That summer afternoon, spent beside the being who had become the heaviest in my world, with the verdure of the season deepening within the confines of my lone space, self-isolated from others. Solitude was no longer an option for me. A life without Woonu only promised loneliness.
I lost my family and experienced the loneliness that lingered in their absence, living a lonesome life without holding anyone close to my heart, stewing in my solitude. Loneliness and solitude cannot coexist. Only those who have chosen solitude know of this truth.
Solitude is a blank, and loneliness is a dearth that seeks to be filled. Because solitude is closer to nonpossession than it is to resignation, while loneliness is like a jar with a leaky bottom. That imperfectly solid blank of mine, built from my fleeing of loneliness, became desperate to contain a whole being.
Woonu, having felt the rain at the tip of his fingers, arm stretched beyond the eaves, suddenly straightened his legs and leaned his upper body forward.
“Huh? A green frog!”
“Where? Are you sure you didn’t see wrong?”
“There, over there! Oh, oh, it’s jumping!”
“Oh, there really is one.”
“Where did it come from? Has it always lived here?”
I quietly gazed at the side of his face, his mouth agape with a bright smile adorning it.
Where did you come from? Where did you come from for it to feel as though you’ve always been here?
The novel is beautifully written, probably one of my favorite writing styles out of all the novels I've read. The author has such a way with words, and I found myself highlighting almost the entire book. The characters are lovely and human; they are flawed and have their good and bad sides.
The MC has a quick temper, he misunderstands easily, and he knows he always speaks too sharply towards Woonwoo, our main love interest (ML). Woonwoo, on the other hand, is sweet, kind, and naive. Although he is naive, Woonwoo is not stupid (the "fool" in the title is said in an affectionate way!). He understands how the world works, but the reason he gets taken advantage of isn't because he's an idiot, but because he is naive. He knows there are people with bad intentions, but he chooses to trust them because he likes seeing the good in others.
The MC suffers from depression and seizures after his family died in an accident. He's scared of crowds, scared of interacting with others, and prefers to isolate himself until he meets Woonwoo, who shows him the beauty of living again. His emotions are so raw and beautifully presented, and I really enjoyed seeing him come out of his shell slowly.
They argue, they misunderstand each other, and they have their differences, but they fit together like pieces of a puzzle. Though, I really do think the selling point is the writing!