Every Moment Was You: A Delicate and Empathetic Exploration of Life

Back in 2018, there was one rom-com that stole the hearts of most K-drama fans: tvN’s What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim?, starring Park Seo-joon (as Vice-chairman Lee Young-joon) and Park Min-young (as Secretary Kim Mi-so). In episode 4, our protagonists get locked in a library due to a power outage. There, Mi-so finds a book and opens it excitedly, declaring that it’s a book she really likes and that “all of my dreams, when it comes to romance and dating, are in here.“

She then reads one of her favourite lines that goes:

I want to date someone like this: even if my heart doesn’t flutter every second or every minute, I want to date someone who, with only one embrace, makes me feel as if they’ve washed away all the struggles of that day.

No time for the complete article? Then, why not pin our summary? It’s at the bottom!

Every Moment Was You: A Journey Through Life

Unlike what I was first led to believe, Every Moment Was You isn’t a book about romantic love.

Every Moment Was You is a book about love. Full stop.

It’s about love towards oneself, friends, family, and lovers. It’s about loving the present moment, the beauty of the mundane, and the cycles of life throughout the seasons. But what is love, exactly? Ha examines love as the complex emotion it is, with all its facets and changes. Through Ha’s words, love is not only a beautiful feeling of connection, but it’s also care, appreciation, respect, and support. He reminds us that love still lives within us when we’re anxious, exhausted, and scared.

Ha’s words rely on strong imagery and, as he describes the world around him and compares his emotions to tangible elements, we feel the warmth and sincerity in his ideas. It’s easy to see why the book became a bestseller in Korea since there’s something extremely Korean about it. Despite the cultural environment in which his writing lives, there’s still something universally human about the emotions and situations he describes. With mentions of phones and social media, Every Moment Was You is also a product of its time and will comfortably find its place in the hearts of a younger audience.

Like the works of many of his contemporary peers, Ha’s poetry counts on free form and inconsistent meter. His delivery is very straightforward, making Every Moment Was You a very easy read. As his ideas come and go throughout the book, some repetition is bound to pop up. That’s why I would recommend reading a poem or essay a day. You could choose a random one or read them in order. I would take a wild guess and say that, if Ha had a say in it, he would tell you to read Every Moment Was You in whatever way your heart inspired you to.

After finishing Every Moment Was You, I think that’s the point: we should listen to our hearts more often. The beauty of Ha’s work lies in how he encourages us to be emotionally open and to share with others what we truly feel. There’s no shame in feeling, whether you feel a positive or negative emotion. It’s important to tell people we love and miss them, yes — Ha tells us more than once to go ahead and put our emotions into words that are loud and clear.

But he knows life isn’t just sunshine and rainbows. We all have moments when we feel small, worthless, jealous, tired, and hopeless — after all, we’re only human. With profound compassion, Ha acknowledges our feelings and inspires us to be more patient and accepting towards ourselves. He asks us to show appreciation towards our own efforts, regardless of how pointless they may seem. Every Moment Was You offers a helping hand, a soothing embrace for the moments we need someone to just tell us that it’s okay. You’re doing well. Let’s keep moving forward.

Ha’s writing is also full of gratitude towards the ordinary: the flowers that blossom, the leaves that fall, the sunrises that move us, the snowmen we make together. Optimistic and joyful, Ha reminds us that the world around us is nothing short of fascinating and the moments we share—with ourselves and others—are magical. Existence itself is a miracle that unravels in front of us, and we participate in this journey, which is why we shouldn’t be scared of making it our own. He celebrates the smiles and embraces, the hands we hold and the words of consolation we offer. Through Ha’s eyes, the weary, chaotic world we live in gains more colour and more melody. As long as we pay attention to the small joys that surround us, there’s always much to commemorate.

Romance In Every Stage, Shape, and Size

Of course, most of Every Moment Was You does explore romantic relationships. Ha manages to be extremely comprehensive in his musings, covering everything from the initial butterflies to the pain of heartbreak. Anyone, anywhere will surely be able to relate to at least some of his reveries.

More than seeing ourselves in the pages of Every Moment Was You, however, we can also learn a lot from it. From the most romantic and idealistic descriptions of devotion to the most realistic moments of anger and hatred after a break-up, Every Moment Was You navigates the euphoria, evolution, familiarity, and effort that goes into romance. Love doesn’t simply happen. It blossoms and grows and, if you don’t care for it, it can wilt. But even the end of romance isn’t that straightforward for Ha, as he explores the blame, shame, anger, and fear of an unknown future after the departure of that person we (used to) love so dearly. There’s no such thing as one size fits all in Every Moment Was You — relationships come in all shapes and sizes and Ha manages to discuss several of them.

I particularly enjoyed “love’s old name was care” and “don’t hurt others, don’t be hurt”, two wonderful pieces about how self-care, self-respect, and self-awareness are needed for a successful romantic relationship. Here’s just an excerpt of “love’s old name was care” that resonated with me:

Don’t fall in love without having built the right mindset.
Never expect to receive and not give. Or else the relationships will crumble, and you’ll pay a price. How foolish is that?

Learn to care before embracing the affection your partner showers on you. Tell yourself: first, I need to grow into a person I’m happy with before I build a lasting love. Then become the one and only for each other. In this world that’s boring as hell, the music we make together will hit a higher note than the treble clef. This is what I think is the fundamental value of love, the basis of care.

When you’re ready to fall in love, I hope you’ll meet someone who can tell you how much they truly love you. I hope you’ll meet someone who cares for you, someone who’ll shower you with love.

Should You Read Every Moment Was You?

Every Moment Was You is a delicate, optimistic, and compassionate celebration of love, human bonds, and the challenges we face in life. It reminds us that being human in this crazy world we live in is all about embracing our vulnerability, appreciating the mundane, and making an effort to be emotionally honest with ourselves and the people we care about.

If you’re not looking for a more sentimental read, Every Moment Was You might be a bit too sugary for you. However, if you feel like exploring your emotions freely and without judgment, I’m sure Every Moment Was You can bring some solace, reflection, and positivity into your life.

If you’re asking yourself what the title of Mi-so’s poem is, I’d say “fall in love when you meet such a person”. In Tan’s translation, it reads:

I’m not looking for the kind of love that makes me feel butterflies every minute, every second. All I need is a simple hug to wash away the day’s fatigue, quality time with you over conversations and comfort food.

I hope you pick up a copy of Every Moment Was You soon and enjoy it as much as I did — and will continue to do so as I reach out to it in the future.

Every Moment Was You is now available in the UK and Australia. Shanna Tan’s translation of Ha’s collection will also reach American and Canadian bookstores on November 18th, 2025.