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Even though I'm an adult, I still need courage
Even though I'm an adult, I still need courage
Description
Book Introduction
“It’s okay even if it’s a day where nothing is accomplished.
I support you as you live through today without stopping.”
I dreamed of becoming a proud and perfect adult,
Words we need as anxious and clumsy adults

★★★ Includes 58 oil paintings drawn by the artist himself.

‘Courage.’ It’s a word that has become unfamiliar since I became an adult.
I sometimes recall the trembling moments of confession or the first day I went to work at my dream job, but those thrills quickly fade amidst the hectic workload and the endless battle of wits.
For adults who are overwhelmed by today and anxious about the future, simply getting through the day often seems like the best course of action.


But the truth is, we all live each day with courage.
Getting up from my tired body, enduring the hellish commute to work, and doing my job in the office where silent bullets fly.
Asking after a friend you haven't been in touch with before, taking out a pair of red pants that you've been keeping in a drawer for fear of standing out and wearing them for the first time in a while, or taking a vacation and going to your favorite singer's concert.
They are all small but strong adults with courage.
Adult courage is different from the courage of the heroes or cartoon characters we dreamed of as children.
I proudly like what I like, make time for it, live each day happily in my own way, and support myself more than anyone else, growing little by little into my own person.


The panda drawn by artist Kim Yu-mi shows the essence of such ‘adult courage.’
Pandas don't care what others say about them, they just eat their favorite bamboo without a second thought.
When I'm alone, I'm alone. When I'm together, I'm together. I'm positive about who I am and I do my best to enjoy today.
Artist Kim Yu-mi, who has drawn the panda every day after work for many years, looks very similar to the panda in her paintings.
Rather than choosing a "good job" based on what others think, I chose a "job that allows me to lead the life I want." I'm taking on new challenges to pursue my dreams, but I'm not impatient. I'm creating an exciting tomorrow, one picture at a time.


This book gives courage to readers through small anecdotes and drawings that she accumulated every day to maintain her own identity.
It's okay if you don't become a great person, just become an adult who lives a fun and comfortable life doing what you love. That's the true courage we need now.
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index
Prologue To you who needs adult courage

First courage.
I write the scenario of my life myself.


-I write the scenario of my life myself.
-I decided to be my first fan
-The courage to live my life my way, no matter what the world says
-A complex and subtle bundle of charm that cannot be defined by one thing
-In a world where everyone loves cats
-How to love myself just as I am
-Will you be the kindest person to me?
-Finding adult happiness in an ordinary day
-Please only give one-sided and biased praise.
-Things I realized after leaving

Second courage.
What's hard is hard, and what's exciting is exciting


-What's hard is hard, and what's exciting is exciting!
-It's okay if it's a mess, I'm cute
-The power of jealousy that moves me
The Queen of Rejection Explains the Dignity of Rejection
-The meaning behind my father's uncool will
-The uselessness of useless words
-We are all anxious
-It's okay even if it's not okay
- At the end of a tiring day, a word that woke me up
-Every day in life is a new beginning.
-I ran away under the covers again today.

Third courage.
I want to be alone, but I don't want to be alone


-I'll be your cheerleader in life.
-I survived thanks to their kindness
-The daily wonder she taught me
The best time to express affection is now.
-How to deal with serious life with a smile
-Again, learn how to be comforted
-I'll put this relationship on hold for a while.
-Why adults need adults too
-The person in the universe who cares most about my food
-Cuteness saves the world
-If you pay off your debt well, you will become light.

The fourth container.
It's okay even if it's a day where nothing is accomplished


-A full day is better than a perfect day
-The second half of the day, time to transform into your true self
-The ability to turn everyday life into a picture
-If you can't do it today, you can do it tomorrow.
-I have a prior engagement tomorrow.
-Wednesday is a day when you don't have to do anything
-The secret of the 30 minutes it takes for a panda to be born
-How to escape from a prison of your own making
-The magic of 'Definitely' for perfectionists
-Let's relax so that I can be used well for a long time.

Fifth courage.
Still, I support my continued challenge today.


-To those who say it's too late
-I want to become an adult who never stops dreaming.
-There is no perfect beginning, it's just doing.
-Even if it's hard and overwhelming, I want to choose happiness.
-Putting a compliment sticker on my day
-After all, life is a new beginning every day.
-Even though you're an adult, you need courage.
-The more I dig, the more land I become.
-Learn life through running
-Always say yes to all the question marks in life!

