VOL.69/2024.04

 

#Mystery & Thriller

KPIPA Introduces K-Books for Global Publishing Markets through K-Book Platform

2022.12.05

 

Leap Year

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Leap Year
Author | Song Kyounghyuk
Publisher | GOZKNOCK ENT
Publication Date | 2022-03-18
ISBN | 9791163162971
No. of pages | 304
Dimensions | 128 * 188

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | Park Miae
Email | miaepark@gozknock.com
Phone | +82-10-2733-1219

 

3. Book Intro

 

Tragedy is nothing but a result of desperation.
Suhyun lived with his mother who was seriously ill. He barely made ends meet by illegally driving a taxi. On February 29 of 2004, he happened to meet a woman whose username was Hyunchae on a poker website. They arranged an in-person meeting, and Hyunchae appeared at the meeting place with pistols. In the spur of the moment, they stole a car and drove to an underground parking lot of a bank, where they robbed 300 million won from a cash transportation truck. They shot and killed a bank employee in the course.

The accomplice who demands money every four years
As they parted ways, Hyunchae said that she would meet him again on next February 29, but Suhyun did not pay attention to her words. With the money from the bank robbery, Suhyun started a successful business and the bank robbery case remained unsolved.
On February 29, 2008, Suhyun happened to pass by the place where he had met Hyunchae and came across her who had been waiting for him all day. Hyunchae was carrying a gun and demanded money from Suhyun.
On February 29, 2012, Suhyun again met Hyunchae on Jayu-ro. She demanded more money, but he refused. Several days later, there was a car accident on Jayu-ro that involved a man’s death.

That tragedy might not be a coincidence
After that, Suhyun never went to meet Hyunchae on February 29. Instead, having a hunch that she was fixing her eyes on him, he hired a detective agent to investigate her. The investigation revealed that Hyunchae was a victim of a horrible crime of illegal sex filming. The man who died on Jayu-ro was the one in the film, and Suhyun came to learn that he was deeply involved with the crime. People who were involved with the film were dying one after another.
Suhyun desperately searched for Hyunchae in vain.
What she wanted...
On February 29, 2020, reappearing in front of Suhyun, Hyunchae points a gun at his head. Suhyun manages to overpower her then puts her into a car trunk, sinking the car into a lake.
Several days later, however, someone tips off the police about the sunk(en) car. When they open the trunk, someone else but Hyunchae is found dead. The dead body turns out to be another assailant of the sex crime involving Hyunchae.
Suhyun recognizes the dead body as the one he and Mubae committed to the waves a few years ago and gets confused. Because of this incident, Mubae gets Suhyun wrong and attempts to kill him in the end. At the critical moment, the police is called in to save Suhyun based on a tip-off from somebody, but they arrest Suhyun as the culprit of the bank robbery and murder case of 2004.
On February 29, 2024. Hyunchae visits Suhyun in jail. Suhyun retrospects upon the past, looking at her, and thinks that he may have fired his gun in spite of himself.

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=6321

 

 

Reborn

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Reborn
Author | Kim Sian
Publisher | GOZKNOCK ENT
Publication Date | 2022-01-21
ISBN | 9791163162360
No. of pages | 320
Dimensions | 145 * 210

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | Park Mi-ae
Email | miaepark@gozknock.com
Phone | +82-10-2733-1219

 

3. Book Intro

 

At the happiest moment, a child appears from the past
A baby is born to Ji-young and Seok-hoon who are happy together. It is a “reborn child” who has no philtrum and remembers his previous life. The child never speaks about his memories from his previous life. On his fifth birthday, he says “our home” pointing at Jeonghoe Village on TV. Ji-young and Seok-hoon go to the village, which has been devastated, and meet Mi-yeon, who calls herself “nowhere girl” and Mi-do, who is a doctor of occupational and environmental medicine there. They hear about the tragedy that occurred in the village 20 years before.

Perhaps it may be a seed of tragedy
Goh Mi-do, who is nicknamed Komodo dragon because of her venomous character, reveals the truth of the incident that happened in the village. Twenty years before, Mi-do’s father and elder brother died in the incident. Mi-do senses that the incident is closely related to reborn children and plans to use a reborn child, Gi-hwan. However, around that time, Gi-hwan is kidnapped. The kidnapper, who was once Mi-do’s good neighbor, tells her about an unidentified lump of meat. Mi-do remembers the familiar smell that she’d smelled before. It was non-perishable processed meat that she heard is traded in slums. Perhaps it may be the seed of tragedy.

