As for Kim Jung-hyuk (b. 1971), his debut work Penguin News was published in 2000. This was hardly an early start as compared to other young writers, such as Kim Young-ha, Kim Yeon-su, Kim Gyeong-uk, Yi Eung-jun, or Kim Jong-gwang. Nonetheless, within a two-year period, the publication of Penguin News (2006) and Library of Instruments (2008), firmly established his standing as a noteworthy writer. He also received the Kim You-Jeong Literary Award in 2008.

In content and form, Kim Jung-hyuk’s
short stories are distinctive for being on the outer fringe of Korea’s mainstream literature. His debut “Penguin News” tells the story of an “underground liberation army” engaged in a drawn out and futile war in some future world. As a form of science fiction, the story portrays an insatiable quest for the truth. In “Bus with No Destination: A Remix Version of ‘The Once-beautiful Ppaengdeok,’” Kim rewrites the short story of the late Kim So-jin, while adopting the audio technique of remixing to his writing. His creative style is also characterized by a strong attachment to various everyday items that are destined for obsolescence, such as the typewriter, bicycle, and record player.
Kim reveals his mania-like focus on such objects in almost all of his works, including “Museum of Odds and Ends,” “Eskimo, This is the End,” “A Gray Monster,” “Banana, Inc.” and “Four-hundred-meter Marathon.” His obsessive attention to various articles represents an unusual style that has not been attempted by a majority of Korean novelists, who tend to emphasize the details of their characters. His short stories have thus added to the richness of Korean literature, going beyond a basic critique of modern society, while opening up a new dimension of fiction in today’s age of automated production.
In “Library of Instruments,” the protagonist is struck by a car that sends him flying through the air. At that precise instance, he suddenly thinks to himself that “it’s wretched to die as a nobody.” Thereafter, this incident becomes a life-changing experience. He quits his job and starts drinking every night while considering what he should do “in order not to die as a nobody,” but, in fact, he has no idea of even knowing where to begin.
Then, one day, he happens to come across a music shop and decides to buy a violin for his girlfriend, who teaches violin to young students. Perhaps he was destined to take a part-time job at this music shop called “Musica.” Having passed a threshold in life in which everything that had defined his identity has lost its meaning, he is not about to accept the influences of other people or the common sense of the outside world. He was left with his own devices to find a way “not to die as a nobody.”
This short story nudges us to reassess the principles, social guidelines, and ethical standards that we have long accepted at face value, without a second of hesitation. For example, the protagonist discusses his confusion about the criteria used to classify musical instruments with the music shop proprietor. He wonders why there are string instruments, when they rely on vibration for their sound, but then an external factor, like wind, is needed for the sound of other instruments. Meanwhile, by definition, percussion involves a striking action to produce sound. To Kim, even though this classification seems to be rational enough, its details are somewhat arbitrary or even whimsical.
Furthermore, the rationale of the classification of musical instruments is applicable to our everyday life as well. Kim seeks to warn people that the concepts which influence our daily lives are not necessarily as sound as we might assume. Accordingly, in order “not to die as a nobody,” it is necessary for us to carefully reconsider the familiar matters that give meaning to our existence. The protagonist is thus compelled to record the sound of every musical instrument. And if this “dependent variable” assumes its own significance, this might result in a new form of music. The protagonist’s girlfriend finds his behavior to be overly eccentric, and eventually leaves him. Just as each musical instrument can produce a distinctive sound, each individual has his own way of seeking the meaning of life. Otherwise, we are all destined to “die as a
nobody.”
Kim Jung-hyuk imagines a way of being that can accept every mode of existence, just as each of the various musical instruments is recognized for its own worth and contribution to the harmony of music. After all, the protagonist, despite his meager existence as a part-time worker at an insignificant music shop, has found a means to enjoy his life to the utmost. The existence that Kim depicts in his short story might not strike a chord with everyone; nor does he believe that this needs to be the case. However, this might open our eyes to an alternative mode of existence that deviates from the conventional lifestyle which a majority of us have come to accept as the only reality. To Kim Jung-hyuk, the craft of writing is all about discovering a new dimension that no one else has delved into.