# The first retro romance from the winner of the Korean Mystery Literature Award
# The story of our first love, in the days when peach petals were fluttering
# The boy from Doja Village and the transfer student girl, and their bond that will not fade with time
# Memories of first love reunited on a lost path
# The youth of the 1980s and 90s revived with a retro feel

Our youth was on the road where peach blossoms fluttered.
A new path to walk again, and at the end, the spring of first love.

Kim Jae-hee, winner of the Korea Mystery Literature Award for "Detective Lee Sang," returns with a retro romance. "New Road" is set in a rural village in the 1980s and 1990s, and tells the story of a boy's love, growth, and first love reunited with the passage of time.

Dongmin, who was born and raised in Seoul, goes down to the 'Eunhyang-ri Ceramic Village in Jeongam-myeon' where his maternal grandmother lives after his father's death.
The transfer student, Yeong-yeong, whom he meets in an unfamiliar countryside, becomes the first person to shake his heart.
The two people who walked together along the village road where peach blossoms were fluttering and exchanged diaries soon became each other's world.
But reality is always harsher than love, and time takes them down different paths.

As time passes, Dongmin, who has become a publishing planner, encounters management again at the World Book Fair.
Memories of that spring day when peach blossoms were in full bloom are revived, and the 'memories of the road from which there is no return' still remain in their hearts.
But perhaps at the end of that road, the courage to start again awaits.

"New Road" is a novel that captures the excitement of first love, the pain of growing up, and the thrill of reunion all in the fragrance of retro sensibility.
It takes readers on a journey through the forgotten pages of youth, following the path of first love that everyone holds in their hearts.

The pottery village of Eunhyang-ri, Jeongam-myeon, where my maternal grandparents live, was also called Peach Village.
Doja (桃子) also means peach.
Dongmin was often left at his maternal grandparents' house since he was young.

--- p.9

Dongmin made a wish whenever he was sad.
I looked at the moon and prayed that it would pass without incident.
I hope my mother in Seoul stays healthy.
And I prayed that my father in the memorial photo would live in good health in heaven.
I hated my grandmother, but I prayed that she would be okay.

--- p.20

Dongmin felt it at that moment.
My grandmother had intended to send me away from here and distance me from the operation.
Mom lowered her head, wiped away the tears that were welling up in her eyes with a handkerchief, and went downstairs without even putting on her shoes.

--- p.57

Dongmin was able to meet Unyoung at the ceramic village on the date written in the letter.
We met at the clock tower and rode the operator's bicycle to the pottery village, strolling through the peach orchards, forests, and under the zelkova trees we used to visit.
Memories came flooding back.

--- p.87

Dongmin also knew his grandmother's very deep feelings.
When they left, my maternal grandmother had no choice but to live alone without her family, even though she had a servant and a mother.
That might not have been all that great.
Deep down, there must have been a fear of being left alone.

--- p.105

The hot summer has passed and fall has arrived.
As the cold wind blew, Dongmin rode the autumn.
The love I had for nearly 20 years was gone.
With him, the memories of Peach Village flew away.
The love and affection that Namgyeong and Sunjeong shared with each other, as well as the beautiful scenery, remained, but the feelings and love that Unyeong and I shared together were gone.

--- p.171

Dongmin decided to accept it.
The pain of unrequited love varies depending on how well the person receiving it accepts it.

Dongmin took the time to reflect on his life as it headed into fall.
--- p.191

Dongmin realized anew how much his profession brings joy and hope to people.
Through heated discussions with producers at Story Market, I was able to learn about new cultural trends and tendencies. And as I listened to the producers' perspectives on the potential of storytelling to be expanded into dramas, I also learned that books, when given the powerful wings of video, can spread the joy of storytelling to a wider audience.

--- p.227

Planning a book and leading it to its sale was a very enjoyable and new experience, but it was also stressful.
There was always a constant worry about whether new plans would be well-received by the public.

--- p.235

The feeling of love and longing was not unique to me.
Sometimes, when I look up at the stars in the night sky and think of Unyeong, I wonder if Unyeong misses me just a little bit too.
If there was telepathy, he would have known, but as a villager, he could only guess.

--- p.256