Author Jeong Do-sang writes novel about teenager suicide

Author Jeong Do-sang lost his oldest son in 2005, who was a middle school student at that time. The son left a short suicide note and killed himself. The death of son, who was ‘like one soul’ to the 54-year-old author, has left an indelible scar. The year 2012 was plagued by suicides of teenagers. As a father who lost his dear son, Jeong thought that there is one thing that he has to do. His latest novel "Heart Growing Flower" (published by Consonant and Vowel) was written against this backdrop.

“The book is about what I had gone through after the loss of my son," Jeong said the press conference. “I wanted to tell teenagers about what their parents would have to go through and how the family would be torn apart, after their suicides. I wrote this novel wishing that they could take a step back at the moment when they decide suicide."

The main characters, the boy and the girl, are just ordinary teenagers that we can see around. The boy Woo-kyu cannot find the true meaning of life even though he’s been growing up in a wealthy family. The girl Na-rae gets hated by her friends as she has been raised in overprotection of her parents, calling her mom "Mother-goddess."

The two kill themselves and meet in the underworld “the middle sky.” From there, they repent after seeing their families and friends in this world. Jeong wrote this novel based on the scripture “Tibetan Book of the Dead” and the tale of Jeju Island “Seocheon Flower Field.” The title “Heart Growing Flower is the name of a flower that blossoms in the Seocheon flower field, which makes people be reborn. The boy and the girl eat “bone growing flower,” “flesh growing flower,” “breath growing flower” to complete their bodies and finally eat “heart growing flower” to have heart again. After taking these flowers, the boy and the girl are reborn to this world.

“If you kill yourself, you will be reborn to this world, which is a punishment to live a life again. I hope my book helps the youth to know what gives the strength to survive in this world,” said Jeong.