Korean writer Jang Ryu-jin's debut novel 'To the Moon' has made its way to international readers through an English translation by Sean Lin Halbert, published by Bloomsbury in June. The novel tells the bittersweet story of three women who pool their modest salaries to invest in cryptocurrency, searching for hope amid economic uncertainty and stalled dreams.

Before becoming a novelist, Jang experienced corporate life firsthand while working at a tech company in Pangyo, often called Korea's Silicon Valley. Her literary career began in 2018 when her first short story 'The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work' appeared on the Changbi Publishers website and quickly went viral. The realistic portrayal of office life resonated so strongly with young workers that the overwhelming traffic briefly crashed the website.

Jang describes 'To the Moon' as her version of 'realism fantasy.' She explained in an interview with The Korea Times, 'I can't write characters who fly into space, but I can write about something that feels just as impossible, yet could still happen in the real world. That's my kind of realism fantasy.' The novel was inspired by her own financial struggles during the 2008 global financial crisis, when she often wished for extra money by month's end.

The story follows three women working mundane jobs at a confectionery company who decide to invest their savings in cryptocurrency, hoping to 'ride it to the moon.' From the beginning, Jang wanted to give them a happy ending, which she considers a rare choice in contemporary fiction. 'There are so many stories where people are punished just for wanting more,' she said. 'I didn't want to do that. I wanted to give these women a break, just once.'

However, Jang didn't aim for simple escapism. She compares the novel to a sugar-coated corndog, referencing a scene where the main character asks for 'more sugar, please.' She explained, 'The idea of a corndog rolled in sugar and setting the story in a confectionery company were all intentional. I wanted to write something sweet, but also leave behind that cloying, sticky feeling you get after eating too much dessert. That aftertaste – the thoughts and emotions that linger after closing the book – that's part of the reading experience too.'

Translator Sean Lin Halbert, who won The Korea Times Modern Korean Literature Translation Award in 2018, came to work on 'To the Moon' through Changbi Publishers. Initially asked to translate just a short sample, the project expanded to the full manuscript. 'I felt like I had won the lottery,' Halbert said, gesturing toward the finished book.

Bringing the novel into English presented significant challenges. Halbert admitted he initially didn't understand the importance of cryptocurrency in the story. 'The three women don't have the means for social mobility. They can't go up the ladder through their jobs or through other ways such as real estate. But cryptocurrency is a way that they can get rich quick. I didn't realize at first that that was out of desperation,' he explained.

The translation process involved two particularly difficult aspects: handling Korea's distinct cultural references and managing the book's narrative voice. Korean daily life details, such as apartment thresholds that separate the front door from living spaces, posed unique challenges. In the novel, protagonist Dahae dreams of living in an apartment with this simple barrier to keep shoe dust out – a modest wish that many Korean studio apartments lack.

Other cultural specifics, like tooth brushing after lunch or office coffee runs, required careful consideration. Halbert explained, 'There's a scene about choosing between Starbucks and Coffee Bean. If you don't realize that everyone goes to get coffee, you might miss what's really happening here. [Dahae] decides to skip brushing her teeth after lunch. Americans – at least from what I know – usually only do that in the morning and at night. So it might seem kind of pointless in the text, but in Korea, everyone does it.'

The novel's extensive internal monologue also proved challenging. 'There's a lot of internal monologue – characters talking to themselves – which comes off really natural in the Korean book,' Halbert noted. 'In English, it's a little harder to render. You have to have a lot of extra words to show their process. And then it gets really clunky.' To balance this, he often chose to trust readers' intuition rather than over-explain cultural differences.

'To the Moon' marks the first English publication of Jang's work, though her novels have already been translated into Japanese, Chinese, Turkish, Spanish, German, Thai, and other languages. Jang expressed her excitement about the English edition's potential reach: 'I never imagined it would be translated, so it's an honor. My novels feel like my children and now they are going far away. English is a global language, so I feel like it can reach even further. Having an English edition opens doors to more countries as well.'

Jang compares her writing to a song – not the kind people attend concerts to hear, but the kind they quietly sing along to. 'I think I'm the latter. Readers abroad often tell me their own stories, saying they've gone through similar things or felt the same emotions. Even in this realistic yet unreal story, they find emotional resonance,' she said.

This sense of universal connection surprised translator Halbert as well. 'I think corporate life is really different in Korea and the U.S.,' he observed. 'But it's still the same in many ways – having bad bosses, being expected to work long hours, dealing with unfair or weird rules at work. Everyone can understand that, even if it looks a little different.'

Jang's literary career continues to flourish beyond 'To the Moon.' Her third work of fiction, 'A Driving Course' (2023), is a collection of six short stories that explore quiet revelations and moments of self-discovery while maintaining her sharp observations of modern life. More recently, she ventured into nonfiction with 'The Season We Sparkle' (2025, translated title), a collection of essays tracing her trip to Finland with a close friend.

The success of 'To the Moon,' particularly with a Korean drama adaptation currently airing, could open additional doors for Jang's international presence. More of her works are already in the translation pipeline, suggesting that global readers will have continued access to her stories that blend warmth, wit, and emotional clarity while resonating with audiences both in Korea and around the world through translation.