"We will continue to create books that the world needs while upholding our publishing company's motto, 'For the marginalized.'" Actor Park Jung-min conveyed his sincerity as the representative of the publisher Mujae.

On the 16th, Park Jung-min contacted several domestic media outlets. As the representative of the publisher Mujae, he personally introduced the new release.

The book he newly presented as the publisher's representative is 'First Summer, Wanju,' a new long novel by author Kim Geum-hee, who has written works such as 'Much Too Noon Love,' 'The Heart of Kyung-ae,' 'To Bok-ja,' and 'Large Greenhouse Repair Report.' In particular, 'First Summer, Wanju' has drawn attention by having its audiobook released prior to the publication of the print version.

This background contains Park Jung-min's experiences. "Around the time of the publication of our company's first book, 'The Act of Saving,' my father lost his sight," Park Jung-min stated. "Thinking that I could not show my father the first book created by his son made me a bit disheartened. While considering how to gift a book to my father, I planned a project called 'Listening Novel.' I thought that many people like my father, who do not have good eyesight, are among those furthest from reading, and I began to ponder how I could gift them a book. I considered creating an audiobook."

Reflecting Park Jung-min's earnestness, close colleagues and fellow actors participated in voicing the audiobook of 'First Summer, Wanju.' Among them are actors Go Min-shi, Park Joon Myun, Yum Jung-ah, as well as Kim Joon-han and Im Sung-jae, who appeared together in the Coupang Play series 'Newtopia,' along with comedian Choi Yang-rak, Kim Eui-sung, Bae Sung-woo, and Ryu Hyun-kyung.

In this regard, Park Jung-min noted, "They enriched the audiobook with great performances. Listening to it feels like watching a barrier-free film. It also resembles a radio drama." He expressed pride that the musicians Cloud and Yunmachi directly produced the OST as music directors.

The novel depicts the story of the protagonist Son Yeol-mae, who searches for her best friend Ko Soo-mi, who disappeared with her money. She goes to Soo-mi's hometown, Wanju, and meets various individuals, including Soo-mi's mother, the village head, a rude middle school student next door, an actor who returned to farming, a redevelopment villain, and an alien, experiencing change and growth. As an audiobook, it has been donated to the National Library for Disabled People and various foundations and welfare centers, allowing people with disabilities to be the first readers and listeners.

Regarding the 'Listening Novel' project, Park Jung-min explained, "The purpose was to invite visually impaired individuals as our first readers (or listeners); they would experience this work for about a month before we open the audiobooks and print versions to non-disabled readers in early May."

Moreover, he stated, "We plan to continue the 'Listening Novel' project in the future." He mentioned that contracts have already been signed with the second and third authors, who are currently writing. Above all, Park Jung-min promised, "We will continue to make books that the world needs while upholding our publishing company's motto, 'For the marginalized.'" He also said, "We will do our best to be, even if only a little, a speaker for those in need. Please do not hesitate to point out any wrongdoings if you see any. "

The author of 'First Summer, Wanju,' Kim Geum-hee, debuted in 2009 through the Korean Herald New Spring Literary Contest and has published many works, including 'The Heart of Kyung-ae,' 'To Bok-ja,' 'Large Greenhouse Repair Report,' 'Only for One Person,' and 'Much Too Noon Love.' She has also swept major Korean literary awards such as the Young Writer Award, the Shin Dong-yup Literary Award, the Hyun-dai Literature Award, and the Kim Seung-ok Literary Award, delicately capturing the sensibilities of the contemporary era.

The publisher Mujae was established in 2019 by actor Park Jung-min with the intention of discussing issues concerning the marginalized. Following 'The Act of Saving' and 'Sister Diary,' this 'Listening Novel' project proposes a new reading experience that conveys the emotion of literature not just through text but also through voice.

Below is the full text sent by Park Jung-min, the representative of Mujae.

Hello, this is actor Park Jung-min. First of all, I should have contacted you earlier, but I am sending this email late after receiving your contact information. It is an honor to have the opportunity to greet you like this after always receiving questions from reporters.

