Shoot My Heart: The 5th World Literature Award Winner in 2009 (2026 Revised Edition)

Author Jeong Yu-jeong · Publisher Eunhaengnamu · Published 2026-02-06 · ISBN 9791167376275

About the Book

Synopsis

No one could break their intense will to live!
There are two types of people in a psychiatric hospital: those who are mad and confined, and those who are confined and going mad.

I was the former, and Seungmin was the latter. I was someone who ran away from my life. Seungmin was someone who confronted his life. I accepted fate as a genetic trait, while Seungmin regarded it as an acquired trait.
We were aliens from different planets. Except for being twenty-five years old, we had nothing in common. The chances of us meeting during our lives were almost nil, if a ill-tempered fate hadn't dragged us to the same place, at the same time, on the same day. Therefore, this could well be called a report on fate.
I am a veteran in the field of schizophrenia, having been admitted and discharged repeatedly over six years. I had also just been kicked out of the world again, a week after being discharged for panic disorder and adjustment disorder.
Seungmin is a paragliding pilot whose flights are prohibited due to retinitis pigmentosa. While rapidly losing his eyesight, he became entangled in a family inheritance dispute and was kidnapped by 'experts' sent by them. On a night of heavy rain, Seungmin and I simultaneously arrived at a psychiatric hospital in a mountain valley in Gangwon-do. We were both admitted to Room 501 of Surihui Hospital, nicknamed 'Little Princess'.
Seungmin attempts to escape immediately after admission. He even tries to bargain his discharge with his second brother, who confined him, and an inheritance transfer document, but only ends up losing his own card. He assaults a nurse working overtime, enters a forbidden forest, turns psychodrama time into a train game, and even secretly attempts to contact the outside world through a roommate going on summer vacation. The 'senior' who received the call comes to the ward but leaves without meeting Seungmin. Seungmin, with all his escape routes blocked, has a violent outburst of anger, and the nursing station unleashes a barrage of medication. This is known as 'taming the beast'. Seungmin, who was uncontrollable by any punishment, is brought to his knees by this barrage.
What Seungmin wants is to live. For him, life meant existing as himself in his own life. Before he goes completely blind, he wants to take one last flight. He wants to go blind in the sky. It was instinct and will, and his own way of confronting fate.
What 'I' want is similar. To live quietly and peacefully, like a ghost. I consciously try to keep my distance from Seungmin, but I inevitably get caught up in trouble and find myself in a bind. Moreover, Seungmin's free thinking and aggressive personality bring chaos to my life of powerless conformity. I gradually come to understand Seungmin and become an accomplice. And finally, I even conspire to escape with Seungmin.
On the 100th day since entering the hospital, we finally drive a vehicle and charge through the main gate.

☞ Selection and Awards
- Winner of the 5th World Literature Award

Table of Contents

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