Lee Kyung
meeting
Lars
Unreachable
Power to the girl

Author's Note

The end of a long ice age, the era of terrestrial exploration
A girl from the underground meets a boy from above

"When I Touch Your Green" shares the same worldview as "Sinker," the Changbi Youth Literature Award winner that has been loved by countless readers.
If 『Sinker』 tells the story of humanity living in underground cities during the Ice Age, this work tells the story of humanity gradually finding ways to migrate to the surface as the glaciers melt and the weather becomes warmer.
Bae Mi-joo unfolds a touching hope through Lee Kyung, a 'connector' who is different from 'sinker'.

Kyung Lee, who lives in an underground city, is a famous game designer known as a genius girl.
Lee Kyung is also a person with the ability to 'connect' to the nervous systems of animals in the artificial rainforest 'Amazon' and communicate directly with them.
Lee Kyung, who loves the Amazon ecosystem, is as vibrant as the lush, green bushes.

Meanwhile, Lars, a pioneer born and raised in the harsh land, is cool-headed and realistic.
Lars's bold and sturdy appearance resembles the harsh environment of the surface world.
Lee Kyung, who is accustomed to the forest, and Lars, who is accustomed to the freezing cold.
As Lars visits the underground city and is guided by Lee Kyung, two people with very different appearances come across each other.
What will be the outcome of the fateful encounter between a boy born above ground and a girl raised underground?

The unique yet outstanding worldview, including cramped underground cities, barren surface pioneer societies, the artificial rainforest 'Amazon', and the 'connection' between humans and other life forms, immediately captures the attention.
This work will satisfy both fans of the previous work, "Sinker," and new readers alike, as it is meticulously designed yet smoothly understood.


A face that sparkles lovingly,
But the face that is out of reach
I needed that one person

The moment Kyung-eun meets Lars, a pioneer who visited the underground city, she feels a special feeling at first sight.

It was like a pearl.
The child's soul reflected in those clear eyes.
I think only someone who has endured pain, persevered, and finally become strong can have such eyes.
(Page 55)

Kyung and Lars walk together in the Amazon and talk.
Amidst the media's intense interest in the meeting of two teenagers who grew up in very different environments, the two feel curiosity about each other and further confirm their excitement.

However, after completing his visit, Lars returns to the surface, and contact between the two is lost due to the physical limitations of the surface and the underground.
Kyung and Lars are overcome with sadness as they miss each other from a place they cannot reach.

One day, when he was so sad that he had reached resignation, a strange message arrived while Lee Kyung was playing a game.
Lars logged into the game to meet Kyung.
When Lars, who unexpectedly ends up raising a young wild animal, seeks help, Kyung Lee offers him kind and thoughtful advice.
In this way, Kyung and Lars reconnect by chance, but the reality remains that they are in a place where they cannot meet.
Can the two 'connect' with each other, transcending physical limitations?

The novel depicts the innocent yet yearning hearts of characters in love with a delicate and clear gaze.
The story of two people saving each other, rather than one side being superior, leaves a deep impression on the reader.
As you read the novel, following the characters' beautifully unfolding emotions, the message that love will save our tomorrow will deeply settle in your heart.

The moment we connect, our tomorrow becomes more beautiful than today.
A story that opens new possibilities in the era of climate crisis

In "When I Touch Your Green," humanity is living in an underground city after taking refuge due to an ice age brought about by the climate crisis.
And as the Ice Age slowly ended, the frigid land was pioneered.
One of the principles of developing the earth is to have as little impact on nature as possible.

Lee Kyung's connection with the Amazonian animals and her direct interaction with them have great significance for us today.
If the climate crisis continues, disconnected from nature as it is now, we too may one day find ourselves trapped in underground cities like the humans in the novel.
The novel's depiction of the underground city Citadel, the artificial rainforest Amazon, and the animal "Seto" that freely moves between nature and humans makes us ponder how we should coexist with nature in the future.
In an era of climate crisis brought on by the exploitation of nature, "Touch Your Green" opens up new possibilities for us as it moves between humans and animals, different people, forests and glaciers.
『When I Touch Your Green』 is a work that will be remembered as a new milestone in the Korean science fiction literature world, following 『Sinker』, which was evaluated as “a book that announced that our science fiction had finally reached the ‘end of childhood’” (author Kim Do-hoon).

From the author's words

I tried to write a story that would make me happy while writing it and give me strength when I read it.
So, like a simple but carefully prepared dish, I added small jokes, laughter, and friendship alongside the loneliness and sadness of the main characters.
Even though we hear more bad news than good news and worry about tomorrow's world, we live each day relying on the people next to us and the small joys of each day.

I sincerely hope that each and every reader of this article will find a little green hidden in their own struggles, and that the green of the world will last forever.