Last Summer

Original title: 지난 여름

The road leaves the city behind. The high-rise buildings fade into the distance, the trees grow taller, the air becomes cleaner, and the world slows down a little. Summer is a time of adventure, friendship, relaxation, and growing up, and its magical atmosphere is especially present away from the familiar gloomy city. Out in the countryside, you feel boundless freedom: you can rise with the roosters or sleep until noon; spend all day reading, or go for a swim in the lake. Ji-hyun Kim’s “Last Summer” perfectly captures that carefree feeling of never having to rush anywhere.

In the book, a boy and his dog leave the city for his grandparents’ house. Everything feels different there: the air is softer, the light is gentler, and the silence is comforting. With delicate strokes and a muted palette, Ji-hyun Kim recreates the slow rhythm of summer, when nothing much happens, yet everything somehow feels wonderful.