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Prologue. I Chose the City Over School

29 5월 2026 • 3 min read

[Pen Artist Ha-jung Lee Series - A DIY Study Abroad Starting with Just a Pen] Prologue

Quarter-Life Crisis

I knew how to work.

But I didn't know what I actually liked.

I spent eight years working as a product manager at a startup.

In meeting rooms, I was always solving other people's problems.

I drafted documents, designed screens, and chased deadlines.

When my friends were in college, I was at the office.

Some chose a major, and some traveled every break. I went to work.

Was that time wasted? I don't think so.

I learned what people respond to.

I got a front-row seat to the words that move people and the structures that keep a service running.

But at some point, a question that had always been pushed to the corner of my mind rapidly began to grow.

What kind of things do I want to create in this world?

Driven by a sense of emptiness, I tried a bit of everything.

Photography, Drawing, Indie publishing, Filmmaking, I even dabbled in acting classes.

Different notebooks kept piling up on my desk, and pens rolled around in my bag.

My hands were never without a camera.

I carried this unresolved, fragmented feeling around for quite a long time.

But as I neared my thirties, only a few words remained.

Design, Drawing, Brand, and Something uniquely my own.

Suddenly, I wanted to learn design properly.

The designers I admired and the startups that looked so cool were mostly based in the UK.

'Should I study abroad?'

But reality hit me shortly after.

Language, Money, And above all, the lack of conviction whether this was truly my path.

Everything was uncertain.

Lingering on the thought, I checked an admissions website. They required a portfolio.

But as I tried to put one together, I hit a wall.

'Who... am I exactly?'

What makes me stop in my tracks? What makes my hands move faster than my head? What kind of scenes do I want to hold onto for a long time?

Naturally, Sitting in my room gave me no answers.

I decided to do what I always do.

My habit of fully immersing myself in the alleys of Seoul while walking.

I decided to extend those footsteps to the world.

I packed the three things I always carried.

A camera. A pen. And a few notebooks.

With a light heart, I walked out the door.

That is how my DIY study abroad began.

(Fin.)

[Pen Artist Ha-jung Lee Series - A DIY Study Abroad Starting with Just a Pen] to be continued.