[Book Sip] "I Didn't Save Much Money, But I'm Glad I Made Good Friends"

"Let's Talk About the Details When We Meet"

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of the book itself, while others instantly reach the reader's heart, creating a connection with the book. We introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from the book. - Editor's note

This is a dialogue between Hwang Hyojin, a content planner and operator of the women's career growth community 'New Ground,' and Yoon Ina, a writer who has written in almost every genre. The book contains twenty letters exchanged between the two, who live seven minutes apart on foot, covering everything from trivial daily life to weighty social issues. It addresses a variety of topics, from a niece's question, "Auntie, when will COVID-19 end?" to the July 2020 incidents involving former Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon, who took his own life amid sexual violence allegations, and the controversy surrounding former Chungnam Governor Ahn Hee-jung, who was arrested for sexual assault, including the flood of floral tributes from current politicians at the funeral of Ahn's mother. Additionally, the book deeply explores works capturing 'women' in various content such as books, magazines, films, and dramas, reflecting on the current situation we face.

"What I have wished for all my life and still wish for now is this: not to hesitate too long when spending money. Not to pick up and put down the item I want to buy repeatedly. To buy something at Muji without checking if there’s a similar item at Daiso. (I’ve been doing this fairly well lately.) When shopping online, not to sort by the lowest price. I wanted to be that kind of person."

"I want to embrace as much uncertainty as I can handle and become someone who creates a slightly better world for the countless children I will meet throughout my life. Though it’s tiring that ‘born children’ are born while going through all sorts of experiences, I want them to feel glad they were born. From now until I become a grandmother, I want to keep doing this without change. This is the vow I can make."

"Above all, I wanted to talk about women's stories. If you want to label a piece of content as a ‘women’s narrative,’ the person saying that must have a standard within themselves. To set that standard, I wanted to convey that the individual viewer must develop the ability to connect content, ask questions, and think critically. This is completely different from cheering for all stories written and created by women or claiming that works made by women are better. It means that if we, as women, do not cultivate the power to see the world as women and do not raise our voices, we will inevitably live in a world that continues to hate us."

(Written by Hwang Hyojin and Yoon Ina / Semicolon)