Who am I? Please, answer me!

Despite the struggle, the words, the sounds, resonate more clearly…

The truth that shakes up the life of a sixteen-year-old girl

A month-long special journey of self-discovery

Wait for the Wind illustrates the journey of a girl perplexed by a secret that’s accidentally revealed. Eventually, she looks beyond the truth and embarks on a journey to discover the value and meaning of love. Hangang, the protagonist, navigates through complex and delicate emotions, intertwining her story with the unfamiliar setting of India, which adds intrigue to the narrative. Furthermore, the sentences vividly portray the everyday lives of teenagers with a sense of realism, evoking deep empathy. 

The book’s author, Lee Ok-su, who won the Four Seasons Literary Award with her work The Blue Ladder, has consistently laid eyes on the painful and marginalized aspects of our society. Whether portraying the struggles of people living unconventional lives in urban slums, mining villages, and factories from a teenager’s perspective or depicting social issues like domestic violence and single mothers, Lee Ok-su has captured the complexities of life. Having traversed schools nationwide, embracing the concerns and pains of adolescents, her works weave and reveal the reality of teenagers today and now.

Hangang, a sixteen-year-old girl, accidentally overhears a conversation between her mother and aunt and discovers a “secret” about herself. A single phrase, better left unsaid, shatters the world that Hangang believed in and relied on. Confused and lost, Hangang receives an unexpected suggestion from her aunt—to travel to India together. Although she has never visited the country and has not much knowledge of the place, Hangang readily agrees and follows along. Thus begins a month-long journey to India. Amid unfamiliar people and landscapes, Hangang finds herself thinking of her mother at unexpected moments. When she’s served fried rice at a restaurant she’s stopped by for lunch and during a sudden bout of seasickness that lands her in a hospital, her mother’s round face flashes before her eyes. Tears gush from her eyes at the thought of her. The more she tries to push her away, the heavier and more deeply her mother’s presence saturates her heart. Only then does Hangang truly realize the significance of her mother. Meanwhile, Hangang’s aunt wanders the streets of India every day in search of a man she broke up with long ago. Hangang cannot understand her aunt chasing the traces of a love that has already passed, but she accompanies her without saying a word. Watching her aunt tirelessly search for her love during a physically challenging journey, Hangang reflects on love. Whether on the road or in a train, as Hangang engages in conversations with her aunt, she gradually learns the untold stories of her mother and aunt, one by one. She also discovers the truth behind a secret she never could have imagined.

At certain moments in life, people will encounter secrets. Some secrets might be a stroke of good fortune, while others can drag you into deep despair. What truly matters is to have the courage to face and embrace it as one’s own. Waiting for the Wind is a novel filled with encouragement and solace for those grappling with secrets both big and small.

Lee Oksu depicts youths as extraordinary individuals who radiate in the shadows, capable of singing and dancing without the reliance on background beats. The author received a doctoral degree in young adult novel studies from Korea University and taught at the university. Her literary works encompass various young adult novels, including anthologies such as Children Turned into Monsters and individual works like Kissing My Life, I Am K, It’s Okay, It’s a Happy Ending, There’s No Such Thing as Dog Days, and more. Notably, Lee Oksu was honored with the prestigious Four Seasons Literary Award for her work, The Blue Ladder.