Baek Se-hee, author of the widely acclaimed memoir I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki, has died at 35. The cause of her death has not been made public. Known for her calm, clear voice on mental health, Baek captured the weight of quiet suffering in a way few writers have.
Her first book, drawn from her real-life therapy sessions, struck a chord with readers in South Korea and far beyond. It was published in over 25 countries and sold more than a million copies worldwide. The English edition, released in 2022, opened up her work to a global audience that saw their own struggles reflected in her words. She wrote not to lecture or solve, but to share honestly and without drama.
Baek lived with dysthymia, a persistent, low-grade form of depression. Her writing didn’t offer easy answers. Instead, it permitted readers to feel what they felt without shame. Her follow-up book, released in 2024, continued in the same vein: honest, open, and deeply human.
After her death, it was revealed that she had donated her organs, saving five lives. It was a quiet final gesture from someone who had already given so much of herself.
Baek Se-hee didn’t try to be a voice for a generation. She simply wrote what was true for her. That truth, shared plainly, became something powerful. Something that will outlast her.
