I like being alone!
Misdelivered newspaper
A knock on the door echoed through the empty hotel.
The customer's confusing order
Special service for lifelong guests
Climb Peanut Mountain
Dark clouds are gathering
Would you like to eat lunch together?
Friendly Peanut Hotel

Judges' comments

Always be kind?!
The world's friendliest peanut hotel
Nuts, the only 'unfriendly' employee

Nuts is an employee of 'The World's Friendliest Peanut Hotel'.
However, because of his blunt expression and whispering voice, he is often misunderstood as unfriendly by customers.
The family that runs the peanut hotel together says to Nuts, “You look like a hamster who has had its peanuts stolen.
“Your voice is so pitiful,” he complains, and the more he does this, the more Nuts avoids the customers.


Most guests at the Peanut Hotel stay there to visit Peanut Mountain National Park.
The Peanut Hotel will also be closed as the peanut mountain takes a year off to protect the forest.
The family went on an exciting world tour for the holidays, leaving Nuts alone at the hotel.
There's still a guest on the fifth floor, but he's never left his room, so we won't run into him again.
The morning after his family leaves, Nuts feels a sense of peace for the first time in a long time.
Introverted children, and those who simply want to rest from the hectic pace of school-to-school life, will all relate to Nuts, whose heart races at the thought of being alone and quiet.


“I just happened to get lucky once…….”
I haven't left my hotel room in two years.
Mysterious guest Mr. Poljak

Just as Nuts was about to fall into a delicious nap, something he never dreamed of happened.
The only remaining guest in the hotel, Mr. Poljak, came to see the staff at the Peanut Hotel.
Mr. Poljak is a long-term guest at the Peanut Hotel, staying in the special room, but he has been confined to his room for the past two years and has not been seen by anyone.
That foolish Mr. Poljak came out of the hotel room when only Nuts was left.
To make matters worse, Mr. Poljak suggests that Nuts climb Peanut Mountain together.
Nuts has no choice but to go along on the hike, afraid of offending Mr. Poljak.
Mr. Poljak likes the silent Nut and asks him to be his friend, but if they were friends in the first place, Nut would never have gone to the mountain.
Nuts tries to keep his distance from the guests and avoid getting too close to them, to the point where he lets them go even when Mr. Poljak mishears his name and calls him "Nunuts."

Their relationship takes a turn at the lake at the top of Peanut Mountain.
Nuts, exhausted from his first mountain climb, follows Mr. Poljak a little behind.
And when you reach the top of the mountain, you see the back of Mr. Poljak sitting quietly looking at the lake.
In this scene, Nuts encounters Mr. Poljak for the first time, not as a guest, but as a being.
And wait quietly until Mr. Poljak makes up his mind.
“The kind staff, Nuts, have done a lot for Mr. Poljak, but the kindness of doing nothing is just Nuts doing it.
“What this ‘real’ kindness changed was Nuts’ own heart.” (Cheon Hyo-jeong)

Mr. Poljak confesses to Nuts why he is hiding in the hotel room, and Nuts reveals that his name is 'Nuts', not 'Nunuts', and the two change from being guests and hotel employees to friends.
It may seem like it would be comfortable to live alone without bumping into others, but we are ultimately beings who must live together.
It takes courage to face each other.
But the hope that can only be found in relationships and solidarity is shown by the hands of Nuts and Mr. Poljak as they descend the peanut mountain.

“Wow! What a perfect day!”
Like sweet and savory peanuts
A being I can love with peace of mind

Artist Kim Gyu-ah, who has been portraying the gentle and sensitive hearts of people, meticulously expressed the clumsy yet lovable appearances of Nuts and Poljak.
It immediately captures the attention of children with its cute and fluffy characters, while also conveying the emotional throbbing that Nuts and Mr. Poljak encounter at every turning point in their journey through the illustrations.
Additionally, the clever scene setup makes the reader more immersed in the story.
Nuts, who rarely knows how to hide his feelings, makes people laugh with his messy hair and wide, embarrassed eyes.
The scene where Mr. Poljak, who has been hiding from the world for a long time, musters up the courage to come out of his room and silently looks at the lake gives the reader room to imagine.
The peanut-shaped objects hidden throughout the picture provide a fun, hidden-picture experience.
After reading "The Friendly Peanut Hotel," a sweet and savory journey of two people who fall in love, you'll feel like you've had a "perfect day," sitting shoulder to shoulder with a friend and sharing your innermost feelings.