prolog

Chapter 1: The Mad Woman and the Purple Butterfly
Chapter 2: The Blue Man
Chapter 3 Teeth and Dice

Author's Note? Recommendation

“I was a goddess.
“Am I crazy?”

False interpretation in court began with the condition of receiving 100 million won
The price of a deal no one could have imagined

This novel is about a person who believes that protecting others is also protecting oneself.
Thanks to that, I was able to look at the world with renewed perspective.
I hope this novel serves as a textbook for everyone. _Kang Hwa-gil (novelist)

"The Interpreter" makes us reflect on what words our society is missing, how we listen to them, and, above all, whether we are ready to listen.
A story firmly grounded in reality that never loses its appeal. _Jang Il-ho (Reporter, Sisa IN)

Since entering the film industry at the age of eighteen with the original draft of the film "The Man Who Went to Mars," author So-Young Lee has expanded her scope to include film scripts for science fiction, horror, mystery, and thrillers, and novels with her first full-length novel, "Alaska Oriental Medicine Clinic," in 2023, delivering high appeal and fantastic fun. Now, she is publishing a new full-length novel, "The Interpreter."
While previous works were set in the snowy Alaska (Alaska Oriental Medicine Clinic) and the near future of 2050 (Super League), this work seamlessly weaves together exotic elements such as Nepali language, religion, and culture, centering on a brutal murder case that occurred in a small Korean town, to present a unique socially accusatory mystery.

In Nepal, where there are more gods than people, Kumari is the only national institution that selects and worships an existing goddess.
Chamivat, who was once a Nepali Kumari but was stripped of her status as a goddess, came to Korea as a married immigrant woman.
The only person who can hear him clearly in court is Dohwa, the Nepali court interpreter, but since she has already been paid 100 million won to provide false interpretation, Chamivat's words are distorted and echo throughout the courtroom.
After the first trial of the murder case is concluded, Dohwa plays the court interpretation file she recorded and replays Chamibat's testimony.
And only then did I hear Chamibat's words properly.
'The blue man was stabbing with a knife.' 'We have to chase the purple butterfly until the end.' During the on-site investigation, Chamibat claims that he only reenacted what he had witnessed, and that when he came to, the victims were already dead.
The clues fit together in a strange way that makes it difficult to simply dismiss it as schizophrenia.
Dohwa, who suddenly realizes that he too has become entangled in a massive conspiracy, embarks on the greatest counterattack of his life to set everything right.
“The Interpreter,” which was first completed as a screenplay before being published as a novel, is currently being adapted into a film by Studio Mondo, the company that produced the film “The Killers” and the drama “A Week Before I Die.”

A new multicultural narrative vividly reflecting the realities of immigrants.
A chilling rebuke to the violence of capitalism

When the incident was reported, an atmosphere of hatred against Nepalis arose.
Nepalese people, who were in a legal blind spot, became the target of verbal abuse.
There were also employers who refused to accept Nepalese workers.
Among Nepalese living in Korea, this incident has become an unwanted public affair that they hope will disappear quickly.
(〈Chapter 1.
The Mad Woman and the Purple Butterfly〉, p.
31)

"Shouldn't there be a place to dispose of waste? Bad? To me, it's a spring that never dries up.
Once you have a job, it will keep creating jobs.
I guarantee that the government will provide you with a lot of money.
“It will become a leading company that creates the most jobs.” (Chapter 2.
Blue Man〉, pp.
111~112)

As of 2024, the number of foreigners residing in Korea is expected to reach 2.7 million, and Korea has already entered a multicultural society where one in 20 people is a foreigner.
Beginning with Kim Ryeo-ryeong's novel "Wandeukie," Son Hong-gyu's "Islamic Butcher Shop," and Cheon Un-yeong's "Goodbye, Circus," novels that tell the story of the lives of immigrants have been published since the early 2010s. However, novels that deal with multicultural discourse within Korean society have not received much attention for a long time.
By vividly exposing the blatant prejudice and oppressive gaze directed at immigrants through their own words, "The Interpreter" breathes new life into the vanished multicultural narrative.
When a Nepali immigrant woman was identified as the perpetrator of the murder of a Korean, people were outraged, asking, “Why did she come to another country to commit murder?” and the video of Chamibat’s on-site verification spread uncontrollably under the name “Nepali Mad Woman.”
The novel also depicts the process by which a climate of hatred against Nepalis was formed throughout society in the aftermath of the Chamivat incident.
The situation in which immigrants, who fall into a legal blind spot, become the target of verbal abuse reflects the reality in which ridicule and contempt are rampant against married immigrant women, migrant workers, and those of certain nationalities, races, genders, and generations, and paradoxically emphasizes the need for understanding and harmony toward others.

Meanwhile, this novel captures the dark side of modern society, which blindly pursues only 'money' and 'growth', and points out the fundamental problem of capitalism, where 'life' and 'human rights' are pushed to the back burner.
The novel depicts a scene where residents vote to decide whether or not to build a second radioactive waste storage facility, and shows a scene where only optimism prevails, saying that if the facility is built, "the government will provide a lot of money and a 100% employment rate" will be guaranteed, allowing people to escape from depopulated areas.
In this atmosphere, concerns about the potential dangers and safety issues of radioactive waste disposal sites are easily dismissed as "conspiracy theories."
Add to this the collusion of corrupt media, corporations, and powerful groups that pour their wealth and connections into personal gain, and the "uncomfortable figures" of radiation are erased with bribes, and the management of unsafe radioactive disposal sites is outsourced to subcontractors.
The scene, which exposes the reality of a society lacking a filter to detect and respond to danger, goes beyond exposing the reality of serial violence and leads us on a path to exploring practical concerns for correcting the structural crisis.

A responsible voice that fiercely explores structural conflicts.
A sophisticated mystery that will create a necessary rift in society.

“At the time, I thought I heard the right thing, but what I really should have heard was, ‘I want to see the sea.’
I heard you on television.
That phrase about wanting to see the sea.
This time I thought I should follow those words.
“That’s all there is to it.” (Chapter 3.
Teeth and Dice〉, pp.
264~265)

“The stories I discovered out of curiosity are accompanied by a sense of responsibility when telling them and the facts that follow.
(…) I was worried, ‘Am I overusing the visual materials I’ve been exposed to in the media?’
“If I continue to write like this, I will continue to do so.” (Author Interview, from “Interesting Stories Come with a Sense of Responsibility”)

The author, who stated in an interview that "stories discovered for their interest are accompanied by subsequent factual relationships and a sense of responsibility when telling them," fiercely explores the structural conflicts, disputes, and absurdities of modern society and tells us in a clear voice.
The reality of violence that persists by exploiting social minorities and the story of “a person for whom protecting others is protecting oneself” (novelist Kang Hwa-gil) come together, and readers are given another sense of responsibility and the opportunity to concretely imagine a future where they will live with others.
This work, which deftly navigates between sharp social issues and ethical concerns, and delivers sophisticated twists and unpredictable tension, offers a unique mystery and will likely serve as the starting point for the "small cracks" our society needs.