Since 2012, the author has worked as a mortician, inferring the life trajectories of those who passed away alone through the traces they left behind. The book features 16 stories that do not force sympathy but instead recount the realities of loneliness and death through the lens of those encountered at solitary death scenes.
Among the stories are a 30-year-old woman found dead in a winter studio apartment, a 19-year-old who passed away in February of his coming-of-age year, and a “goose father” who died alone in a study room. The author reads their lives through the belongings they left behind. Solitary death is not just an individual tragedy; it reflects the reality of those pushed out of social safety nets and disconnected from relationships.
A poignant letter left by a deceased individual who barely made a living through traditional performances reads, "I always thought that a little loss would bring good fortune, but my choice was wrong. I’m left with only debt—our industry is now finished. I’m truly sorry to the landlady and her family." Some remembered friends from their hometown in their final moments, while others worried about pets they would leave behind.
Reading the book naturally prompts reflections on one’s own death. Questions arise such as, "What will my death look like? Who will look for me if I lose contact? How should I live?"
"If you imagine for a moment, they were waiting for someone from the moment they were about to die. Their deaths were intertwined with waiting and silence. This is how I envision the time and space in which the deceased lived. The people in this book have left the world, but they do not completely disappear. Some remain as an old photograph, while others are remembered through a text message they never sent. Some have left behind a short note saying, 'I’m sorry.' Ultimately, people are not only remembered through death. They are remembered by how they lived, what they left behind, and whom they missed." (p. 7)
Last Thoughts Before Sleep Shape Tomorrow's Decisions=Written by Kim Beom-jun, Whale Books.
This book is meant to be read five minutes before sleep. The author, known for works like The Zhuangzi at Fifty, asserts that "last thoughts before sleep shape tomorrow's decisions." One day, after staring at his smartphone until his eyes were bloodshot, he stumbled upon a line from Nicomachean Ethics that captivated him: "Virtue is formed through repeated actions. It is not a single act but the habits of an entire life that make a person good." Since then, he has engaged in nightly conversations with one philosopher each evening.
The book intertwines the philosophies of 30 thinkers from both Eastern and Western traditions, including Socrates, Epicurus, Seneca, Zhuangzi, and Hannah Arendt, with everyday scenarios. At 3:30 a.m., while tossing and turning over an unfinished report, he recalls Socrates’ advice to "Know thyself" when he reaches for chicken in the fridge. He contemplates whether his current hunger is genuine or a response to anxiety or a desire for reward, ultimately closing the fridge door.
On nights when he drinks and loses track of time, he reflects on Epicurus’ hedonism, focusing on the calm that follows the fulfillment of desires rather than the fleeting excitement of immediate gratification. When anger rises while driving due to an aggressive driver, he recalls Seneca’s assertion that "anger is the ugliest of all emotions." Seneca’s remedy is "mora," or delay, advising not to react immediately in moments of anger but to pause.
Through his dialogues with these 30 philosophers, the author discovers a common teaching: the power of moderation, or the ability to pause and empty oneself. Instead of filling the end of the day with algorithms from smartphones, he suggests that a brief five-minute pause to reflect on a philosopher’s words can change tomorrow.
"Knowing pleasure and being led by it are different. We call Epicurus a hedonist not because he indulged in pleasure, but because he understood which pleasures are genuine. Knowing that the calm brought by bread and water is better than the excitement of a feast, and that the clarity of a glass of water surpasses the thrill of seven beers—that is Epicurean hedonism." (p. 60)
* This article has been translated by AI.
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