Description: A picture book based on the autobiographical story of author Lee Chul-hwan, drawn from his real childhood experience of his father running a junk shop. Even though life was full of hardship and lacking in almost everything, the father never lost his warm heart toward those who were struggling even more than his own family — and his example speaks volumes to us today. The book reminds us that even without material wealth, we can always give and share through love and consideration, and that this is truly the force that makes life worth living. Beautifully warm colored-pencil illustrations breathe gentle life into the story. "Inside my father's junk shop was full of all kinds of things. There were robots, toy guns, a soccer ball with a dent in it, and a colorful flying saucer." — from the text One day, Father's bicycle disappeared. Our family ran a junk shop. My father rode his old bicycle around to collect scrap. Then one day, his bicycle vanished. It was just a beat-up old bike, but it was something our family truly couldn't do without. Father ran out right away and searched the whole neighborhood, but the bicycle was nowhere to be found. A few days later, in front of my school, I instantly recognized the bicycle belonging to the cotton candy seller — it was Father's bike. I ran to tell him, and he took me with him back to the school. But the moment Father saw the shabbily dressed cotton candy seller and the woman beside him carrying a baby on her back, he suddenly said it wasn't his bicycle after all, and pulled me away by the hand — even though it clearly was his. I felt more than just resentment toward my father — I thought he was being foolish. Anyone could see it was his bicycle, yet he said nothing and simply turned away. I couldn't understand him at all. Having lost his bicycle, Father faced the harshest winter he'd ever known. After a long, exhausting day, hunching his shoulders to warm himself by the stove, he looked more worn down than ever. Each time I saw him like that, I worried for him, but I still couldn't understand why he had brought this all on himself. Just as my disappointment and resentment over the bicycle began to fade, something unexpected happened. Early one morning, Father's bicycle reappeared. Faint footprints in the snow showed that someone had crept in and quietly left again, and in the black plastic bag hanging from the back of the bike sat a bundle of bright red apples, huddled together... A Warm Kindness Toward a Struggling Neighbor Standing in the yard, watching snow gently fall on the returned bicycle and the red apples, our young narrator finally begins to understand. Without a bicycle, Father would have had to walk through the freezing winter to collect scrap — but he couldn't bring himself to take back his bicycle from someone even poorer than himself, so he pretended not to recognize it. The boy realizes that behind his father's harsh words that day, brushing him off when he insisted it was their bicycle, was actually a heart full of compassion for a neighbor in need — and that his father's warm-hearted choice had been right all along. Though not a single word passed between them, it seems the cotton candy seller understood Father's kindness all along. By secretly returning the bicycle along with the red apples, he expressed both his gratitude and his quiet apology. Even amid poverty and hardship, these two men found the strength to encourage one another — and in their story, we glimpse the hope that still quietly shines throughout the world. This book is an autobiographical story by author Lee Chul-hwan, who touched our hearts with his beloved book Yeontangil (Coal Briquette Road), based on his real childhood memories of his father running a junk shop. Even though life was full of hardship and lacking in nearly everything, the father's unwavering warmth toward those struggling even more than his own family speaks volumes to us. It reminds us that even without material wealth, we can always give and share through love and consideration — and that this is truly the force that makes life worth living. This is a story that shows how even one small act of love can make the world a more beautiful place.