Bought Only Books on 'Death'... A Touching Note from the Bookstore Staff

Opening the Shopping Bag Reveals a Handwritten Note from the Employee

A story has touched many hearts after a bookstore employee handed a warm note of comfort to a customer who purchased several books on the theme of 'death.'

This photo is not directly related to the article content. [Image source=Pixabay]

On the 25th, multiple online communities shared a post titled "I feel sorry and grateful to the Kyobo Bookstore cashier."

The original poster, Mr. A, said, "A few days ago, I was recommended books about death and bought several," adding, "Since the books were about death and extreme choices, the employee paused during checkout, wrote something, and put it in the shopping bag."

When Mr. A opened the shopping bag, there was a note inside.

'You must be going through a lot, right? When you're struggling, it's okay to just feel the struggle as it is.'

After reading the note, Mr. A broke down in tears at home.

He shared, "Honestly, I have never been free from dark thoughts," and said, "While desperately trying to live somehow, those words pierced deep into my heart and struck my chest." He then expressed his gratitude and apology to the bookstore employee who offered comfort, saying, "Thank you. And I'm sorry."

Kyobo Bookstore, upon hearing the story, is reportedly seeking out the employee who wrote the note.

On the 23rd, an employee at the self-development book section of Kyobo Bookstore in Jongno-gu, Seoul, is organizing the self-development book ＜45 Ways to Find the Purpose of Life＞ written by the AI ChatGPT. Photo by Dongju Yoon doso7@

Meanwhile, as of 2021, South Korea's suicide rate per 100,000 people (age-standardized according to OECD population) was 23.6, more than twice the OECD average of 11.1. The only other country with a rate above 20 was Lithuania (20.3).

According to Statistics Korea, 13,352 people took their own lives in 2021. Research (Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs, 2022) also shows that suicide causes socioeconomic costs of approximately 490 million KRW (about 54 trillion KRW in total) per person.

The government has announced plans to reduce the suicide rate by 30% over the next five years to shed the stigma of being the worst suicide country among OECD members.

※ If you have difficult-to-talk-about concerns such as depression, or if you have family or acquaintances facing such difficulties, you can receive 24-hour professional counseling through suicide prevention hotlines ☎1577-0199, Hope Phone ☎129, Lifeline ☎1588-9191, and Youth Phone ☎1388.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.