What South Korean author Sang Young Park wants his readers to learn from 'Love in the Big City'

If there is one thing that South Korean author Sang Young Park wants readers of “Love in the Big City” to take away from the book, it's the true essence of love and friendship.

During his book talk at the Korean Cultural Center in the Philippines on Thursday, the award-winning author said he hopes that the experiences of the characters Young and Jae Hee would resonate with readers.

“The characters in the story are all love-inspired and have their own love stories and through that I hope that readers would realize what is true love,” he said in Korean, translated by an interpreter in English.

Aside from the essence of true love, Park also wanted the readers to realize the power of friendship in a relationship by citing the experiences of Jae Hee.

“So for example there is a character named Jae Hee in the book which is actually related to the [concept] of friendship. Sometimes I feel like friendship is more powerful than love,” Park said.

Park also dived into the inevitable reality of some relationships: that they are not meant to last forever.

“So the character in the story from the start is in love and I realize that the character actually demonstrated the love culture and the love relationship from A-Z. Through his love story and the time when then love actually ended, I hope the readers would have a takeaway on what is actually left in a relationship when it ends,” he said.

“Love in the Big City,” Park's first translated novel in English language, is among the bestselling books in South Korea. It follows the story of Young, a gay man struggling for love, happiness and friendship as he navigates his life in the “lonely” city of Soul.

It was longlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2022 and for the Dublin Literary Prize in 2023. It’s also been adapted into a film, starring No Sang Hyun and Kim Go Eun and will be premiering on October 2, 2024 in South Korea.

Park is an award-winning South Korean author based in Seoul, South Korea. He has worked as a magazine editor, copywriter, and a consultant. In 2016, he debuted as a novelist with "Looking for Paris Hilton," which won the Munhakdongne New Author Award. He has received further acclaim for his succeeding work, including the Young Writer Award, the Heo Gyun Literary Award, and the Shin Dong-Yeop Literary Award.

His works include novels like “Tears of an Unknown Artist and Zaitun Pasta,” “I Want to Be a One-Dimensional Being,” and “On Faith,” as well as essays such as “Tonight I Will Go to Bed Hungry” and “100% Pure Rest.” —JCB, GMA Integrated News