The stories behind their books

“I’ve read it all once, but it made such an impression on me that I wanted to read it again, so I brought it: Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight.”

“I hope that those who long to take some time for themselves and find themselves will be sure to read this book.”

“Maybe because I read it when I was young, it has somehow stayed in my memory.”

“The first Korean poetry collection I read when I was first learning Korean was *You Sometimes Think of Me, While I Sometimes Think of Something Else*.”

“A little arboretum breathing in the palm of my hand”

“Today's book”

“I recalled my solo trip, which moved between excitement and apprehension, anxiety and comfort.”

““The first book that made me cry while reading was Do Re Mi Fa Sol La Si Do.””

“I’m Karon’s mom, Kim Jae-kyung, pleased to greet you as an author.”

“Financial security creates creative freedom.”

““The love and psychology between men and women in many different situations are captured like a movie.””

“It contains ways for creators to express how they communicate with the public and inspire empathy, as well as methods for finding inspiration.”

“As I thought about what book would be good to recommend (or introduce) to all of you—people of different ages and living different kinds of lives who will read this article—I browsed the bookshelves and, after much deliberation, chose this book.”

“I think it would be good to read it with a light, relaxed mind.”

“I started reading so that I could live as an ordinary person. I’m reading to find out what I want to become and what I need to do from now on.”

“Lyrics are different from poetry, so it’s difficult to use words that are too unfamiliar, and one shouldn’t use expressions that are excessively obscure either. Since they need to come easily to the ear when heard, everyday words that anyone might use are the main ingredient. Lyrics that flamboyantly reveal the lyricist’s individuality and philosophy are, rather, awkward and quickly grow tiresome, making it a rather peculiar genre. Even so, some lyrics have a power that’s hard to explain: one day, you happen to hear them and burst into tears, or they only truly find their way into your heart after many years. Where does that power come from? Reading this book, I finally realize the power of ordinary words. This perspective, which pinpoints the “time lag” in discordant relationships, the aggression contained in the phrase “I don’t understand,” the subtle syllables of “radiant,” and the similar direction and differences of “anger” and “courage,” is intellectual yet kind. I think I now understand a little why the lyrics Kim Eana creates so precisely soothe the hearts of so many people. The way we use and handle words is ultimately connected to the way we live, too, and as I close the book, I find that I have come to genuinely like this sensitive and honest person.”

“If your memories were slowly fading, who would you least want to forget?”

“I recommend it to you all too❤”

“The way it unfolds is so unique and captivating that I read the whole thing in one sitting. I had been caught up in a hectic routine amid my busy schedule, but throughout the book, its gripping storytelling gave me a very new feeling.”

“Since it was a book that prominently covered stories about Italy, the birthplace of poisoning, I brought it along on my business trip to Italy and read it twice during the journey.”

“This song was inspired by Anne of Green Gables, a classic masterpiece and the core of our Craze Angel universe.”

“You have to put down deep roots so you can stand more firmly as you rise.”

“As I read this book and worked through the problems, I don’t think “really good” is enough to describe it.”

“A considerate gene.”

““When I ask you an awkward question, you know? (Announcer Kim Ju-woo) smiles and politely turns me down.””

“The Little Prince is such a famous work, you know. I first encountered it as an animated film, and later read it as a book. I want to express the feelings I experienced through contemporary dance.”

“It’s difficult 🤤”

“I think it’s nice because I can write down the things I like—something I can enjoy at least a little—as part of my routine.”

“I went to a bookstore, bought the book, and read it. It was written by an 89-year-old, and says not to put too much emphasis on whether someone is old or young.”

“Wouldn’t it be good to do something like “So What”? With something like this, it doesn’t have to be about this subject; it could be about something else too.”

“These days, I’m reading *Reading Schopenhauer at Forty*.”

““I recommend ‘Laugh Like Haha’s Mom.’””

“I also read poet Kim Seung-il’s *Prometheus*. Poet Kim Seung-il’s poems were very difficult, but I was shocked in many ways.”

“Paulo Coelho once said, “Travel alone or with your wife.” To me, it sounded like, “Travel alone.””

