Author Jeong Jia Discusses Changes in Relationship Building

The younger generation tends to avoid rudeness and interference in others' lives, often choosing to cut ties.

Relationships truly deepen when there is appropriate mutual intervention and a certain degree of rudeness is tolerated.

While exploitative or gaslighting relationships should be severed, one should be cautious about hastily cutting ties over isolated incidents.

The author states that true relationships prioritize a bond of 'understanding and waiting through difficult situations' over a 'give and take' interaction.

When author Jeong Jia first moved to the countryside, she initially felt stressed by friends who visited without notice and the culture of leaving doors open.

However, she experienced a natural lowering of relationship standards as they shared their unadorned selves, not bothering to clean.

Even when exchanging gifts, she found it more comfortable to share seasonal vegetables rather than adhering to formalities.

Through sharing food and making demands of each other, they fostered close bonds by giving meaning to each other's existence.

The accumulation of relationships formed while moving between Seoul and the countryside became a significant driving force for novel creation, and she experienced a change in her attitude towards relationships by living among people in an unfamiliar place, leaving the familiar city.

In the countryside, where personal histories and family backgrounds are shared, it's hard to show off. Unlike in cities, there's a strong culture of neighbors sharing food and side dishes.

In capitalist societies, workplaces and residences frequently change, making it difficult to form deep-rooted relationships with neighbors. Due to a system where cooperation is not directly linked to survival, cities feel more rigid.

While the rise of individual rights and freedom after capitalism was an important step in human development, maintaining a community sometimes requires individual sacrifice and compromise.

Like the characters in novels, one needs an assertive attitude to face unfamiliar external gazes.

Even if the majority doesn't understand, having just one person who understands and believes in you provides the strength to live in the world.

It is important to draw motivation from the encouragement of a few who support you, rather than the approval of others.

While this had the disadvantage of narrowing one's perspective, it had the advantage of not wasting energy on human relationships. Recently, by lowering relationship standards, she is expanding her human connections by accepting people of diverse dispositions.

The title of Jeong Jia's new novel, 'Jjini Advisory,' was decided after discussions with the marketing team.

The moment you assume you 'know' someone, judgment, criticism, and cutting ties occur, but if you assume you 'don't know,' there's less to criticize.

The author realized the danger of judging others when she saw those she had rejected living better lives.

The core of the novels she wants to write is to grant greatness to the lives of ordinary people who have lived their best.

The author herself draws on sincere life stories by interacting with friends from various professions instead of fellow writers, making it a crucial foundation for her creative work.