Park Sang-young teases new crime novel about chaebol family “Love in the Big City” (Plus M) Novelist Park Sang-young once spent so much time thinking about love that it became something of an obsession.While writing his bestselling novel "Love in the Big City," Park immersed himself in the subject with the fervor of a devoted fan — much like the Korean slang "deokjil" describes the act of enthusiastically diving into every aspect of something one loves."I found myself obsessing over why relationships kept failing," Park said during a talk at the Seoul International Book Fair, Friday. "I wanted to know why things weren't working, so I started reading books like 'The Art of Loving' by Erich Fromm. Naturally, that led to writing this book.""I think my books are a kind of fan diary," he added. "In the case of 'Love in the Big City,' I was obsessed with love."For Park, writing has often been less an act of invention than a way of working through the questions that consume him. Each project begins with a personal preoccupation and ends, at least temporarily, with a sense of resolution.Before writing the book, he said, love felt like "the most important assignment" of his life."When I finish writing, it feels as though I've finally gotten an assignment out of my system. The questions I've been carrying around become organized in my mind.""Afterward, I didn't date for several years," he said with a laugh. "I guess I solved the assignment. Or at least I thought I did." Novelists Park Sang-young (left) and Chung Se-rang attend a joint book talk "How to Write" at the Seoul International Book Fair at Coex in Seoul on Friday. (Newsis) First published in 2019, "Love in the Big City" became the 37-year-old novelist's international breakthrough.The novel-in-stories has since been translated into more than 15 languages and has been nominated for international awards, including the International Booker Prize in 2022.The work was later adapted into both a film starring Kim Go-eun and Noh Sang-hyun and a Tving drama series, for which Park also participated as a screenwriter.Despite the novel's global reach, Park said overseas readers often respond to his work in remarkably similar ways to Korean audiences."The things they like, the questions they ask — they're almost the same. That gave me a surprising sense of comfort."What did surprise him were the encounters he had while touring small bookstores across Europe."Elderly readers would invite me to their homes and ask if I wanted to come over for a meal. I remember thinking, 'This is really different.'"The remarks came during a Seoul International Book Fair seminar, "How to Write," on Friday, where Park appeared in conversation with novelist Chung Se-rang, discussing the practical challenges of the creative process and how writers navigate unforeseen hurdles.Park said his favorite stage of writing comes long before a story takes shape. The planning stage, he explained, is when ideas feel most abundant and unformed."I think the planning phase is the most fun part. I use multiple memo apps. At that stage, it feels like everything I see in the world could become an idea."He described collecting fragments of inspiration in everyday life — from strange banners spotted on buses to passages in books or scenes in films — and storing them in his phone. Only later, he said, does he begin arranging them into structure and character."When I start building the structure or the characters, I lay everything out and try to connect them like puzzle pieces. I let them 'ferment,' I read research materials, and I just sit with them. That's when I'm happiest. It feels like the moment of pure possibility. My brain is at its most active."Park hinted at a new book scheduled for release in the coming months. Tentatively titled "The Woman Wearing a Straw Crown," the novel is a mystery centered on murder, ambition and the power struggles of a chaebol family."This would be my first foray into crime fiction. It’s taken a lot of breaking down and rebuilding. I'm still putting the pieces together," he said. Novelist Park Sang-young speaks during a joint book talk "How to Write" at the Seoul International Book Fair at Coex in Seoul on Friday. (Newsis)