“You’re not allowed in here.” Those who do not abide by the rules shall be punished From No One Shall Know, a collection of her early fantasy short stories, to Cursed Bunny, which earned her the nickname “the master storyteller of vengeance,” Bora Chung has consistently explored the themes of curse and vengeance in her works. The principle behind curse and revenge in Bora Chung’s novels lies in karmic justice, the principle that all things must return to their rightful place in the world. Those who commit evil deeds face their rightful consequences through curse and vengeance – and such theme of curse and vengeance continues in The Midnight Timetable. In the laboratory in The Midnight Timetable, there is someone who randomly appears in front of employees on night patrol, stopping them with the words “You’re not allowed in here.” Employees can either ignore them and walk past, or follow the words and turn around. This loose, unenforced taboo is the “somewhat peculiar rule for safety” in this strange lab. The director will stop me from going somewhere that does not exist, or where people should not pass through. That was a somewhat peculiar rule for safety, but very fitting for this lab, I thought. ─ Page 45, You’re Not Allowed in Here In the meantime, the employees at the laboratory take night patrol shifts according to the “midnight timetable.” According to the critic Park Hye-jin, labs in general “can be thought of as the realm of academia and the strongest evidence that proves human existence as rational beings.” However, this definition is based solely on its purpose during the daytime, and a more literary definition of the word may be required for the laboratory at midnight. The lab in The Midnight Timetable is “where the non-existent beings start to exist only when the night falls” and where “stories that cannot be explained through reason and rationality, nor narratives of science and intellect.” The ”timetable” is the only rule set forth by humankind that functions properly in the lab at midnight, where reason and rationality, and science and intellect are overthrown by curses, magic, and fantasy. This timetable that humans have created in the daytime only holds its power to the minimum at midnight, during which the non-human beings that inhabit objects take the stage. As such, employees who work by the timetable are expected to simply walk through the corridors they are not quite sure exist, and even if they see something beyond ordinary, they must “pretend it’s not there and ignore it” as they do what they are told (“to repeatedly check the locked doors”). When humans attempt to do something outside the “timetable” or the “safety rules,” their attempt boomerangs on them as a curse, just like what happens when DSP tries to fulfill private desires in the middle of the night in Cursed Lamb. The heel of the gigantic white sneaker once again aimed for DSP’s head. DSP ran for their dear life, trying to avoid the heel with all their might. DSP tried to go out through the door they passed through, but there was only a white solid wall behind. The door was no longer there. ─ Page 123, Cursed Lamb The same goes not just for what happens to the employees of the lab, but also for the stories behind other objects and beings within the place. The “lamb” that comes to be by the side of the “deputy director” punishes the man who tries to harm them, and the “handkerchief” brings revenge to those who brought the country to ashes. For the weak and minorities with the will to live, however, the curses attached to objects can serve as an opportunity to move forward with a new life after leaving behind their pains in the past. This is how curses and vengeance work in the universe created by Bora Chung: promising a kinder future to the good, and bringing the rightful consequence to the evil. From the eerie world of curses and vengeance To the oddly beautiful future of compassion and care Not all stories in The Midnight Timetable are filled with eerie spookiness haunted by curse and vengeance. Of course there are excellent moments of horror that will send shivers down one’s spine, such as the tunnel in You’re Not Allowed in Here or the staircase in Cursed Lamb – but after finishing all seven stories, readers will be overcome by a sense of relief that comes after gripping moments of fear and suspense, and embraced by a gentle warmth as if they are bathing in the sun. However, the cat is now leisurely soaking up the warmth under the sunlight. There is the deputy director’s lamb right next to the cat. The furry ones get along very well. When they are out together on a sunny day, the cat would lick the lamb as they enjoy the warm embrace of the sun together. The cat would sometimes happily take a nap on the back of the lamb as the lamb sits still, basking in the sunlight. ─ Page 227, A Day in the Sun The laboratory in The Midnight Timetable is a haunted place where there are a gazillion haunted objects, non-existent corridors or stairs constantly pop up, and anyone can see and hear creepy visions and sounds if they are unlucky. To employees who must work in the lab in the depth of the night, this might indeed feel like a place of horror and fear. However, to those who abide by the rules and work diligently, and to those who recover from their wounds to reaffirm their will to live, the lab gifts a happy future surrounded by their loved ones. Sook, who says their dream is “to sleep soundly with the kids at night” fulfills this dream and quits. And Chan, an LGBTQ person with a painful past filled with abuse and discrimination, finds a lover who will understand them, Ghak, and moves on to a kinder future filled with love. As Chan listened to Ghak’s words, everything started to make sense one by one. It was only then that Chan could truly mourn for the part of their life that had been buried underneath the scars from their wounds, and move forward to build a kinder future, where they could take better care of themselves. ─ Page 23, You’re Not Allowed in Here By the time readers have finished reading The Midnight Timetable, the eerie lab that once felt like a pot full of terrifying tales will begin to feel like an odd but kindly place where there is compassion and care for the vulnerable, wounded, and forgotten non-human beings. This is a temporary shelter for the weak that were hurt and killed by the senseless malice of human beings – where one can practice compassion and care to rebuild their life that was once thought to be broken. In the universe created by Bora Chung, it was up to the victims to avenge themselves in a world where good, evil, and justice are all twisted and intertwined. And as evidenced by the ending of Cursed Bunny, curses and vengeance in the twisted world would only breed more curses. However, in The Midnight Timetable, Bora Chung illustrates a strange but beautiful world of compassion and care, where there is a place to rest for the wounded even in this twisted world. While facing the reality that can often be more grotesque than horror stories, Bora Chung honors non-human beings that were unfairly killed and creates the foundation on which the weak and minorities can dream of a better future – all in hopes that this laboratory, a lost and found for the remainders of the dead in the border that sets life and death apart, will no longer be of any use. “It’s best to leave without thinking about leaving anything behind.” Sunbae said firmly. And I agree. But things don’t always turn out the way we want them to. If everybody could leave with a clean slate, this laboratory would not exist in the first place. ─ Page 224, A Day in the Sun “Writing The Midnight Timetable was like going to an amusement park.” Written by Bora Chung, determined to create a “real” ghost story In her author’s note, Bora Chung states that writing The Midnight Table was “like going to an amusement park, and not a job with contracts and deadlines” as she highlights the joys of writing ghost stories. The Midnight Timetable holds the power of stories that the author genuinely enjoyed writing. At the same time, however, the author talks about the challenges of writing ghost stories, or any scary story for that matter, as a full-length book: if a ghost story gets too long, it inevitably ends up becoming a mystery or thriller. What Bora Chung wanted to write was not a mystery or thriller, but “real ghost stories” – that is why she chose to write a collection of short stories that are all connected and set in the same background, the laboratory. After Cursed Bunny was shortlisted for the Booker Prize, Bora Chung occasionally published new short stories in print, but most published books were compilations of her previous works. What this means is that The Midnight Timetable is, in fact, her first new book published in a very long time. Bora Chung’s life as a writer must have changed dramatically since the Booker Prize nomination. In fact, she has been receiving invitations and offers from countries around the world and has been traveling all over the place. This is why it is all the more impressive that she has genuinely felt the sheer joy of writing – it shows the deep roots that the author has grown through years and years of creating stories and writing novels. The Midnight Timetable is a new work that sticks to its original color palette without being swayed by the commotion but with a clear wind of change. This book will be a turning point in the universe of Bora Chung’s works – a book that once again proves the faith in the name “Bora Chung” while offering new waves of inspiration that have not been encountered in her novels until now. Reference: Support from Greenbook Agency