A story about teenagers who are precariously standing on the edge of life.
“There is no boundary between my mom and me.
“Even if I’m at school, or hiding in my room, or wherever I am, I can’t escape my mom.”

Kim Tae-ho, who has demonstrated the essence of short story aesthetics with 『Square Pig』, which was praised as “quite a stroke of luck to see such short story aesthetics,” and 『The Prince’s Choice』, which won the grand prize at the Munhakdongne Children’s Literature Award and received the comment, “This is undeniably the best of all the short stories submitted so far,” has published a short story collection titled 『God’s Part-timer』 by Wisdom House.

The stories included in "God's Alba" are all told through the voices of teenagers living the best years of their lives.
At the border between minors and adults, at the border between friendship and love, at the border between perpetrator and victim, at the border between life and death...
Six stories about teenagers who, precariously standing on the edge of life, experience their own growing pains and finally step into a new world.

He waved his hand towards Yeongji's face.
With a thud, Youngji's face was obscured by her disheveled hair.
Yeongji looked at me, pushing her hair back.
The surprised expression quickly changed into a smile.
"Do you know why I became a young man? It was because I needed to earn money by working part-time so I wouldn't be harassed by you even a little bit.
After doing so many part-time jobs, I realized it all at once.
“The moment I saw the card in the sock on the first day, I knew this was no ordinary job.” Her voice was trembling, but a smile appeared on Youngji’s lips.
"This was God's part-time job, to give back as much as you received." "Me? Me what? Are you saying this because we played a prank together when we were kids?" "It was just a prank for you, right? I'm not the one being taken advantage of.
So I also transferred schools… … .” “So you transferred schools?” “Transfer? That’s the unfair part.
I had such a hard time that I even quit school, and you don't even remember.
“I just want to live as a good daughter and a good student.” Tears welled up in Yeongji’s eyes.

--- p.26

I felt something touch my fingertips as I was sleeping.
I opened my eyes slightly and looked around.
My mother was nodding off while sitting there.
Every time my mother lowered her head, I saw Ian sleeping next to her.
Ian also had one arm stretched out on the sofa and his eyes closed.
Bear, bear, bear.
I felt a very small movement.
Something touched the fingertips of my outstretched arm.
One of Ian's fingers touched my fingertip and then fell.
Boom boom boom.
My sleeping heart began to pound.
All my nerves were focused on my fingertips.
The TV sound disappeared, and Jooyoungman's loud snoring also disappeared.
The index finger and the index finger met.
Ian's fingertips gently rested on my fingertips.
I moved my fingers very slowly along the swirling pattern of the floor ridges.
Ian scanned the pattern carefully, concentrating with all his might to see what it looked like.
The fingers danced in a swirling, swirling pattern.
I ran up and down hills without stopping, following the uneven curves of the furrows.
I opened my eyes.
Ian also opened his eyes.
Ian smiled silently as they faced each other.
A small window appeared behind Ian.
Snow was falling under the streetlights.
It's the first snow!
--- p.50

“Where am I?” Jimin stood among the bouquets and looked around.
“Don’t you know? Originally, ghosts were supposed to stay only in places where they died.
This is where you died.
But you jumped onto the circular train, and your soul seems to have become entangled with the circular line as well.” “Then this bouquet of flowers… … .” “This is all for you.
“There are so many people who cherish you more than the person who burned you to death.” Jimin took a step back and plopped down on the yellow chair.

--- p.71

“What was it like being possessed by a ghost?” Han Hae-jeong asked.
“Don’t be so scared.
Because I have no intention of hurting you.
You're dead
It's not me.
I am a ghost.
The experience just now is something that Han Hae-jeong, I have experienced.
Even now, I ride the Jibakryung train every day and go around the same place.
I meet my mother every day, whom I miss more and more the more I see her, and I also meet friends who remember me and come to see me even though quite a bit of time has passed.
But even when I meet people I miss, I can't talk to them or hug them.
“You know this feeling now, right?” Black tears flowed from Han Hae-jeong’s eyes.

--- p.72

The moment I saw Kang-ju subdue the big senior, I knew this was it.
I always wanted to grab onto something and hang on to it.
I wanted to be so strong that no one could do anything to me.
That's how it started.
But as I continued to do it, I started to like exercising.
I liked the feeling of weight being transmitted to the soles of my feet as I became one with the weight and pressed down on the ground.
For that moment, I felt alive and grounded.

--- p.98

“Haraya, we have to go back now.
“Let’s go together.” I thought there would be one last piece left, but Mom reached out to me, clutching the loose knot.
I hid my hands behind my back and slowly shook my head.
Can I live alone? With my mom
I can live with Lee.
“Mom, the knot is undone!” I sobbed.
“You are the ones who are the end of my rope.” Mom grabbed my right wrist.
For a moment, my body floated lightly into the air.
The body that had risen to the surface once could not be controlled as I wished.
Like a magnet, I flew through the air, following my mother's lead, and passed through the living room.
okay.
Maybe it would be easier to follow my mom.
I couldn't remember why I had been holding on and hanging on.
All the strength left my body.
The body floating in the air passed the veranda and smoothly slipped out the window into the empty space.
Papambam papababam bab bab bab.
Just then I heard my cell phone ringing in my room.
My ears twitched.
It was a call from Kang Joo.
School, river, weightlifting, friends… … .
Here were my things.

--- p.111

The wingcoat flapped more vigorously.
My grip on the railing was gradually loosening.
I was always anxious that my mother would go far away alone.
The only thing I could think of was hanging on.
If I clung to someone to live with me, or if I couldn't cling to something else, wouldn't I be able to keep my feet on the ground and survive? If I was going to survive here, I needed the strength to cling.
That was the reason why he begged for his life from Kang-ju, whom he met for the first time.
“Mom!” My mom, who had been looking at the sky, turned her head and met my eyes.
“Mom, I want to live!”
--- p.113

“You get hit every day too.
Why? You're taller than him." "That's... ... Fighting has nothing to do with size.
But this time, while Chi-guk was trying to stop me, I realized that I had become much stronger.
“Next time, I won’t just take it.” I felt Kong’s hand on the back of my head.
Kong slowly stroked my head.
My eyes closed on their own at the gentle touch.

--- p.139

“I needed a line.
“If there’s a place beyond the border where I can escape, I’d like to rest for a while,” the guy said in a calm voice, drawing a line on the floor.
The atmosphere suddenly changed, so I couldn't answer easily and just made eye contact.
“There is no boundary between my mom and me.
“Even if I’m at school, or hiding in my room, or wherever I am, I can’t escape my mom,” the boy continued.
“That’s when I heard about the boundary of rain.
Somehow, I felt like I could escape reality if I just got through the rain.
“So I wanted to go there… … but I was scared.” Hyunsoo’s expression contorted like when he got a call from his mom.
“Are you that scared of Mom?” Hyunsoo lowered his head and said nothing.
I didn't ask any more questions because I thought I would have time to listen to Hyunsu's story later.

--- p.159

“Hey, Ambassador! Let’s take a picture together.” Hyunsoo approached, a smile returning to his face.
“Let’s take a picture before the rain line disappears.
"The cloud umbrella error has been fixed, so it should stop raining soon." "But why the pictures from earlier?" "After crossing the border and resting, you have to go back.
Because she's my mom.
For that, you need insurance.
Photo evidence that I was with a math genius.
My mom would forgive you for everything.
“Hehehe.” I hit Hyunsu’s side with my elbow.
I laughed for no reason.

--- p.164