What is the memory from the previous life that the child with no philtrum tries to hide?
As the conflict between Ji-young and Seok-hoon about their son reaches its peak, Seok-hoon is deeply confused and makes a wrong decision—to extract Gi-hwan’s milk teeth. Reborn children lose their memories when they lose their milk teeth, but if their milk teeth are forcefully extracted, they cannot grow normally because their memories get all mixed up. Gi-hwan manages to escape from Seok-hoon and arrives at Jeonghwa Village. Gi-hwan enjoys a peaceful time there with Mi-do and Mi-yeon for couple of days, but Seok-hoon arrives and takes him back home. Gi-hwan loses his sense to keep silent. In order to wake up an unconscious child from the abyss, his name from the previous life should be called. The past that the child refuses to recall should be revealed and what the child wants to forget should be asked.

All the sins of those involved in the tragedy should be disclosed
Mi-do and Ji-young try tooth and nail to dig up the past, while those who are sinful hide the past in fear. Finally, Ji-young and Mi-do pluck up courage and reveal the truth of the incident of 20 years ago. At the center of the incident was Yun Tae-seok, the director of Reborn Child Memory Storage Bureau and Won-seok, father of Seok-hoon. They produced processed meat using pork that had been unsuccessfully genetically modified and was illegally traded. They uncover the hidden truth and unravel the entangled relationship. Gi-hwan comes to his senses by being called by his previous name, and thus loses the memories from his previous life. People slowly realize that it was not that reborn children didn’t speak of their past lives, but that the people didn’t listen to what they had to say.

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=6318

 

 

Back Number

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Back Number
Author | Im Seonkyung
Publisher | GOZKNOCK ENT
Publication Date | 2021-06-30
ISBN | 9791163161806
No. of pages | 259
Dimensions | 145 * 210

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | Park Miae
Email | miaepark@gozknock.com
Phone | +82-10-2733-1219

 

3. Book Intro

 

One day, Lee Won-yeong, an ordinary college student, loses his parents in a car accident. He almost dies but miraculously survives. When he wakes up in the hospital, he sees something strange: green numbers flashing on people’s backs. The numbers are visible only to him. As the day passes, the numbers decrease by one. Won-yeong learns that the back number indicates the days each person has left to live. For example, if there’s a number 1 on your back, then today’s the day you will die.
Everybody must face their last day of life. However, we live as if “the day” will never come since we don’t know when that day will be. The clearest thing in the world is “death” and the most unclear thing in the world is the “day of death.” However, Won-yeong knows when that day will be. To him, it’s clear. But the one thing he cannot know is the number on his own back.

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=6320

 

 

Robot Teacher

 

Title | Robot Teacher
Author | Lee Heejun
Publisher | Byeolsoop
Publication Date | 2021-08-12
ISBN | 9791191204728
No. of pages | 523
Dimensions | 150 * 220

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | Bang Ilkwon
Email | everlys@naver.com
Phone | +82-31-945-7980

 

3. Book Intro

 

Robot Teacher, the first novel by the 25-year-old rookie writer Lee Heejun, is a perfect blend of mystery, sci-fi, thriller, and coming-of-age story, which offers a whole new kind of entertainment through the fusion of multiple genres and captivating storyline.
What stands out most in this novel is the amusing narrative that successfully highlights the beauty of each genre. The plot strongly grabs readers’ attention throughout, proceeding seamlessly from the cheerful beginning to the urgent middle part, and an ending that leaves a powerful feeling behind. The logical and intelligent humor created by the thorough and creative process of reasoning reminds us of such classic mystery books as the Sherlock Holmes series, and the dynamic chases and action sequences make our hands sweat like a Hollywood blockbuster. In other words, the book has perfectly utilized the head (reasoning) and body (action) together, demonstrating what it means to “capture readers through a story.” The fast-flowing yet smooth sentences support the dynamic narrative even further.
Another major strength of this novel is the characters. The protagonist, the AI robot named Gauss, is a humane and gentle teacher, who also plays the detective in pursuit of truth using its reasoning capability that surpasses that of humans. And Gauss, in turn, is chased by an old lady called Seon Yu-Han. Normally she is an ordinary and kind lady who works part-time at a restaurant, but since her grandson’s death, she pursues the robot ahead of the police with her dogged determination and remarkable reasoning. Combined with other original characters, the book creates a realistic and unique air — and a sense of fun, which sets it apart from other teen novels. While investigating a murder, the robot has conflicts with inhumane humans, during which it struggles to keep its own humane qualities. In this way, the book addresses the question of relationships and humanity, and the final decision of Gauss at the end resonates strongly across readers’ hearts.
It has been quite a while since we saw a genre fiction that has a powerful storyline and unique characteristics. The gripping story, fast plotline development, and urgent incidents appear without ceasing, giving no chance for the reader to feel bored or put down the book. To all mystery and sci-fi fans, as well as general readers who like stories in themselves, we strongly recommend this new type of genre fiction from Korea, a new level in teen literature.
The film rights in Korea were recently sold. Readers will soon be able to watch the movie version of the book.

