eyelid

Author's Note

A gentle whisper that awakens frozen time
Precious voices that hold me at my bedside

Winner of the Kim Seung-ok Literary Award, the Contemporary Literary Award, the Hwang Sun-won Literary Award, the Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award, and the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award
Yoon Seong-hee's new novel

Novelist Yoon Seong-hee, who has been loved by critics and readers alike for her portrayal of the lives of ordinary people with a calm yet warm humor and delicate perspective, has published her new novel, "Eyelids," as the sixteenth book in the "First Encounter with a Novel" series.
This is the story of the seventeen-year-old protagonist, 'I', who loses consciousness one day in an unexpected accident.
The loving chatter of family members who come to care for the sick person at the bedside reminds them of forgotten memories and precious values ​​of daily life.
This work fully demonstrates author Yoon Seong-hee's skill in capturing seemingly trivial aspects of people and weaving them into wonderful stories. After reading the book, you will feel an overwhelming sense of wonder that being alive is a miracle.
Illustrator Namsu's lyrical yet fantastically colorful illustrations blend with the novel, adding a sparkling sensibility to author Yoon Seonghee's imagination.

For those who fight alone and lonely
What can we do?

The story begins on the day my father first met my mother.
At that time, my father was thirty-eight years old, a single man who had just gone through a difficult time in his youth, and my mother was raising her six-year-old daughter alone.
The mother, who was on her way back from leaving her daughter with a relative due to financial difficulties, happened to sit next to the father on the train.
If Mom and Dad hadn't gotten on the same train car that day, if they hadn't gotten off the train that stopped in an accident and walked to the restaurant together, if they hadn't fallen in love, and thus 'I' hadn't been born, would the accident never have happened?

'I' was brought to the hospital emergency room and am lying down.
A state where one is conscious of being alive but cannot open one's eyes, and one can hear but cannot speak.
After the accident, everyday life stopped, and all I could imagine was the scenery around me and the doctors and nurses caring for me through the sounds I heard.

Mom and Dad, who take turns taking care of the sick in the morning and afternoon, tell us about what happened that day.
The emotions my father felt when his nephew was born a long time ago, the pain my mother felt raising my older sister alone, the wounds my parents never knew about.
Like the deep, warm scent of anchovy noodles from a mom and dad who run a noodle shop, magical confessions awaken the five senses.
The time spent lying in bed flows like the cycle of life that fills day and night.

“There is nothing trivial in the world.”

My memory regresses to the day of the accident.
A few days ago, I was riding my bike alone, feeling upset after being hit by a close friend.
I ended up going down an unfamiliar road instead of the neighborhood I usually go to with my friends.
It was a bus stop and there was a little kid sitting next to me.
The last thing I remember was a bus speeding towards me from the other side, crossing the lane.

What I'm curious about is not how the accident happened, but whether the little child sitting next to me is okay.
Rather than despairing or feeling frustrated by what has happened, the voice of 'I', who first worries about the misfortunes of others, is poignantly expressed throughout the novel.
That doesn't mean I'm not honest about my pain.
I remember a time when I complained to my mother, saying, “It’s so petty, it’s so petty” (page 47).
My mother says (in the same way) that “nothing is trivial in the world,” and when I think about it, my emotions get intense and tears flow.
A desperate signal sent out to a life that has come to a standstill. Will hope come to me?

“When I was little and got scolded by my mom, I would often crouch down in the corner of the room and play that game.
Me, sixteen years old.
Me, fifteen years old.
I'm fourteen years old... ... .
As I gradually lost a year of my age, I suddenly saw myself as a newborn.
(…) If I die now, I will live a miserable life and then die.
“There are many insignificant things in the world, but the most insignificant of them all was me.”
(Pages 48-49)

“Hold your breath and give it your all”
Another short story aesthetic by Yoon Seong-hee

The protagonist, 'I', who is lying in a hospital bed and cannot wake up, is a seventeen-year-old with infinite possibilities in life.
However, 『Eyelids』 lacks the tragic sentiment that it should have.
I don't just talk about hope blindly.
What author Yoon Seong-hee describes through the protagonist's voice are the steam rising from dumplings taken out of the steamer, the white grains flying from a Styrofoam box as it breaks, the unique footsteps of each nurse, warm hands held together, the back of a lonely little child, and ticklish whispers.
If we can empathize with the situations and suffering of others, isn't it because we all remember a moment like this in our lives?

“I often imagine this child a year from now.
On a day when cherry blossoms bloom, we will go on a picnic as my mother wished.
After a long time, my parents will be taking a break from the store.
A lunch box containing kimbap, fried tofu, and fruit is spread out on a mat.
Every time the wind blows, cherry blossom petals will fall onto the lunch box.
“It’s a flower lunch box,” Mom says with a smile. ―From the author’s note

There is nothing more desperate and desperate than wishing for the recovery of a loved one.
Anyone who knows how to pray for the strength to lift even one eyelid will find immense comfort in reading "Eyelid."
You will be able to experience moving from darkness to light.

▶ Series Introduction

The first path to encountering a novel
A welcome reading for those who have grown distant from books, a first encounter with a novel.

'First Encounter with a Novel' is a thin and beautiful paperback book decorated with a new sensibility.
A literary masterpiece, this short story is richly illustrated.
With engaging stories, short volumes of less than 100 pages, and captivating illustrations, it allows even those who lack the time or are unfamiliar with reading to easily access excellent contemporary works.
For adolescent readers who have stopped reading at fairy tales, it will serve as a stepping stone to novels.
To pump water from a deep well, you must pour a bucket of water from above.
The "First Encounter with a Novel" series will serve as a welcome aid to those who have become increasingly distant from literature, helping them reconnect with books and inject fresh vitality into our reading culture.
▶ Series Introduction

The first path to encountering a novel
A welcome reading for those who have grown distant from books, a first encounter with a novel.

'First Encounter with a Novel' is a thin and beautiful paperback book decorated with a new sensibility.
A literary masterpiece, this short story is richly illustrated.
With engaging stories, short volumes of less than 100 pages, and captivating illustrations, it allows even those who lack time or are unfamiliar with reading to easily access excellent contemporary works.
For adolescent readers who have stopped reading at fairy tales, it will serve as a stepping stone to novels.
To pump water from a deep well, you must pour a bucket of water from above.
The "First Encounter with a Novel" series will serve as a welcome aid to those who have become increasingly distant from literature, helping them reconnect with books and inject fresh vitality into our reading culture.