Jung Seung-min, husband of South Korea's top model Jang Yoon-ju and a 'dad'
I left alone with my seven-year-old daughter Lisa, who calls herself my best friend.
Puglia, a small seaside town in southern Italy

“Can a trip between a father and his seven-year-old daughter be this romantic?”
* Recommended by Lee Sang-soon (musician)!

Jeong Seung-min, husband of South Korea's top model Jang Yoon-ju, father of her lovely daughter Lisa, and CEO of lifestyle brand TRVR.
He has published a book about his trip to the southern Italian seaside town of Puglia, which he took with his seven-year-old daughter, whom he always calls his 'best friend.'
A Puglia end of the boot-shaped Italian map, and Monopoly in particular.
After a thirteen-hour flight from Incheon to Rome, a five-hour drive to Da Vinci Airport, and twenty-seven hours after leaving home, the father and daughter faced the beautiful scenery with only one task: eat, drink, and swim! In the morning, the father had coffee, and the daughter had plain milk. They walked down the alley dressed for water at any time, and when they came across a beautiful beach, they happily went for a swim. Then, when they got hungry, they came back on land, had spaghetti, and jumped back into the sea…

We also packed in a short but fulfilling ten-day itinerary, including experiencing an olive farm, buying and wearing stylish clothes optimized for the local weather on the spot, beating the heat with excitement at a water park, touring the Grotta di Castellana, the largest limestone cave discovered on Earth, and visiting the Trulli village of Alberobello and buying souvenirs.
This book is also significant in that it introduces this small and beautiful region, which is relatively lesser known than places like Positano or the Amalfi Coast that often come to mind when thinking of Southern Italy.

That was the time when the father and daughter were free from all worries and concerns in a truly “private Atlantis.”
Lisa's journey of adapting perfectly to a new environment, healthier, brighter, and more wildly energetic than when she was in Seoul, is splendid.
Southern Italy is known as a very safe place to travel with family and children.
The panting breath, the sweat dripping down the bridge of the nose, the bright smile spreading across the face, the innocent laughter of a child could not be overcome even by the hot sun.

The father and young daughter grew up in a foreign country, understanding and caring for each other more deeply, and grew up dazzlingly.
As they spent a lot of time together, the two were able to talk about many things, even if they weren't much. Thanks to the videos they took while traveling, many of the small, affectionate conversations were included in the book.
Dad asked Lisa about things like who her favorite YouTuber was, whether she liked round pasta, and who her close friends were from kindergarten these days. Lisa asked her dad at what age she started living alone, why she came to Seoul, and whether she was scared of being alone. As they learned things about each other that they didn't know before, the relationship between father and daughter naturally deepened.

This is it.
Where to travel with Lisa.
Besides, wasn't Italy always summer in my heart?
Even after thinking about it carefully, I have never painted an Italian winter landscape.
A city that captures the hot sunlight and its colors that change every moment without a single gap.
The Italy I know is full of summer scenes like this.
He walked into the strong sun with a couple of buttons of his roomy linen shirt undone and a rather worn-out Panama hat perched on his head.
Enjoying food made with the world's most delicious ingredients against the backdrop of the cool ocean and this stunning scenery.
Moreover, the delicate manners and kindness of the people always made the beautiful summer of Italy unforgettable.
It had to be a small town on the coast, not a big Italian city.
--- p.56 From “Where Should We Go?”

Lisa says, taking a bite of a freshly baked croissant in one hand.
“Dad, can I have some coffee too?”
I asked myself this question when I was young.
The answer that came back then was always the same.
“Children should not drink coffee.
“Drinking coffee makes you stupid.” I was curious as to why people drink coffee when they are young and say it makes them stupid.
I didn't want to give Lisa that answer.
He put a little coffee on the teaspoon that was on the espresso cup saucer and handed it to me, saying, “Try it.”
As expected, even without hearing an answer from Lisa's distorted expression, I could tell what kind of coffee she was thinking.
--- pp.99-100 From "Espresso and White Milk"

As I was enjoying the hot sun and watching Lisa having fun looking for fish, I suddenly felt a strange sense of awkwardness.
Maybe it was because I wasn't used to feeling free after a long time.
Suddenly, I remembered the project I was working on in Seoul, and I felt anxious that I had a pile of emails to check.
Finally, I opened my phone and was checking and replying to emails for a long time when I heard Lisa's voice calling from the sea, "Dad!!!"
With a gesture telling them to come in.
Checking emails with the clear Adriatic Sea in front of you.
It was definitely a strange behavior.
I waved to Lisa in return, put my phone in my bag, and was about to head into the sea when I realized I was in Italy.
They always say you have to be careful with your belongings in Italy, but I felt really uneasy about leaving them behind and going in.
I asked a woman sitting next to me with her children if she could look after my belongings for a moment, but the answer I got was completely different from what I expected.
“In this neighborhood, you can enjoy the ocean to your heart’s content without worrying about such things.”
--- pp.106-107 From "First Sea Swim, First Orecchiette, and First Olive"

I went into the store and looked through each piece carefully to find the clothes I liked.
After carefully comparing the items for over ten minutes, Lisa chose two one-piece dresses.
It was a white one-piece dress made of soft, airy material and had an ethnic pattern, which was quite different from Lisa's taste, who had been looking for a bling-bling pink princess dress just a year ago.
As your body and mind grow, your tastes also seem to change.
Lisa looked at me with a thrilled expression, holding a one-piece dress that seemed to match the scenery here so well in both hands.
What father wouldn't open his wallet after seeing that sight?
I happily bought it, and Lisa came out of the changing room to change right away.
She seemed to like the airy material, and enjoyed watching the skirt hem spread out in a circular motion as it twirled around.
--- pp.121-122 From “Natural and Cool Clothing”

It felt like I had opened a secret door and entered a place where the sunlight-soaked rocks shone golden and there were countless naturally formed turquoise sea pools between the low rock cliffs.
Colorful fish and coral reefs were visible beneath the clear, transparent water that embraced the blue sky.
It was a wonderful place, worthy of being our own private Atlantis.
When I decided to get lost, a new path opened up.
We were already in our swimsuits when we set off, so we put our bags down and jumped straight into the water.
The sea water was cool enough to cool the hot sea breeze, and the waves were gentle enough to keep my body steady, making it perfect for Lisa and I to enjoy.
--- p.130 From "On Getting Lost"

It was a series of scenes that are not commonly seen.
I was able to see in person the rare cave scenery, such as stalactites, stalagmites, and stone columns, that I would have seen in textbooks when I was young.
I remembered learning that stalactites grow from top to bottom, stalagmites are the accumulation of stalactite debris that falls from the bottom and rises upward, and stalagmites are the two that meet to form columns.
Since I couldn't understand the guide's explanation in Italian, I used all my basic knowledge to explain to Lisa as kindly as I could.
“Dad, if you wait a little longer, the stalactites and stalagmites will probably stick together and form a column.”
“It looks like we’re only a few centimeters away, but it could take hundreds or even thousands of years before we can meet.”
--- pp.166-167 From "Il Dolce Far Niente!"

“I’m going to travel like this with my dad every summer.”
When Lisa brought this up, my heart started pounding and I felt excited without realizing it.
Every year, Lisa and I travel together like this.
Just thinking about it made me feel good.
Even before I got married, it was one of the things I really wanted to do if I were to become a father… .
Now it has become my goal to create together with Lisa.
I was already making a mental list of places to go next summer, and every summer thereafter.
Just thinking about my next trip brought on a flood of 'positive fantasies'.

--- p.176 From "When It's Time to Go Back to the Start"