SICA
A bestseller in Korea, The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-Ran is a biting, fast-paced vampire murder mystery exploring queer love and the consequences of loneliness.
When four isolated elderly people die back-to-back at the same hospital by jumping out of the sixth-floor window, Su-Yeon doesn't understand why she's the only one at her precinct that seems to care. But her colleagues at the police force dismiss the case as a series of unfortunate suicides due to the patients' loneliness. But Su-Yeon doesn't have the privilege of looking away: her dearest friend, Grandma Eun-Shim, lives on the sixth floor, and Su-Yeon is terrified that something will happen to her next.
As Su-Yeon begins her investigation alone, she runs into a mysterious woman named Violette at the crime scene. Violette claims to be a vampire hunter, searching for her ex-lover, Lily, and is insistent that a vampire is behind the mysterious deaths. Su-Yeon is skeptical at first, but when a fifth victim jumps from the window, her investigation reveals the body was completely drained of blood. Desperate to discover the cause of the deaths, Su-Yeon considers Violette's explanation-that something supernatural is involved.
A gripping mystery, The Midnight Shift overflows with commentary about societal isolation and loneliness, the sharp knife of grief, and the effects of marginalization.
In this episode of Author Talks, Cheon Seon-Ran discusses her career in Korea and the English translation of her novel.
| Sign Up Here to Receive the Viewing Link |
Author Talks: Kyung-Ran Jo
Tuesday, July 15, 2025
The Korea Society
350 Madison Avenue, 24th Floor
New York, NY 10017
About the Speaker:
|
A lover of sci-fi always dreaming of the universe and waiting for aliens, Cheon Seon-Ran made her debut with Broken Bridges in 2019. She was awarded the Grand Prize in the 4th Korea Sci-Fi Literature Awards for her novel A Thousand Blues. |
You May Also Enjoy:
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Author Talks: Kyung-Ran Jo | Author Talks: Soyoung Park | Author Talks: Lee Chang-dong | Author Talks: Kim Suhyun & Anton Hur |