Haein Jeong's goofy zine wants you to Kill Them With Kindness

If you're ever in South Korea and someone calls you a 'ddorai' (또라이), don't necessarily take it as a compliment. Here's Seoul artist Haein Jeong to explain why.

Written By: Giacomo Lee

13 November 2020

Illustration of a teacup with a witch's hat emerging from it, surrounded by a smiling face made of pink cloud-like shapes against a teal background, with a hand pouring liquid from above

"Ddorai has some range of usage," she tells Creative Boom. "It's slang, and I wouldn't recommend using it in formal conversation. It can mean eccentric people who tend to make you laugh with crazy stuff.

"But it also means someone is horrible and incomprehensible. They can be too much of a ddorai; a good example is the managers in the movie Horrible Bosses."

Having had enough of the ddorai of this world, Haein has made Kill Them With Kindness, a way to vent her frustrations via a series of goofy GIFs and also what is the artist's first-ever zine publication. Wonky and Day-Glo tinged, the project reflects Haein's chirpy, funny personality in a way that reassures us she's not the bad kind of ddorai.

Two pages from Haein Jeong's zine showing colourful cartoon illustrations: a sun-headed creature above a crab on the left, and a house on fire with a cat on the right, against a blue background

"During the Covid-19 situation, I've been thinking about how to deal with these horrible people or situations. I googled to pick some brains on how to do this; the answer I got was to 'kill them with kindness'.

"I made a gif with this theme earlier this year, and I thought it would be fun to make a series on this subject. Also, if I was gonna make a series about it, why not make a zine, too?"

Open teal zine spread with two illustrated eyes surrounded by text reading "CANT YOU SEEEEEE EEEE?!?!" against a pink background

The release isn't a 'How To' on killing with kindness, though. "I wish I knew how," Haein admits. "I'm still figuring it out. I wanted more to share my suffering and feelings and to express something like 'revenge is sweet' in a witty and humorous way.

"The illustrations are more imaginative than practical, like 'I wish I could do this'. Similar to Tom and Jerry, it's cruel but still funny."

She adds: "I drew this piece below to illustrate what is going on in their minds, which is nothing. But then I realised that 'nothing' could be ours, too. No matter how much they give us a hard time with their 'ddorainess', you just forget about it. Ignore them. Keep peace in your mind. Don't waste your energy and time on them!"

Haein Jeong's zine spread showing a smiling face with a flower and a magnifying glass revealing a tiny island with a cactus flower against a golden yellow background

Wondering if Haein has ever come across ddorais through her art career, she reveals that a few have indeed asked for some "naughty stuff" from her.

"I've had a couple of emails with just a single line saying 'Hi, do you make nude illustrations on commission?' That's not even close to what I draw! Wonder how it would have gone if I had said yes, haha."

Follow Haein Jeong's Instagram @makemeunfazed.