A heartrending record of a father with terminal liver cancer struggling to secure independence for the developmentally disabled son he would leave behind has been published as a book. Moved by the story of the father and son shared through an online writing platform, readers raised tens of millions of won in donations, creating a warm miracle.
According to Kakao on Thursday, the essay collection "Goodbye, Peter Pan," by writer Jeon Kyung-cheol, who works under the pen name "Kkokdu" on the content publishing platform "Brunch," was officially published on the 25th of last month. The book is a 27-year record written by a father who received a terminal diagnosis, chronicling his despair and hope as he worried about the future of his son with severe autism spectrum disorder, who would be left alone after his death.
Jeon, once the head of a solid information technology (IT) company, was gradually pushed to his economic and psychological limits while caring alone for his developmentally disabled son and attending to his elderly mother suffering from dementia. To make matters worse, when he himself received a terminal liver cancer diagnosis in April last year, finding a residential facility where his son could safely stay became the final task of his life. For Jeon, Brunch served as an emotional outlet to pour out his worries amid a difficult reality.
Jeon's struggle became known to the world when it aired on MBC's "Real Story Investigation Team" in March this year. After the broadcast, viewers who learned of the desperate father and son flocked to the Brunch platform and began sending warm support.
Readers' encouragement translated into practical help through Brunch's creator support model, the "Cheer" function. Readers made the writer's final wish a reality, raising about 80 million won in donations along with more than 1,900 supportive comments.
Brunch also actively connected the publishing partnerships it holds in line with readers' enthusiastic response. It arranged a publishing contract with partner publisher "Iyagijangsu," completing everything from contract to official publication in just one month.
Thanks to readers' support, the son, Je-won, secured a stable new home at "Hope Green Village," an independent living community home located in Jecheon, North Chungcheong Province. Having fulfilled his final wish, Jeon did not stop there. He began establishing the "Peter Pan Foundation," which supports the construction of independent living community homes so that people with disabilities like his son can live without housing concerns. It was a moment when a small record in digital space expanded into the creation of social value addressing the housing and care issues of people with severe disabilities.
"This was writing I put down with the hope that even just one person would look after my son, who would have to survive alone," Jeon said. "I never dreamed that miracle-like moments I couldn't even imagine would come to us, and I am simply grateful to everyone for all the days up until today."
Kakao said it plans to further solidify a mutually beneficial ecosystem that realizes creators' dreams and adds social value based on this case. As of the first quarter of this year, 102,000 writers are active on Brunch, and 11,000 original books have been published.
Lee Seung-hyun, head of social impact performance at Kakao, said, "This case is a meaningful achievement that proves in reality Brunch's unique 'virtuous creative cycle model,' in which good writing moves readers and readers' support in turn becomes the driving force for creation." He added, "We will continue to firmly build a mutually beneficial ecosystem connecting readers and creators so that creators can achieve their dreams through the power of writing alone, without barriers."
