Pyeon Hye-young, "Evening Courtship"

For the first time in his life, Kim thought about the forty minutes he had spent waiting for someone to die.
For forty minutes or so, I wondered what the point of continuing life would be, and I also thought about the sadness that would fade as death was delayed, but most of the time, I just stared blankly out the glass door of the restaurant.

― Debuted in 2000 when his short story was selected for the Seoul Shinmun New Year’s Literary Contest.
There are the short story collections 『Aoi Garden』 『Towards the Cage』 『Evening Courtship』 『Night Passes』, and the novels 『Ash and Red』 『I Went to the Western Forest』 『The Law of Good』 『Hole』 『Let the Dead Go』.
He has won the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award, the Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award, the Today's Young Artist Award, the Dong-in Literary Award, the Yi Sang Literary Award, the Contemporary Literature Award, the Shirley Jackson Award, and the 1st Young Writer Award.

Kim Ae-ran, "Goliath in the Water"

I didn't know if it would be better to die than to be left alone in the world.
The method was simple.
All I had to do was just let go of the strength in my hands.
But even as I was thinking that, I was holding on to the steel frame tightly.
As dawn came, the strength in both arms gave out and eventually cramps appeared.
I banged my head against the crane mast and sobbed.
Why did you leave me behind?
Why did you spare only me?
This is not an ark, it's a mold.
Please stop… …

― Debuted in 2002 when his short story “The House That Doesn’t Knock” won the first Daesan University Literary Award.
There are short story collections 『Run, Father』 『Saliva is Gathering』 『Flying Clouds』 『Summer Outside』, and the full-length novel 『My Heart-Pounding Life』.
He has won the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award, the Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award, the Today's Young Artist Award, the Shin Dong-yup Literary Award, the Kim Yu-jeong Literary Award, the Han Moo-sook Literary Award, the Yi Sang Literary Award, the Dong-in Literary Award, and the Grand Prize of the 2nd Young Writer Award.

Son Bo-mi, "Heavy Rain"

Mr. Jang thought of the misfortunes of this world that had nothing to do with him, such as people being swept away by sudden floods, people injured by shards of broken signs or trees, or people losing their homes or cars to floods.
I also thought about the crimes that were happening somewhere at this very moment, about parents who had lost their children, about children who had lost their parents, about people dying alone from illness, about women who were giving birth to unwanted children.
And I thought about the people who were frozen in the pouring rain, overcome with sadness and anger.


― Won the 21st Century Literature New Writer Award in 2009, and debuted in 2011 when his short story “Blanket” was selected for the Dong-A Ilbo New Year’s Literary Contest.
He has published the short story collections “Lindy Hop for Them” and “Elegant Night and Cats,” the novel “Dear Ralph Lauren,” and the novella “The God of Chance.”
He has won the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award, the Kim Jun-seong Literary Award, the Daesan Literary Award, the Grand Prize at the 3rd Young Writer's Award, and the 4th, 5th, and 6th Young Writer's Awards.

Lee Jang-wook, "More Than Half of Haruo"

Haruo seeped into us as naturally as the air.
It felt like this, so to speak.
She and I, the travelers, are on this side, and the scenery and people of the travel destination are on the other side.
This side and that side look at each other, but there is something like a glass wall between them.
We see the world beyond the glass wall, and the world beyond receives a fee from us in some way.
Whether it's travel or tourism, we can't say that we live in that scenery.
But in the middle of it all, Haruo suddenly comes in and blurs the lines between the two sides.
The glass wall suddenly disappears, letting in outside air.

― Debuted in 2005 by winning the Literary Notebook Writer’s Award.
His short story collections include “The King of Confessions” and “Everything But Giraffes,” and his novels “The Merry Demons of the Sword” and “Stranger than Paradise.”
He won the Munji Literary Award, the Kim Yu-jeong Literary Award, and the 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 6th Young Writer Awards.


Hwang Jeong-eun, "Birds of Prey in the Upper Class"

I am living with someone else now.
He is taller than Jehee, has a dark face, and thick fingers, and has no older sisters or older brothers.
(…) He is kind to me and I am kind to him.
But at some odd moment, like when I'm watching television and there's a scene where he's laughing and I'm not, or I'm sitting in the passenger seat of the car he's driving and looking at the fast-approaching road, I find myself wondering why this person.
Why not Jehee?
At times like that, I feel lonely and abandoned.
Jehee and Jehee's family.
He looks blunt and somewhat tired, but he is kind to people.

― Debuted in 2005 when his short story “Mother” was selected for the Kyunghyang Shinmun New Year’s Literary Contest.
There are the short story collections 『Seven Thirty-Two Elephant Train』 『Passi's Introduction』 『Nobody』, the novels 『A Hundred Shadows』 『Savage Alice』 『Let's Continue』, and the short story collection 『Didi's Umbrella』.
He has won the Hankook Ilbo Literary Award, Shin Dong-yup Literary Award, Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award, Daesan Literary Award, Kim Yu-jeong Literary Award, Today's Young Artist Award, 3rd and 4th Young Writer Awards, and the Grand Prize of the 5th Young Writer Award.

Jeong Ji-don, "Architecture or Revolution"

Gerald Jerry Odover said he learned after Gordon's death that he had broken the glass in protest of freeway construction in the South Bronx.
Michael Graves was the architect of the highway and housing projects that New York City implemented, which led to the slums in the South Bronx.
Residents of the South Bronx dispersed across the United States or formed gangs and engaged in gun battles.
Gordon is said to have said:
Go to the South Bronx.
Broken windows are a daily occurrence.

― Debuted in 2013 when his short story “The Blind Owl” won the Literature and Society New Writer’s Award.
There is a collection of short stories titled “As I Fight” and a novel titled “Little Coward, Coward, New Party.”
Won the grand prize at the Munji Literary Award and the 6th Young Writer Award.


Kang Hwa-gil, "Lake - Other People"

She had been hearing about stupid women for a very long time.
Women who give their hearts carelessly, women who give in easily, women who are unable to take charge of situations and are dragged along.
She's heard more warnings about stupid women than about dangerous men.
It shouldn't look easy.
That would lower your value.

― Debuted in 2012 when his short story “Room” was selected for the Kyunghyang Shinmun New Year’s Literary Contest.
There is a collection of short stories titled “A Good Person” and a full-length novel titled “Another Person.”
Won the Hankyoreh Literary Award and the 8th Young Writer Award.