[Book Club Review: The Story of How an Outsider Returned to the People] "Da-hee, I want you to practice trusting your teammates and voicing your opinions. It’s okay to be wrong. We’re a team, after all." These are the words my former manager, whom I deeply respect, told me for three years. Having started my career in a conservative company, I was constantly intimidated. My manager always taught me that our current team was a safe place to fail, so I should speak up with confidence. However, back then, I was always the one hovering on the fringes of the team. Because I had made many slips of the tongue and had been misunderstood often at my previous job, I felt inadequate and was terrified of being disliked by my colleagues.   During those stumbling days, I happened upon a book club by pure chance. "Learning a new skill doesn't make the anxiety about life disappear. You must become a solid person yourself." Reading the introduction to the book club written by Hyang-ro, I applied with the hope that I, too, could become a solid person. Fortunately, I was able to participate. I met precious people, shared my life, and discussed the parts of the books that resonated with me.   There is a moment that stays with me. One member said, "The life of the Little Mermaid isn't just a story of a woman who loved a prince; it's the very embodiment of the desire to become human." They said they wanted to emulate that. To me, this book club was that kind of existence. To someone like me who grumbled, "I’m the only one having the hardest time in the world, and I’m the only one struggling to grow," the team members showed me how they were quietly living their lives in their respective places. For someone who loves people, it was a stroke of great luck.   I liked the team members so much that I tried mimicking their words, and I spent eight weeks highlighting passages from books we enjoyed together. How to love, The meaning of work, The reason for working together, Living steadily at my own pace. While sharing stories on these topics, I found myself becoming a bit more solid without even realizing it.   I learned how to look into someone's eyes with a smile without fearing criticism at work. I gained the composure to offer a cup of coffee and listen to a senior colleague who was sighing. Even when faced with opinions different from mine, I found the courage to say, "I think a bit differently, but I want to try to align with you. Please help me."   When people hear 'becoming a solid person,' they might think of 'becoming a high performer' or 'becoming someone with high self-esteem.' However, the eight weeks of the book club were a time to talk about and learn how to live happily and humanely together.   I talked a lot of nonsense and joked around often. But it was a time when I shook off the gloom of last year and allowed myself to bloom. I am grateful to all eight members of the book club who were with me. I am rooting for your constant happiness.   Lastly, if there is anyone hesitating, I really want to tell you this: I am not good at reading. I tend to dig deep only into books I like, so some of the books were difficult for me. Even so, thanks to the members encouraging me and asking if I was reading well, I was able to finish them and submit my book reviews. While transferring and editing those reviews on my blog, I was able to organize my thoughts once more.   It’s okay if you’re not a good writer, and it’s okay if you don’t like books. This book club isn’t about becoming perfect; it’s a time to love and understand yourself and have a deep conversation with yourself. To those who are still scared and wondering, "Can I finish this?" I want to share a quote from my favorite drama, <When Life Gives You Tangerines> (You Have Done Well):   "If things go sideways, just back out."   If a book is hard, grumble that it’s hard, and feel free to experience a mental breakdown. Just as our lives always are, the book club will have its ups and downs, but for us in the 1st cohort, it was a time to return home with our own realizations. I truly hope those reading this will experience that happy time for themselves.   Thank you. Fighting!