The Discomfort Store 1-2 [Cherry Blossom/Maple Edition]

By Kim Ho-yeon

Volume 1

Publication Date	April 20, 2021
Pages, Weight, Size	268 pages \| 332g \| 13520020mm

Book Introduction

The originator of K-healing novels, offering the best in entertainment and emotional depth.

***Ranked #1 overall bestseller at major bookstores
***National Library of Korea's Book of the Year 2022
***Book of the Year in 37 cities nationwide
***Translation rights exported to 18 countries
***Play [The Discomfort Store] currently enjoying a successful run

There's a convenience store that's inconvenient, but you keep wanting to go!
A night at the convenience store that comforts a day lived hard
A butterfly effect of laughter and emotion, starting with an unknown part-timer
Kim Ho-yeon's 'Neighborhood Story' Season 2, from 『Mangwon-dong Brothers』

Author Kim Ho-yeon, who debuted with 『Mangwon-dong Brothers』, which won the excellence award in the 2013 World Literature Award, has built a unique literary world, moving between lighthearted works that wittily portray everyday reality and thrillers that explore human desires with ingenious imagination. His fifth full-length novel, 『The Discomfort Store』, has been published. 『The Discomfort Store』 is a work that warmly and humorously captures the inner feelings, joys, and sorrows of our neighbors living in a difficult era, set against the backdrop of a small convenience store nestled in a corner alley of Cheongpa-dong. Just as he effectively utilized the experiential geography of Mangwon-dong in 『Mangwon-dong Brothers』 to create cheerful fun and empathy, this time he vividly captures the synesthesia of Cheongpa-dong, an old neighborhood in Seoul, giving birth to another fascinating 'neighborhood story.'

The story begins when a man named Dokgo, who lived as a homeless person at Seoul Station, happens to return a 70-year-old woman's wallet and, through this connection, starts working as a night part-timer at the convenience store she operates. This bear-like man has alcoholic dementia, can't remember his past, speaks incoherently, and moves slowly, raising doubts about whether he can properly deal with customers. But surprisingly, he not only does his job quite well but also strangely captivates those around him, becoming a reliable worker who guards the convenience store at night.

True to the author's talent for realistically depicting characters and their interactions, this novel features a succession of individuals with unique personalities and stories who bicker and form unusual relationships. Leading them is Ms. Yeom, the convenience store owner who retired from teaching history in high school and whose teacher's instincts are always at play. There's also Shiyeon, a job-seeking part-timer in her twenties; Ms. Oh, a part-timer in her fifties who works for a living; Kyungman, an office worker who unwinds from the day's stress by drinking alone with the "Chamchamcham" (sesame ramen, tuna gimbap, Chamiseul soju) set at an outdoor table every night; Inkyeong, a playwright in her thirties who has come to Cheongpa-dong to write with a resolve that this is her last chance; Minsik, Ms. Yeom's son, who constantly looks for opportunities to sell the convenience store; and Kwak, a private detective hired by Minsik to dig into Dokgo's past. Each carrying the weight of a difficult life and real-world problems, they observe Dokgo from their own perspectives. The misunderstandings, conflicts, clashes, reversals, understanding, and empathy that arise in this process often provoke explosive laughter and, at certain moments, bring tears to one's eyes. In this way, the small convenience store in the alley, which was once an inconvenient place, becomes a special space that comforts weary lives and shares laughter.

Volume 2

Publication Date	August 10, 2022
Pages, Weight, Size	320 pages \| 406g \| 13520030mm

Book Introduction

Welcome back
This is ALWAYS Convenience Store in Cheongpa-dong.

More than a year after its publication, Kim Ho-yeon's novel 『The Discomfort Store』, which has consistently been loved by readers and remained at the top of the bestseller list, returns with its second story. 『The Discomfort Store』, which warmly and cheerfully portrays the lives of our neighbors living in difficult times against the backdrop of a small convenience store in an alley in Cheongpa-dong, achieved the remarkable feat of being the #1 overall bestseller at Kyobo Book Centre, Youngpoong Bookstore, and Yes24 in the first half of 2022, and selling 700,000 copies. It was selected as Yes24's 'Book of the Year' in 2021, and in 2022, it was successively chosen as the 'Book of the Year' by citizens in 25 local governments nationwide, demonstrating that interest and enthusiasm for the novel continue to this moment.

The story of Volume 1, which began with a homeless man from Seoul Station working as a night part-timer at a convenience store, offered unpredictable laughter and gentle warmth, delivering a quiet感动. 『The Discomfort Store 2』 continues the wit and profound perspective of the previous volume, drawing readers in with an even richer story. The novel opens with a sketch of the convenience store in summer, a year and a half after the events of Volume 1. The world has changed, and ALWAYS Convenience Store in Cheongpa-dong has also changed in various ways. The description at the beginning, where people have to wear masks even in suffocating heat, suggests that COVID-19 also exists in the novel's reality. Seonsuk, who was frustrated by conflict with her son, has become the manager, and Minsik, Ms. Yeom's troublesome son who used to urge her to sell the convenience store, has become the owner. While he's technically the owner, Minsik has no interest in management and only focuses on cutting costs like weekly holiday pay, arguing about profits, making the convenience store, in many ways, "truly uncomfortable." Then, Kwak, who had taken over the night shift after Dokgo, quits, and a new night part-timer is sought, leading to another change for the convenience store.

The new part-timer is a man in his 40s, whose large build and somewhat imposing demeanor remind one of someone. He boasts an impressive resume of part-time jobs, like a human "part-timer-bot," but is surprisingly clumsy at convenience store tasks. Furthermore, he's such a chatterbox and meddler that he's constantly scolded by Manager Seonsuk. Regardless, he wears a name tag with the nickname Hong Geun-bae instead of his real name, Hwang Geun-bae, and leisurely greets customers, watching over the convenience store at night.

The Convenience Store 1-2 [Cherry Blossom/Autumn Leaves Edition] by Kim Ho-yeon

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