““I’m really often hurt by words, and when that reached its peak, I needed kind words. When I thought I should soothe my heart with a book, I came across a book called The Temperature of Language. The title felt warm from the start, so I was drawn to it. Since then, I keep reading it whenever I have time. It gives me a sense of calm whenever I’m tired. I often feel the depth of words and the power of words with a ‘warm temperature.’””

“Everyone, love one another~”

“Wow ㅠㅠ Make sure you read it all!!”

“Make notes.”

“A friend from my hometown whom I met then gave me a book by writer Yeonjeong called *The Sun Will Rise Tomorrow, but What About Tonight?* Rather than explaining how to overcome hardship, it simply presents difficult and happy moments as short episodes. It also has lots of beautiful words and comforting phrases. I was happy because, as I read it on the rooftop, I realized for the first time that I was enjoying that moment.”

“So, if it hadn’t been this cover…”

“When I was in my teens, I was deeply impressed by Bernard Werber’s book *Papillon*, and its story remained in my heart even into my twenties.”

“This book reminds me that life is worth living, so I confidently recommend it.”

“Dad, you watched over my incredibly demanding training and supported me all along—what a thoughtful dad! I’ll keep the “empty jar theory” you told me so often engraved in my heart, and keep trying to fill it with clear water and fragrant oil. You can do it too, Dad!”

“Though our nationalities, languages, and ways of expressing ourselves are all different, I feel that sincerity always gets through.”

“I recently bought this book. It’s called *8 Rules of Love* by Jay Shetty. Um, it’s a cute title, right? It feels a little cheesy. So normally, I don’t think I would have picked it up at a bookstore.”

“I brought a book”

“Then I remembered that I had read Musso’s earlier book, Call from an Angel, some time ago…”

“Maybe it’s also similar to the story of *Peter Pan*. So before this round of activities, I started digging into *Peter Pan* and went through various dark fairy tales. The dark fairy tales in particular felt new to me because they were different from what I knew as a child.”

“This book is so good ❤️❤️”

“I thought about what would be interesting and worth watching all the way through. It’s about a girl who’s a born idol but is actually hiding a huge secret, and makes it into the underground scene…”

““The part I like best is when the man, who had kept his heart closed off, opens up to the woman and says, ‘Stay with me tonight, Clara.’ Even in the film based on the novel, that scene is the best.””

““My time is musical notes; I’m making notes day by day. I find myself thinking, ‘I hope that on the day the piece is complete, I’ll be able to sing it with a smile.’” Is that the kind of meaning that comes to mind?”

“I think I found a lot of comfort.”

“It was a book called The Art of Success through Self-Control.”

“It’s called ‘Übermensch’—advice you need for living? That’s the sort of thing it is. I haven’t finished reading it yet either. It has content similar to the ‘values’ I mentioned earlier. I haven’t even read quite half, but it was such a good book that I’d like to recommend it! And it’s not thick. You know how the book Cosmos is, like, this big, hahaha. I think it’s good to carry around and read. I think it was in the car...”

“I would rather say that I listened to this book than read it. In this book, I listened to the author’s lecture, and I heard God’s heart. I feel God’s heart, which longs to bring young mothers and babies aboard the ark of salvation—the salvation we so earnestly desire. It is God’s heart speaking of wanting to save these children born to young mothers who have been coldly marginalized.”

“In particular, the poetry collection *Love as if You Have Never Been Hurt* left a deep impression on me.”

“I immediately bought and read the translated original novel.”

“Of course, you need to have practiced enough, and you also need to be fully prepared in terms of how you look onstage. But what matters most is believing in yourself and enjoying the stage.”

“Ah, is that it?”

“I haven't shown it to PD Park Jin-young yet.”

“As I read this, I was able to learn a little about the CEO’s life before I joined the company, since I first got to know the CEO after I started working there. It was also a chance to spend that kind of time.”

“The one I liked best among them was a writer named Cheongchun Yuri. It had this feeling of walking through the seasons. But it was really colorful.”

“What I would recommend to you is The Catcher in the Rye.”

