“On the day you looked back at me, I had someone by my side for the very first time.”

“Yes……then I will be you, and you will be me.”

This book is halfway between a picture book and a graphic novel, open to readers of all ages. The images in various layouts go back and forth between the demon and the girl, and their situations and psychology to create suspense with many implications. Their stories interlock and overlap to expand the meanings and themes. The unforgiving years that Mephisto, a demon turned stray dog, and a lonely girl spend together deliver messages of hope and redemption paradoxically. A dog that does not grow old from being a demon, and a girl who loses her memories as she grows older – their stories of desperation will make readers think about their own relationships and those around them.

■ This is where the real story begins

Inspired by Goethe’s Faust, the narrator of the book is the demon Mephisto. Belonging to neither Heaven nor the underworld, the demon fails to be saved and finally heads to the earth in the form of a stray dog. The first person that the demon encounters is a lonely deaf girl – someone who has never had her wish come true. The two of them naturally open their hearts to one another.

The story between the two of them, the story of the dog, the story of the girl, and then the story of the dog again – these are the four sections into which the story is divided. Each of the stories tells and exchanges a different story, coming together into a full-length story of 120 pages. The book is somewhere between a picture book and a graphic novel, creating tension by going back and forth between the past and the present. The illustrations focus on the main events of the story, while the texts tug at the readers’ heartstrings at just the right moments.

You asked what Hell was like. When you get there, you get to spend the rest of eternity in the form of the one who hated the most.

Yes, when we are sent to Hell, you will be yourself and I will be myself, just the way we are.

You then asked what Heaven was like. I have no idea. Perhaps you will get to live in the form of the one you loved the most.

Yes……then I will be you, and you will be me. You asked if I wanted to become a human. For some reason, I nodded.

■ Words of consolation and empathy for each other

With poverty and disability isolating her from family and society, the girl has no one to call a friend or to rely on. A ray of light appears in her life filled with hardships – Mephisto, a stray dog that is, ironically enough, a demon. The girl and the demon endure life in their own world, sharing love and joy of their own. Even mischievous deeds and pranks against the world become beautiful memories for the two. The girl takes pictures of each and every one of these memories as if to remember them for eternity. However, years pass, and the demon, who can neither age nor die, stays by her side as she grows old and begins to lose her memory. The demon is tormented by even bigger pain than the hardships they had to endure. When she even begins to forget about him, he decides to use one last forbidden magic to restore her memories. In the process, he realizes the true feelings of the girl, who loved him for who he is – a demon. In the end, a wish she had made with God turns him into a human, and the two rejoice. They are finally able to smile together – for they did not succumb to the hardships of life, and conquered everything through consolation, empathy, and love they had for one another. The book resonates more with readers in that it is a heartfelt story that incorporates the author’s autobiographical experiences. Children and adults of all ages can relate to this book as they reflect on the meaning of true family, friends, and relationships around them.

Luly studied alcohol theory. She won the 26^th Golden Goblin Award for Picture Book with THEY COULDN’T MAKE IT TO BREMEN AFTER ALL, and Munhakdongne Children’s Literature Award with Long Long Nights.