Connecting Inner Speech Bubbles into a Book... Essay by Kang Hye-jung "Hope It Brings Comfort"

Collection of Essays by Teu?Teu? Published
Kang Hye-jung's Story of 'People'
Hoping to Bring Comfort to Readers

Kang Hye-jung is unusually a heavy sleeper in the morning. She even wakes up past the time she was supposed to meet the guide at the airport on the day of an overseas trip... Anecdotes that reveal the ‘person Kang Hye-jung,’ such as the experience of barely boarding a plane after urging the car with “Master, no more... I can’t go any faster” and the car replying “Stop nagging and pull harder!! Move forward!!” are included in the book.

'Half Crazy, Half Happy (Dal)' is actress Kang Hye-jung’s first essay collection. The publication of Kang Hye-jung’s essay came about after her husband Tablo proposed the idea to the publisher’s representative while discussing his own book release, and it was accepted. At a press conference held on the 21st at a cafe near Hapjeong Station, Kang Hye-jung said, “These writings were not originally intended to be published as a book. I started writing because it was easier than having a conversation with someone, and thanks to my husband’s compliments, I kept writing and ended up here.”

[Photo by Dal Publishing]

The book vividly reveals Kang Hye-jung’s human side. As a child, whenever she got 500 won or 1,000 won, she saved it with her older brother and was satisfied with the “interest” of having a brother who became suddenly kind after receiving money... One day, when told that the money she had saved so far plus 3,000 won would be used to buy chicken, she exclaimed “Oppa jjang!!” without any mathematical calculation...

She had a knack for writing from a young age. During her turbulent school years, a writing assignment on ‘negative issues society imposes on students and ways to improve them’ received explosive responses from her friends. It was a piece targeting the Korean language teacher, who was considered an ‘enemy’ at the time, and the book also contains an apology to the teacher regarding the impact that writing caused.

According to the book, Kang Hye-jung has an exceptionally developed ‘sense.’ She can feel the flow of air with her five senses to the extent that she can grasp (most situations) without asking questions. This is also a kind of safety mechanism, as “she is harsh to people within a one-meter radius of her heart but relatively gentle outside of that.”

However, there are times when it malfunctions. An act of kindness extended to a customer embarrassed for forgetting their wallet at a snack bar was met with a reaction of “What’s with the meddling?” “The ability to easily lose the atmosphere like scanning a barcode sometimes malfunctions like this and drags me into awkward situations.”

What she expected from writing the book was empathy. Kang Hye-jung explained, “The writing is like speech bubbles floating in my head, so I don’t want to force it on (the readers). I just hope that readers feel ‘I’m not the only one thinking this way’ and feel less lonely with a sense of being understood.”

Kang Hye-jung, who has been on a long hiatus of about six years, said, “There may be a break in acting, but there is no break in life. My friends (children) are growing well, so I think I’m doing a ‘well-made’ job,” and added, “If I get the chance, I plan to work on projects. I am waiting for good projects that I want to do.”

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