““At the time, the bestseller was The Courage to Be Disliked. I came out with a lot of courage to be disliked.””

““Rebonds” is a particularly special project to me. I’m very proud and excited to be part of this project supporting UNICEF. This initiative shows how important it is to protect and support those in need, especially children. Every child deserves equal opportunities in life, and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that the most vulnerable receive essential support.”

“It is a quick-results diet book for getting bikini-ready for summer.”

“Eugene’s book is packed with content.”

“This is a book I would recommend to everyone who is interested in art.”

“I’d read a book called *The Secret* before, too, and it was similar to the law of attraction described in it...”

““There are a few rules I dislike. (…) First, rhymes are usually grouped in sets of an even number, and one criterion is that the two words shouldn’t both be nouns. I also tend to dislike rhymes like ‘did something, would do something, did something? would do something?’ On the other hand, the rhymes I consider best follow all these criteria, while still making the content clear in your mind just from reading the rhymes. For example, there might be 16 bars of lyrics, but even reading only the rhymes should bring the content to mind. (…) (In the hook of ‘Jakdu,’) ‘Jakdu’ and ‘ssakduk’ rhyme, but one is a noun and the other is an onomatopoeic word. The rhyme works, their parts of speech are different, and the meaning makes sense. That’s what I think makes a good rhyme. _p.354””

“I don’t usually like fantasy romance books, but I read through the night without realizing how much time had passed. I read the entire series. The male lead, Edward, makes my heart flutter so much. And Bella’s lines are ‘so’ sweet, too. (laughs)”

“"The Little Prince feels different every time I read it—now, five years from now, or ten years from now."”

“A novelist with a style like his own face, reflecting reality as it is without making a fuss or being timid.”

“This book shakes readers and ultimately changes them.”

“This is a classic rumination on how to live your best life, as if each day could be your last. It feels important now more than ever to remember that happiness doesn’t come from your circumstances, but your spirit. It’s a reminder to shut out the noise and be in the moment, whenever you can.”

“This is a silent human drama. It’s such a joy to see a friend you care about succeed. It brings back all those ambitions we had back then: we especially loved the weird and wanted to be even weirder, in some way. Thanks to this book, I feel as though a passion that will never rot, like Kim’s fruit, and the spirited Moonchi I was back then have come back to me. Thank you so much! And there’s nothing about me in it, huh?”

“Until now, making music was the only way I knew how to talk about myself. I’m not someone who likes to go on at length to people about myself, so I had only put my voice into music. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to talk about myself through a book, in writing and photographs, I decided that since I was doing it, I might as well be honest.”

“I read it straight through for eight hours on the 15th, which was a weekend, and my mother, whom I had buried deep in my heart and forgotten about in my everyday life, came to mind, and I sobbed uncontrollably.”

“I was surprised by the content, which seemed to look into the joys and sorrows I experienced while promoting as a member of H.O.T.”

“At first, it was hard because I kept trying to write only grand, impressive words. I completed it by making a great effort to take the force out of my writing.”

“These days, I’ve been copying passages by hand from a book called *The Buddha’s Words, Reinterpreted*. Regardless of religion, I chose this book because I personally found a lot to learn from the sentences in it.”

““I read it when I was young, too, but it seems to mean something different each time I read it. As I get older, and at each stage of my life, my interpretation changes. There are lots of plays on words in the book, and it’s a world of make-believe, isn’t it? They stimulate my imagination, and it’s fun to picture a Wonderland in my mind. And above all, I think the book’s strength is that it doesn’t force a lesson on you.””

“The photo and title on the cover caught my eye. Once I finish the books I’m reading now, I’d really like to read it if I have time.”

“I thought I should have my child read it, so I made a note of it, bought it, and had my child read it.”

“This book is called "If I Could Life My Life Again" by Hyenam Kim.”

“She wrote "What would've been better if I had known at age 40."”

“So like this, it was like messages that are very professional but also messages from my mom.”

“So I cried while reading this book too.”

“Unlike the poetry books I recommended earlier, this book is not abstract.”

“I recommend this book to those who want to feel comforted in a direct manner.”

