SUMMER 2025 15
S T O R Y & V I S I O N
previous page: Watercolor by
JiSoo Kim; this page (from top
left): The Wylde-Pak family;
Background art for the
family home and community
incorporated textures from
Kim's watercolors.
The way the kids look reflects
their comfort with being outsiders.
They don't put a great deal of
effort into bonding with their
peers. Jack can easily talk to
adults and impresses Halmoni
with his manners and knowledge
of Korean culture. And kids glow
with awe when Lily saunters into
the local arcade to raid a game
for the treasure she seeks. But
she swiftly leaves before she
can break a sweat–"comfortable
in her nerdiness," Youn says.
"I think in our generation, we
were the shy nerds," he adds.
"The generation nowadays is the
complete opposite where they're
proud to be nerds… I like observing
trends, so that was something I
was definitely keeping in mind
when I was [working on] Lily."
In bringing multiple elements
together, Wylde Pak manages
to cover a lot of ground, both
artistically and thematically,
and still entertain. And Kim
notes that while, yes, there are
fun and silly episodes, there are
heartfelt moments, too. Moments,
she says, that go beyond mere
entertainment and "make you
think, make you wonder."
—Whitney Friedlander
