Balance game
10 billion in Seoul? 1 billion outside Seoul?
My Husband's Three Secrets
Hatred
Everyone must agree to escape.
What kind of gift would be good?
Did she kill her son or not?
Bad aliens, good aliens
Mom first, dad first
Heroes and villains never kill each other.
Should I press the money button?
disappear
Crayons that tell
Pillars of Light
An email saying my dead daughter is alive
Useless napkins
Instagram password instructions
A deal between villains and villains
Strange Beauty Salon
Total amount of damage
Are there jobs for seniors?
Everything is decided

Author's Note
Planning Notes

A new collection of short stories by Kim Dong-sik, author of "Gray Man."
The 9th and 10th volumes of the long journey of 'Kim Dong-sik's Novel Collection' were published simultaneously.
It contains stories that were serialized on Kakao Page and captivated 370,000 readers, as well as many unpublished works.

The absurdity of society revealed through thought experiments,
A man's dilemma in an extreme situation!

Volume 10 of Kim Dong-sik's Novel Collection, "Balance Game," uses thought experiments, a hallmark of author Kim Dong-sik's work, to illustrate the dilemmas of human beings in extreme situations.
The protagonist of the title piece, "Balance Game," is forced to make two choices in a state of ignorance, not knowing who he is, what he looks like, what he does, or even his gender.
'If you choose 1 million won, you can return to your daily life remembering everything', 'If you choose 10 million won, an innocent person will die, but you will return to your daily life without any memory of this choice'.
What decision did the protagonist make, and what choice would you make?
Questions and choices that no one can easily answer, such as "Why must we uphold justice, morality, and the law?", "Must we pay for things we don't remember?", and "Must we uphold the law even if there is no punishment?", expose just how flawed morality, justice, and common sense are in this world.
The impressive ending also shows the weakness of human beings while revealing the shallow hope and compassion the author has for humanity.
In addition, 22 short stories were included, depicting the struggles of people between countless choices, such as humanity and livelihood, hatred and forgiveness, and desire and justice.

Fast-paced plot, surprising twists, and a sharp look at human society.
Long-lasting impressions and deep insights contained in this short story

Square** _ The story is solid, the scene transitions are thrilling, and the twists and turns are amazing.
Happy*** _ It makes me think a lot while reading.
kim** _ It seems like you have deeply reflected on human nature and the role of society.
There's a reason to read it.
Mi* _ Isn't this a story about human types?
Those who want to protect everyone, those who want to protect their own families, those who want to protect only themselves. ("Everyone must agree to escape")
Jang Hyuk* _ It's scary, but the reason it's not that surprising is because we've already experienced it.
Even in reality, the truth is not considered.
It's bitter. (Did she kill her son or not?)

A card that can inversely determine your luck and the misfortune of someone you hate ("Hateful Heart"), a welfare system that pays income based on children's morality ("Will You Press the Money Button"), a beauty salon where rumors spread in reality just by talking in your dreams ("Strange Beauty Salon"), etc.
It's clearly a ridiculous story, but why does it feel strange?
That may be because Kim Dong-sik's novels do not focus on lively material, but rather on human desire itself.
"Balance Game" depicts the process by which various human beings, driven by greed, lead the world to destruction, revealing the true face of desire.
"10 billion won in Seoul? 1 billion won outside Seoul?", "Did she kill her son or not?", "Mom first, dad first", "Email saying my dead daughter is alive" - ​​the conflict between the characters is maintained taut like a stretched rubber band throughout the work, making it feel like watching a movie.
Kim Dong-sik's short stories, brimming with fast-paced developments, surprising twists, and a poignant look at human society, become a work of art, even the afterimages that linger after closing the book.

Endless imagination, expanding discussions, stories that begin after the story ends.
"Kim Dong-sik's Novel Collection" ends, but the genre known as Kim Dong-sik continues.

Author Kim Dong-sik made a huge impact on the Korean literary world with his debut work, "Gray Man," in December 2017.
He surprised us just by his existence as a writer who had dropped out of middle school and worked at a foundry, and who had published a book of stories he had posted on an online community.
But now he surprises us with the story itself.
As of 2021, author Kim Dong-sik has written over 900 short stories.
The author's sincerity and boundless imagination, which allowed him to write a novel every two to three days, were enough to create a genre called Kim Dong-sik, beyond the emergence of a new author.
Of course, “there are many different opinions about his novels.
Some say he is a genius writer, while others say it is difficult to see it as a novel.
But critics, novelists, and poets all agree that his writing is interesting.
Actually, that would be fine.
The essence of a novel is that it must ultimately be an interesting story.
Of course, if his novels were simply entertaining, he wouldn't have come this far.
“His novels, which are not only entertaining but also make us reflect on our reality, always leave readers with questions and many things to discuss.” (Planning Notes)
The "Kim Dong-sik Novel Collection," which opened new horizons for 21st-century Korean literature, has come to a close with its 10 volumes, but author Kim Dong-sik will always write and will surprise us again with new results.
While we await his new challenge in the near future, we recommend reading the complete editions of Kim Dong-sik's novels, "Balance Game" and "Octopus," which contain the essence of his work.