The Second Chance Convenience Store Nietuzinkowy sklep całodobowy by Kim Ho-Yeon

Disclaimer: I read this book in Polish. I went through a few pages in both languages, but once again, the Polish translation felt cozier and more heartfelt—it just had the right tone for this kind of story.

This is an incredibly touching story about second chances and, once again, about the power of human connection. It shows how a single act of kindness can cause a domino effect, changing not just one life, but many. Helping one person can often mean helping an entire circle of people. Does it sound like karma? Absolutely—and I couldn’t agree more.

In my own life, I consider myself lucky. When I lived abroad and didn’t know anyone, I received so much unexpected help from strangers. That’s why I’m always the first to offer help if I can.

This story is especially close to my heart because the main character is a homeless man. And nothing moves me more than stories of redemption and second chances. In Poland, we have a foundation I try to support regularly—Daj Herbatę—which helps people experiencing homelessness reintegrate into society. I’m really into this cause. When I was jobless abroad, I often thought, what if I lost my memory, what if I became homeless? There are so many unpredictable reasons why someone might end up in that position. It can happen to anyone.

And that’s exactly where this story begins.

We meet Do-gyu, a homeless man living at Seoul Station, who finds a pink wallet belonging to an elderly woman. Inside is a note: “If you find this, please call me. There will be a reward.” Something about her kind-looking face makes him decide to return it—and that one small decision changes everything.

The woman, grateful for his honesty, offers him a daily meal at her convenience store.

Later, when a group of teenagers begins causing trouble at the store—and one of them tries to hit her—Do-gyu is there. Maybe he even saves her life. The teenagers were trying to prove something to each other, showing off, and things got out of hand. After that incident, she offers him a job, surprising both the staff and the regular customers.

But none of the staff complain. She pays them well, and truthfully, she doesn’t even need to run the store—she keeps it going so that the people close to her have work. Without it, they might not make it.

As Do-gyu begins working there, we meet other characters and witness how he impacts their lives.

He helps a man who’s struggling at work and slipping into alcoholism. Do-gyu gently suggests that instead of sitting alone outside the store drinking soju, maybe he could go home and drink corn tea with his family. The man resists at first, but this one shift changes his life.

Then there’s a store employee, a young woman dreaming of a government job. She’s introverted and doesn’t perform well under pressure. At first, she’s annoyed that she has to train a homeless man, but eventually, Do-gyu helps her too. He tells her she’s great at explaining things, and she starts posting short videos online about how to use different products in the store. Her content goes viral, and she ends up getting promoted to store branch manager.

“Thanks to him, she realized that helping others can be fulfilling, and she discovered she had a natural talent for it. Maybe the way to help people like the homeless is by slowly and gently getting closer to them? She, the introvert who never felt part of society, found something that connected her to others.”

And we return to the core of it all—you can’t live entirely alone.

“Life is about relationships with others, and relationships are about communication.That’s when I realized that happiness isn’t something unreachable.It’s about sharing your heart with the people around you.”

Do-gyu never judges anyone. Maybe it’s because of his past.

One day, another staff member, Mr. Oh—who had been extremely critical of Do-gyu—suddenly opens up. He’s struggling with his relationship with his son and feels like he can’t connect with him anymore.

Do-gyu gently says:

“When people listen to each other, things get lighter.Please try listening to your son. Then… it might get a little easier. Even just a little.”

And that’s when Mr. Oh realizes—he’s never really listened. He always told his son how to live, but he never asked what his son truly thought, never asked if he was struggling. That one conversation changes everything.

All these relationships not only transform the people around him—they also help Do-gyu slowly rediscover who he is.

There are a few other storylines, but I don’t want to spoil the whole book.

What I’ll leave you with is this: before he was homeless, he was a doctor. A surgeon. He had a family.

“Happiness isn’t on the road to anything. That happiness is the road. (…) be kind because everyone you’ll ever meet is fighting a hard battle.”