Kim Choyeop's New Work 'Pagaenjeodeul'... "Reread the Writing Manual... Wrote It Most Enjoyably"

SF Novel Dealing with 'Germs'
Focus on the Fact That Mold Also Solves Maze Problems Well
"A World Seen by Non-Human Beings... Helps Expand Human Cognition"

Author Kim Choyeop has returned with her new full-length novel, Pagyeonjadeul (Yes24). It is her second full-length novel, released two years after her previous work, The Greenhouse at the End of the Earth. The setting is an underground world where humans, driven away from the surface world filled with spores spreading 광증 (gwangjeung), have taken refuge. The 'Pagyeonja' are individuals dispatched from the underground world to the surface on missions. The protagonist, Taerin, dreams of becoming a Pagyeonja, longing for the dazzling colors of the sunset and the stars adorning the night sky. The novel tells the story of Taerin, who ultimately faces Earth and witnesses astonishing truths hidden within its unexpected aspects.

Author Kim Cho-yeop [Photo by Yes24]

As with her previous work, Kim focused on non-human entities this time as well. The subject of this novel is 'fungi.' At a publication meeting held on the 16th at Choi Inah Bookstore in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, she said, “When I was writing The Greenhouse at the End of the Earth (2021), I also considered fungi as a theme, but there were too few related materials or papers, so I postponed it. Then, through Merlin Sheldrake’s book Entangled Life and others, I learned that all living things are based on symbiosis, which inspired me to write this novel.”

Kim explained, “Mold seems to have no brain or intelligence, but if you give it a maze problem, it solves it quite well. I wanted to show what it means for a non-human organism like mold to imagine and think like an animal.” The intention is to transcend human-centered limitations by questioning how non-human beings perceive the world.

While maintaining the SF genre’s focus on non-human subjects, she also tried to add 'fun.' To enhance the entertainment value alongside the accessibility of her previous works, she even revisited writing guides she had studied six years ago when she debuted as a writer. Kim said, “I paid attention to accessibility so readers wouldn’t lose interest in the long story. There are continuous unique events that keep pulling the reader along. I cut out many dragging parts after reviewing writing guides. My previous work was criticized as static, so this time I aimed for a more dynamic approach. I deeply explored the characters’ emotions and relationships.”

Although she emphasized fun, she did not write simply. Unfamiliar terms such as 'Neurobrick' and 'Beomramche' appear more frequently than in her previous works. Kim explained, “I used to avoid including too many unfamiliar words in one work, thinking readers might not be familiar with SF, but this time I wanted to be bold. I feel readers have somewhat adapted and now might understand better.”

Regarding why readers should read this work, she cited 'cognitive expansion.' She said, “People might ask what imaginative content in SF novels has to do with our lives, but just probing what we know and don’t know expands cognition. When imagining non-human beings, our sensory experience is very limited, but I encourage expanding cognition nonetheless.”

When asked about adaptation into visual media, she replied, “I don’t think about it at all. Visual media must be made within a given budget, and considering CG (computer graphics) costs limits imagination. Instead, I focus on writing so that it reads well and is fun.”

Her next work will be an essay. She said, “I’ve been focusing on novels, so I’m a bit drained (laughs). I like video games, so I plan to write essays about games for a while. I think seeds for other works (novels) might sprout during that process.”

Kim Choyeop’s new novel Pagyeonjadeul, pre-released as a Yes24 original content, will be available first at Yes24 and local bookstores until the 29th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.