Total prize pool: 100 million won, "Genre Literature IP Contest: Renovel Season 1"
Matthew's "Moisture"
Simultaneous launch of paper books, e-books, and audiobooks!

Matthew's "Humidity," the grand prize winner of the Genre Literature IP Contest: Renovel Season 1 with a total prize pool of 100 million won, has been published simultaneously as a paperback, e-book, and audiobook.
〈Genre Literature IP Contest: Renovel Season 1〉 is the largest genre literature contest in Korea, hosted and conducted jointly by genre literature publisher ‘Happy Books To You’, Korea’s No. 1 webtoon production company ‘To You Dream’, ‘CJ ENM’, and ‘Milli’s Library’.
Through close collaboration between organizers, we plan to discover excellent IP and complete the content value chain spanning paper books, e-books, audiobooks, webtoons, and videos.

"Humidity" faithfully follows the grammar of mystery and thriller novels, including events unfolding in a confined space, chases with characters whose presence is unknown, and psychological battles that keep the reader on edge until the very end. However, it differentiates itself from existing genre novels by setting the main setting in a large apartment complex, choosing daytime rather than nighttime, and boldly developing the story in an open, crowded space.
Novelist Im Ye-mi (Dollargut Dream Department Store), a member of the jury, also praised the work, saying, “The characters move in perfect synchronicity, and the novelistic devices that cleverly hide and then appear make it impossible to take your eyes off the story,” and “The work stands out for its solid structure that keeps the tension high even after the climax.”

The winner of the 'Renovel Season 1' Grand Prize, 'Humidity', will be expanded into various media such as webtoons, videos, and audio dramas through collaboration with co-hosts.

Miyeon looked at the changed scenery outside the window and was convinced that her choice was right.
It was he who persuaded Jeong-woo, who was indifferent and said, "It probably won't work out anyway," to apply.
After miraculously winning the lottery, she was busy paying the balance and even reached out to her in-laws.
It was dizzying to imagine how much more arrogant her mother-in-law would become in the coming years, having provided the deposit for a 21-pyeong apartment that was 40 years old and still kept her head held high until Ji-ho turned five. However, from Mi-yeon's perspective, who had practically cut ties with her parents, there was no other way.

My mother-in-law, who was living off her deceased husband's pension, kept complaining about this and that, but in the end, she sent me money that was generous enough to cover moving expenses.
Because I knew how difficult it was for a couple in their 30s to own a new apartment in a new city these days.
Although it is not Seoul, Dongmyeong City is one of the new cities in southern Gyeonggi Province and has often appeared in the media as a development project with large shopping malls and industrial complexes.
If it weren't for winning the lottery, moving to a place like this would have been impossible even if Miyeon and Jeongwoo had saved their entire annual salary for several years.
--- p.11

Miyeon, who came outside, was momentarily flustered.
Because the apartment structure was more complicated than expected.
The entrances and facilities of each building were closed off to outsiders, so even the playground, which could be seen at a glance from the veranda of the house, appeared only after passing through two curved paths.
The buildings themselves, built so unfriendly that it was impossible to tell which building was which, seemed to completely separate the Dream Hill Apartment complex from the outside and surround the interior, making it seem like an island.
Beyond the playground, a square warehouse-like building made of gray stone caught Miyeon's eye.
That's probably the security office.
Miyeon crossed the playground and headed to the security office.
--- p.25

It was a story mixed with a bit of bragging and showing off about her husband's abilities and wealth.
Miyeon didn't really care about that.
What was bothering her was Chae Yoon's mother's attitude.
She was pretending to be talkative on purpose.
The words he spoke were incoherent.
It was as if he was trying to act as if he hadn't heard the story that had been told earlier.
That wasn't the case until the word 'Dream Hill' came out of Miyeon's mouth.
"Why Dream Hill Apartments?" Miyeon tried to say, but an announcement came that the kids' cafe was closing. Moments later, Jeongwoo returned, holding Chaeyoon and Jiho's hands.
Chaeyoon's mother made an awkward smile that didn't match her words about wanting to see Chaeyoon at school, and then went home with Chaeyoon.
--- p.40

"hello."
Dakyeong, who visited the parish priest's house to attend the prayer meeting, took turns greeting those who arrived first.
They all have kind and smiling faces.
Da-kyung liked the warmth.
In the living room, there were already about ten people sitting in a circle, chatting away.
Da-kyung also bent down awkwardly to squeeze in between the gaps.
Then, people started moving their butts little by little to make room for us.
"thank you."
Da-kyung said, bowing her head slightly to the man sitting next to her.

