Welcome to the afterlife!
I'm a snake-headed ghost!
Hyunseong's Story - The Perfect Child
I'll wait under the pine tree
Rowoon's Story - Harmful Child
Four red snake-headed ghosts go
Eunseo's Story - A Broken Child
You did nothing wrong
Chae-eun's Story - The Child Who Fake-Smiles
The night the full moon rises
Suho's Story - The Broken Child
Just live till the end!

Author's Note

Even children who became monsters were once called angels!
A brave novel that confronts teenage issues head-on.

Here is a novel that delves into the real-world issues in detail.
In "The Day an Angel Died," the protagonist, Su-ho, who has turned his back on the world, wakes up in the afterlife and reflects on his past.
Although the location is beyond the reality of the afterlife, Suho is undoubtedly a cheerful and witty child.
Instead of mourning the death, he jokes with the grim reaper.
But when I actually come across the word 'death', I hesitate.
There is a story of Suho that he has not told anyone yet.

“Jung Soo-ho! Why did you choose death?”
Choi Nok-sa ​​asked a stupid question.
“Because I want to die.”
A stupid question deserves a stupid answer.
“Why did you want to die?”
“Because I don’t want to live.”
It was an obvious answer.
“Why did I not want to live?”
Why didn't you want to live? I hesitated, unable to answer.
He let out a long sigh and looked straight at Choi Nok-sa.
It's not like it's a question, why do you keep asking such difficult questions and making a fuss?
“I was a man who deserved to die.
There was no reason to live, no value in living.
Someone like me… … .”
Choi Nok-sa ​​nodded.
It was a look of understanding.
His gaze seemed to soften my heart for a moment.

-p.26

Suho avoids answering the question from the Grim Reaper Choi Nok-sa.
What good would it do to tell a story now that I never told anyone until I died?
Rather than driving Suho to death, the author wants to tell a story that can only be revealed afterward.
And not only Suho, but there are four other children who made the same choice.

“Do you know what the number one cause of death among teenagers in South Korea is?”
What's that sound of a banging bell in my sleep? I hated Choi Nok-sa, who would always open his mouth and spout nonsense that would make me forget about washing my hands.
“What does that have to do with this snake head?”
“It’s suicide.
One in five teenagers has suicidal thoughts, and one commits suicide every three days.
“The birth rate is the lowest, but the youth suicide rate is the highest in the world. South Korea is literally a ‘suicide republic.’”
Choi Nok-sa ​​unraveled the story as if he were some kind of doctor.
He said he went to a youth suicide prevention meeting, and it looks like he wasn't just lying.

-p.25

The novel confronts the dark realities and gloomy words that teenagers experience, weaving them into the work's message.
It discusses topics such as 'perfect children and grades', 'school violence and bullying', 'domestic violence', 'self-identity and queerness', and 'grooming'.
And by placing Suho at the center of the story, it makes us feel that this 'work' is not something to be avoided, but something that must be faced.


“Thank you for listening to my story.”
I hope that the world will become one where we open our ears to each other and approach each other.

Suho notices two red snakes hanging from his head and starts to flinch.
He couldn't help but be surprised, since snakes were what he feared the most.
Choi Nok-sa ​​asks to hear the stories of children who committed suicide like Su-ho.
And finally, he asked me to tell Suho's story without hiding anything.
Suho, of all people, was the child who was the worst at ‘listening.’
The novel focuses on ‘listening’ here.

“Just meeting isn’t enough.
Why did I tell the story of the old man Dojinbo? We need to listen to the story of someone who committed suicide with sincerity.
And on the last day, you have to tell them everything about yourself without hiding anything, and only then will the snake fall off.”
I have to tell my story to strangers? Oh my god! I couldn't close my mouth.
"You have to tell my story? Why me? Why do I have to tell my story in front of strangers? And I told you, listening is my worst skill."
-p.33

You might think that just listening to what other people have to say would be easy.
But when was the last time you truly, wholeheartedly listened to someone's story?
The five children, including Suho, each have their own story.
Words that I couldn't tell anyone and kept buried in my heart.
Will the children have the courage to tell their stories? Will Suho be able to listen to others and confess his own? Starting with his first friend, Hyeonseong, Suho sets out to find the children.
They are wandering 'alone'.
Even if you come to the afterlife, it is something that is ‘left behind’.

The question posed to get rid of the snake soon turns into a response and communication.
The kids would have wanted this.
"The Day an Angel Died" sheds new light on death and tells a story we must face today.
Maybe there is someone who needs my listening or hug.
Why not take a moment to look around?
And how about reaching out to another 'only' person as the only 'one' person?