KJCKorea
Journal Central

Kangful’s webtoon is widely loved by the public. One of the most important reasons of his popularity is his touching and heartwarming story between people. But the reason why such a evident story can attract the public is the way this story is presented. In this thesis, we think that this way of presenting is using the traditional technique of detective novels, called the ‘Mystery Puzzle game’ technique. By showing gradually the mysteries and the solutions, it asks for the readers’ continuous inference, and through this, it makes the readers feel a pleasure as if they were playing a mystery game. This technique is a common point in Kangful’s works, but it is the most remarkably revealed in this piece, <The lighting store>, which we are talking about. The mytery puzzle in Kangful’s <The lighting store> is more detailedly organized than any other works. In order to prove this, we should first analyze the work’s characteristic in its structure of narration. With a general view, half of the 30 chapters are bringing up the mystery, and the others are the process of solution, when a twist happens in the 22 chapter. The complex composition of the space and time and the characters are also worth to analyze. They show how mysteries, hints or other indications are proposed and solved, and what are the roles of the unsolved mysteries. Finally, it as well indicates that this mystery puzzle technique uses the structure of narration of detective novels, and that it can in any degrees extend into various genres.

Kangful, <The lighting store>, Detective novel technique, Mystery Puzzle game, Participation of the readers