Epilogue: I want to be a true adult rather than a great adult.
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Into the book
I don't have the courage to throw in my resignation letter and say I'm going to pursue my dream right away, but I still go to work every morning, braving the hellish commute.
He spends his days dodging bullets flying silently with his coworkers, and in the evenings, he prepares for his next exhibition and continues to nurture his dream of becoming an artist.
Even if I can't take on a huge challenge, if it's something I like, I readily make time for it and enjoy it with all my heart.
I live my life by gaining a little bit of adult courage every day.
--- p.6 From “Prologue - To You Who Need Adult Courage”

Ultimately, I have to write the script for my life drama.
The writer is me, the director is me, and the lead actor is me.
I'm afraid that a drama written by a poor writer will be boring or have an unintentionally sad ending, but what can I do?
I'm the only one who can write the next line.
--- p.17 From “The First Courage - I Write My Life’s Scenario Myself”

I learned that I was a good person because someone told me that.
It was such a shame, I wished my nephew had found out for himself.
I wanted self-esteem to bloom naturally in my heart, even without anyone telling me.
I am special in my own way, and I am precious just by existing.
--- p.41 From “The First Courage - How to Love Myself Just as I Am”

I have no way of knowing what my father is thinking.
But one thing is certain: time was precious to Dad.
My father lived his life as if it would never end, and at the same time, he lived each day as if tomorrow would never come.
(…) My father didn't tell me to be rich, he didn't tell me to meet a good man, and he didn't even tell me to be a typical good person.
He just told me to live hard.
I realized later that he was telling me to do my best in whatever I do at the given time.
--- p.86 From “The Second Courage - The Meaning of Dad’s Uncool Will”

“We all feel anxious.” That other people feel anxious too.
What that means is that I'm not that special.
It is perhaps natural that we feel anxious and impatient as we live without any clear answers about what a good life is or what kind of life we ​​want.
So, if we just acknowledge that fact and turn our anxiety into excitement and our impatience into drive, wouldn't we eventually find a little freedom?
--- p.97 From “The Second Courage - We Are All Anxious”

Even in moments when I thought I was handling things on my own, I was actually being comforted in various ways.
When I was feeling depressed after failing to win contests one after another, my teacher calmly told me, “I was like that too.”
When a mosquito landed on my finished painting and scratched it, my nephew tried to comfort me by saying he would color it with me.
When I came back from being scolded by my boss, all my team members were waiting for me without eating lunch.
Their comfort held me tightly, preventing me from running away or collapsing.
I thought I had finally figured out how to endure it on my own, but I'm learning how to be comforted again.
--- p.146 From “The Third Courage - Learning How to Be Comforted Again”

I thought I could wrap up my 24 hours in plastic wrap and organize them into small portions, then take them out one by one and use them.
I thought that was a wise way to spend my time.
But time wasn't simply divided into numbers.
Life is not neatly divided.
Rather than filling the day to the brim with calculations, it was more important to take enough time to feel and enjoy something, even if it meant wasting a little.
--- p.176 From “The Fourth Courage - A Full Day Rather Than a Perfect Day”

Each day, when I repeated the challenge, was a dot.
Those dots connected to form a line.
The drawn line does not rise vertically, but it is clearly moving forward.
Just don't stop.
--- p.224 From “The Fifth Courage - To Those Who Say It’s Too Late”

A 'good job' doesn't necessarily mean great success or visible achievement.
What he was looking for was a heart filled with love, a kind word, and a moment of better understanding of himself.
It's those little things that add up to sustain our lives.
(…) To stamp myself with the ‘Well done’ stamp, to realize small desires, I keep getting more and more passionate.
A lukewarm passion that isn't hot is also okay.
If you keep a small but undying flame of passion burning, there will be no room for year-end blues.
--- pp.242-243 From "The Fifth Courage - Putting Praise Stickers on My Day"

Even as an adult, you need courage every day.
The courage to shout out the stop sign to save our own lives, the courage to brave the embarrassment and propose an idea in a conference room, the courage to confidently mention a drink with a different taste from others, the courage to firmly reject rudeness and take on a challenge even in difficult circumstances—moments like these come to us every day.
(…) I encourage our adults, who are each fighting their own wars, to not give up and to show even a little courage.
I applaud your courage to say you'll eat lunch separately at work today, and your courage to clearly reject the "Trust in the Tao" preachers.
--- pp.252-253 From "The Fifth Courage - Even as an Adult, I Need Courage"

Publisher's Review
I want to be a true adult rather than a great adult.
The story of all of us who live a life that is in progress, not a finished one.

