0.
theft case
1.
Go Hyo-min: “I couldn’t say anything.”
2.
Lim Soo-hyun: “I’m probably holding my breath like I am now.”
3.
Kang Ju-mok: “Maybe that’s why I wanted to be your friend.”

Author's Note

Can we understand each other?
A fairy tale that bridges the vast distance between hearts.

★Woongjin Junior Literary Award Grand Prize Winner in the Novel Category★

The 12th Woongjin Junior Literary Award long story category grand prize winner, “Without Me Knowing,” has been published.
Go Hyo-min, the affectionate and popular class president; Im Soo-hyun, whose heart is clouded by her difficult family circumstances; and Kang Ju-mok, who lacks nothing but is anxious if he is not number one in anything.
The three people who were in the same class but kept their distance from each other become entangled in an unexpected way when Joo-moo's wallet goes missing at a birthday party.
"Without Me Knowing" is a detailed portrayal of the changing relationships between friends and the psychological changes in children depending on their economic circumstances, from the perspective of three children.
This is a fairy tale that asks the question of whether we can truly overcome prejudice and preconceptions and fully understand others.

“Maybe that’s why I wanted to be your friend.”
Three Stories of Lonely Children Even When Together

Go Hyo-min, a bright and cheerful child, a righteous child, a child loved by everyone.
Lim Soo-hyun, a child who suffered bullying from his friends and hid his feelings behind an expressionless face.
Kang Ju-mok, who was always the best student in class, the one who received the most allowance, and the one who got the most attention, but lost the position of class president to Go Hyo-min and became anxious.
The three are in the same class, but they keep their distance from each other for their own reasons.
Then, at Kang Joo-mok's birthday party, Joo-mok's mother's wallet goes missing and Go Hyo-min is accused of being a thief, and the children become entangled in an unexpected way.
"Without Me Knowing" unravels a wallet theft case from the perspectives of Go Hyo-min, Im Soo-hyun, and Kang Ju-mok.
Readers will gain a more three-dimensional perspective on the events as they hear the stories of the three children in turn.
Ironically, the incident that shook everyone's daily life became an opportunity for the three children to look deeply into their own wounded hearts.
As the children's jury commented, "It's all the more relatable because it's something that can happen to us in our daily lives," this work delicately looks into the inner thoughts of children using everyday events as its subject matter.

I hope this book will help you understand that what we know about our friend is not everything, and that everyone has a universe of unknowns within them. _From the author's note

The growth and solidarity that come from breaking down the walls of the mind

Although Im Soo-hyun and Kang Ju-mok have different family circumstances and situations, they are also very similar.
Im Soo-hyun suffers from financial difficulties caused by his father's business failure and sudden bullying from his friends.
“I promise not to make any deep friends from now on,” he said, but after driving everyone away, only a dry wall of the heart remains.
Kang Ju-mok is used to looking down on others while building a high wall around his heart.
I've never had a friend, and I've never thought I needed one.
But when Go Hyo-min, who doesn't seem much better than him, steals the children's attention, he feels a sense of unease, as if the ground beneath his feet is shaking.
Im Soo-hyun and Kang Ju-mok hide their weaknesses within the walls of their hearts.
Hiding behind walls may keep you safe from harm, but it also means you can't take someone's hand.
The stolen wallet incident becomes an opportunity for the two children to take a step forward beyond the emotional wall they had built.
Even though he was falsely accused of being a thief, Go Hyo-min's upright attitude of enduring hardships in order to avoid involving others moved the hearts of the two.
The courage of Im Soo-hyun, who confronts her own cowardice head-on, and Kang Ju-mok, who admits his narrow-mindedness and decides to apologize to Go Hyo-min, leaves a deep impression.
"Without Me Knowing" conveys the message that we must constantly understand and be with others even when going through growing pains, and that no life can be lived alone.

The distorted violence of the majority in the classroom,
Yet, hope is found

Go Hyo-min is mistaken for the culprit who stole a wallet and quickly goes from being a popular class president to an outcast.
The children conclude that Go Hyo-min is the culprit based only on the superficial circumstance that the wallet was found in Naebyeol Village, where Go Hyo-min lives.
The fact that Go Hyo-min's family is not well off is also a reason for the prejudice.
Before transferring, Im Soo-hyun is bullied by other children at school for no apparent reason.
Lim Soo-hyun feels helpless, believing that “the unhappiness and discouragement on my face” fuels the bullying among children.
In both classrooms, some children cruelly bully their classmates whom they perceive as weaker.
And most children hide behind the mask of majority and distort one aspect of the incident, consuming it as a curiosity and watching it unfold.
"Without Me Knowing" shows how much violence prejudice and preconceptions about others can cause.
Nevertheless, the scene where Kang Ju-mok, who had driven Go Hyo-min to be the culprit, realizes that one cannot fully understand a person based on just one aspect, and therefore should not judge easily, gives hope to readers.
This is a work that believes that the courage to take a step toward others will change the world.


The ability to lead the conflict structure with tension until the end is amazing.
Characters with distinct class and personality differences are also vividly portrayed in the narrative. _From the review