Dust Star

by Lee Kyung

Asia Publishers presents some of the very best modern Korean literature to readers worldwide through its new Korean literature series . We are proud and happy to offer it in the most authoritative translation by renowned translators of Korean literature. We hope that this series helps to build solid bridges between citizens of the world and Koreans through a rich in-depth understanding of Korea. Whenever I was out of luck finding a place to sleep, I snuck into Chima’s room. Chima let me stay the night without taking off my pants. Once I suggested I pay for the room by taking off my pants. But he said if I really wanted to take them off, he wouldn’t mind, but not in return for the room. I started to unzip my pants, saying that there was no difference between the two. But he hurriedly zipped them up himself and said the difference was so great that he couldn’t possibly explain it in words. As for me, I was willing to take off my pants to pay for the room, but I couldn’t do it otherwise. Detecting a stir in his eyes, I felt as if I was doing it in front of my dad. I had often found an inexplicable stir in Dad’s eyes. He said it was because he was anxious. Because he was alive, he felt uneasy about making a living. Dad might be feeling better now in that he had stopped living.

92 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2014