The stories behind their books

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

““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.””

“It was in the car, so I happened to read it, and it’s a poem that really lifts your spirits! Thanks to it, my day is off to an enjoyable start. I recommended it to the members too, and everyone’s chuckling.”

““I was greatly inspired while working on the album Legend.””

“I changed even more after reading the books The Power of Positive Thinking and The Secret.”

“For me, this is another bittersweet seize-the-day story about the preciousness and fleetingness of all the beauty around us. And it’s a heart-stopping, heartbreaking romance, rolled into one. I just love the way Jojo Moyes creates such compelling, emotionally layered characters.”

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

“I've been reading a book lately. It's called The Bare Minimum of Korean History. It does a very good job of explaining things concisely, from Gojoseon through modern and contemporary history. It made me think, “I should study more history,” and I hope many people will read it.”

“Among the many books, one is Music Short Story Collection, a book that gathers short stories inspired by music by five novelists.”

“I thought it was art that I, as a Korean Confucian girl, couldn't understand. Maybe it was because some parts were difficult, or because the characters were hard to remember. Let's try reading it again in about six months.”

“Today's book”

“After reading the book, it resonated with me so deeply that it hurt both my body and my heart.”

“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 was impressed by reading *Illionaire Life*, written by my senior, Dok2.”

“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…”

“I used to read a lot. If I become interested in a movie, I look for the original work. The one I remember most is Pride and Prejudice. To be honest, the story was a little difficult, but I found the process of understanding it interesting.”

“For me, I would definitely say five stars.”

“I brought it because I wanted to share it with you all.”

“I really recommend 0 to people like that.”

“Whenever that happens, I reread it, and perhaps because my own experiences are added to it, I feel that what moves me changes with age.”

“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.”

““Don’t be attached. If you don’t cling to anything in the world, there’s nothing to be a problem; but the moment you become attached, that mindset gives rise to suffering and makes things hard.” Seeing those words gave me a lot of strength.”

“I was so immersed in the work that I read it in one sitting despite being busy with activities. I even recommended it directly to the members.”

“While working on this essay, I had the chance to look back on my life from childhood through my twenties and return to my original intentions. It also helped me make plans for the future, not only for the rest of my playing career but also for after retirement.”

“A piece that once again reminds us how precious and radiant it is, in the midst of life, to ask one another how we are.”

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

“I really hope you’ll read this work.”

“Financial security creates creative freedom.”

“I think I found a lot of comfort.”

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

“Even deciding what to eat is a negotiation.”

“A book that comes to me when I make time to read, even for just five minutes, because I want to clear my mind and feel happy.”

“It’s about how she became a star when she was young and what life as an actor was like; it’s a really sad story.”

“It’ll be a happy ending anyway”

“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.”

“Recently, I enjoyed reading author Kim Ho-yeon’s book *The Inconvenient Convenience Store*. It’s about a homeless man who works part-time at a convenience store, comforting various customers and reflecting on himself. It’s a book with an emotional impact I can’t convey just by explaining it this way.”

“I read *Human Acts* while in the military. Congratulations.”

“This is a mystery novel I read recently.”

“I’m Going to Be Lovely Next Year Too”

“I've been really enjoying Alain de Botton's book The Sorrow That Brings Joy lately.”

“I really want to recommend the book I’m reading right now to you all. A Man Called Ove. I bought it and started reading it without giving it much thought, just because people said it was fun. As I read, there were times I laughed, I almost cried, and I learned a lot. You should definitely read it 👍”

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

“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.”

“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.”

“It was a book in which the author beautifully captured work, life, and some of the shining moments in her life as it is now.”

“I’m embarrassed to say, but I’ve only read it as a comic. I actually haven’t read the novel; I’ve only read the comic.”

“You might think that a story about losing someone precious and getting the chance to see them one last time is a familiar premise, but the stories and heartfelt longing of each character will move you. I especially want to recommend this book to anyone who misses someone, or who wants to make up with someone after a fight but is hesitating. I hope you don’t lose someone precious in a moment of impulsive emotion and regret it later.”

““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.””

