The stories behind their books

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

“When I was stressed, I went to a bookstore and a book called *That Sort of Person, Still a Person* caught my eye. At first, I was drawn to the cover and title (laughs). The passage I remember most from the book is: “Today is the only time when I can choose and put into practice what I want. If today, too, passes by like this, it will become yesterday, and I’ll miss it.” I think I was hurt and having a hard time back then, and I made up my mind to try to live this one day well. After reading those lines, I mean.”

“When I’m stressed, I think just going to a bookstore and looking at books can be comforting. Even if I don’t read it right away, just buying a book and bringing it home somehow makes me feel cozy and healed.”

“Even deciding what to eat is a negotiation.”

“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 this book, “Magnolia Flower Blooms Again,” from Aladin.”

“My grandmother once told me, “You’re like a magnolia flower.””

“That really touched me and resonated with me. (Touched) (Almost teary)”

“So I went to Aladin bookstore and found this pink book—the color I really like! (Pink) (Pink)”

“The title, “Magnolia Flower Blooms Again,” felt like a message meant for me.”

“When I was going through an anxious, difficult time, I felt withered, like a flower...! But this book says “blooms again,” and that made me feel so comforted!”

“So I bought it as soon as I saw the title.”

“While I was reading this book, I felt lonely.”

“[Recommended for these people!] If you want to feel understood and comforted, reading this poetry book will really help.”

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

“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.”

“I read it with a hostile feeling, thinking, “Well, shall I read it and see what she has to say?” But it was really good.”

“When I first encountered God, I had so many questions. This book played a major role in helping me resolve them. It was also the first Christian book I read. What especially impressed me was how the author, who had lived as a Buddhist for nearly 50 years, explains why Jesus is the answer and the truth.”

“LOL, my mom might say something if she sees that I read these, but these are the books I picked up from January to March at the beginning of this year while talking about things like “the energy of the universe.” The Nature of Money and Rich Dad Poor Dad, at least, seem like books worth genuinely reading two or three times, and the other books left me with a lesson along the lines of “use your heart for good.” You shouldn’t live a narrow-minded life, you know.”

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

““When I first read *You Said It Was Goodbye*, I found the content a little difficult.””

“I had to appear on a broadcast and comment, and I referred to *The Temperature of Language* at the time.”

““Ah, Paris” is something the author wrote after going to Paris, like a diary. At first, I bought it because the style was pretty and because I wanted to go to Paris. I’d never been to Europe. It feels like I’m secretly peeking into someone’s diary written in Paris. It captures the little details and atmosphere of everyday life in Paris—the restaurants, the streets, and so on—so I felt as if I were there in Paris myself.”

“I like Kafka’s The Metamorphosis.”

“Things one might call one’s absolute favorites are few and far between. I sometimes think of life as an unfinished movie.”

“I read a book called “Courage To Be Disliked” which something you read in life, it really helped when I was stressed, it also helped me to become more mature.”

“Among the books I read this year, it was one of the books that resonated with me the most.”

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

“I recommend giving it a read.”

“I received this question and gave it some thought. So I reread the book and thought about it, but it was difficult.”

“A book called Iroseok, on the topic of… Looking at this book, I thought the keyword “god” was just right for you, experiencing life for the first time, to whom everything in the world is unfamiliar and difficult. So I bought this book too, and since I declared it and lay down…”

“I bought volumes 1 and 2. I’ve finished volume 1, and I have about half of volume 2 left.”

“My favorite is the knit outfit I wore while roller-skating. It’s sexy, sporty, and cute. I think I was able to show different sides of myself.”

“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.”

“The works I keep rereading are Phoenix and Buddha.”

“There is a poetry collection by Na Tae-joo called I See You as a Flower. It was a book that helped lift me up when I was feeling a little down.”

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

“The Little Prince is, ah, really a song that's kind of like a fairy tale for adults. Um, it's inspired by the original novel, The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, uh...”

“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.”

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

“One thing that really stuck with me from it was the line, “It was possible because I didn’t know it might be impossible.” I tend to think positively, so I always read it believing that anything was possible.”

“I wanted to express the thoughts I usually have not only through music but also in other ways.”

“The art book, in a way, began with a small dissatisfaction. I had many reservations about the exhibition catalogs, so I decided to do something about it.”

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

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

“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.”

“If you want to read something a little better, I recommend what I’m reading right now.”

“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.”

“This is exactly where my heart is.”

“After discovering Keigo Higashino through The Devotion of Suspect X, I’ve read everything of his that has been translated into Korean, and this was one of the books I picked up relatively early on. “It really pulls you along.””

