A Blue Almost Transparent with
A Lair of Raccoons, Lost in a Maze of Desire: Reflections on Kim OO's Prologue
As I read the prologue of this novel, I encountered a portrait of a man submerged in the suffocating city night, in the damp swamp of desire. The cramped "Lair of Raccoons," no more than three pyeong, is not merely an office but a mirror reflecting the inner self of a man entangled in solitude, anguish, and precarious escapades. The sight of him dimly lit under the 30-candlepower bulb is akin to a self-portrait of all of us, agonizing in the anonymity of modern society.
The author delicately depicts the protagonist's psychology through masterful metaphors and symbols. The space of the "Lair of Raccoons" itself reveals the protagonist's isolated reality, and the unceasing cigarette smoke visually expresses his anxiety and unease. In particular, the phrase "a 30-candlepower yellow bulb" subtly implies the protagonist's pathetic struggle to cling to humanity.
Song Team Leader, a captivating presence, creates a powerful ripple in the protagonist's life. The "Almost Transparent Blue" she hands over is not simply a novel but acts as a catalyst leading the protagonist into the abyss of desire. The bizarre combination of sex and reading accentuates the protagonist's complex inner self, wandering between physical pleasure and mental longing. Her free-spiritedness stimulates repressed desires, and the protagonist constantly wavers between pangs of conscience and carnal temptation.
The childhood memory of catching bugs subtly overlaps with the present-day image of a bug-fixing programmer. The stench of decay and cockroaches in the old market apartment symbolize the shackles of life that the protagonist wants to escape from but cannot. He constantly catches bugs, but fails to catch the bug of desire lurking deep within himself.
The yearning for a new world of the internet once led his life to light, but eventually casts the dark shadow of a pornographic site. The ethical issues hidden behind glamorous success push him into deeper anguish. He gains money and comfort, but at the same time loses precious values of conscience and morality.
The final scene of the prologue leaves a strong lingering feeling. The secret meeting on the rooftop, and the discovery of "Almost Transparent Blue" in the sauna, imply that the protagonist's life is still wandering in a maze of desire. In particular, the scene of discovering his own image in the sleeping face of the president heightens the anxiety that he may be increasingly deteriorating.
The prologue of this novel is not simply the beginning of a story but a work of art that deeply probes the inner self of a man wandering on the border between desire and conscience, reality and ideals. The author invites readers into the maze of desire that is the "Lair of Raccoons" through sophisticated prose and delicate descriptions, and makes them agonize and struggle alongside the protagonist who is lost within. I will hold my breath and watch what kind of ending the story to come will offer him.
