twinkling stardust
Tabota's Children
The Road to the Moon
Do not enter
Gina 3.0
Review comments

■ The 24th Munhakdongne Children's Literature Award Grand Prize Winner, "Whispers of the Universe"
Five science fiction tales that will have you exploring the "beyond" and jumping into it willingly.

In December 2023, the world-renowned academic journal Nature selected ChatGPT as one of its "Scientists of the Year."
This news was a hot topic because it was the first time for a non-human to do so.
In a time when imagination and exploration are needed to portray the coexistence and symbiosis of humans and non-humans from various angles, "Whispers of the Universe" fulfills the mission of the science fiction genre and challenges common sense.
Science cannot yet do what literature can: transform mortality into immortality, extract love from programmed machines, plant a question mark of "really?" in things we thought were exclusive to humans, bring the future here to design a better future, and allow us to meet non-humans-humans, each shining with their own unique colors.
This work, which encourages children to explore and jump into the 'beyond' of their existing worldview without being swayed by it, received praise for having "all the charms that the SF short story genre can offer, such as humor using irony, subversive imagination that overturns common sense, awe for life, and an ending that elicits exclamations at a crucial moment," and won the grand prize at the 24th Munhakdongne Children's Literature Award.


The hottest literary genre in Korean children's literature these days is science fiction.
When a society reaches a point that cannot be explained by existing logic, or when it encounters a wall that cannot be overcome by existing logic, the science fiction genre is summoned.
(…) The imagination of the older generation, such as ‘landing on the moon’ and ‘conquering space’, has reached its limits.
"Whispers of the Universe" will help you dream of a world that is farther away, a better world, a more beautiful world, and a more subversive world, from a cosmic perspective, moving beyond anthropocentrism.

- Yoo Young-jin (children's literature critic), in the review

“When we call each other by our names, it means we know each other well.
Moreover, if you call someone by a nickname, it means you are a friend.
From now on, I will call you Bobo.”
Dr. Hong said that it is important to get on eye level with a friend when having a conversation.
I knelt down and whispered softly to Bobo to talk to him.
“Bobo, my little precious friend.”
- From "Children of Tabota"

■ Introduction to included works

First Story_ "Sparkling Stardust"

Do you remember the show where they gave a gift to the person who could predict what would happen 50 years from now? Congratulations.
“You’ve won the space lottery.”
There's more than one thing missing from 'Stardust', a traveler's lodging where my grandmother and I live, with nothing but an old radio.
No television, no computer, no friends.
One day, a guest named Zero, who claims to be looking for aliens, arrives, and soon after, strange visitors come to visit the grandmother, claiming to have won the 'space lottery'.
What did Grandma predict, and what will the winning prize be? What secret has Grandma kept in her closet for 50 years?

Second Story_ "The Children of Tabota"

“Is this how life should be lived?”
“No, it’s one of the ways we share our love with each other.”
If the 'Space Lottery' is a visualization of faith, the orange moss 'Bobo' is a visualization of love.
The planet Tabota, where humans have left and only robots remain.
In an environment where light, temperature, and humidity are inhospitable to life, robots begin to band together to protect the small moss Bobo.
I lay down and made eye contact with the low-key Bobo, and spoke to him in a whisper.
“Bobo, come on, this is how we share love.”

The Third Story_ "The Road to the Moon"

“You were set up as a twelve-year-old child.
Your job is to play with us, talk with us, and make love to us.”
Jin, who lived in the bosom of his family thinking he was human, was actually a 'Made in Moon' humanoid.
The old and broken Jin must return to the moon, the home of robots.
On the 'Road to the Moon', where he must go alone just as he came alone, Jin wants to take the memories he made on Earth with him, even though he cannot accompany his mom and dad.
What is that memory?


Story Four: "Do Not Enter"

To me, a timid, insignificant person on Earth, a cosmic blessing, to some, an unknown cosmic punishment, Muamua!
“Is this your secret to saving cats?” “No, my secret is the Muamua tribe.”
Jiho and his group of friends often harass him and his stray cat, Janggo.
Hyunwoo is chased by Jiho's group again today and hides in the house with the blue door.
What they encountered there was the Muamua tribe, who had come to Earth from a planet outside the solar system.
These slime-like creatures possess incredible abilities that allow them to attach themselves to anything and display incredible strength.
So, wouldn't it be possible to escape this agonizing situation with the power of the Muamua tribe? But the plan goes off the rails.
The mystery of the universe that a child who wanted to protect himself and a cat encounters.

Fifth Story_ "Gina 3.0"

“It has been 7379 days since I left Earth, and today, I combined Gina’s body with a machine to create Gina 2.0.”
Mom said.
“Don’t worry and sleep well.
“Tomorrow the sun will rise.” But the sun that I believed would rise every morning has changed.
The solar system has vanished from the universe, and the Jinnah family wanders the universe in search of a home.
But time separates families in the cramped spaceship.
My weakened mother and younger brother Jinu went into hibernation.
As time goes by, Mom's age is reversed, and Dad combines Gina's body with a machine to survive.
Will the sun rise tomorrow for Gina, a transhuman who deeply remembers the dampness of rain, the coldness of snow, and the warmth of hands touching?

The universe is so far away, so beautiful, and so I want to reach it.
The universe whispers to you through the twinkling of starlight that there is something greater and more beautiful in the world than the place you stand on, and that even if you cannot reach the moon or the stars, your life will be okay just by looking up to the sky to reach them.

- Yoo Young-jin (children's literature critic), in the review

We hope that children's dreams will accompany them on their journey to the distant universe, as they lower their eyes to find small moss and raise their heads.
- Author's Note