Seoul National University professor Kim Rando advises Korea’s youth to face up to reality and believe in the possibilities of their future in his 42 short essays for the younger generation.

Rando gives advice to those feeling lonely and uneasy about their future and urges them to make a miracle in their own lives.

The book “Youth, It’s Painful” is divided into five parts to point out his message.

In the first part “There is no answer anywhere, other than your eyes” advises readers to find their dreams by stating where they are right now. By calculating their “life watch,” they will discover life is longer than they first thought.

Kim asks: on the assumption that you live for 80 years, what time do you think 24 years out of 80 years will be? It’s 7:12 a.m. If you just graduated from college, you are just passing 7:12 in the morning.

Don’t you think it is earlier than you think? This is when people wake up and prepare for the day. Probably some people are still sleeping late into the morning, Kim advises.

He says most young people think they do not have enough time, but they are still in the morning of their lives. Kim emphasizes the fear that “I am behind!” is not a fact, but a self-deception.

“You should never have an excuse to give up nor feel discouraged. Though it is too early, at least you can change something. There is no such an age as too late, nor too early,” he continues in the same chapter.

Seoul National University students voted the professor as the best mentor because he has brought much empathy through his works published on Naver and Cyworld.

When his short story, “Slump” became popular, people applauded him as a mentor for young people. He gives comforting advice to people who feel unsure about their future.

Sometimes, he scolds coldly to awaken dormant ideas within his readers. His scolding also delivers them courage to overcome all sorrows and setbacks they may face.

Once in a while the older generation is nostalgic about the golden period that teens enjoy. But the life of Korean youths is not all splendor, says the professor.

He laments that they are continually filling their resumes, knocking on the doors of employers and getting used to society, but they have no vision of tomorrow.

Kim says the youths of today still cannot answer questions such as: ‘Am I doing well or not; is this road mine or not?’

This book clears up the mental agony of youth because it is based on what he experienced himself, as the essays contain stories from his own past, and lessons that he learned. Kim narrates these as if he were talking to his younger brothers and sisters.

Also, addressing his readers using “dang shin,” which means the respectful “you” in Korean, allows Kim to show respect for his young readers while also giving them sage advice.

By Jung Hee-young, Intern reporter (jennijung88@gmail.com)