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=5856

 

 

Poong-woon Tak, the Ghost Supervisor #2

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Poong-woon Tak, the Ghost Supervisor #2
Author | Choi Juhye, So Yoonkyoung
Publisher | BIR Publishing Co., Ltd.
Publication Date | 2021-03-25
ISBN | 9788949124568
No. of pages | 148
Dimensions | 130 * 190

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | Claire Yang
Email | claire@bir.co.kr
Phone | +82-2-515-2000

 

3. Book Intro

 

After much trial and tribulation, Poong-woon passes the final test to become a sinseon and is named a ghost supervisor. His master, the sinseon Cho, gifts him with a special present. It’s none other than a Cool Fish Bag. The bag is designed to wear around the waist, as is the fashion these days, and when Poong-woon places his hand inside, he immediately realizes its true worth.
Master Cho leaves on holiday and Poong-woon finds himself alone, working as a ghost supervisor. Thinking himself still a novice, Poong-woon isn’t sure if he’s up to the task, but he manages somehow, even without his master. Then one day, a guest arrives from the underworld.
Ipse Bong, who emerges from the underworld, is an old friend of Poong-woon’s. He is currently training to become a flower supervisor. To become one, he must also pass the test, which involves finding the Absolute Seed, which can blossom into the Absolute Flower. The Absolute Seed must be discovered in the heart of a human. Every person has a seed inside them, but they’re all different sizes and colors. The Absolute Seed is rainbow-colored and can blossom into an Absolute Flower that has the power to make any dream come true. Can Poong-woon succeed in finding that elusive human with a good heart and strong spirit, who has an Absolute Seed planted in his heart? Meanwhile, Poong-woon has become friends with Jin Barun, whose parents opened a restaurant in their neighborhood. But soon, a nasty scandal breaks out surrounding some malicious online comments written about Barun Restaurant, and it’s determined that the Heulseolchung monster was behind the attack. Heukseolchung is a small monster the size of a mosquito, and when he bites someone, the victim’s tongue turns black and he starts saying nasty things about others. Poong-woon succeeds in getting rid of the monster, but the restaurant still loses customers due to the vicious online comments. When they hold a small tasting event, some customers reluctantly arrive and upon tasting the food, become regulars. Barun, who is of good character and of kind heart, becomes stronger after what his family has endured. The seed in his heart grows to take on rainbow-colored hues and bursts into a flower. With the monster gone and the Absolute Flower obtained, it seems the hero has gotten everything he could want! But the book soon ends, with another adventure waiting on the horizon.

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=5623

 

 

Ankle-Deep Sea

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Ankle-Deep Sea
Author | Choi MinWoo
Publisher | EunHaeng NaMu Publishing Co., Ltd.
Publication Date | 2020-03-06
ISBN | 9791190492294
No. of pages | 264
Dimensions | 140 * 210

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | Kim Seohae
Email | seohaekim@ehbook.co.kr
Phone | +82-2-6487-3055

 

3. Book Intro

 