“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.”

“Reality Transurfing takes a more scientific approach, and The Secret could be called its popular version.”

“I was also very impressed by Anxiety.”

“Although it's really gross, I also like this kind of manga.”

“There are times when I feel that way too, but it made me think I should pull myself together again and work hard at living.”

“I really, truly, uh, loved it so much that I was like, “This is the book of my life.””

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

“I think I used to follow it a bit like a fandom thing, reading comics too, reading Lee Mun-yeol’s Romance of the Three Kingdoms novel, and watching Chimchakman’s Three Kingdoms.”

“I tend to have a lot on my mind, especially before album promotions. I recently picked up again a book I read when I need to find my center.”

“I first read Siddhartha in November 2025. My family is Buddhist, and that summer we all went to see a monk we had been close to for a long time. He gave it to me as a gift, saying, ‘It’s a book I truly cherish and have read over and over, and one that helped me a lot in not losing myself.’”

“Before, whenever things got too hard, I would turn away from the situation and hide behind a mask. That was how I got through life. But I recently realized that someday I would have no choice but to face the weaker side of myself. I also came to understand that when that time comes, I can meet my true self, and the path forward becomes clearer. While I was thinking about those things, I came across Siddhartha, and its sentences came to me as if by fate.”

“That’s right. I remember a childhood moment when I saw my younger sister playing guitar and asked her to teach me too. After that, I taught myself guitar by watching YouTube and started writing songs. It was a turning point that made me who I am today.”

“I think that’s the central message this book is trying to convey. I, too, am constantly changing like a river, but at the same time, I was able to firmly inscribe in my life the wisdom that I am the river, and that my existence as me does not change.”

“A book I’ve enjoyed reading this year is *Goo’s Proof*.”

“It's really fun.”

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

“In books, you can see all the thoughts the protagonist has before taking action, and that’s so interesting.”

“When I go to a bookstore, I sit and read with a huge pile of books. I like that people at bookstores don’t pay attention to others. I bought a whole stack recently, too. There’s “Children of Gwaengiburi Village,” “The Little Prince,” “Confession,” “March Is a Red Abyss,” “Norwegian Wood,” and a poetry collection by poet Lee Byeong-ryul. I get so many book recommendations all the time.”

“And this is a line from the novel Dallergut Dream Department Store.”

“A little while ago, I read a book called *The Wizard’s Bakery*.”

“There’s a book I’ve been reading lately. It’s a novel called *Mail from Postbox No. 110*—it’s heart-fluttering and gentle in tone.”

“People who are at a crossroads, people who want to travel but don’t have time, people who are curious about Hawaii, and people who need healing.”

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

“A book I’m so glad to find, for me, who dreams of becoming a showbiz singer at sixty.”

“I’m very interested in other people’s stories. How could one live without opening one’s ears to the world?”

“I watched Bait, and it wasn't childish at all. I really enjoyed it.”

“In a way, you could call Challanseutakso my first book made intentionally. I think the reason it’s a picture book is that picture books were probably the book genre closest to an album.”

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

“I first read Itaewon Class as a webtoon a long time ago.”

“Achilles. I really love that book.”

““I was drawn to the line on the first page of this book, ‘You’re crazy because of the person you love,’ so I bought it right away and read it.””

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

“Ah, the book is too difficult.”

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

“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.”

“"Thus Spoke Zarathustra" was also written by Nietzsche; those ideas began with this book.”

“Personally, I think a truly cool person is someone who has a poem memorized in their heart.”

“I also bought a book called *People Born in the ’90s Are Coming*. Try challenging yourself [to read] this book too 😄”

“I started reading books because of internet novels. There’s a book by Baekmyo called *Cinderella and the Four Knights*. It’s a romance novel, and it was made into a book. I think that’s what got me started on reading physical books properly.”

“I think every artist should read it at least once”

“Sometimes my self-esteem hits rock bottom and I feel my sense of self wavering. People around me say you need a hobby to relieve stress, but I still haven’t found one. So whenever I’m having a hard time, I read books like “Look at This Poem” and “Even So, I Love You.” I’m not very good at reading long texts, so I mainly read books with lots of pictures and the words I want to hear.”

“I wanted to build my own stage with “Ruby.””

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

“These days, I'm reading Jonas Jonasson's novel *Killer Anders and His Friends*.”

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

“I remember being interested in this when I was really little, borrowing Lovecraft’s short story collection, and thinking, “What is this…?””

