Forest Called You by Amil

Klara and the Sun meets Mean Girls in this queer coming-of-age K-pop love story between an idol and her fan

Worship the idol. Fall for the real girl.

In a future Korea, those who can afford to have retreated from the ravaged world outside, slipping on virtual reality headsets to lose themselves in simulations of the past.

But high school student Soop, unable to access VR, is bullied by her classmates for being forced to remain in the real world. Her only solace comes from the K-pop she listens to on repeat. When Yichae – Soop’s favourite idol – comes to film a new music video at her school, Soop hopes this might be her chance at real connection.

But Yichae has her own troubles. She is one of few remaining ‘real’ idols, celebrated for her authenticity, yet forced to live up to the unattainable beauty standards of her virtual counterparts. As Soop and Yichae are drawn closer through their shared love of music and unexpected feelings start to grow, both must question how to stay true to themselves and each other in an increasingly artificial world.

About the Author: Amil (Author)
Amil is a South Korean writer and translator. She has won numerous awards for her short stories, including the SF Award in the Short-Mid Novel category for ‘Roadkill’ and the SF Award Grand Prize for ‘Rabbi’, both of which feature in her debut story collection in English, Roadkill. Amil has translated works by authors including James Baldwin, Joyce Carol Oates, Jeanette Winterson, R. O. Kwon and Lucas Rijneveld into Korean.

Joheun Lee (Translator)
Joheun Lee is a Korean-to-English literary translator from Korea, drawn to stories of desire, relationships and identity by women and queer writers. Her translations include Lee Heejoo’s Holy Boy and Amil’s short story ‘A Butch’s Review of a Sex Robot’. She lives in Shanghai with her partner and four cats.

04 Jun 2026
 

The Forest Called You by Amil ISBN 9781787305434