​Revenant (SBS)

Song Hooryeong: Revenant, which gained a lot of attention as playwright Kim Eun-hee’s new TV series, follows a folklore professor Yeom Hae-sang (Oh Jeong-se) as he tries to trace the root of the revenant that has possessed Gu San-yeong (Kim Taeri). However, as an occult thriller that uses ghosts and folklore, Revenant reflects some of the real aspects of our society. There’s Gu San-yeong, who is under pressure from the landlady trying to raise security deposit; Gu San-yeong’s mother who falls prey to vishing; a witness of domestic violence who became a vengeful ghost and can’t leave the world; a student preparing for the public officer exam that lives in a semi-basement and is vulnerable to spycam crimes; and young people who used to live in goshiwons but killed themselves after being threatened by loan sharks and became suicide ghosts. Its setting that human society creates vengeful demons and the evil spirits dig into the weakest spots of humans and grow by feeding on their desires makes “revenant” seem like a metaphor for human desires as well as the dark side of society that derives from them. Even the ghost of crown prince that possesses Gu San-yeong was born from an evil spell that creates ghosts by starving children, or in other words, from the past vice of humans. Just like demonic possession being visually expressed as a “shadow” with disheveled hair, the evil spirit that takes control of Gu San-yeong’s consciousness and frequently doing evil deeds is also a manifestation of Gu San-yeong’s inner desires. Therefore, it can be said that all the small and big “evils” come from humans. Gu San-yeong’s words imply the message that Revenant wants to convey: “People are scarier than ghosts.”

​Illustrated Crimes by Modesto Garcia (author) and Harvey de Castro (illustrator)

Kim Gyeoul (Writer): Now that the vacation season is just around the corner, what book should we prepare? Here’s a book that could provide an interesting break for those who resolve to read during the vacation. It’s a collection of what Modesto Garcia and Javi de Castro drew during the COVID pandemic which became a popular sensation. Is this a picture book with texts and illustrations? While it’s a book of illustrations, as the title suggests, it’s not just a simple picture book. The book literally takes you to the scene of the crime. From an airport to a hotel, a mysterious mansion, a theater dressing room, and a swimming pool of a passenger ship, you have to solve the murder case in many places around the world. The book tactfully brings the detective game to paper. The first page of each case shows the entire space where the murder took place, and the pages after that show every corner of the space in more detail. You have to find the culprit by only looking at the illustrations, but if that’s too difficult, there are a few hints available. Once you’ve solved the case, you can check and compare your assumptions with the details written on the Truth of the Case page. To give you some advice, you need to look very closely at the illustrations and have some knowledge of different cultures and languages for each country. There are a total of 12 cases, enough for you to have fun. Its second volume was also released recently. A perfect book for vacation season that lets you fully enjoy detective games without any electronic devices.

​“Our” by hathaw9y

Kim Yunha (Music Critic): When you listen to some music, you’ll notice that there are some singers that instinctively express their musical essence regardless of their age or career. That’s also what I thought as I listened to “Essential,” the first regular album by hathaw9y, a band that lately represents Busan along with others like Say Sue Me, Bosudong Cooler, and Leaves Black. They must know—that what drives their music is the round, warm heart that connects you, me, us, and everyone. 

The “essential” feature of the trio band, which formed in January 2020 and just had their third anniversary, is that they’re always very laid-back. Perhaps too laid-back in this world full of stimulations. Fortunately, Hathaway’s characteristic warm sense of stability, which has been built through three EPs, one collaborative album, and one single, represents quiet but strong, delicate but determined. Each of the nine songs on the album starts with either “Excuse me,” or “I’m sorry but,” and then goes on to stir the minds of the listeners with a powerful guitar sound. And so does the album’s final track “Our.” The promise “I’ll remember and find you” rings in your ears like hallucination in moments when you think you’ll fall apart and drop to the floor any minute. And the assurance from “The Days We Were Us” that constantly gets you back on your feet. A band that’s so gentle and brave that makes you want to protect them; a band that sings of their heart, which is rare to find these days.