[The Typing Baker] If You Miss People, Visit a Bookstore

These days, people no longer go grocery shopping in person. Instead of going out to shop, the shopping comes to them. When something is needed at home, people simply pick up their smartphones and open an online commerce application. Without the need to interact with anyone, they add the necessary items to a virtual cart and complete the purchase with a payment. Since the spread of COVID-19, contactless delivery has become the norm, and people rarely even see the delivery drivers. This trend is not limited to groceries. The same applies to books. When people want to buy a book, they order it online instead of visiting a bookstore. Many now prefer e-books, which can be read directly on smartphones, computers, or tablet PCs, instead of paper books.

Amidst this trend, the new book "Bookstore Diary" explores stories about meeting people through books. The author, Yeoun, shares various episodes experienced while working as a bookstore employee. The author views the act of visiting a bookstore to buy a book as a way of connecting with someone else's world. For example, an elderly man regularly purchases books related to military history, such as "Yom Kippur War," at the bookstore where the author works. Through these books, the man is able to explore the war that took place in the Middle East in 1973. As a bookstore employee, the author helps connect these individuals with the wider world. Such connections would not be possible without face-to-face encounters between bookstore staff and customers.

The author observes those who visit the bookstore with a warm perspective. Watching people search for books, the author wonders about the lives they have led and the emotions they might carry. For instance, there is a grandmother who buys books for her grandchild. She looks for books that her young grandchild can read comfortably. Seeing this, the author feels admiration and envy, picturing the grandchild's delight upon receiving the book. The author is also reminded of their own grandmother, who never had the chance to learn to read.

Working at a bookstore is not always enjoyable. The bookstore can be seen as a microcosm of the problems faced by society. This is because it is work that involves interacting with people. One such issue the author highlights is the problem of "no-shows," where customers place false orders and then cut off contact. For example, some reserve books that are out of stock and then never return to pick them up. The author points out that no-shows cause significant inefficiency in operations. Duplicate inventory often leads to frequent returns.

The author does not limit their stories to just one bookstore. Dreaming of opening a bookstore of their own, the author visits other bookstores as well, always making a point to explore local bookstores wherever they go. It seems the author prefers small bookstores with unique philosophies over more famous ones. While traveling in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do, the author happened upon a small bookstore specializing in picture books. Taking time to savor the atmosphere, the author reflects, "A space always holds its owner's philosophy and spirit."

Perhaps the very act of buying a book at a bookstore carries multiple meanings. When purchasing a book, people inevitably reveal something about their thoughts to others. The author and other bookstore staff never carelessly comment on those thoughts, as if to say they understand them. Bookstores, books, and even readers themselves have become precious in today's world. If you wish to reflect on the meaning of reading, this book comes highly recommended.

Bookstore Diary | Written by Yeoun | Tiramisu The Book | 224 pages | 16,800 KRW