around them.
Keywords extracted by Korean language teachers teaching literature in schools shine like stars, revealing the hidden meaning of literary works.
Even though it is a sharp and profound literary criticism and commentary, readers feel as if they are listening to a chatterbox, because the tone of conversation, as if sitting face to face with someone and having a lively conversation, is alive and well in the book.

Material civilization is meant to make people's lives more abundant and comfortable.
However, we live without even realizing the irony that the development of this material civilization is actually alienating and making people unhappy.

It's a society where people who are having fun and communicating on their smartphones suddenly feel empty, where people feel powerless in front of kiosks and are shown to be inconsiderate, and where people who fail to adapt to the rapid changes of the times feel like they are each at fault.
Civilization continues to evolve, but the mind seems to be getting smaller and smaller.
---p.44 (from Jo Jeong-rae's "The Magic Hand")

Another Chinese character in the title, '沒 (mol)', is usually used to mean 'to fall into water'.
Why did the author use the Chinese character "沒" (沒) in the title? The novel features a scene where the protagonist pulls his hand through the rubble, reminiscent of someone grabbing the hand of someone drowning.
Although the body is not visible, the protagonist's desperate gesture of clasping his hands together and pulling them with a desperate heart, as if to say hello, seems like a desperate struggle to save a drowning person.
---p.71 (Im Seong-sun/Mall:Mall:沒)

Now that Hye-mi has everything she wants, will she ever be happy? She's afraid of losing her money, she's plagued by debt collectors, her ankles hurt, and there's no one around to comfort her.
This is where Hye-mi's situation comes into play.
The cunning side of me that desperately wanted to take care of what was mine may have been an inevitable choice for survival.
It's more like a survival skill that irregular young people have to learn while working various part-time jobs and being forced into unfair working conditions.
Have your thoughts on Hye-mi changed a little now?
---p.123 (Jang Kang-myeong/ Cutting part-time workers)

The author points out that in a work environment and culture where youth labor is not protected, no one's work is safe.
Anyone who is thrown into an unfamiliar environment, such as changing jobs, being assigned to a new department, or taking on a new job, becomes an intern, and at this time, everyone must go through a transition period called 'adaptation.'
The death of a field trainee is no longer something you only see in the newspaper.
The suffering of all beings is connected.
---p.204 (Metaphor/ From The Death of an Unknown Child)

When I talk about this work with students, they connect the novel so well with their current situation.
Just like the Yongsan disaster in 2009, the issue of displaced residents is being repeated, and the images of Young-soo and Young-ho can be seen in the images of workers climbing up cranes to protest the company's unfair employment practices.
When will the day come when we can explain the setting of this novel and say, "It used to be like this"? I hope that the day will come when, instead of reading this work as a mirror reflecting our own reflections on the slums of today's society, we will be able to live up to its name in Haengbok-dong, Nakwon-gu.
---p.215 (Jo Se-hee/ A small ball shot by a dwarf)

As is obvious, as times change, the standards for what constitutes 'normal' also change.
Even with a lot of effort, it has become difficult to live and maintain a life that meets the standards of 'normal'.
Even my mother, who seemed to be living a normal life, ultimately couldn't maintain that lifestyle.
Living in a time when the standards of 'normal' have changed from those of our parents' generation, 'I' and my sister may not even be able to live the 'normal' life that my mother gave 'me'.
However, it is clear that even though I may not be able to meet the standards of what people call 'normal' right now, I am trying hard to live a 'normal' life, hoping that tomorrow will be better than today.

---p.227~228 (Kim Ae-ran/A Dauntless Life)