Today, I am contacting you as the representative of the publishing house. I am currently running a small publishing house called 'Mujae.' I wanted to introduce my new book, which has just been published.

First, I would like to introduce the book. It is a new long novel by author Kim Geum-hee, who has written works such as 'Much Too Noon Love,' 'The Heart of Kyung-ae,' 'To Bok-ja,' and 'Large Greenhouse Repair Report,' and the title is 'First Summer, Wanju.' I will briefly introduce this book and the project.

Around the time of the publication of our company's first book, , my father lost his sight. I felt a bit disheartened at the thought that I could not show him the first book created by his son. While pondering how to gift a book to my father, I planned the concept of 'Listening Novel.' I thought that people like my father, who do not have good eyesight, are among those furthest from reading, and considered what method would allow me to gift them a book. I contemplated creating an audiobook. While most audiobooks are narrated by one or two voice actors after the print and e-books are published, I wanted to start by writing a manuscript specifically for the audiobook. Kim Geum-hee joined this intention, and thus the novel 'First Summer, Wanju,' which has more dialogue than a typical novel, or perhaps resembles a one-act play, was born.

The audiobook of this novel features actors who are actively working in the film industry participating in the form of talent donation. Actors including Go Min-shi, Kim Do-hoon, Yum Jung-ah, Choi Yang-rak, Kim Eui-sung, Bae Sung-woo, Ryu Hyun-kyung, Im Sung-jae, and Kim Joon-han have enriched the audiobook with their great performances. Listening to it feels like watching a barrier-free film. It also resembles a radio drama. The sound effects are expressed in detail, and two musicians, Cloud and Yunmachi, who are currently attracting attention in the music scene, produced the music and OST for this work as music directors. I would like to emphasize that all elements harmoniously combined to create a very intriguing piece.

The brief synopsis of the novel is as follows: the protagonist Son Yeol-mae searches for her best friend Ko Soo-mi, who disappeared with her money, and she ends up going to Soo-mi's hometown 'Wanju.' There, she meets various people, including Soo-mi's mother, the village head, a rude middle school student next door, an actor who returned to farming, a redevelopment villain, and an alien, and undergoes change and growth.

It wasn't brief at all. Our audiobook is currently donated to the National Library for Disabled People and various foundations and welfare centers, where visually impaired individuals have access to it first. We are working hard to introduce it to more libraries. The purpose of the 'Listening Novel' project was to invite visually impaired individuals as our first readers (or listeners), so they will experience this work for about a month before we unveil the audiobooks and print versions to non-disabled readers in early May.

Attached is the press release for the lineup of actors who participated in our audiobook. Since this is my first time writing a press release, I am not sure if I did it correctly. I will practice more and strive to provide a cleaner piece in the future.

On April 17, a book talk will be held at the National Library, moderated by Director Baek Eun-ha. We plan to invite visually impaired readers who have listened to the audiobook to discuss the book. Author Kim Geum-hee and I will serve as discussants, and there will be performances by music directors Cloud and Yunmachi. Various events and plans like this are being prepared. If needed, I can compile them and send you an email later.

The 'Listening Novel' project is planned to continue in the future. We have contracts with the second and third authors, who are diligently writing. I also promise that we will continue to make books that the world needs while upholding our publishing company's motto, 'For the marginalized.' We will do our best to be, even if only a little, a speaker for those in need. I would appreciate it if you could also provide criticism whenever you see us going astray.

Since this is my first greeting, the email became quite long. Please review the attached materials, and if possible, I kindly request you to write the article at your convenience. Moving forward, I will diligently create and quietly send emails. The weather is starting to warm up again. I hope you can slowly enjoy healthy days amidst your busy schedule.

Thank you for reading.

Best regards, Park Jung-min.

[Photo] Provided by OSNE DB, Mujae.

[OSEN]

※ This article has been translated by AI. Share your feedback here.