★ A new work by the Grand Prize winner of the K-Thriller Open Call Competition: Author Kim Dalli made her official debut by winning the Grand Prize at the First K-Thriller Writers Open Call Competition, and also works in film. Once again breaking the boundaries of genre fiction, she uses the all-too-real subject of plastic addiction to interrogate fundamental human questions of infection and the fear of death.

★ Ridi reader reviews: “Relentlessly paced, like watching a film.” “I hope this gets adapted for the screen—the sense of realism is incredibly strong.” “I read it in one sitting.”

★ An unprecedented new pandemic dystopia: The story is set in 2026, when the cohort known as the MZ generation collectively begins exhibiting abnormalities—they start eating plastic, vomit colourful mucus, and then die one after another. Thirty years later, Ye-in, who lost her parents in this plastic plague, lives with her only remaining relative, Gyo-seok, the director of the National Disaster Research Institute. Gyo-seok names their generation—those who can fully decompose plastic within their bodies—the “Plastic Generation.” Ye-in is also a sought-after planning director at Lico Plastic Company, a corporation that specialises in producing plastic goods in the form of candy and beverages. With its unique premise of “a compulsive urge to swallow foreign objects spreading like an infectious disease” and “a humanity on the brink of extinction,” the novel explores the selfish greed of power and capital.

An unprecedented new pandemic dystopia—a heavyweight full-length novel with seamless pacing, and a new work by Kim Dalli.

“From the pale yellow-green vomit, a pungent synthetic resin odour assails the nostrils.”

Kim Dalli, winner of the First K-Thriller Writers Open Call Competition and the Safe House Story Open Call Competition, and one of the most watched genre fiction authors today, writes of a terrifying plague that nearly annihilated a generation—Plastic Generation. Ridi reader reviews: “Relentlessly paced, like watching a film.” “I hope this gets adapted for the screen—the sense of realism is incredibly strong.” “I read it in one sitting.” Once again breaking the boundaries of genre fiction, the author uses the all-too-real subject of plastic addiction to interrogate fundamental human questions of infection and the fear of death.

The story is set in 2026, when the cohort known as the MZ generation collectively begins exhibiting abnormalities—they start eating plastic, vomit colourful mucus, and then die one after another.

Thirty years later, Ye-in, who lost her parents in this plastic plague, lives with her only remaining relative, Gyo-seok, the director of the National Disaster Research Institute. Gyo-seok names their generation—those who can fully decompose plastic within their bodies—the “Plastic Generation.” Ye-in is also a sought-after planning director at Lico Plastic Company, a corporation that specialises in producing plastic goods in the form of candy and beverages.

One day, Ye-in receives notice of the death of her close friend Gi-su, also a Lico employee. The death is initially ruled a simple accidental fall, but Ye-in discovers that it is very likely connected to plastic addiction. Against the company’s objections, she conducts an unofficial autopsy in secret. At the same time, withdrawal symptoms begin to surface in her own body, and she starts to doubt whether the so-called ability to “fully decompose plastic within the human body” is real.

The death toll spirals out of control. The closer she gets to the truth, the stronger her sense of foreboding: the two most important pillars of her life—the company she works for, and her grandfather Gyo-seok—both seem deeply entangled in this catastrophe. And Lico‘s representative, Lee Tae-ra, keeps throwing out loaded remarks, constantly shaking Ye-in’s trust in Gyo-seok‘s moral standing…

What exactly is the mucus people vomit before they die? Does the “Plastic Generation” truly exist? What is the true face of her grandfather Gyo-seok, long regarded as a conscientious researcher? Where will humanity, struck by this new plague, go from here?

With its unique premise of “a compulsive urge to swallow foreign objects spreading like an infectious disease” and “a humanity on the brink of extinction,” the novel explores the selfish greed of power and capital. The imagery is powerfully vivid: crowds picking up plastic from the ground and stuffing it into their mouths; the eerie shimmer of dead fish scales covering the surface of the Han River; the screams rising and falling on the chaotic streets of Seoul, people collapsing one after another—scene after scene unfolds before the reader‘s eyes like film shots. Readers witness with their own eyes the greedy mouths craving plastic, the Han River turned into a graveyard of life, and the privileged class driven by selfish desire, pushing humanity toward death. The vivid narrative firmly grips contemporary young readers who are familiar with visual storytelling.

The book does not descend into a wholly destructive tragic ending—this is precisely its unique charm. At the peak of the human extinction crisis, “hope” still exists. Even if the world is left desolate and broken, there remains between people the humanity of gazing at one another through tears; upon the ruins, love that looks forward and watches over will still grow.

The author reflects: “I wanted to stand on the side of these incorrigible humans, filled with hope. As if they were constantly urging me: please believe in humanity one more time.” After reading, one feels both the thrill of a strong plot and a powerful inner resonance—because in a certain sense, all of us are the Plastic Generation.

Excerpt from the text: “Well, well. Look at this. Have you quit plastic?” Lee Tae-ra grips Ye-in‘s sharp chin and pulls out a handkerchief to wipe away the vomit lingering at the corner of her mouth. An immense force squeezes Ye-in’s jaw. He stares into Ye-in‘s open mouth, then releases his grip and stands up. “You’re hurt. Quitting plastic is no easy thing. To quit, you might even have to stake your life on it.”

【Story Outline】
In 2026, a mysterious plague breaks out. Large numbers of young people frantically devour plastic, vomit strangely coloured mucus, and then die. Thirty years later, the surviving new generation is called the “Plastic Generation,” said to have bodies capable of metabolising and decomposing plastic.

The protagonist, Ye-in, is both the planning director of the plastics company Lico and the granddaughter of Gyo-seok, director of the National Disaster Research Institute. When her friend Gi-su dies under mysterious circumstances, Ye-in insists on investigating the cause of death, and discovers that it is inextricably linked to plastic addiction. She secretly performs an autopsy on the body, while at the same time experiencing withdrawal reactions herself, and begins to doubt the truth of the generation’s abilities.

Death cases erupt one after another, and the city falls into lockdown chaos. Ye-in gradually realises that her trusted grandfather, and the company she works for, are hiding a massive conspiracy of human experimentation and capital. On one side is the charismatic corporate representative Lee Tae-ra; on the other is her grandfather Gyo-seok, who raised her. Lies are wrapped in layer upon layer. She must distinguish what is truth from what is fabricated illusion, and find a way forward for human survival in a collapsing world.

Kim Dalli

Novelist who also works in film creation. Made her official debut by winning the Grand Prize at the First K-Thriller Writers Open Call Competition.

Works: the short story collection Mercury Stories; the full-length novels Eli, Lovers of the Deep Forest, Repairman Kim Jae-hee