Hello, Peter Pan: The last wish of a terminally ill father who is leaving his severely autistic son

Author Jeon Kyeong-cheol · Publisher Iyagijangsu · Publication Date 2026-06-26 · ISBN 9791194184645

About the Book

My Peter Pan son, with a social age of 2, is still young and vulnerable.
I’ve been given a death sentence, but I can’t die like this.

The father calls his son "Peter Pan." He's an adult in body, but in the eyes of the world, he's a child who never truly grew up. A child who always needs help from someone. But to the father, Peter Pan is not an object of pity. He is a son he loves more than anyone else in the world—a child who has given his father the innocence and wonder of childhood for over 20 years, something other ordinary children only offer for a few short years.
That's why, even when he received a terminal diagnosis of liver cancer, he worried more about his son's future than his own illness. The average life expectancy his doctor mentioned has already passed. But the father persevered. Because he had to live. Because he couldn't close his eyes until he found a way for his son to live.

"You must let me live until I find a place for my son to live. I won't ask for anything more." (...)

And my war began. A war to find a place for my son to live. Pleading, "Please let me part with my son." (From "A Father's Wish Left by an Interview," pp. 87-88)

Part 1, "A Father's Days," uses the fictional narrator "Kkokdu" to calmly reflect on a father's past life as he faces death and organizes his remaining time. The author, who has been a "single father" for over 20 years, caring for his autistic son and diligently raising him in a secluded "Ghost Mountain Hut" in a corner of a Seoul market, far from the public eye, suddenly receives a shocking terminal diagnosis. The narrative, interwoven with regret and longing, love and gratitude, is deeply imbued with a human life and a father's sense of responsibility.
Part 2, "A Son's Days," chronicles the beautiful yet painful time spent with his severely autistic son. After thousands of moments of despair, the terminally ill father barely manages to find a place for his son to stay. But then, for some reason, that hope is shattered again, and the heartbroken father, ultimately rejected by the world, cries out. For the father, who hoped in people like Pestalozzi and Mother Teresa, only to be rejected and excluded again and again, even despair is a luxury. Imagining the world his son will live in after his own death, the author meticulously writes down his earnest wishes for a space, people, and future for his son.
Thus, "Goodbye, Peter Pan" is not merely a chronicle of illness. It is a desperate will left by a father facing death, a profound question posed to our society that has ignored the lives of people with disabilities and their families. It is also a record that demonstrates a human being's will to not give up hope even in despair.
Now, the author chooses action instead of passively awaiting death. He doesn't just share his story with the world; he proposes a new dream, hoping that other families with disabilities will no longer suffer alone. The final destination of "Goodbye, Peter Pan" is the <Peter Pan Foundation>.

Dreaming of a 'Neverland' for all 'Peter Pans' in the world.
"I will no longer search for hidden miracles.
We must become the address of that miracle ourselves."

The author no longer asks for his son alone to be saved. He raises his voice, asking for the Peter Pan daughters and sons of the whole world to be saved. The <Peter Pan Foundation> is a project to create a community where people with disabilities can live with dignity even after their parents pass away. The author's dream, which he wants to achieve before he leaves this world, is to break ground on a 'Neverland'.
A village where people with disabilities can live safely even without their parents. A world where the lives of disabled daughters and sons do not disappear even if their families are gone. A place where severely disabled people can live together with the local community.
Author Jeon Kyeong-cheol says,
"Never again should a child be cast out of the world simply because they are a Peter Pan. I earnestly hope that no parents will give up on their children and themselves because they see no way forward."
His dream is not a grand ideal. It is an answer to the realistic questions that countless families with disabilities face every day.
The establishment and completion of 'Peter Pan Neverland', a 24-hour care community village for individuals with severe autism spectrum disorder. Can his dream truly become a reality?
Can one person's earnest final wish change our society?
All proceeds from the author's royalties for this book will be used for the launch and operation of the <Peter Pan Foundation>.

The world where Peter Pan will live is not yet complete. Autism is still incurable. But that doesn't mean Peter Pan's life must be entirely unhappy. No more of our many daughters and sons should be ignored because they are Peter Pans, or make harsh decisions with their parents.
I dream. I see 'Peter Pan's Neverland' built in every village, contributing even a little to a 'world where everyone lives together'. I start with this one book. If I have any wisdom accumulated during my not-so-short life, I intend to pour it all out. I will continue until the establishment of the <Peter Pan Foundation> and the completion of the first 'Peter Pan Neverland' village. I'm excited. I will walk to the end of that path without getting tired.
_From the Author's Note

From the Book

For 50 years, time stood still. In a house like a haunted mountain hut in the city center, the last three generations of our family lived. A year ago, my mother hastily finished her picnic and left for me. The days of being a 'single' dad, which I endured for 20 years, also came to an end. That last assignment was difficult. It was a arduous journey, but I recorded the path whenever I had a moment. To keep my Peter Pan alive in people's memories.
_From the Author's Note

For the past three years, as you know, I've been struggling to survive. In addition to raising my autistic son, who's getting stronger, for a lifetime, I also had to care for my mother with dementia who had a stroke. In a three-person household, I was solely responsible for everything. I couldn't even think of anything else, and it felt like I was being forced onto a stage to play a reluctant lead role in a script whose ending was already written. That ominous premonition. Can you understand? Simply put, I couldn't leave the house for even a day. Until January of this year, there were two of us, and even now, feeding my grown son is the most important part of my daily life. More than anything, I didn't want my mother to ever see or hear that ominous drama while she was alive.

