Author’s Note 2018. Summer was around the corner. As usual, I was sitting at my desk, eyes fixed to the white screen. It’d been about six months since I’d become a writer. At that time, I was despairing over how much further I had ahead of me to become a good essayist. Still, thinking that I should at least keep writing, I stuck to my desk every day. Should I try writing a novel? I can’t remember exactly which month, which day, at what hour and minute the thought came to me, but I remembered starting a fresh document a few days later. I had only three things in mind: a bookshop starting with the character hyu, Yeongju, the bookshop owner, and Minjun, the barista. I began to write. Everything else fell in to place as the novel progressed. Whenever a new character stepped in, I gave them a name and fleshed out their personality. If I had no idea what came next, I’d get the new character to chat with the older ones, and somehow, they seemed to guide the story and the next scene would come naturally to me. Writing a novel was surprisingly enjoyable. I had thought writing was a laborious process that dragged and nailed me to the desk. But this was different. I woke up every morning eager to continue the dialogue where I had left off. At night, my eyes dry and my back stiff, I reluctantly got up from my chair, mindful of my own rule not to do more than a day’s work. During the time spent writing the novel, I cared more about the characters and their lives than my own. My life revolved around the stories I told.
While I didn’t plan out the plot before starting to write, I knew the atmosphere I wanted to create. I wanted to write a novel evoking the mood of Kamome Diner and Little Forest. A space we can escape to, a refuge from the intensity of daily life where we can’t even pause to take a breather. A space to shelter us from the harsh criticisms whipping us to do more, to go faster. A space to snuggle comfortably for a day. A day without something siphoning our energy, a day to replenish what’s lost. A day we begin with anticipation and end with satisfaction. A day where we grow, and from growth sprouts hope. A day spent having meaningful conversations with good people. Most importantly, a day where we feel good, and our heart beats strongly. I wanted to write about such a day, and the people within it. In other words, I wanted to write what I want to read. Stories of people who find their own pace and direction, of people who believe in others and wait by their side as they go through difficult times, lost in worry. Stories of those who support others, who celebrate small efforts and resolve in a society that puts people – and everything about them – down once they take a fall. Stories that bring comfort, providing a pat on the shoulder for those who’ve lost the joy in life, having pushed themselves too hard to do well. I’m not sure if the novel turned out the way I hoped, but many readers told me the book gave them warmth and comfort. Likewise, their generous reviews strengthened me, as if a connection had formed between isolated individuals. You might not notice right away, but everyone in the novel is taking small steps forward, whether it’s learning something new, or making a change to their lives. What they’re doing might be far from achieving what society deems as success, but they’re growing and changing through their consistent efforts – taking several steps away from where they started off. How others judge where they stand – be it high or low, good or bad – doesn’t matter to them. The fact that they’ve progressed, and are happy where they are, is sufficient. The yardstick to measure one’s life lies within oneself. And that’s good enough. Even if it’s not every day, or often, there are moments in life where we come to think, That’s good enough. In that moment, all the anxiety and worries melt away, leaving us with the realisation that we’ve done our best to get to where we are. We’re satisfied, and proud of ourselves. If Hyunam-
dong Bookshop is an accumulation of such moments in life, I hope that many more people can create a similar space for themselves. To you, who are spending the day there, I’m here rooting for you. January 2022 Hwang Bo-reum
A NOTE ON THE AUTHOR HWANG BO-REUM studied computer science and worked as a software engineer. Hwang has authored several essay collections: I Read Every Day, I Tried Kickboxing for the First Time and The Perfect Distance. Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop is her first novel.
A NOTE ON THE TRANSLATOR SHANNA TAN is a Singaporean translator working from Korean, Chinese and Japanese into English. She was selected for two emerging literary translator mentorships in 2021/22, where she was mentored by Anton Hur and Julia Sanches. Her prose translations have appeared in The Southern Review, The Common, Azalea: Journal of Korean Literature & Culture and more.
BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 50 Bedford Square, London, WC1B 3DP, UK 29 Earlsfort Terrace, Dublin 2, Ireland BLOOMSBURY, BLOOMSBURY PUBLISHING and the Diana logo are trademarks of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc First published in 2022 in South Korea by Clay House First published in Great Britain in 2023 This electronic edition published in 2023 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc 어서 오세요, 남동 서점입니다 Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop Copyright © Hwang Bo-reum, 2022 All rights reserved Original Korean edition published by Clayhouse Inc. English translation rights arranged with Bloomsbury Publishing Plc through BC Agency English edition copyright © 2023 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc English Translation © Shanna Tan, 2023 Hwang Bo-reum has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: HB: 978-1-5266-6227-9; TPB: 978-1-5266-6226-2; ANZ EDITION: 978-1-5266- 6663-5; EBOOK: 978-1-5266-6230-9; EPDF: 978-1-5266-6956-8 To find out more about our authors and their books please visit www.bloomsbury.com. Here you will find extracts, author interviews, details of forthcoming events and the option to sign up for our newsletters.
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