Actress Jang Jin-young died of stomach cancer in September, after which it was belatedly revealed that she had been secretly married. She had wed her husband, Kim Young-kyun, while in the U.S. for cancer treatment, and registered the marriage to make it official in Korea just days before her passing.
Now her husband has published a book commemorating the 608 days of their relationship, called My Last Gift To Her [그녀에게 보내는 마지막 선물]. Their Las Vegas wedding photo, above, is featured in the book.
The book was published on December 18 and starts with their meeting in January 2008, and follows their nearly two-year romance. The last year of her life was spent receiving cancer treatment, and the secret wedding took place in the summer of 2009 in Vegas. The book also includes previously unreleased photos.
Husband Kim Young-kyun said regarding the publication, “Right now we all remember her clearly, but someday my memories will also grow dim. I don’t want that.”
An interview with Kim:
After seeing the book, how did you feel?
I feel glad. It’s wonderful to have the time I spent with Jin-young presented in this book. As the title says, I hope this can be the biggest gift that I can give to her.
There were a lot of opinions about your reasons for writing this. What’s your reason for getting involved in writing the book?
Right now, my memories of Jin-young are distinct, but I’m human and someday my memories will grow dimmer. I don’t want to lose my memories of being with her. Writing this was my way to deal with that. Someone who writes for a living told me that it helps and is a good method for organizing their emotions, and those words motivated me to write the book. Also, as I’ve already said in the prologue, Jin-young was an actress who had a great future ahead of her, and I thought it would help in having her remembered beautifully. Even when her time was limited, she didn’t give up hope and lived diligently, and I wanted to let people know of Jin-young’s passionate life.
Speak about the writing process. When did you start?
Ironically, I decided to write the book after I read a report in the media three months ago that I was writing a book. Afterward, I proposed it to the publisher, and I finished writing through a lot of help from other people, so I’m very satisfied. I think I said everything I wanted to say. I’m prepared to receive the reviews calmly. If anyone were to feel uncomfortable about anything in the book, I’d like to ask that they understand with an open mind.
With the book now coming out, you’re once again the focus of the press’s interest. Do you feel pressure from that?
If I was going to feel that, I wouldn’t have started. Jin-young was a much more womanly person than people know, and on the other hand she was also tougher than anyone. I hope that this book can offer a little comfort to the many people who loved Jin-young.
Via Mk.co.kr
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RECENTLY RECAPPED
This situation is so very tragic but I am glad she had someone to love her in the last year of her life. He sounds like a very good guy.
i never thought before there was a man like him..but then..oh Mah Gad..he’s a good guy..he married to her who was dying…i thought it only happened in drama but wow..it could happen in a real life…
she was so lucky..had someone like him…
but then..it was still a sad ending story…T^T
An ending to a beautiful love story…. it’s too sad.
Hmmm.. Life can be so unfair to people sometimes.Looks like a beautiful tribute to her.
This definitely does look like a beautiful tribute to her. She was lucky to have him in her final days. They look beautiful together.
Such a sweet man. It’s great to have a little bit of humanity in the world at least.
Beautiful and very very touching… what a heart felt last gift…
what a lovely story. i know how therapudic writing can be for some people and i am firmly stepping on the small little cynical part that thinks he did it for the money. i chose to believe that people are better than that.
funny, i feel a drama or a movie coming on…..sounds alot like one of those sad sad dramas.
Beautiful tribute and a good a way to remember their relationship.
This kind of act reminds me of ‘big gestures’ in dramas.
I had tears in my eyes reading this. I’m glad that he gave her comfort and happiness during the last days of her life.
“Right now, my memories of Jin-young are distinct, but I’m human and someday my memories will grow dimmer. I don’t want to lose my memories of being with her.”– so true! Thank you, Kim Young-kyun, for writing this book and giving fans more memories of her and for immortalizing probably some of the best moments of her life.
the only way that it will convince me that he didn’t do it for the money is if he donates the proceeds to stomach cancer research…other than that, i’m cynical about the whole thing.
he can still write the book as a memoir of her for him but why publish. if a love of mine ever passes away, i feel like to truly treasure our time together is to keep it between us..to the grave. it seems like he’s making it more like a show starring him instead of her.