The new year came, and in January, my mother left so unexpectedly it was absurd. My predictions and resolve were rendered meaningless by her sudden departure. Even now, I believe my mother hurried for my sake alone. The thought that came to me the day I laid my mother to rest in her hometown was, 'Now I need to understand my situation. It's time for me to organize my life,' and so I went around to local hospitals for the tests the director had been so eager for me to have. (...)

And then, on the unforgettable date of April 3rd, came the definitive diagnosis: “It’s definitely liver cancer. Let’s get you admitted. We need to find treatment options.” I guess I had already gone through the five stages of grief, having experienced it before when I accepted my son’s autism, coupled with the ominous premonition and the arduous testing process. I spoke as if I already knew everything: “I won’t receive treatment. I just want to know how much time I have left…” The doctor looked puzzled and asked, “You’re still young, why… There are many treatment options these days, from transplants to procedures.” I replied succinctly. It was too tiresome to explain at length. “I’ve been raising my autistic son alone for twenty-six years. I guess it was too hard. Now… I want to rest. After experiencing my mother’s passing alone at home, I felt that the boundary between life and death wasn’t such a big deal after all.”
_From "Interview or Confession"

Father, like the rascal who sold the universe, I made a terrible final imagination to protect my son. But I'm enduring stubbornly. My last wish is for my son to forget his home, and forget me, and live well on his own in a new place. That's all. Shouldn't we protect the last eldest grandson of our clan? The day I accomplish this and walk triumphantly to you, Father, you'll greet me, saying, 'Well done, my son,' won't you? Father, please wait just a little longer.
_From "I'm Going to Meet You Soon"

At the end of the stairs I've climbed, the biggest task remains. I will not drown in the deep blue midnight of loss, like the bear woman of Gomnaru. My dream is that there will be no more Peter Pans in this land who have to endure so much hardship, just as my son did. It is a mission that no more parents in this land should give up on their children and themselves, exhausted by the arduousness. It is a big challenge left to me by my son, instead of his empty space. It is the dazzlingly sky-blue paradise that I must find. I still need the year 2026 entirely.
_From "Sprouting on the Rising Grass"

My son is at the worst end of the spectrum in terms of symptoms. He doesn't utter a single word, and the words he understands are short commands, one or two words without punctuation. It's the ultimate symptom of autism: communication is impossible. Since he doesn't speak, he doesn't write either. Our conversations are, of course, nonexistent.
My dream for over 20 years, which I couldn't give up, was to hear my son say "Dad." Just once. I tell my neighbors he's in kindergarten, but for an autistic child, the place they attend before kindergarten is called "early intervention class." Every morning, after dropping him off, I'd rush back to meet him after a late start to work and an early departure, filled with anticipation. The dream that today, finally, my son would run to me and hug me, saying "Dad." But it never happened. Not once. My daughter, a year older than my son and well aware of my dream, tried to teach him those two letters, "Dad," for almost 10 years, but it was no use, and she gave up first. I, too, was no longer able to dream that dream after 20 years.
_From "The Story of How I Came to Record My Life"

Table of Contents

Author's Note_ In Search of 'Peter Pan's Neverland' … 4

Part 1: A Father's Days

Reason for the Memoir … 13
Life Discharge Order … 18
Dad's Welcome … 23
A Friend Who Always Smelled Delicious … 28
Ghost Mountain Hut in Downtown Seoul … 32
Yard Cat 1 of Ghost Mountain Hut … 42
Living Funeral, 82 Lightning Strike after 38 Years … 52
Two Bowls of Servant's Meal … 60
Grass Field, Flower Garden, Vegetable Patch Ghost Garden … 64
Interview or Confession … 72
A Father's Wish Left by the Interview … 83
Gongju Clan's Last Kimchi Making … 89
Yard Cat 2 of Ghost Mountain Hut … 96
Adieu 2025 … 105
Forest Gump's Recollection … 112
Dongdaemun Baseball Stadium on a Summer Night … 119
I'm Going to Meet You Soon … 125
Lost Child and Solitary Death … 132
Harsh Decision and Reversal … 138
Storytelling Cartoon World … 144
Mother's 'World Literature Collection' … 150
From Rebel to Entertainer … 156
Live Busily, or Die Busily … 163
Campus Unofficial Historian … 169
Connection with the 'Kkwon' Born from the 'Graduation Quota System' … 177
The Entertainer Who Couldn't Become a Revolutionary … 183
Bonfire of Resentment … 194
His Statement of Regret to Heaven … 204
Judging the Facts, Starting a New Path … 211
'Life's Final Ceremony' Picnic, Heavenly Return, Finally Freedom … 219
Two Colors, Blue … 225
Sprouting on the Rising Grass … 232


Part 2: A Son's Days

The Story of How I Came to Record My Life … 245
My Son's Morning … 252
Autumn Picnic, Prehistoric Culture Festival … 260
Peter Pan Syndrome … 268
Ocean Paradise … 275
Practice of Farewell … 284
Moses' Staff … 291
The Beginning of the Battle, Growing Hope … 296
Morning of Departure in the Rain … 304
Drumbeat of Victory … 310
The Last Supper … 315
Separation for Life … 323
Empty House … 330
The Vanished Sky … 336
The End of the 'Ellipsis' … 342
The Beginning of the 'Comma' … 349
"God? Appear in My Court!" … 358
Goodbye, Peter Pan! … 366
In Search of Neverland … 375
Peter Pan's New Home, Synopsis of Happiness … 385
Like a Dandelion … 397
The Boy Barry Couldn't Protect … 408
'Odones' Myth, 'Lorenzo's Oil' … 419
Miracle on 34th Street … 434
Miracle on 333rd Street … 440