“If I were to recommend a book I've read recently... it would be Alain de Botton's Why Do I Love You?”

“I read *At the Edge, But I Haven’t Fallen Yet*! It’s divided into various topics, so I enjoyed reading it, and it warmed my heart. It’s a book that really helps you regroup. Now let’s get moving!”

““One Piece””

“The first flapping of wings toward freedom”

“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*.”

“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.”

“Scary Stories Are the Best!”

“Actually, while creating the music for this show, I think I drew a lot of inspiration from books and videos I liked when I was young. For example, I worked with books like Peter Pan and Snow White, and videos of myself playing outdoors as a child playing in the background.”

“#RomanceWillKillMe I met lyricist Seo Ji-eum, who has such a girlish air~ Please show lots of love for writer Ji-eum’s book too~”

“#Coloring”

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

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

“A writer who portrays a natural attitude toward life with purity and precision. The moment I read her writing, I already belong to happiness. It is a clear and sturdy world that only those who live as themselves can enter.”

“Ah, the book is too difficult.”

“When I go to a bookstore, I sit down, pile up a whole lot of books, and read. I like that people at bookstores don’t pay attention to others. I bought a whole pile just the other day, too: The Children of Gwaengiburi Village, The Little Prince, Confession, March Is a Red Ravine, Norwegian Wood, and a collection of poems by poet Lee Byeong-ryul. I usually get a lot of book recommendations.”

“I shouldn’t laugh, but that last line is so powerful.”

“It had such a strong pull that I’d throw my entire last paycheck at it. Reading this, I got such an intense feeling, and this kind of reading as a 10-minute read...”

“They say the book is called A Thousand Blues. If many of you also felt a strong pull toward this passage, I recommend giving it a read.”

“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.”

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

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

“This is also a book read by Heath Ledger, an actor I like. It's Gustave Flaubert's novel Sentimental Education. After seeing the book appear in the documentary film I Am Heath Ledger, I became curious about what he was thinking when he read it.”

“The Giving Tree, but this feels less like it’s a person I am and more like an ideal I want to become.”

“Actually, when I'm having a hard time, I don't seek comfort from anyone. I can't even read books like *You Did Well Today*.”

“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.”

““Watching people from all walks of life take on challenges with courage filled me with a sense of adventure!””

““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.)””

“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.”

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

“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.”

“and I recommend Summer Hill”

“That’s why I got completely absorbed in the book.”

“I spent a long time with him, but knew absolutely nothing about him. In fact, I never really asked. He was someone who laughed a lot, but his laughter didn’t seem particularly genuine. There was a bitter taste to his laughter and words, so I didn’t casually cross his boundaries. I wanted to help him protect himself in his own way, and that was my way of being a friend. I thought it was so like Yoon Seol-ya to put it into writing only now and tell his life story, and I was so glad there was at least this outlet for letting it all out. In a word, he’s such a romantic. I’m honored that one of the songs I wrote was included in it (I was a little surprised by the unexpected song choice)!”

“It's a book called < 1cm+ >, and a fan gave it to me.”

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

“This is exactly where my heart is.”

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

“At age 20, I suddenly remembered a book called *Reading the Analects Happily*. At the time, while reading it, I felt for the first time that my thinking was awakening, and”

“It felt very fresh to learn that the sijo poems in *Cheonggu Yeongeon*, which I had encountered only in textbooks, are being newly reinterpreted as K-pop lyrics.”

“My life will be divided into before and after this book is published. If my life up to now was given to me so that I could write this book, then I think my life from now on has been given to me so that I can make people want to read it.”

“I was intrigued by the way he invited people close to him to a funeral before he died, so they could share their memories of one another. It even made me want to have a funeral like that before I die.”

“I have so much I want to talk about that even writing it as an epic novel on the scale of *Toji* wouldn’t be enough, but…”

““I wasn’t someone who read novels often. But as I was transitioning into acting, I thought I should read a full-length novel. Then I remembered that I had read Musso’s earlier work *Call from an Angel* some time ago, so I picked up his new book, *A Paris Apartment*.””