“I ended up making an effort to get away from the media world a bit.”

““Don’t compare yourself to anyone else; compare yourself only to who you were yesterday. When someone else is speaking, think of them as someone who may tell you something you need to know. Speak clearly and precisely. Keep company only with people who expect the best of you. Choose the meaningful path, not the easy one. Through these and all twelve rules, I hope you can end a meaningless life and wisely ‘navigate’ the sea of life.””

“There’s a book by author Kim Eana called *Ordinary Words*.”

“He gave me a book as a gift.”

“It’s a book called The Joy of Young Werther.”

“I haven’t read it yet, but I think my dad gave me a book he’d already read. It wasn’t new!”

“Not that famous book! I think it’s another essay!”

“Actually, I haven’t read The Sorrows of Young Werther either, so I’m going to start with The Joy of Young Werther!”

“Yeah, yeah, maybe he hoped I’d find the wisdom in the conversations I’d had with my dad in this book, too. I should read it!”

“Anyway, I thought that someday I want to be someone who can pass on this kind of wisdom to someone else in my own way!”

“I find that wisdom in our ATINY, too, so I should become that kind of person myself.”

“it looks like the illustrations from the book the little prince.”

“on the side, it looks like the boa constrictor from <the little prince>.”

“So I really, really recommend reading it.”

“I came across the author’s book Why Are We Like This? at a bookstore. Through that book, I discovered the author, learned about love, and received a lot of comfort.”

“It’s kind of giving me chills, but when I read this first sentence, I realized I’m the one who became Spencer as Holfield grew up.”

“I usually don’t like rereading books because I want to hold on to my initial impression of them. I happened to find this book while tidying my room and read it again, and it was fun because it felt different from when I first read it.”

“I didn’t study music theory separately, and there’s a book called Popular Music Theory. It’s a thick book that teaches you things like the basics of arranging and how chord progressions work. That’s how I learned.”

““I enjoyed reading the novel Coffee Prince, 1st Shop.””

“This book carefully explains how both cats and their guardians can be happy, accompanied by cute and fun illustrations. When you run into a problem that affection alone cannot solve, I’m sure you’ll be able to find an answer in this book, just as you might ask Teacher Nyaongshin for advice.”

““Reading is the foundation of music creation.””

“I’ve been very interested in composing lately, and the book contains a lot of things that people like me, who want to compose popular music, would want to know for themselves. People tend to think composing is difficult, but it explains very clearly and simply what composing is and how to do it. One of our songs is included in the book, too, so I thought, “That’s how this song was made,” and it brought back a lot of memories of recording and singing it at the time. It also helped me with composing.”

“I went to Canada to study abroad when I was 12. I compiled the diary I wrote at the time and published it as a book.”

“The Little Prince”

“In the end, both those inside the book and all of us outside it were alive, and living.”

“When I feel that my heart is short on kindling, the many thoughts and experiences that came to mind while reading this book rekindle a fire in my heart. A mysterious, time-machine-like book that took me back to happy, passionate moments.”

“What I kept close to me all along was the novel the film is based on. I wrote down separately the sentences in the novel that reveal Gye-na’s personality, and always carried them around with me.”

“헌책방에서 우연히 만난 책인데요. 생태와 자유가 마침 제가 찾고 있던 주제였어요. 당시 제 안의 가치들이 무너져 내리고 있는 듯한 느낌이 들었는데, 책을 읽으면서 돌아가야 할 곳은 어디인지, 앞으로 찾아나가야 할 것은 무엇인지 실마리가 됐던 것 같아요.”

“I bought a book, not a poetry collection. <Quiet Excitement>. It's a book about what happened during the author's three-month trip to Europe. Even the really trivial things are written down, and they're all so cute.”

“Nothing Big Happens to the Two of Us”

“I read Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982, and I also read One Night When Little Things Became Something.”

“I've read this book several times.”

“Wow... Thank you... I wanted to share my sincere feelings with all of you, so I didn’t use a ghostwriter—I wrote it myself, one character at a time. I’m truly overwhelmed that you’re showing it so much interest. Thank you so much.”

