Jay- A girl who can eat nothing but water and electricity.

Y & K- Two sad, depressed men attempting to find Jay’s home.

This is their story. Jang Eun-Jin once again fixes her gaze on the human condition- of isolation and communication- through her latest work.

Synopsis

Y is a bachelor living in a rooftop room. Both his grandfather and father were locksmiths, so he inherited from them a small locksmith’s shop and hardship. One day, he receives an electricity bill- while it’s usually under ten thousand won, it had jumped to a hundred thousand that month. At first, he thought there must be an issue, but the next month a similar bill found its way to his house, triple the amount this time. He decides there must be someone stealing his electricity. So, he hid in his closet and waited. It took a few days, but he found the electricity thief. To his surprise, the thief was none other than a girl who looked almost identical to his favorite Japanese actress Yu Aoi. He finds out that she steals electricity solely to satisfy her hunger, and that her touch could potentially electrocute him.

Jay, as she calls herself, declares her intention to stay in Y’s house without asking him, fascinated by the 'lonely' taste of the electricity in his home. Burdened, both economically and emotionally by her presence, Y decides to send her on to his high school friend, K, whom he hasn't contacted in five years. Sneaking into K's house, Y discovers K's attempting to kill himself. K, despite growing up in wealth, always struggled with depression and constantly felt the urge to kill himself. On the other hand, Y was haunted by memories of K always stealing his girlfriends. K finds everything about Jay interesting- her electricity-eating, fun storytelling, guitar-loving persona. While Y, who dislikes Jay being around, wants to somehow leave her at K's house and be done with it.

Jay, K, and Y all bear the burden of lonely youth. Jay, unable to have physical contact due to the electric currents flowing through her body, spent most of her life isolated in the forest. Y, responsible for his own livelihood from an early age, crushed by the harsh realities of life after his parents passed away, never managed to form a proper relationship. K, despite growing up in affluence, is emotionally unstable, and resorts to self-harm, even going to the extent of cutting off his own ears and keeping them in the freezer.

The novel unfolds as the lives of these three individuals, each carrying their own sorrows and pains, become entangled through a series of coincidences. Inspired by Jay’s vague memories, they embark on a journey to find her home, depicted as 'Across the Cloud Bridge, in the Deep Forest.' The emotions and thoughts that emerge along this path are portrayed with the author's characteristic understated and clear tones.

If Scheherazade in One Thousand and One Nights had to tell stories to save herself, Jayt would tell stories not only to understand but also to have others understand her. She not only tells stories but listens to others' stories, taking both herself, who has been isolated in the deep forest for a long time, and those confined to their own small rooms, to spaces of relationship and communication Y overcomes the sense of lack in his impoverished life, and K, who finds hope in wanting to live, transforms through his conversations with Jay and comes out of his solitary time and space.

The function of the story begins with understanding. Ultimately, "Where is Her Home?" is a novel about understanding and communication through storytelling. For those in need of a stranger’s tale, perhaps, while you leave your home unattended, she might come looking for you. How would you know if she is there? If your electricity bill is unusually high compared to other months, you can assume she has arrived. It might be worth looking over your electricity bill once more!

Jang Eun-jin

Jang Eun-jin made her debut in 2002 with the short story "Two Women in the Cave" in Jeonnam Ilbo's New Spring Literary Contest and was selected for the Joongang Ilbo’s New Writer Literary Award in 2004 for the short story "Kitchen Laboratory." Her works include the novels "Alice's Lifestyle," "No One Writes Letters," "Where is Her Home?" "Dateless," "Weather and Love," and the story collections "Kitchen Laboratory," "Knocking on an Empty House," and "Your Remote Place." She has received the Monhakdongne Literary Award and the Lee Hyo-seok Literary Award.