Agree with what Anonymous said…people would criticize him for monopolizing on their relationship if he pocketed the profits for the book.. but if he donated it to stomach research then it would really be a great thing in her memory, especially since Korea is one of the countries with highest incidence of stomach cancer in the world. I think since these memories do belong to him, he has a right to share it – people write memoirs, it’s not a new thing. If its his way of dealing with grief, who is anyone to judge him. If a published account will immortalize their memories from his pov and he’s not writing anything scadalous to defame her i don’t see why not. I think her fans will appreciate it.
@12: “Why publish?” JJY is not an unknown person. There are others who are admirers of her who want to hear about the last days of JJY. I suppose from his point of view, he does treasure these memories. But theres no need to keep these memories to himself.
True, it would be admirable if he donated the profit of the book to a research cancer, but I doubt that would happen. He wrote this to preserve memories of JJY and to share it, cancer was just a cause for JJY’s death.
Its a bitter-sweet ending to their love story. I still can’t believe that she had past away, it just seems too unbelievable.
Please rest in peace!! Amen!!
@13 and @ 14
from my previous comment in #12…i know he has the right to their memory but to me the reason why she got married secretly is because she wanted that memory for herself…that part not shared with her fans. She obviously wanted privacy of her personal life.
Also, preserving memories is done through the heart…not through a book.
so touching!
awwww… I was watching SE7EN performance at a award show and she was there… SE7EN sang to her and all… I still can’t believe that she’s gone…
I agree with Anonymous (12 & 17) – good point about how JJY married secretly. I remember at her funeral his face wasn’t showed. I thought here’s a man who wants to keep private about who he was but then recently we found out his name, saw his face and now with the book publication…….I wonder if he asked her parents about what he was going to do (since he was involved in a relationship with her for less than 2 years and married for even shorter)……it makes me wonder if he’s doint it to make a profit too……
the book mr kim had written can be viewed in many ways
1. his using her fame to make money
2. using it to make him remember her memory longer
3. using the money and giving it to charity
and the list goes on
there are some good points and bad points and as koreans citizens will point out
they will point out anything that seems fishy or unkind
i remember sometime ago i read an article about an actress donating her time for charity and then it was twisted around to make it feel like she was something else
she’s doing a good act and yet people are using this charity theme to get back into media, whether its true or not, its up to the individual, its sad to see people criticizing others for good deeds
it all depends on how you view it
Awww that is such a lovely gesture! mad props to mr kim for summming up the courage to do all this.. so sad yet so sweet
(thinking totally positive
)
Rest in peace JJY.. may you be reunited with your love one in heaven..
very touching! Jang Jin-young should be happy that she had spent her last days with a man who loved her so much. The book recalls me of another famous Japanese book “Bride in the last month of her life” (don’t know whether it is the exact translation), which also re-made to a film, which is very popular in Japan and Asia. Just like the Japanese book, I think this book might help to encourage those who are still struggling with life and death to fight hard!
this is truly life imitating art. tragic cancer love story. truly sad. i wish the best for the husband and the family.
wow, what a great way to remember his wife… when i read his reason for writing the book, i almost cried… he wants to remember her forever.. aww..
Dramas pale into comparison to this real life romance….arrrrgh. So sad, yet so beautiful. I teared up in just reading this. I love the quiet bliss shining through that wedding photo.
“Right now, my memories of Jin-young are distinct, but I’m human and someday my memories will grow dimmer. I don’t want to lose my memories of being with her. Writing this was my way to deal with that.”
I cried reading this.
the whole thing is so sad,
but that’s so adorable of him, really.
What a stunning bride. I wish this book was in English. I would love to read it.
RIP Jang Jun-young.
I believe the husband wrote the book with good intentions.