The stories behind their books

“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.”

“But these days, I’ve been reading a book called An Unexpected Season.”

“Last fall, an artist senior to me whom I’ve been close to for a long time recommended this book, and that’s how I learned about it. I’ve always trusted their recommendations, so I naturally became interested and opened the book to find inspiration while working on a project. I’ve read about half of it so far.”

“It opened my mind to the thought that anyone can live creatively in their own way. I was impressed by the idea that creativity isn’t something only special people have.”

“Creating something often comes with profound loneliness, and this passage helped me learn how to manage myself. After reading it, I felt more mature.”

“I recently read Harry Potter.”

“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.”

“I just hope everyone can be happy. Happiness isn’t something you can easily feel just because you want to, and it’s not an emotion you can copy or imitate, either.”

“Eugene’s book is packed with content.”

“A book that gave me a lot of courage.”

“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.”

“Meeting this book was a great stroke of luck. It helped me understand my fans a little better and made me want to become a better person. I want to hold on to the precious feeling of liking someone, too.”

“Because I want to make the contents of the book my own.”

“Then, when the members made their remarks, I was really moved. “Ah… this is crazy, like a movie. Right, this is what I had been missing.””

“2018년부터 심리상담을 받기 시작했는데 책을 써보면 좋겠다고 추천을 받았다. 글을 같이 보여주면 내 음악을 이해하는 데 도움이 될 것도 같았다.”

“This is a mystery novel I read recently.”

““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.””

“I looked it up, and apparently one of them is water residue.”

“I’m studying Japanese on my own using Japanese books. I work hard at it whenever I have free time between schedules.”

“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.”

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

“i recently read a book called <me before you>. it was really touching. you should read it.”

“as i said earlier, there's a book called <me before you> and i hope you try and read it once. i think it'll be really fun if carats read it.”

“I have read the manga since I was little, so its characters have influenced me.”

“I think being a singer or entertainer is a profession where you’re only recognized if you achieve something big. You always have to come in first, set records, and win the grand prize at award ceremonies. People who are used to focusing only on major achievements—which can seem futile in a way—need to learn, as this book suggests, to appreciate the small joys of everyday life, or I don’t think they’ll avoid depression.”

“작가님이 일과 인생 그리고 지금의 삶에서의 어떤 반짝이는 부분들을 잘 기록하신 책이었고”

“I remember being captivated by Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea when I read it as a kid. I think I took myself back to that place for new inspiration and brought back a part of it as the motive to start writing Hope World. It’s an introduction to people who are brand new to [me] with me as Captain Nemo showing you around just as the submarine in the book cruised around the world’s oceans. I know this might sound really corny, but I invite you to pretend to be Professor Aronnax as you listen to this song and take a journey through my world [laughs].”

“Ah, is that it?”

“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.”

“There was nothing to do at the training camp, so I read books. I also kept a diary, and I cried twice.”

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

“It felt new to imagine the personalities and ways of speaking of the characters in the book.”

“After reading this book, I learned that it was a blessing just to have witnessed something invisible.”

“Please see it as an honest account of my experiences, not an autobiography.”

“Something you absolutely must not miss”

“Next, this book. That book too, now, Mr. Na Tae-jun...”

“After reading this book, my image of The Great Library changed a little.”

“The book has so many meanings and I have a lot to learn from the Prince. [Despite his age], he’s emotionally more mature than adults. His values are incredible,”

“She doesn’t express her feelings well, but in every action, sincerity is included. I think she and I deal with things similarly. I try to express my real thoughts and emotions truly to others, but it’s not easy.”

“I believe that sincerity does reach others eventually,”

“the bond depends on how much each [person] cares about developing that particular relationship.”

“저도 진짜 어 이거 내 인생 책이다 할 정도로 너무너무 좋았거든요.”

“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.”

“After reading Edgar Allan Poe's Short Stories, I wrote the lyrics for the song “Curse,””

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

“이 책도 저의 개인적이고 일상적인 내용을 담은 에세이는 아니에요.”

“I like the scene where the protagonist is standing in first place among the other aliens.”

“When I read aloud part of “Just Because I Like It (Jo Yu-mi)” on V LIVE, or read song lyrics on the radio program STATION Z, I enjoyed it, but I felt even more disappointed.”

“Like the title says, I’d recommend it to everyone moving toward their purpose in life.”

“I’m honored to receive the Content of the Year award. Grapefruit Apricot Club is a work that sincerely captures the reality the children face and the pure solidarity through which they hold on to one another and try to make it through.”

“Sometimes in life, a single word from someone else can easily bring us down. This book talks about how to protect yourself and love others through “just the right amount of positivity and just the right amount of courage.” I sincerely hope that all of you readers will come away from this book with “just the right amount of positivity and courage.””

“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.”

“Like the picture diary you kept as a child, try drawing your own memories each day, following wherever your heart takes you. Finding little moments of happiness in everyday life is quite a joyful thing.”

“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.”

“God, this is not an illusion but a true, faithful answer from You. From now on, I will live not as Kwon Gi-beom of the world, but as a holy child of God!”

“This is a book I’d recommend to anyone who wants to encounter and delve into a variety of poems within one book, and to anyone who wants to read carefully written prose.”

“엊그제 <한낮의 어둠>을 읽기 시작했다.”

“That is so true. I’m in such a good mood today. Even if something bad happens while I’m feeling happy, I feel like I have the leeway to just laugh it off.”

“때가 저도 있는데 다시한번 힘내서 열심히 살아야겠다는 생각이 들더라고요”

“As I was writing this book...”

““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.”

““I also read a book called ‘Moss Forest.’””

“Two people, each with their own wounds, meet and make each other's everyday lives feel okay. To me, you're that kind of friend.”

“Recently, I enjoyed reading a book called Little Nicolas. It's like a fairy tale for adults.”

“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.”

““글을 쓴다는 것은 머릿속의 수많은 생각들을 하나 하나 정제해가는 여정이라고 생각합니다. 이 책을 통해 여러분의 여정에도 동기부여가 되길 바랍니다.””