I felt him looking down at Dakyeong without saying a word.
She met the man's eyes and smiled kindly.
“Well then, shall we begin?”
When someone said that, the people sitting around nodded.
The living room was soon plunged into a silent silence.
Dakyeong also took a quiet breath and fell into meditation.
“Ahhhhhhhhh!”
Not long after, the woman across from Dakyeong started shouting loudly.
From that point on, people's outcry began.
Some people were jumping up and down in their seats, while others were crying and tearing their clothes.
There were also people who lay down on the ground, raised their buttocks toward the sky, and laughed loudly.
Everyone expressed themselves freely without caring about the people around them.
It was truly the ‘practice’ of ‘happiness.’
--- p.58

Perhaps because it was in front of an elementary school, most of the people inside the cafe were mothers.
There was also a table with a stroller next to it, and a woman eating bread while carrying a kindergarten bag.
What they have in common is that they each formed a 'herd'.
There wasn't a single woman sitting alone at the table.
They were talking in pairs, from two to five.
There were places where there was laughter and places where the atmosphere was subdued.
The scene was similar to that of a classroom.
Just as each student struggles to find a group of friends to belong to when a new school year begins, mothers also form their own groups to share information.

Then what about Miyeon?
She looked at Younghee's mother once again.
Whenever Younghee's mother opened her mouth, everyone's attention turned to her.
Their eyes showed surprise, bewilderment, and a hint of mockery.
Others felt something similar to what Miyeon felt from Younghee's mother.
--- p.84

When I typed in 'missing child in Dongmyeong City', several articles came up.
Finding what I wanted among articles jumbled with all sorts of keywords was as cumbersome as picking out items from a cheap discount counter that people had left behind in a mess.

After clicking through a few articles, I finally got the context.
Last weekend, a true story-based crime documentary program covered the serial child disappearances that occurred in Dongmyeong City.
It was during this time that Miyeon was busy with her job as a director, so it was understandable that she didn't know.
In other words, what my sister-in-law said about children going missing one after another is also true.
Miyeon felt a little uneasy.

According to the broadcast, the first missing person case dates back to 10 years ago.
An incident occurred in Seoha-dong, Dongmyeong-si, where a five-year-old girl, Kim So-young (pseudonym), went missing due to her guardian's negligence.
Seoha-dong, where there was talk of new apartment construction, was known to have poor public safety.
In the end, Ms. Soyoung was found dead.
--- p.96

"oh my god."
A moan, as if in pain, escaped Miyeon's lips.
She reached for her smartphone, turned on the flash function, and pointed it at the wall of the wardrobe.
It was the unmistakable shape of a talisman, with indecipherable, curly letters written in red on a long, yellow piece of paper.
What on earth did that crazy woman do by putting this up?
Miyeon was about to take it off right away, but then stopped.
If you take it off, the evidence that Younghee's mom put it on will disappear.
Even if you go to Younghee's mother right now and ask her about it, she will just deny it.
It seemed better to leave it as is for now and wait until we could hold them accountable.
Miyeon crouched down and took a picture of the talisman on the wall with her smartphone.
--- p.159

“Jiho…….”
Miyeon cautiously called Jiho.
The air was filled with silence, and no answer came.
“Lee Ji-ho.”
This time she called Jiho a little louder.
As expected, there was no answer.
Instead, Miyeon heard faint noises coming from the living room.
“Jiho! Are you there?”
Miyeon hurriedly approached the bedroom.
I tried shaking the handle, but it was locked.
Miyeon knocked on the door.
“Jiho! Lee Jiho! It’s Mom.
If you have any, answer!”
Miyeon pressed herself against the door and called Jiho's name frantically.
She suddenly stopped banging on the door with her fist.

I heard something being dragged from inside.
The squeaking sound was similar to the sound of bare feet rubbing against the floor.
And it got closer and closer.
Someone inside the room is walking towards the door.
Miyeon, who realized that, took a few steps back from the door.
At the same time, the door opened slowly.
“…….”
Finally, someone appeared from inside.
“…….”
Jeong-woo was looking at Mi-yeon.

--- pp.288~289