“It was the last birthday present my late grandfather gave me. He also wrote me a letter. Since it was a story about a grandfather and granddaughter, a lot of it really resonated with me. I kept reading it again and again—two or three times.”

“It explains humanity’s past and future from multiple perspectives.”

“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 naturally found myself listening to the Analects. If the Analects seem difficult, maybe you could start with short phrases like this so they’re a little easier to read?”

“That's why it has become a truly unforgettable novel of my life, even to this day.”

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

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

“So I brought along Amélie Nothomb’s *Hygiene and the Assassin*, which I enjoyed reading.”

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

“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.”

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

“The book I’d like to introduce to you is this graphic novel called Asterix Polly Wi.”

“Until now, I’ve thought imagination was the greatest power music gives us. Songs leave their beginnings and endings open. When you sing about a breakup, no one tells you why the couple broke up or what happened afterward. I wondered whether a single story running through my music, whose beginnings and endings are ambiguous, might bring out more complex emotions and clearer images. That curiosity led me to write it.”

“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.”

“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.”

“I brought it because Demian is my favorite.”

“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.”

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

“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.”

“A book one must read”

“A book that spoon-feeds you.”

““TWICE’s Nayeon gave me I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki as a birthday present. We used to talk about books from time to time. That book gave me a lot of comfort.””

“I did my reading with those.”

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

“I also, in any case, started out as a reader, so the texts I read...”

“I’m also reading Banana Yoshimoto’s *Kitchen* because I had it at home.”

“Nietzsche’s Words”

“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.”

“This book is called “Schopenhau to Read Before Bed.””

“You can see there are so many bookmark tabs.”

“There were so many passages I could relate to and wanted to learn from! [How YVES Reads #2]”

“So I can’t finish this book! lol I have to read it over and over again.”

“So that’s what he said. But on the very next page, he says, “In life, suffering and concerns are necessary.””

“Then I get all confused while reading!”

“I’m like, “But you just said they’re the two enemies!””

“And then again, it’s like, “Suffering and concerns are common in life.””

“Ah, I see.”

“Mmm... I see what you mean.”

“This book is also very realistic, and it’s a great book to read if you want to be comforted and clear your mind of your worries.”

“So I recommend this book too.”

“Milan Kundera’s *Slowness* was good too. It was exactly what the word says: “slowness.” It felt like a book telling people who have to live in this fast-paced modern age that they should live slowly. I’m really slow myself.”

“Shin Hae-wook’s *A Book for One*. I really liked it. I’m a huge fan of novelist Kim Ae-ran, and when I read her work, it feels as if I can hear the author’s voice. I like writing like that. I like writing that feels light and delicate, and I got that same feeling from Shin Hae-wook’s book. Someone recommended it to me, and I liked it so much that I’m reading it slowly, savoring it—two or three at a time each day.”

“These two passages describe my life.”

“Having experienced it firsthand and then reread it, I thought, “This was totally a Kurly promotional book.” I was moved by a different aspect, thinking, “So you really can grow this much in six months.””

“I'm also continuing to read it, curious to see whether I'll make it to the end. Since it's a book that's received so much praise, I want to make sure I read it all the way through, if only out of curiosity.”

“Recently, before watching the film Pavane, I read the original novel, “Pavane for a Dead Princess.””

“I brought it along to read on the plane or during waiting time while filming in Japan, and I finished it there.”

“When a film based on a book comes out, I tend to read the book first.”

“A film clearly shows you a particular image, whereas with a book, I can imagine things in my own mind as I read, and I like being able to immerse myself in it in my own way.”

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

“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.”

“The book I’m going to read to you today is *As Long as I Can Remember* by author Baek Eunbyeol.”

“Finally 😭 I finished reading it”

“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.”

“In The Hedgehog’s Wish, when none of his friends come to visit, the hedgehog gathers his courage and decides to invite the animals, but in the end, he can’t bring himself to do it.”

“좋은 책이에요. 한번 보세요. 가볍게 보시기도 좋고 추천드립니다. 남녀 노소 모두가 봤으면 좋겠어요.”

“I bought There Are Days Like This, a book that seemed nice to read together with children by a café window on a rainy day.”

““The person who knows how to love themselves is the greatest person.” (From *315 Proverbs Worth Reading Even a Hundred Years from Now*)”

“Reading this book made me think that I should cherish and love myself more.”

“It was my first time being photographed wearing lingerie, so please pay attention.”

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

“Nothing Big Happens to the Two of Us”

“If we're talking about books that have stayed with me, I think I've read these three books many times: The Lighthouse Keeper, You Too Are a Daylily, and Yeontan-gil.”