[Book Sip] "Please Evaluate the Specs of the Person I’m Going to Marry"

Editor's NoteSome sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with readers, creating a connection with the book. We excerpt and introduce such meaningful sentences from books.

This novel sheds light on a facet of Korean society's raw reality. The setting is an anonymous office worker community. The community is flooded with questions like "Please evaluate the specs of the person I’m going to marry. Who is more regrettable at this level?" Through this situation, the novel highlights the lives of modern people who have become dry and harsh amid constant comparisons with others. It realistically depicts characters groaning under deprivation in the process of pursuing the vague goal of being 'like others.' The author sharply critiques the 'normality' learned and propagated in Korean society. The English edition of the novel, unusually for an indie publication, was praised in the renowned American review magazine Kirkus Reviews for its "astonishingly meticulous descriptions."

Body profiles, climbing, running, workout completed today, reading journals, pretty places, good food... fragments of stylish and glamorous lives flow into the eyes. What would Charlie Chaplin, who said life is a comedy from afar and a tragedy up close, have posted if he had SNS? Exhausted, lying flat, I am a raft drifting down the river. Even in this shabby space of mine that no one can see, I watch out for others’ eyes beyond SNS. Dragging my heavy body, I head to the gym. I have to row hard on the treadmill so the raft doesn’t drift away. Yes, I have to run. Wearing shoes and training clothes that would be a pity to throw away, I have to run. I have to run for today’s 'proof.'

"None of your solutions matter." Not even the sound of a pencil lead breaking can be heard in the classroom. Even the students in the back row who were smiling are covered by silence. I cannot raise my head. "Do you know what happens if you solve problems like this in the CSAT exam later? You add one more year. One more year, and while others enjoy their brightest youth at university, you have to spend one more year in your room. Your life will be decided by that day’s report card, do you understand, Youngbaek?"

The woman who received my greeting looks at her wristwatch. "Yes... How did you get here?" It feels like a pillar is falling on the center of my chest. I know this is not a simple question to break the awkward atmosphere. After being stung several times, I realized it was an indirect question to check whether I own a car.

Why is it only our company? Insider information? Everyone does it like that, right? People will forget in a few months anyway. It’s all done under false names, so will we get caught? Even if you criticize a lot on the internet out of inferiority, I will receive stock options, speculate, and work until retirement. Who threatened you with a knife to work at such companies? If you feel unfair, study hard too. The things you think...

At the time I spend doing this work, I could earn a salary by just a few transactions on a cryptocurrency exchange. I am a fool. I am a fool for working diligently. Beyond the video platforms, people who have long achieved financial freedom scold me. Numerous videos saying that living as an office worker is foolish flicker before my eyes. Our team and company colleagues who work diligently are fools.

I have a lot to say about this. Young people these days, can’t find a house? You can do real estate if you study a little, but they don’t study. They are all busy dating and hanging out. This is all because of weak mental strength. It is a typical trait of poor people.

Blind Man’s Mirror | Written by Jeongmu | Metric | 212 pages | 16,700 KRW