The Book Organizing Society has branches in nineteen locations nationwide. But the Book Organizing Society is only a name. The members are actually people who secretly move around and solve strange cases that occur everywhere in our lives. The branch office where Gyeonghae and Noa worked was located on the third floor of an old commercial building right next to the bus terminus. Gyeonghae was filling in Noa’s empty seat, who disappeared shortly after he found the mirror a client had requested, when Hanbyeol appeared. Hanbyeol handed Gyeonghae Noa’s business card and said he had told him to come anytime if something happened to his mother. Then surprisingly, the boy told her that his mother was immortal with eternal youth, and because of that she was being chased by someone. A boy with soft light brown eyes, precocious enough to surprise an adult. Gyeonghae was not allowed to accept a request from a ten-year-old boy without the consent of his guardian, so she first called on the boy’s father. But just as Hanbyeol had expected, his father seemed to have no interest in finding his wife.
Whilst Gyeonghae was thinking about what to do, Mr. Bear, the manager of the Society as well as a middle manager, appeared. He handed Gyeonghae a thick pile of documents and gave her a mission. According to the papers, the number of remains unearthed so far totaled an astonishing 91. He said that they had managed to block any press coverage for now, but it was only a matter of time before the case was disclosed to the world. “Find the important thing that is not important. I don’t care how trivial it is. You probably already know this, but everything that happens to us has meaning.” In that process, another request came in for the mirror that had come into Noa’s hands. A boy came, bones were revealed, and a mirror appeared--a special mirror that did not flip left and right. The fact that Hanbyeol came to Gyeonghae, and that before that, Noa had gone to see Hanbyeol’s family, that a woman who neither aged nor died had disappeared, that unidentified bones began popping up all over the place, they all seemed to be a part of a certain trend. They were all “phenomena” caused by one incident, and they were all some kind of sign. Gyeonghae had to uncover what that incident was.

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=5392

 

 

The Invaders

1. Publication Details

 

Title | The Invaders
Author | Jeong Hyeokyong
Publisher | Dasan Books Co., Ltd.
Publication Date | 2020-03-19
ISBN | 9791130629032
No. of pages | 344
Dimensions | 127 * 188

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | Han Seungbin, Jane Kim
Email | sbhan@dasanbooks.com, janekim@dasanbooks.com
Phone | +82-2-702-1724

 

3. Book Intro

 

He is a normal delivery guy who is in comfortable climbing clothes, carries a moving cart, and goes up and down stairs faster than an elevator. However, no one knows about him well because his identity has been unknown, even his name. People call him ‘Hangwoon-dong,’ which is the same with the name of the area he works for.
What he wants is consolation, a little bit of comfort. However, there are always troubles. Moreover, people in Hangwoon-dong never leave him alone. There is a depressed guy who wants to kill him. A village idiot who is always with his bodyguard bothers him. An old professor forces to study economic philosophy and his granddaughter always boasts her beauty. Besides, staffs of a gay bar seduce him with secret glances.
Can the normal delivery derive comfort from these people? The breathtaking story goes on from even the first page!

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=4445

 

 

The Day of Kidnapping

1. Publication Details

 

Title | The Day of Kidnapping
Author | Jeong Haeyeon
Publisher | SIGONGSA Co., Ltd.
Publication Date | 2019-07-17
ISBN | 9788952736253
No. of pages | 420
Dimensions | 130 * 203

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | Hyae-myung Lee
Email | hml@sigongsa.com
Phone | +82-2-2046-2854

 

3. Book Intro

 

“Let me introduce my kidnapper”
Myeongjun decides to kidnap someone in order to make money for his daughter’s surgery, but in the ensuing action causes a car acciden by mistake. His car knocks down a girl named Rohee, who was in fact his target of abduction. Rohee loses her memory as a result of the car accident, and believing Myeongjun is her father, keeps him on the trot. Impatient to return Rohee to her real family, Myeongjun rings up her parents, but they don’t pick up the phone. As a last resort, he goes to spy on Rohee’s house, and what should he see but the dead bodies of her parents being carried out of the house before his very eyes! To make matters worse, despite her memory loss, Rohee’s genius brain remains unscathed, and so she starts to suspect Myeongjun’s clumsy lies.
A delightful everyday mystery from Jeong Haeyeon, who is fast becoming a major thriller writer in Korea.
With five full-length thriller novels under her belt, Jeong Haeyeon has mostly depicted the inner malice and appalling duplicity of humanity. This is yet another masterpiece from the highly talented writer, which deals with the subject matter of abduction but retains humor from start to finish. The unlikely chemistry between the clumsy yet humane thirty-something Myeongjun and the teenage genius Rohee gives rise to many laughs. Yet at the same time, the novel never loses its identity as a thriller. As Detective Sang-yoon gets to the bottom of the case step by step, we become overcome with the chilling fear of human malice. Then there is the pleasure of an unexpected twist. When the truth is exposed in full, it becomes clear how the selfish human desire to get ahead can have terrible consequences.
At first, the relationship between Myeongjun and Rohee seems to be clearly defined as that between perpetrator and victim or adult and child. However, while Myeongjun is simple-minded and clumsy, Rohee is intelligent and quick-witted, and so the situation is soon reversed. Their relationship takes another turn when they pretend to be father and daughter. Rohee, who is not used to calling anyone Dad, finds it difficult to ignore Myeongjun’s blind affection for his daughter. The author satirizes Korean society, where many parents treat their kids as their possessions, and questions the real value of family through the uncanny bond between Myeongjun the kidnapper and Rohee the victim.