“I am still an awkward and insecure adult, but this is a story about living each day as myself, doing what I love and being with the people I love.” - From the prologue

When we were children, we all wanted to be cool adults.
I imagined myself as a capable person who could solve difficult problems and make a lot of money, and as someone who interacted with a variety of people and was respected and loved by many.
But at some point, I realized that it was really hard to become that kind of adult.
Now that I'm old enough to be called an adult, finding a job and completing daily tasks, as well as maintaining close relationships with my beloved family and friends, are all not easy.
And the most difficult thing of all is to maintain one's own identity.

As adults struggle in the battlefield of life, they become increasingly colorless and odorless.
Yesterday and today are the same, and just getting through this hectic day is overwhelming.
Rather than thinking about what kind of life I want, I'm busy figuring out what kind of talent the company wants and what kind of lifestyle others recognize.
As an adult, in order to do one's share, in order to survive without falling behind, I give up my individuality.
But the truth is, each person's conditions for happiness and standards of success are different, so there's no need to judge ourselves by the world's words! To become the adults we dreamed of as children, what we most need is none other than the courage to live each day as ourselves.

This book contains the author's honest story of how, like any other ordinary adult, he worries about the future, holds back what he wants to say out of concern for what others think, but still musters up small courage each day.
She confesses that her daily life is gradually becoming more fulfilling with small acts of courage, such as attending the studio every day with the desire to become a professional artist, acknowledging her slow but steady pace, and expressing affectionate feelings to those around her, even if they are embarrassing.
In order to protect her own day, she has faithfully drawn panda drawings for years, and the moments of worry and challenge that anyone can experience are added to this, "I'm an Adult, but I Need Courage" delivers gentle comfort and encouragement to all adults who want to be happy but are still awkward.

Can I start now? Can you love me just the way I am?
My answer to every question in life is always yes!

“As we become adults, we tend to focus more on reality than on romance.
Still, it would be nice to add a little romance to the vast reality.
“Life is completed by filling each of the romances we hold in our hearts.” - From the text

The author of this book, Kim Yu-mi, found her dream late in life while working.
After enduring a boring and listless daily life, he stumbled upon an adult hobby studio to find a way out, and found what he wanted to do for the rest of his life.
Her life changed after she found something she truly loved, something she truly wanted to achieve regardless of money or fame.
I didn't become a hugely famous artist or have the luxury of quitting my job and becoming a full-time artist, but my attitude and thoughts on life changed.

She, who constantly went to her appointments to erase her loneliness, learned how to spend quality time alone in front of her easel. She, who constantly tried to escape the stifling reality and went somewhere, discovered sparkling moments in today, which was just like yesterday.
As I grew up, I began to rediscover the values ​​I had naturally forgotten, such as challenge, passion, and affection.
Crucially, I came to understand myself better and love myself for who I am.

The author is still working, just like he did 10 years ago when he first met his dream. He sells his work and holds a solo exhibition once a year, and this year marks his sixth solo exhibition.
She speaks confidently.
I'm glad I found what I really wanted to do, even if it was late, and I'll continue to walk my own path without stopping.
And the key to Wanju is to “keep going at your own pace regardless of others’ speed,” he emphasizes, giving courage to adults who think it is already too late.
Any dream is fine.
Whether it's becoming a mom who reads books, running 10km every weekend, or being kind and compassionate to those around you, let's start pursuing whatever dream makes us more like ourselves.
It's never too late to dream.

An honest and candid piece that awakens dormant courage.

Includes 58 oil paintings of pandas drawn by the author himself.

Author Kim Yu-mi's story of courage and easygoingness is completed with a panda oil painting inserted into each and every word.
Her oil painting, in which she draws the background sky, waits for the sky to dry, draws trees and grass, and then waits again to draw pandas and flowers, is finally born. This vividly shows her journey of steadily building up each day as if she were herself for a long time.

The pandas in the painting practice happiness in various ways, such as flying alone in the sky, riding a boat in a flower field, playing music together, or going camping.
At first glance, you'll be captivated by the panda's cuteness, but as you continue to watch, you'll be amazed by its courage and cheerful pride as it quietly enjoys life, doing what it wants without caring about what others think.
The lovely panda drawing itself awakens the innocence and hope within us that cannot be expressed in words or writing.
That is why I want to open this book and look at it quietly for a long time when I need courage in life.
Every time you open the book, the warm words and pictures inside will whisper to you.
I sincerely support your every day, your dreams, and your courage.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: July 3, 2025
- Page count, weight, size: 276 pages | 342g | 145*190*18mm
- ISBN13: 9791198721860
- ISBN10: 1198721863

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