“A perfect novel in every respect—the readability of the prose, the characterization, the trick, and the structure! It was what got me hooked on Keigo Higashino’s works and on mysteries.”

“I like reading books.”

“I think it’s right now. I can see <You Have to Look at It for a Long Time to Find It Lovely> right in front of me. It’s a book I’ve been reading recently. As I was reading it, I suddenly felt a sense of romance.”

“Thanks to this book, I learned a lot about what I hadn’t known about everything that goes into an artist coming into being. I felt grateful to everyone who was with me, and is still with me, on the journey to becoming the ‘Baek A-yeon’ I am today. If you’re curious about the idol industry, this book will be a great help.”

“I collected about 20 volumes of the Conan manga.”

“My mom bought it for me.”

“I think I've read these three books several times: The Lighthouse Keeper, You Too Are a Sky Lily, and Yeontan-gil.”

“In particular, an encyclopedia of food called *Jeongjoji* (鼎俎志) was a great help.”

“Whenever I’m exhausted from practicing all day or performing overseas, Professor Shim, my spiritual mentor, has always awakened my self-esteem—the sense that I am the protagonist of this world—and given me courage. At last, he has published a book for young people. From now on, I should always carry this book in my travel bag. I sincerely want to recommend it to everyone I know.”

“I brought “20th Century Boys,” which I’ve really enjoyed reading recently. It’s so good. I have the complete series.”

“It’s provocative and captivating. It’s the kind of book that makes you want to turn to the next chapter faster.”

““I’ve always liked author Kim Yeon-su. Many people may sometimes feel as though they’re losing, even when they try to find strength in their own circumstances. I feel that way, too. At times like that, a warm book that says nothing can become a very good friend. The author says he came to a realization while considering the various meanings of ‘the words that we don’t lose’ and discovering concrete examples of them: ‘To reach hope, one must inevitably accept despair.’ We’ve come to live through a difficult time, with many unavoidable realities, when everyone is having a really hard time. Even so, I recommend this book, hoping that each of us will find a way to make things better in our own way.””

“‘SAME STORY’”

“I was impressed by that and named it Dongihon.”

“I didn’t just read this book once; I read it several times, but…”

“I like the title ‘Knowledge and Love’ better than ‘Narcissus and Goldmund.’”

“I wanted to watch the movie Even If This Love Disappears from the World Tonight, but I didn’t get to. Then I happened to find the original novel at a bookstore and started reading it. I thought the novel was interesting too, so I’ve been reading a few books.”

“Finding this book was a great stroke of luck. It helped me understand fans a little better and made me want to become a better version of myself. I too want to hold on to the precious feeling of admiring someone.”

“This time, I bought a book called The Practice of Not Reacting. I wanted to calm my mind. (Laughs)”

“My mom told me to take another look at this.”

“A few days ago, I took that book out and read it again... It’s still on my desk... I’m grateful to you as much as you loved me—no, even more than that... Rest in peace.”

“So I lowered the level a bit and set myself the goal of reading all of Minumsa’s World Literature Collection before I die.”

“The book I read recently is *I Almost Lived Diligently*. Because I almost did, too.”

“I hope this book can offer even a little strength to people who are at a crossroads or feeling exhausted.”

“I started writing and reading books again, as I did when I was young. I recently read Life Lessons by psychiatrist and writer Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, and what I’m reading now is About Her by Japanese author Banana Yoshimoto.”

“This book and the “Gen Z Bookshelf” interview sparked my interest in reading.”

“Perhaps it was a book that comforted and encouraged me at the time, as I acknowledged that period—which may have been full of mistakes and failures—and worked toward a better future.”

“Every sentence, every sentence is beautiful, and I want to recommend it.”

“I’m going to read my first book (manga) today!”

“I’ve been active for about 13 years. I’ve worked with SHINee, pursued solo activities as Taemin, and also worked on a new project with SuperM. I thought I’d like to slightly change the familiar world I’ve experienced and built up so far, and show you a new side of myself.”