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=2625

 

 

少年易老 (A Boy May Get Older Easily)

1. Publication Details

 

Title | 少年易老 (A Boy May Get Older Easily)
Author | Pyeon Hyeyoung
Publisher | Moonji publishing co.,Ltd.
Publication Date | 2019-04-29
ISBN | 9788932035338
No. of pages | 256
Dimensions | 116 * 186

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | YUN SeoHee
Email | copyright@moonji.com
Phone | +82-2-338-7224

 

3. Book Intro

 

Novels by Pyeon Hyeyoung start out with unexpected incidents. As the narrator tracks the causes of such incidents and the dark veil of life is lifted, the cruel truth hidden behind the darkness slowly reveals itself. The way characters try to remove the darkness in their lives meet the phraseology of Pyeon Hyeyoung and drive the reader into the tense situation of the characters, putting a reader into a breath-taking thrill and involved in solving the mystery.
The title piece, 少年易老, comes from Chu Hsi’s work 少年易老學難成, which means “A boy may get older easily but it is difficult to master one’s studies.” When we focus on the change of a boy becoming an adult, the reason 少年易老 appears at the forefront of the book has great significance. What would the boy look like when he gets older? In other words, what does the adults in the novel look like?

What does it mean to become an adult? Knowing oneself better than anyone else and therefore maintaining one’s dignity in any situation? Pyeon Hyeyoung then asks a serious question. Will an adult be able to withstand every unexpected thing in the world? The once-kind father loses his kindness as he looks after his grandfather on his mother’s side (Next Guess), another character worked so hard and faithfully but eventually he was severely injured (Wonder Box), and even when appropriate amount of weedkiller was used but the yard is ruined (Lawn). In front of an incident you failed to anticipate, your body freezes in panic, maybe even collapses. Then you become obsessed with a single question. Whose fault is it? Why am I suffering because of someone else’s fault?
Once this question is asked, there is no end. You must find the one responsible. Even when you ask whose fault it was, in the end, there is only one answer. And that answer may be the one you wanted to avoid the most. The fact that you were there at the start of it all. It is unclear when it started, but as if life already knew you would fall, it drags you down into its fully-prepared trap. Within the pain, unable to blame anyone but yourself, will you be able to withstand the truth?

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=2194

 

 

Eversible

1. Publication Details

 

Title | Eversible
Author | Moon Mokha
Publisher | Arzaklivres
Publication Date | 2018-12-05
ISBN | 9791189015381
No. of pages | 416
Dimensions | 137 * 197

 

2. Copyright Contact

 

Name | Choi Jaechun
Email | decomma@gmail.com
Phone | +82-2-324-3945

 

3. Book Intro

 

The debut work of rookie writer Moon Mokha, who effectively blends sci-fi, fantasy and mystery!
A novel that tells its story as a novel should, through character development and scrumptious dialogue. The most outstanding novel of all the recent debut works in the genre fiction category.
Yoon Seori, a promising new investigator, ends up working for a corrupt police agency, helping them, and winds up with a criminal organization that she should not have been involved with. She is assigned to an assassination operation via an informal order and is sent to the operation area, a ghost town closed off due a large sink hole, a city where a devastating disaster took the lives of more than 40,000 people and the scars still remain. She finds hundreds of people in this city where no one should be and witnesses the incredible superpowers that they have.

* k-book.or.kr/user/books/books_view?idx=2839

 

 

 

 

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