prolog
Part 1: Whispering Leaves
Part 2: The Tree That Swallowed a Heart
Part 3: The Forest of Waves
Epilogue

Author's Note

I just hope that Cheon Seon-ran's novel will reach people.
―Jeong Se-rang, novelist

'There is a person buried in this forest.

If you can't ask the dead for the truth, ask the living.'

Seventeen-year-old Yuna is an ordinary high school student who lives on Earth with her aunt.
But one day, Nine begins to hear the voices of plants, and sprouts sprout from between her fingernails.
A boy named Seung-taek approaches Nine and says, "You and I are the same."
Nine's confusion grows even more.
The secret that my aunt finally revealed was that Nine was the 'ninth sprout' and had special abilities.


“……The thing that spoke to me yesterday.”
“…….”
“Is that you?”
The surroundings suddenly became quiet.
It seemed like all the plants were waiting for the tree's answer.
Nine heard voices mixed with the sound of the wind.
It was the voice of the tree.
(Page 84)

Nine is confused by her newfound self, but thanks to her aunt who is still by her side, her friends 'Hyeonjae' and 'Mirae', and Seungtaek, she continues to live as before.
What has changed is that we can now talk to plants.
Through her ability to communicate with plants, Nine learns the truth behind the disappearance of her school senior, Park Won-woo, who disappeared two years ago, and decides to reveal the truth about this incident.
But the stories told by the forest alone cannot convince others.
Nine and her friends who believe in her are all seventeen years old.
If a few high school students suddenly showed interest in a case that was investigated two years ago, it would not be taken seriously.
Nine and her friends begin to find their own way… … .
Will the missing Park Won-woo be able to return?

“I can’t stop.
I will tell you as you tried to tell me.
“I should also let that senior know that he’s over there.”
He decided to later decide whether he was such a righteous person.
First of all, since I was originally a person who had difficulty holding back tears, I decided to think that I just couldn't hold back my tears.
(Page 141)

“Promise me this one thing.
No matter how frustrated and angry I am, I won't reveal my abilities.
absoluteness."
“It’s not difficult…….
“Because our species is in danger?”
"no.
“With that one word, humans will consider everything you say as a lie.” (Page 144)

Listen to the little truths.

Before people destroy the truth.

If I ignore the small truths that others try to ignore, the ground we stand on will slowly turn red.
Nine knows this fact instinctively.
The fact that Nine was a stranger and that she was still a young person who had difficulty making her voice heard in this society must have sharpened Nine's perspective.
Nine, who was “born with a personality that cannot stand being stuffy,” does not pass by those who, like her, cannot help but have small voices.
Ignoring it may bring peace, and not ignoring it may cause trouble, but even so, “I just can’t pretend not to know.”
To desperately prevent the extinction of truth.
The same goes for the friends who stay by Nine's side.

“It’s the future.”
Mirae's hand, which had been patting Jeongsu-ri, stopped.
Judging by his shallow breathing, he must have fallen asleep.
Still, I have to say what I have to say.
“Thank you for trusting me unconditionally.”
A single word from someone can make a person's life exist.
(Page 416)

Author Cheon Seon-ran has already excellently depicted the story of a humanoid rider in her previous work, A Thousand Blues, and has also featured unfamiliar beings in her novels.
In fact, strangers are everywhere, and I myself may become a stranger.
People often forget that teenagers, untrained in the grammar of society, are the ones who can find terrible things even more terrible.
Nine was the last to open his eyes in the most barren land.
And as it grows, it begins to water the barren land.
"Nine" is a novel filled with the emotion of a coming-of-age novel, while also containing suspense and mystery.
Nine and her friends, who have their own voices, embark on an exciting journey in pursuit of the truth, intertwining like vines.
Like a giant forest that forms a single ecosystem, 『Nine』 contains all of this in one volume and is a new masterpiece that is highly anticipated for film adaptation.


Sometimes it feels like the world is one where twisted adults create twisted children, and those children grow up to become twisted adults who then create twisted children again.
Before the world becomes one where complete adults disappear, so that we don't head towards a world where wounds and sorrow become weapons and cause another hemorrhage.
I wrote it with that in mind.
(From the author's note)

“Geumok, I am nine.
It became the last bud to bloom among the nine buds, so it became the nine.
“I was the last to open my eyes in this barren land where no life could be born.”
So, Nine means miracle.
(Page 417)

▶ Introduction to the Novel Y Series

A new dimension to the story unfolds!
The Beginning of K-English Adults, Novel Y

Novel Y is a 'K-English Adult' series confidently presented by Changbi, setting a new standard for Korean-style English adults.
It is comprised of works that can be relatable across generations, from teenagers to adults, and that provide both fun and emotion regardless of genre.
Unlike foreign English adult novels, which are considered a subculture centered on thrills and fun, this novel is characterized by asking serious questions while breathing in the sensibility of the times, and providing not only fun but also deep resonance and emotion.
K-English adult novels, such as 『Almond』 『Wandeukie』 『Wizard Bakery』 and 『Elegant Lies』, which are recognized for both their artistic quality and popularity, and have the potential to expand into secondary content such as video adaptations, will open up a new world of literature beyond Korea and into the world.


▶ Character Introduction

“I am nine.
The last bud to bloom among the nine buds.

So my name means miracle.” ― Nine

“Anyway, we are going extinct.
“You really don’t know anything, Yuna.” ― Seungtaek

“I decided to just believe whatever you say.
So don't doubt it." ― Future

“It’s just a matter of timing.
“It’s not yet, but it’s not like it’s never going to happen.” ― Hyunjae

"What did I do? I don't know." - Do-hyeon

“It seems like I was waiting for you.
“Aren’t you like that?” - Geumok


▶ Author's Note (Excerpt)

When I couldn't understand others, or when I couldn't be understood by others, I always felt better when I thought of myself as an alien of a different species.
So when I see someone on the subway not looking at their phone but carefully observing people, I think they might be an alien.
When I see someone who stops walking instead of running when the traffic light turns green with about three seconds left, when I see someone willing to lie down on the ground to take a picture of a flower blooming on the side of the road, when I see someone who is kind to a child or a dog.
Whenever I encounter people who retain that primal power among humans who have lost the goodwill that was once so natural, I wonder if they might be aliens.


Eight years ago, I was sitting on a quiet park bench and crying my heart out, and it suddenly occurred to me that maybe the trees and wild grass were listening.
I also wondered how many people's cries this tree had heard.
This story probably began from that day.

When writing the novel, I listened to BoA's "Atlantis Girl," Girls' Generation's "Into the New World," YooA's "Child of the Forest," IU's "To Your Name," and Kim Sejeong's "SKYLINE."
I guess I wished my voice was just like theirs.