FESTIVAL 2026

Orange and the Bread Knife

by Cheong Ye

Hachette Book Group

FESTIVAL 2026

Orange and the Bread Knife

by Cheong Ye

Hachette Book Group

Synopsis

The thrilling high-concept Korean bestseller about conforming to society’s standards.

HAPPINESS IS ALWAYS A CHOICE

Youngah is a warm-hearted schoolteacher – always smiling, always yielding. She bends her life to everyone else’s rules. But deep inside, this endless restraint is killing her. An unending sense of despair festers.

Desperate for relief, she turns to a cutting-edge, four-week emotion regulation programme, which promises to sculpt her into a better version of herself.

The procedure works a little too well.

Unburdened at last, Youngah embraces her raw, unfiltered self, dismantling the weight of the exhausting expectations and ideals imposed upon her.

WHO WOULD EVER CRAWL BACK WHEN FREEDOM FEELS THIS GOOD?

Translated from the Korean by Slin Jung

About the Author

Cheong Ye is a Korean novelist and the recipient of numerous literary awards, including the Excellence Prize in the short fiction category of the 9th Kyobo Bookstore Story Contest, the Grand Prize at both the 1st and 2nd K-Story Contests, and the Grand Prize in the novel category at the 6th Korean Science Fiction Literature Awards. In 2026, she was voted No. 1 in YES24’s “Young Writers Shaping the Future of Korean Literature,” after being nominated for the honor for three consecutive years beginning in 2024. Several of her works have been optioned for screen adaptation. Her short film Witness of Harm was nominated for the Hokkaido Film Festival in 2025. 

Read more about Cheong Ye

Credit Hae ran

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