The Old Town
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- Types of genre
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Story
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- Year of Production
- 2025
Summary
A tragedy born from tiny evils
hidden within ordinary people
Mudong, the backgroung of the novel, is a suburban agricultural district on the outskirts of a satellite city. It is a place where the people who are pushed to the margins of urban life — displaced redevelopment victims, the unemployed, and others cast aside by the city — gradually gather and settle. Here, myth, fantasy, and reality blur and intertwine, much like Macondo, the fabled town in Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude.
In Mudong, unforeseen coincidences and intertwined fates reveal the twists and turns of its inhabitants’ lives.
A fire and a murder — both erupting at the same time!
The residents of Mudong are caught in the heart of the whirlwind...
The story centers on the Kyung-soo family but branches out in multiple directions. After repeated failures in small businesses and being chased by loan sharks, the Kyung-soo family drifts into Mudong as fugitives. Alongside them are Rock’n’Roll Go, Mudong’s first resident who rents a greenhouse as both studio and lodging; Tomato Moon, who married Rock’n’Roll Go, bore twelve sons, and became the largest landowner in Mudong; Marie, who inadvertently gets entangled in a case because of the village men’s ulterior motives; Mingu, who barely survives hardship before joining Rock’n’Roll Go’s band as an accordion player; Inho’s father, who moved to Mudong hoping to profit from redevelopment but instead faces decline; and Inho himself, who meets and falls for Suji, the daughter of a gamjatang (pork bone stew) restaurant owner, after meeting at a bathhouse scrubbing academy.
The stories of these diverse characters cross paths, intertwine, and collide as each follows their own path. The mysterious and suspicious incidents that arise in the gaps between them lead to an unpredictable climax, driving readers to the very end of the narrative.
hidden within ordinary people
Mudong, the backgroung of the novel, is a suburban agricultural district on the outskirts of a satellite city. It is a place where the people who are pushed to the margins of urban life — displaced redevelopment victims, the unemployed, and others cast aside by the city — gradually gather and settle. Here, myth, fantasy, and reality blur and intertwine, much like Macondo, the fabled town in Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude.
In Mudong, unforeseen coincidences and intertwined fates reveal the twists and turns of its inhabitants’ lives.
A fire and a murder — both erupting at the same time!
The residents of Mudong are caught in the heart of the whirlwind...
The story centers on the Kyung-soo family but branches out in multiple directions. After repeated failures in small businesses and being chased by loan sharks, the Kyung-soo family drifts into Mudong as fugitives. Alongside them are Rock’n’Roll Go, Mudong’s first resident who rents a greenhouse as both studio and lodging; Tomato Moon, who married Rock’n’Roll Go, bore twelve sons, and became the largest landowner in Mudong; Marie, who inadvertently gets entangled in a case because of the village men’s ulterior motives; Mingu, who barely survives hardship before joining Rock’n’Roll Go’s band as an accordion player; Inho’s father, who moved to Mudong hoping to profit from redevelopment but instead faces decline; and Inho himself, who meets and falls for Suji, the daughter of a gamjatang (pork bone stew) restaurant owner, after meeting at a bathhouse scrubbing academy.
The stories of these diverse characters cross paths, intertwine, and collide as each follows their own path. The mysterious and suspicious incidents that arise in the gaps between them lead to an unpredictable climax, driving readers to the very end of the narrative.
Company Profile
In 1997, Jaeum and Moeum PublishingCo., Ltd. was established under the slogan of collecting all the “letters”and “sounds” of the world.
It operates a number of imprint brands, including EZbook, a children’s/adolescent book brand, and Neo Fiction, a genre literature book brand, and has become a mainstay of the Korean publishing industry by launching over 10,000 volumes.
The books of Jaeum and Moeum have gained attention not only from international publishers but also from film, television, theater, and musical production companies. Several books, including A Killer’s Shopping List, A Killer’s Shopping Mall, A Christmas Carol, and The Time-Selling Store, have been successfully adapted for the screen and stage, with many more currently in development.
It operates a number of imprint brands, including EZbook, a children’s/adolescent book brand, and Neo Fiction, a genre literature book brand, and has become a mainstay of the Korean publishing industry by launching over 10,000 volumes.
The books of Jaeum and Moeum have gained attention not only from international publishers but also from film, television, theater, and musical production companies. Several books, including A Killer’s Shopping List, A Killer’s Shopping Mall, A Christmas Carol, and The Time-Selling Store, have been successfully adapted for the screen and stage, with many more currently in development.