Kang Young-sook (Novelist):
This novel prompts us to reflect on whether our society is still obstructing the self-realisation of many women, including highly educated women.

Oh Hye-jin (Critic):
It depicts the harsh reality of the Korean language institute—recruiting large numbers of foreign students without adequate facilities or systems in place; and, under the banner of serving customers, draining the time, labour, and emotional energy of non-contract instructors. For some, this hellish job is already the last possibility they cannot afford to lose.

★ Rights sold to Singapore and Turkey.

★ Winner of the 25th Hangyoreh Literary Award, selected unanimously by an all-female judging panel for the first time: This year‘s competition used an all-female judging panel for the first time, and eight women writers and critics unanimously selected this book.

★ Focusing on four non-contract female Korean language instructors, writing about the workplace predicament of highly educated, non-regularly employed women.

★ Writing about “survival,” about people struggling at the edge of a cliff: The author states that she wanted to write about “survival,” about people who cling on at the edge of a cliff, doing everything they can to endure. She hopes this book can bring comfort to readers who are likewise struggling.

“A novel focusing on highly educated contract-based women and their survival in the workplace.”

The story is set at H University’s Korean Language Institute, focusing on four non-contract female Korean language hourly instructors. The book is divided into five parts, with chapters divided by semester, and each chapter narrated by one of the female teachers. It depicts the workplace predicament, emotional exploitation, and survival struggles of highly educated, non-regularly employed female workers.

Character threads of the four protagonists:

Seon-i | Spring Semester (Part One)
After completing her master‘s degree, she originally prepared for the Grade 7 civil service exam, then switched to taking the national exam for Korean language instructors. She passed with a near-perfect score, yet repeatedly hit walls in job hunting. After much difficulty, she enters H University’s language institute, taking over a special class for Vietnamese international students. One day she discovers that her photo has been uploaded to social media by a student, tagged #KoreanHotGirl, subjected to malicious mockery and sexualised interpretation. In class, she must teach students to distinguish “good–bad” and “happy–sad,” yet inwardly she desperately wishes the students could learn words like “just/unjust” and “moving/insulting,” and recognise the harm in reality.

Mi-ju | Summer Semester (Part Two)
A senior instructor who has worked at the language institute for eight years, unconventional in her ways and strict with students, which is why her course evaluations have always been low. This semester she is in charge of a Level 2 class, where she meets Nika, a Belarusian student who has repeated the level multiple times. A small misunderstanding arises between them, and the conflict continues to escalate. Mi-ju single-mindedly hopes to help the student advance to Level 3, but ultimately ends up being sued by the student. Grievance and anger surge within her, and the goodwill and expectations she once held are completely crushed.

Ga-eun | Autumn Semester (Part Three)
A newcomer instructor who joined two years ago, from a provincial university—one of only two teachers at the institute from a provincial university. Her course evaluations are consistently ranked first, she is deeply loved by students, and has even received a public confession from a student. One day she receives a text message: “I saw your video.” Rumours quietly spread through the teachers’ office, colleagues‘ evasive glances and whispers—beneath her perfect exterior, Ga-eun hides a secret unknown to others.

Hee-hee | Winter Semester (Part Four)
She has served as a responsible instructor for two years and is about to face contract renewal. If the renewal succeeds, she will be converted to a permanent position without a fixed term. Others do not understand: “Why work so desperately when you have a husband?” She teaches while pursuing a doctorate, eating gimbap on the commuter bus while rushing to classes. At the language institute, one almost never sees Korean language instructors over fifty. She understands that her doctorate and her record as a responsible instructor are her chips for survival—if she cannot achieve it, she will be eliminated from the industry. Just at the critical juncture of striving for permanent status, she discovers she is pregnant.

Part Five returns to Seon-i‘s perspective (winter short-term class).

Four highly educated, non-regularly employed female workers mirror the multiple faces of contemporary working women: Seon-i’s quiet endurance for survival; Mi-ju‘s adherence to justice yet hitting walls everywhere; Ga-eun’s habit of attributing everything to luck, even attributing others‘ misfortune to fate; Hee-hee‘s desperate climb upward, grown numb to workplace bullying and mutual backstabbing.

The novel poses a question: Where there is no dignity of labour, there can be no human dignity.
They struggle desperately to make a living, yet run headlong into their own life crises one after another, forcing readers to think: How should we live?

Seo Su-jin

Born and raised in Seoul, currently residing in Australia. During the writing of this book, the COVID-19 pandemic broke out, the Korean language teaching industry shrank dramatically, and large numbers of instructors lost their jobs. The author’s own courses in Australia were all cancelled, leaving her unemployed. The author states that she wanted to write about “survival,” about people who cling on at the edge of a cliff, doing everything they can to endure. She hopes this book can bring comfort to readers who are likewise struggling.