“On my birthday, TWICE’s Nayeon gave me a book as a gift. I received a book called *I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki*; its title was unusual, and it was a book I had wanted to buy.”

“Just because it’s called Small Comfort doesn’t mean it’s simply small.”

“The last book I read was in middle school—Life at Nine?”

“There are times when we can’t open up to anyone about anything, shut ourselves away, and feel empty. When our hearts are lonely like that, I think the most important—and truly necessary—thing is for someone to reach out first. The author describes that hand as “connection.” Just as I hope my music can reach someone like a hand reaching out, I hope this book will be like that hand, too. Hoping that love and peace will spread through the world instead of isolation, I recommend this book.”

““I’ve been living in Korea for four years and have read many Korean literary works in English. Each time, I felt, ‘Ah, this is a translation.’ But I was surprised by how excellent the English was in these two works published this time. I think it’s at a higher level than the English I use. (Laughs.)””

“Since it’s time, I bought this book collecting stories about dreams from Franz Kafka’s writings, along with merchandise made based on the book—including a bag.”

“I realized that Gu Byeong-mo’s books really aren’t for me.”

““I’m proud of my mentor.””

““When I first read Blindness, I had a primal feeling.””

“This is exactly the book I want to find. It’s about the number 88 bus.”

“Whereas my previous book told, almost in diary form, various stories about life that a woman in her twenties learns while living with a cat, with Sweet Remedy I wanted to use as few words as possible and, alongside the flow of the photographs, give readers the feeling that we are traveling “together.””

“Publishing a photo book wasn’t something I had planned. Since these were photos I’d taken on my phone in my spare moments, I was hesitant to release them, but thinking of it as leaving a record of everyday life, I’ve made it this far.”

““These days, I think I’ve come to prefer books or works with this kind of humanism.””

“#Coloring”

“Even just reading her writing, I thought, “The author’s perspective is so healthy and profound,” and she felt like a “senior in life” to me.”

“I told that friend I really enjoyed reading *Gills*.”

“After reading No Longer Human, I sought out and read The Setting Sun as well.”

“It’s a book I really hope you’ll make time to read.”

“It's been quite a while since I bought Douglas Kennedy's The Big Picture, but I've been so busy that I still haven't started it.”

“All I could bring was a book and two pairs of AirPods.”

“Scary Stories Are the Best!”

“Even things I had never tried and couldn’t say I liked often turned out to suit me and become things I cared about once I actually experienced them.”

“I enjoyed reading Han Kang’s Love of Yeosu and The Vegetarian, Yang Gui-ja’s Contradiction, and Jeong Dae-geon’s Torrent, among others.”

““A favorite book? The one I read this time was My Own Secret.””

“A Thousand Years of Love, Father.”

“Lily's book rec for today: The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie.”

“Those points weren’t written to be funny, but I find them so funny. As I read, I keep thinking, “Ah, this person is a T.” I’m really enjoying it.”

“Please show lots of interest in my yoga book.”

“When I was thinking about my stage name as I was making my debut, I read Han Kang’s The White Book on my CEO’s recommendation. It’s a book that contains reflections on various white things.”

“When I go to a bookstore, I sit down, pile up a ton of books, and read. I like that people at bookstores don’t pay attention to others. I bought a whole bunch just recently, too. There are The Children of Gwaengiburi Village, The Little Prince, Confession, March Is a Red Ravine, Norwegian Wood, and a poetry collection by poet Lee Byung-ryul. I get a lot of book recommendations all the time.”

“The book I read yesterday was one called Maldok, and it was really interesting.”

“Well, first of all, the reason I started reading it is—there’s a producer. The producer who first got me to debut on a program called New Nonstop, Producer Ginisi, and I have a book club, just the two of us. I was going to introduce this book…”

“I did my reading with those.”

“Another one is a book called *All the Time in the World*. These days, everything moves so fast, and it’s hard to imagine life without videos like Shorts, right? This book is about a life of slow accumulation, in connection with quantum mechanics, and offers various perspectives on letting time rest, bending it, and stretching it. It’s a good read for people who want to create some breathing room in their lives.”

