"The Yellow Lady" by Lee Alam (Safehouse Inc.)

"The Yellow Lady"

By Lee Alam

Safehouse Inc.

In the gloomy and turbulent period of the 1930s, Han Kyung-ae, also known as the "Yellow Lady," returns to Gyeongseong, the name for present-day Seoul during the Japanese colonial period.

Benefiting from her affluent pro-Japanese family background, she traveled the globe and studied entomology in the US following her education at a Japanese medical school.

In the US, she was regarded simply as "the Asian woman," and upon returning to Korea, she is considered "eccentric," loving bees more than people. Some whisper that she is extravagant, disregarding the duties of her time and obsessed with seemingly trivial matters such as insects.

One day, the lifeless body of popular singer Cheong-hee is discovered in Bukchon, swarmed by aggressive bees.

Due to the "peculiarity of the case," Kyung-ae, with her background in medicine and expertise in insect research, particularly bees, is called upon to provide consultation for the investigation. If her mysterious death is not properly solved, the woman will be forgotten as a mere gossip. And Kyung-ae is determined not to let the young woman fade away.

The unique setting and the depiction of the eccentric yet charming entomologist character in the 1930s captivate readers' interest in the enigmatic murder case. A drama adaptation is currently in progress, according to the publisher.