Nobel Laureate Han Kang Credits AKMU’s Melodies as the Muse Behind Her Latest Literary Masterpiece

Ah, the serendipity of life—how a song can pirouette into our hearts while we're jostling in the back of a taxi, oblivious to the world outside. Nobel Prize winner Han Kang recently shared one such soul-stirring experience that has readers—or should I say, listeners—wiping away a tear or two. She disclosed that AKMU's melancholic ballad, *"How can I love the heartbreak, you're the one I love,"* had her feeling like a character in her own dramatic novel.

Picture this: it’s 2021, and Han Kang has just birthed her latest literary endeavor, *I Do Not Bid Farewell*. She appeared on her publisher's YouTube channel, and like a magician revealing her greatest trick, she unveiled that it was this very song that inspired her. "I finished writing the first draft and got into a taxi when this song started playing," she reminisced, a bit like a character navigating through a storm of emotions in one of her novels. “I thought I knew it well, but the last part unraveled like an unexpected plot twist.” And wouldn’t you know it, tears followed without any invitation.

Those specific lyrics haunted her, singing, *"How could I, to you/ Our love so deep as the ocean/ Waiting till it runs dry will be our farewell."* Now, isn’t that a poignant reflection? She remarked, “It’s impossible for the ocean to dry up.” And just like that, word by word, an image bounded into her consciousness, making her well up in a taxi—certainly a relatable scenario for anyone who's been caught between thoughts and tears while navigating life’s busy streets.

The ripple effect of her poignant confession? AKMU's song has begun its rise on music charts, like a well-deserved comeback of a classic. According to MelOn, the heartfelt track has climbed to No. 34, then hopped up to 27, and eventually—like all great comebacks—it soared to 23rd place. Every note, every tear, feeding into this musical renaissance.

In this ever-buzzing world, it's easy to forget the weight literature and music can carry. Here’s a woman, Han Kang, who not only won the Nobel Prize for Literature on October 10, becoming the first South Korean to claim this glorious title, but also highlighted the irreplaceable connection between art forms. She is just the 18th woman to don the Nobel crown, a testament to the indelible marks women are making in literature since its inception in 1901 by Alfred Nobel, the illustrious Swedish industrialist.

And so, with every tear shed in that taxi, a symphony of inspiration was born—reminding us all that love, heartbreak, and creativity are often stitched together in the fabric of our everyday lives. Here’s to Han Kang, AKMU, and the beautiful chaos of art threading its way through the human experience!