“This is a book I started reading because it was at the TWICE dorm, and I think this book is exactly what its title says: “doing something for myself.””

“I learned about Almond through a recommendation from an acquaintance, and I finished reading it in one sitting.”

“After reading it, I was completely influenced by it.”

“I like reading books.”

“I enjoyed reading Animal Farm, so I’ve been trying other books too. Recently, member Yujin and I have been having lots of book talks.”

“The book is called "Verbal Abuse of Comfort."”

“It's a poetry book by Doyoon Na.”

“This book is summarized in one sentence on the cover.”

“Although it's a poetry book, it's like... realistic, and it describes negative and sad emotions so well.”

“You might wonder, "Huh? How's reading that book gonna help you get comforted?" but...”

“Just like the title of this book "Verbal Abuse of Comfort,"”

“So here's a poem. Let me read it to you.”

“So there are lots of poems with this kind of a vibe.”

“I think the overflowing comfort from these poems really will comfort you.”

“So I recommend you read this poetry book when you're exhausted and going through a hard time.”

“I also like Bright Night.”

“In the early hours of Friday, I finished reading A Little Life.”

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

“It really deserves it. It’s entertaining, and I imagine a lot as I read.”

“Inspired by Shakespeare’s play As You Like It, it explores the themes of birth, love, conviction, and reaching the peak.”

““I really like the actor Park Jung-min, and he wrote a book called *A Useful Human*. I first read it in print, then listened to the audiobook once. Hearing it in the actor’s own voice made it resonate with me even more. It was so nice to have him read his own story aloud.””

“What do pigs live on? A delicious read recommended for thinking pigs.”

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

“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.”

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

“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.”

“My favorite comic when I was young was Dragon Ball; I must have read it ten times.”

“The book I recently enjoyed reading was Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist.”

“A considerate gene.”

“I did my reading with those.”

“I’m a small-time singer performing under a stage name inspired by your work, but I’ll keep learning from the pure perspective and sincerity of your work as I make music.”

“I cried a lot, especially at the parts about parents”

“After that, the first book by Annie Ernaux I bought was *Writing Like a Knife*. It’s an interview-style essay that leaves out Ernaux’s more unconventional side, and it’s the kind of book that gives you an idea of the mindset she brings to writing.”

“I’ve been reading a lot of books lately. I read Kim Ji-young, Born 1982, and I also read One Night When Little Things Became Big Things.”

“I became a fan after reading The Fruit of My Woman.”

“I also liked Hideo Okuda’s The Aerial Trapeze. Each short story features unusual patients who receive counseling and suggested treatments. I wanted to get counseling from Ibura, the doctor in the novel, too.”

“A Thousand Years of Love, Father.”

“For me, who has been running nonstop since my debut, books give me a little breathing room and help me gain insight.”

“After reading the book, I also gained the courage to take on a field I want to study, using my spare time even when I’m busy with group activities.”

“Even when I read books, I imagine all the scenes as I go.”

“SODA’s first Photobook: Candid🍬”

“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.”

“La Divina Commedia Written by Dante Alighieri 1308-1320 (The Divine Comedy written by La Divina)”

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

“I read this book twice. Actually, the first time I read it, I put it down before I’d even gotten halfway through. Then, after some time had passed and I’d read more classics, I read it again and found it enjoyable.”

“I think I’ve read these three books many times: You Too Are a Sky Mallow and Yeontan-gil.”

““The three books I read during this South American tour””

“When I was in middle school, I received The Age of Loss as a gift from my aunt and read it.”

“Since I’m not a children’s book author, it was difficult to create new characters. I thought it might be a good idea to use Tori and Seoa, the dogs who actually live with us at home.”

“So we bought it together.”

“It is set during the Japanese colonial period, a time when society was highly unsettled. Although women had relatively fewer opportunities than men at the time, she fought for the social course she believed was right. It was a book that made me reflect on myself.”

“Reading a book in Queensland, where my parents live, made me even happier and more excited. The writers describe places that are good to stay in while visiting—not only Brisbane and the Gold Coast, but also other parts of Queensland—in their own distinctive language. It was interesting to read, almost like looking through a diary.”