Tiger, Whale

Author Cha Jae-yi · Publisher Charcoal · Publication Date 2026-08-21 · ISBN 9791198791238

About the Book

We all live in different eras, are called by different names, and lead different lives. But are we truly completely independent beings from one another?

Cha Jae-yi’s first collection of short stories, 《Tiger, Whale》, traces the recurring memories and wounds, love and survival across different eras and generations. From those who lived through the Korean War to women living today, lives that seem to have no connection to each other gradually intertwine within the stories. The lives of these individuals, which seemed like parallel lines that would never meet, eventually share a single point, and past memories are revived in unexpected ways in their present lives.

The work does not dwell on historical facts. Indigenous images like Korean shamanism and Saju (four pillars of destiny), the sound of bells, and ancestral altars seep into the lives of realistic characters, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. It makes it difficult to definitively say what is coincidence and what is destiny, or whether the emotions I feel now are entirely my own or inherited from someone else. The sentence, "Whether you sit facing forward or backward, the train heads towards its final destination," concisely encapsulates this worldview of the work.

At its heart are people pushed to the margins of their times. What貫s them is not grand heroism, but the tenacity to survive, to love, and to protect the next generation. Like Oksun, who puts on her white traditional Korean wedding dress instead of mourning clothes, vowing "not to cry, but to face it with dignity," the women in these stories, though wounded, confront life in their own way.

That is why the title is not ‘Orca’ but 《Tiger, Whale》. The strong tiger and the gentle whale, the confrontation and harmony of these two distinct beings, resemble the characters in this novel. Even while discussing the marginalized, the author leaves behind hope for love, life, and the next generation.

Ultimately, 《Tiger, Whale》 asks:
What memories have you inherited?

From the Book

“Parallel lines do not meet. That is the principle.
A line extending from a single point cannot be parallel. That is the principle. That is how it is.
However, in art, love, and life, there are no limits or impossibilities.”
--- p.100

“The leash is not untied just because there is no owner.
It just means your neck doesn’t hurt because no one is pulling it.”
--- p.45

“Have I ever searched for someone so desperately? What should I call this feeling? It's too short a time we shared for it to be longing, and we know too little about each other for it to be love. But if this worry isn't love, then what is it?”
--- p.91

Table of Contents

Tiger, Whale 7
Shimmering Water 143