꿈에서 만나

A virus known as NARC-19 begins spreading throughout South Korea; it primarily affects teens, who exhibit symptoms of narcolepsy that last for a few weeks. It's theorised that it spreads through a rather curious method of contagion: if an infected person dreams of someone they know, that person will soon be afflicted by the disease.

니나 is preparing for the high school entrance exams when NARC-19 starts appearing in her school, but she's determined that the epidemic won't affect her studies. She is completely focused on gaining the top rank in school and being accepted into a prestigious high school, just like her mother wants her to.

As student attendance plummets, 니나 finds herself working alongside the student council president, who is friendly and outgoing, the complete opposite of herself. When he questions what's important to her, she is taken aback, and finds herself thinking a lot about the president's question - and him.

When the student council president is infected, 니나 doesn't quite understand all the emotions she feels: he is constantly in her thoughts, but she is also upset that she hasn't yet caught the disease. She makes up her mind to go talk to him... But then wakes up from a nap. Suddenly, she is elated - he dreamt of her! She thinks of all the things she wants to say to him as she falls asleep once more...

There's a lot of vocabulary related to disease, particularly in the first chapter, which resembles a news report about the spread of the virus and how it is being handled by various professional bodies. I found there was also quite a few academic terms I had to look up, but again these are mostly early in the story. It felt like although it started off difficult, the language became easier and easier as the story progressed.

Unsurprisingly, the idea for the story grew from the author's experiences of the COVID-19 epidemic disrupting their child's education; the two wondered what it would be like if it were a good disease. In the story we see the protagonist change from a student single-mindedly pursuing academic achievement to a girl experiencing her first crush.

I'm trying to keep in mind that this is a short story, but I can't help feel disappointed that more attention wasn't given to 니나's reflections, and the wider issue of the pressures of academic performance. 니나's goals were set by her mother; her opinions echo those of her mother; she even hears her mother's sayings in her mind throughout the day. I expected when she was challenged she would reconsider these ideas, but it doesn't seem she has - although perhaps her having an interest in something outside academics shows that the seeds have been sown.

Similarly, not much was made of the symptoms of the disease: there is a serious problem concerning young people studying excessively and being sleep deprived, so it seemed like an illness that forces teens to sleep and miss class would be the perfect opportunity to explore the pressures parents and society as a whole put on young people. Again, I was disappointed.

While inspired by real events, the fictional disease serves primarily as a vehicle to introduce romance. It was nice to see the main character's world grow a little, and end on a happy and hopeful note. However, the excitable girl at the end of the book doesn't really gel with who we have seen previously, so there is a bit of dissonance there.

Perhaps I expected too much; the main character began questioning what was important to her for the first time, and found herself becoming interested in another person. I would have like it if the societal issues had been focused on more, but it is after all only a short story.

Overall, an average story that starts off with difficult vocabulary before easing off into everyday language.