Book Introduction
A story blending Ilsan, emotion, and space
Ilsan Emotion Guidebook is an essay that takes readers on a journey through space and emotion. Living in Ilsan, the city that has long served as the foundation of the author's life, the book delicately records the moments when the human heart is drawn to specific spaces. This book is not merely a local introduction, but an emotional guide that helps readers care for and reflect upon themselves according to their emotions of the day.
On some days, one’s steps naturally lead to a quiet bookstore; on others, to a lake park or a yoga studio. The author explains that these moments stem not from mere tastes or habits, but from a flow of emotions that she herself was not even aware of. In this way, moments of quiet attraction arose—the thought, 'I want to go to this place today'—and the spaces she arrived at by following that heart became small respites where she could care for herself and sort out her feelings. This book is a record completed by following that very flow of emotions.
The book contains five places in Ilsan that the author loves. It records the different emotions, stories, and unique atmospheres of each space through photographs. Through this book, readers will go beyond simply encountering the places of Ilsan to have an experience of slowly looking into their own emotions.
The Ilsan Emotion Guidebook is a book that offers a moment to slow down amidst the daily routine that is easily overlooked, and to look slowly and quietly into one's own emotions. Just as the spaces within Ilsan served as an emotional map for the author, this book will also serve as a quiet guide for others to reflect on their own hearts.
Table of Contents
What Emotion
Do You Want to Feel Now?
Embracing Myself | Raviv Books
Flexibility | Ilsan Lake Park
Tranquility | Yoga Utopia
Consistency | Cafe More Than Coffee
Triviality | Jeongbalsan Mt. Pyeongsimru
Inside the Book
- Embracing Myself | Raviv Books
(p. 26)
Pain and wounds require time to be digested. Some may spend that time sharing it with loved ones, while others may spend it fully reflecting on and accepting it on their own. I was someone who needed time alone. And that time was much longer than I had anticipated. I came to realize, one spring at the tail end of my twenties, that I needed ample time alone to mature and be completed.
- Flexibility | Ilsan Lake Park (p. 53)
Is quitting really the right thing to do? Will I be able to make a living if I leave? Assuming I have no income for a while, how many months can I last? I won't meet many people once I quit, so won't I feel lonely? I spent a considerable amount of time giving sincere answers to the worries swirling in my head. Trying to ignore or pretend not to notice these questions directed at me only makes me more anxious.
- Tranquility | Yoga Utopia (p. 86)
But I know. A day of tumultuous chaos will surely come again. There will be a day of total mess. Days of trembling with anger and moments when I feel like I’ll burst into tears at the slightest provocation will arrive. I will once again be shaken, upset, anxious, and heartbroken by matters big and small. I will get angry in secret. On such days, I will make time for myself and visit a yoga studio. I will drop by quietly and leave quietly. In the meantime, I will find tranquility. Even if it is just a tiny bit.
- Consistency | Cafe More Than Coffee (p. 111)
Aren't there things that are good, but difficult to pinpoint exactly why? That is why, when trying to explain why you like something, you have no choice but to answer, "Just because I like it." Whether the subject is something other than a person or a person. I think that sometimes, the word "just" can convey the most meaning more than any other word. A word that seems to contain nothing at all can actually express the most.
- Triviality | Jeongbalsan Mt. Pyeongsimru (p. 132)
Whenever I met with old friends, at some point our interests and topics of conversation diverged, and I found it difficult to accept. So I avoided them. It was likely because I no longer wanted to see the changed versions of each other. I declined their invitations to meet with various excuses. And so, we gradually drifted apart. It was my own doing. I hadn't realized before that maintaining a friendship is far more difficult and requires more sincerity than simply becoming friends. It felt as though I lacked the strength to sustain a friendship.
- Epilogue (p. 153)
In what spaces and in what ways do you care for your emotions? I hope there are spaces all around you where you can face and nurture your feelings. I hope that as these spaces accumulate one by one, you eventually become the person who best embraces and diligently understands yourself.
Author Introduction
Soeun Kim
A person who reads books and practices yoga in Ilsan. Finding solace in gazing up at the moon, trusting the feelings evoked by names, and sometimes walking slowly on purpose. I continue my journaling with a heart that lingers on small emotions and atmospheres. I believe in the power of slow and quiet things.