0000
Author's Note
Interview with author Lim Seon-woo

“Please tell him I’ll see him again next time.”
A cat that ran into the darkness where it seemed like the lights would never turn on

The short story collections “With a Ghost’s Heart” and “Green is Everywhere” were published, and “0000” by author Seonwoo Lim, winner of the 2023 Kim Yu-jeong Writer’s Award, has been published as part of Wisdom House’s short story series, Wipick.
《0000》 is a novel that begins with the imagination of a protagonist who “does not even have the emotions left to miss or grieve for what has been lost” (p. 87).
The novel begins with the lonely and quiet death of the protagonist, who has “0 bank balance, 0 interpersonal relationships, 0 kilometers of range, and 0 messenger notifications” (p. 59).
I opened my eyes in an unfamiliar basement filled with gray and met a black cat who kidnapped me to the middle ground between this world and the afterlife.
Special agent cat 'Oh-hu', who works to ensure the safety of stray cats, suggests that I teach him 'the secret to eliminating presence'.
In the afternoon, he says, “I have never found a human being as insignificant as you” (page 18), and wants to learn how to live safely without being noticed by humans.
“If I’m watching TV, he’ll turn it off, and if I’m in the room, he’ll come in and turn off the lights” (page 37), so I, whose presence was so faint, was lost in thought after hearing the afternoon suggestion.

Making a ball of energy, something I learned at a qi training center as a child, becoming an object with a quietness that “no one pays attention to” (p. 42), like a bench or a streetlight.
In the afternoon, I practice emptying myself of everything that makes people human and cats cats.
Afternoon and I talk about our pasts and soon come to a conclusion.

I, who had become so unaware of my own pain that living itself became the purpose of life, was confronted by an external illusion that suddenly burst in, and was reborn as a being “free and able to go anywhere” (p. 71).
After exchanging greetings of “see you next time” (page 76), they walk away, disappearing into the dazzling light.

A special experience that allows you to breathe deeply into 'a single story'

Beginning in November 2022, Wisdom House will be introducing the most diverse and newest stories of Korean literature, one per week, through its short story serial project, "Weekly Fiction."
Over the past year, 50 stories have been loved by readers, including Gu Byeong-mo's "Shred," Jo Ye-eun's "Waiting for the High Tide," Ahn Dam's "The Girl Grows Alone," and Choi Jin-young's "Aurora."
The Wepick series publishes serialized novels in this way, and rather than the conventional method of binding together several short stories, it takes the unusual approach of composing a book with only one short story, giving readers the special experience of breathing deeply into each story.
Wepick is not bound by any criteria or distinctions such as material or format, and focuses solely on the completeness of a single story.
Through novels by a variety of authors, including novelists, non-fiction writers, poets, and youth literature writers, we break down genres and boundaries, expanding the possibilities and enjoyment of stories.

Following the 50 episodes of Season 1, Season 2 is filled with even more new writers and stories.
Season 2 will feature writers Kang Hwa-gil, Lim Seon-woo, Dan Yo, Jeong Bo-ra, Kim Bo-young, Lee Mi-sang, Kim Ki-tae, Kim Hwa-jin, Jeong I-hyeon, Lim Sol-ah, and Hwang Jeong-eun.
Additionally, Season 2 will include author interviews, telling a variety of stories both inside and outside of the works, further enriching the annual festival of 50 stories.