"Mouer"

By Cheon Seon-ran

Munhakdongne Publishing

In a distant future where humanity has endured 3,000 years of punishment following Judgment Day, language itself is banned, deemed the root of greed, mistrust and hatred. Instead, people communicate through "ui-eum" -- a form of thought-transmitted meaningless sound. Without the constraints of verbal language, humans no longer age.

In this society, Chou discovers a crying baby by a lakeside. She names the child Mou and brings him to the village. But unlike others, Mou reacts more sensitively to spoken sounds rather than ui-eum and soon begins to break the rules by repeating verbal sounds aloud. Branded as a heretic for his curiosity about language, Mou faces the terrifying prospect of being burned at the stake.

The story is from the titular story of "Mouer," the latest short story collection by Cheon Seon-ran. Best known for her award-winning debut novel, "A Thousand Blues," Cheon explores a dystopian future where humanity grapples with the absence of elements once taken for granted.

The collection includes eight short stories written between 2020 and 2024. From children recruited to suppress alien entities, to teenagers with extraordinary abilities and android undertakers, each tale examines unique facets of survival and identity.

"A Thousand Blues" will be released in English in March 2025, translated by Chi-Young Kim.

Earlier this year, the book made headlines for securing a multi-million-dollar advance from Penguin Random House. It has also been adapted into a play by the National Theater Company of Korea and a musical by the Seoul Performing Arts Company, this year.