- Overview
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A pretty curse story about punishing the baddies of the world. The first new collection of short stories in four years by Jeong Bora, Korea's leading horror/sci-fi/fantasy writer.
- Book Intro
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The Curse Rabbit
Grandfather always said, "an object used to curse should be made to look pretty." The story of a grandson, who was born into a family that has made curse items for generations, and his grandfather. The main character's grandfather make a cute "curse rabbit" in order to get revenge for the untimely death of his grandson's friend.Head
One day, as she is about to leave the bathroom after flushing, she hears something calling her from inside the toilet: "Mother." After that, this "head" in the toilet does not leave the protagonist’s bathroom for the rest of its life. People around do not seem to care much about it. "It's not trying to spawn or bite you, why don't you leave it alone."Cold Finger
Suddenly, the protagonist opens his eyes to find out they are covered with black cloth. He can't even see a small light. Is he blind? Then he hears a thin woman's voice. "Teacher Lee, are you okay?" He follows the voice into an absolute darkness, but where is this place and who is he?Moon Time
"Moon Time: menstruation, period." The protagonist's menstrual cycle continues for 20 days, so she visits a gynecologist. The doctor says there is a hormone problem and recommends a contraceptive pill. The protagonist takes the pill for six months, although the doctor told her to take it for just two, and her menstruation stops miraculously. But a month later, she faints while trying to get out of bed and falls on her knees. She visits the hospital and the doctor tells her, with no expression on his face, "You're pregnant."
"But I'm single and I don't even have a boyfriend!"Goodbye, My Love
The protagonist's job is to design "companion" robots. After a three-month trial period ends, she purchases the "companion" she created at an employee discount, despite objections from the public of a "conspiracy by the developer companies to sell more robots by lowering the birth rate and causing rapid aging". But the happy times between her and her robot don't last long...
- About the Author
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Bora Chung
(English) Bora Chung studied liberal arts at Yonsei University and earned her M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies from Yale University, and her Ph.D. in Slavic literature from Indiana University. As a Russian major, she fell in love with bizarre novels written by authors no one knew in Korea. She earned her M.A. in Russian, East European, and Eurasian studies from Yale University, and her Ph.D. in Russian and Polish literature from Indiana University. She writes and translates science fiction and fantasy literature. She won the 3rd Digital Writers' Awards' Distinction Award in 2008 with her novella The Fox, and the 1st SF Awards with her short story The Seed. In 2022, she was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize.