◦ A new project from internationally translated poet Na Tae-joo, one of Korea’s most beloved poets, pairing his poems with professional counseling guidance
◦ A distinctive format in which each poem becomes the starting point for selfcounseling, helping readers connect what they read with what they are going through
◦ Brings emotional self-care into everyday life through something familiar and easy to return to: a poem and a few thoughtful words from an experienced counselor

"While reading a single poem, the heart finds its own answers."

A time when wildflower poet Na Tae-ju and psychotherapist Choi Young-kyung warmly embrace the small, aching heart that has long lain curled up inside you.

This is the first poetry-therapy project created together by national poet Na Tae-ju and psychotherapist Choi Young-kyung. To each of Na Tae-ju's poems — counted among the most Korean and most beloved poetry — Choi Young-kyung, who has spent long years listening to people's stories in the counseling room, lends a gentle voice, drawing the poem close to the reader's worries and heart. This is not a book that asks you to write answers or fill in blanks; it is a therapy book designed so that simply reading the poems and prose lets the heart loosen, little by little. Cognitive psychologist Kim Kyoung-il, broadcaster Lee Keum-hee, and author Choi Seo-young (who runs the YouTube channel "말많은소녀," the talkative girl) have each sent words of recommendation, lending the book their support.

Modern society, amid fast-paced competition and uneasy relationships, is full of people suffering from burnout, low self-esteem, and depression — a lack of the heart. Yet there are many days when, not knowing why one's own heart is so weary, and not knowing what to do with that weariness, one simply lets it slip away. This book quietly places one of Na Tae-ju's poems into such a heart.

When Na Tae-ju's poem first knocks at the door of the heart, Choi Young-kyung sits quietly beside it, holding the reader's hand, guiding them to naturally face their emotions, their lacks, their relationships, and their wounds. Saying that "it's all right not to be perfect" and that "not rushing to judge, but gazing long at oneself, may be the whole of love," this book gifts readers — who have struggled because they could not care for their own hearts — with unexpected tears and relief. On days when living feels especially weary, may this book be the gentlest first step.

"A poetry-therapy book where healing begins the moment you read."

On days when life feels especially heavy, Na Tae-ju's poems quietly come near and speak to us.
As you pass through a poem, through a story,
before you know it, you find that you have grown a little lighter.

Outwardly you stand tall and upright,
but inside you there lives
a small, tender, fragile
child.

— Na Tae-ju, from "That Child" (그 아이)

The "Four Rooms" Structure

What especially draws the eye in this book is the arrangement of Na Tae-ju's poems into four "rooms" that approach the reader step by step. In the "first room," you meet the memories of childhood; in the "second room," you briefly set down the heart worn out by society; in the "third room," you soothe your wavering emotions through color and the language of creation; and in the final "fourth room," you look back over your whole life and arrive at the theme of love and relationship. Thirty-eight of Na Tae-ju's poems stand as signposts placed along this journey, so that even without reading in order, the reader can find, on their own, the room where their heart is dwelling right now, and step inside.

Every time life feels especially heavy, Na Tae-ju's poems quietly come near and speak to us. Psychotherapist Choi Young-kyung gently lays those moments over Na Tae-ju's poetic words, leading the reader to receive them naturally, as if they were their own story. Passing through a poem, through a story in this way, before you know it, you find that you have grown a little lighter. This is a book that sits beside you for a long time, quietly stroking your back.

Na Tae-joo
One of Korea’s most beloved contemporary poets, Na Tae-joo has written thousands of poems over a literary career spanning more than five decades. Best known for “Wildflower,” he writes in simple, tende r language about people, nature, and everyday life. His bestselling collection I SEE YOU LIKE I SEE A FLOWER has been published internationally, including in English, bringing his poetry to readers beyond Korea.

Choi Young-kyung
A psychological counselor specializing in art and expressive therapies, Choi Youngkyung spent 26 years as an elementary school teacher before moving into counseling. Drawing on extensive experience with children, adolescents, and families, she now directs the Maeum Plus Child & Family Counseling Center and teaches at Konkuk University.

The First Room — A time to meet the young and tender me inside

Adults need play too
It's all right — you have endured well
Mother, mother. If I softly call out
The small helping hands that stayed beside me at the moment I broke down
To the days that were sorrowful and beautiful
Emotions, too, need to be sorted for recycling
Why am I so much stricter with myself than anyone else?
The self I used to hate was, in the end, still me
Please tell me you're sorry, too
Consider a little loveliness as a great deal of loveliness
If I could lay a blanket over my cold heart
The Second Room — A time to briefly set down the mask

What am I like when I am alone?
Let me tidy my heart the way I tidy a bag
A life that is naturally mine, like flowing water
When my heart needs warmth
I cannot become fully firm all on my own
The more alone, the more poised and beautiful
Please enjoy small but certain joys, and often
The Third Room — A time to soothe a wavering heart

It is not all your fault
Prepare a small passage for the heart to flow through
Even just daydreaming can let the heart recover
A desert-like day, and how to hold myself
My heart has blossomed into color
A time when the names I had forgotten come back to find me
A dictionary of my emotions, seen in color
The Fourth Room — A time to walk toward myself

We have, in fact, lived better than we thought
My shortcomings may be something to be thankful for
The people most precious to me
A recurring dream is a letter sent by the unconscious
Is the pace of your life right for you?
To you, who are still dreaming
Holding you is, in the end, holding myself
On Love (closing questions)​

Is it attraction, or is it love?
Why are we so bad at loving?
Is it loneliness, or is it longing?
Is my love a healthy one?
Epilogue