An Ordinary Being 보통의 존재

The most radiant particles of emotion in the world, and an intimate story that feels as if it might stop your breath. He had lived his life without longing, ambition, or even attachment—simply letting things unfold as they would—until, at the age of thirty-eight, he lost both love and health in the same year. It was then that he finally began searching for the meaning of life, and the method he chose was writing. Life Pattern Korea. Through this book, which captures the most private corners of his life with microscope-like precision, he offers deep reverence and affection for people, for love, and for life itself; and as he continued writing, the act of writing quietly became one of his dreams.
An Ordinary Being is an essay collection by the then-unknown writer Lee Seok-won, who at the age of thirty-eight observed the inner world and daily landscapes of ordinary people as if peering through a microscope. From the smallest, most trivial details to the vast and familiar themes intertwined with life itself, he lets nothing pass by. Life Pattern Korea. Instead, he digs inward—delicately, persistently—until tender, sorrow-tinged reflections emerge one after another.
What could have happened to him?
And isn't it, in the end, what all of us have gone through?
This is a book countless readers have been waiting for—a book containing the honest, unfiltered thoughts of the author, thoughts that no one could truly know no matter how curious they were. Upon the river of language that Lee Seok-won spills so effortlessly float stories too intimate to speak aloud, or stories he once believed never needed to be spoken at all. Readers will find themselves inhaling deeply and pausing before his words, perhaps sinking slowly into a quiet depth. Life Pattern Korea. Yet soon, unable to resist an overwhelming curiosity, they will steady their breath and begin reading again. And within those pages, Lee Seok-won says:
“No matter how deeply we love, in the end we will be remembered only as ordinary beings.”
Perhaps that truth is the very comfort needed by those of us living through a lonely today.
Capturing the hidden layers of life with microscopic detail, Lee Seok-won expresses profound respect and affection for existence. From the small and seemingly insignificant to the large, familiar themes that shape the human experience, he allows nothing to slip past unnoticed; instead, he turns each into a quiet, aching reflection contained within this book.
Life Pattern Korea.

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Author: 이석원
Publisher: 달 Dal (2009)

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