“A time when I looked back on my own capacity for empathy, wondering whether I had been viewing socially disadvantaged people through a biased lens all this time.”

“After Blonote, I think this book may become the book of my life.”

“After that, I started seeking out and reading Murakami’s major works, such as *Dance Dance Dance* and *Kafka on the Shore*.”

“Just as I comforted myself by saying, “Not everything is like that,” I hope that through this book, you too will find words of comfort or a perspective of your own.”

“Among baseball manga, my favorite manga is H2.”

“So we bought it together.”

“The lyrics and poems by poet Won Tae-yeon that touch my heart are always a gift. 『Today, Here, Us』 feels like an even more special gift.”

“These two passages describe my life.”

“Recently, I read José Saramago's *Blindness* and *Seeing*.”

““I mainly like poetry collections. Poetry seems like the genre that best reveals a poet’s temperament and sensibility. Poets look at things we often see in everyday life from a different perspective and express them in a few words. I think those words often resonate deeply. In this collection, I like the poem ‘Knot.’ In particular, when I read the passage, ‘Do not call it a knot. The hardest part—once, this too was so tender and fragile. It was only that passion went too far, and after a single wound, it could never bloom again,’ I thought that a poet could see a tree’s ‘knot’ in this way, too, and something about it really struck me.””

““When I was 20, I suddenly remembered a book I had come across called ‘Happy Reading the Analects.’ At the time, while reading it, I felt for the first time that my thoughts were awakening. That memory led me to learn about thinkers other than Confucius, and I found ‘Essay on Eastern Philosophy,’ which clearly explains the main ideas of the Hundred Schools of Thought. I liked that the different philosophies and interpretations weren’t dressed up or presented narrowly, so I could read the book using my own judgment and thoughts. I think it’s a book that even people who aren’t interested in philosophy can easily approach, and that can serve as a first step toward developing a philosophy of their own.””

“I was immediately drawn into that book.”

“SODA’s first Photobook: Candid🍬”

“From the very first page, I felt excited. As someone who loves foreign languages, I found so much that resonated deeply with me that I kept nodding as I read. This book is a guide that helps you learn foreign languages easily and enjoyably. It also gives great encouragement to those who want to study a foreign language but lack the confidence, and to those who want to rekindle their passion. The book lays out the entirety of author Son Mina’s “language treasure map.” It felt not like I was “peeking” at a secret map, but like everything was being shown to me without concealment. If someone came to me for advice about foreign languages, I would give them this book. It contains not only study methods and information, but also precious insights from someone with more life experience. You cannot know the boundless world of languages unless you experience it. Now it is your turn to take the treasure map and venture into a wider world!”

“I started reading *Darkness at Noon* the day before yesterday.”

“So I started reading Guillaume Musso's books. As I read love stories such as Save Me and The Paper Girl, I wanted to read other kinds of stories too.”

“Poet Park Jun’s distinctive witty style was moving and touching.”

“I read with lines drawn under passages, so I don’t lend her books to my friends. Among them, 『Run, Pop, Run!』 was the first of her books I read.”

“I read books whenever I have a moment to gain indirect experiences.”

“I want to return to my childhood and reread Jules Verne’s classic science-fiction novels, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and Around the World in Eighty Days, which I read a long time ago. These days, getting in touch with my inner child helps me relax.”

“There’s a book by bell hooks called All About Love. It’s still my favorite work. Picking a favorite is so hard, especially for someone like me. (laughs) It taught me about the importance of community and how to create a culture where love can exist. So it also made me reflect a lot on my work with LE SSERAFIM. I think I would have come to this realization much later if I hadn’t read this book. The timing of when I read it, too, makes it a meaningful book. I’ve talked about it a lot with the members, so the memories I have connected with All About Love are incredibly precious to me.”

““Even with my busy schedule, I try to make time to read. I love those moments when I can focus and organize my thoughts as I read.””

“I was really burdened by it. When I heard they were making a musical about Big Bang’s story, like *Shout to the World!*, I was scared at first. And since this was only my second musical, I also wondered whether it was too soon to perform our songs. There were a lot of things I felt cautious about.”