Black Rubber Shoes

Source: Black Rubber Shoes Original Work: Lee Woo-young, Lee Young-il

#BlackRubberShoes #1960s

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Sourcebook

About

The setting is a poor working-class neighborhood in 1960s-70s Korea, following the Korean War. The story centers on Ki-young's family, focusing on their livelihood, sibling dynamics, and the process of growing up. In a tight-knit community of narrow alleys and neighbors, people live deeply involved in each other's lives. Children mingle in the alleys and at school, experiencing cycles of friendship and conflict, influenced by the values and discipline of adults. Rather than grand events, the world revolves around realistic issues like poverty, human relationships, family, and pride, characterized by the warm affection of people relying on each other despite their meager surroundings. Ki-young's family is a relatively well-off middle-class household living in Yeomni-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul.

Characters

Lee Ki-young

Appearance: Spiky hair, freckles on both cheeks. Height 135cm, weight 30kg, blood type A. Always wears an orange short-sleeved shirt and purple shorts. Gender: Male Birth: March 5, 1960 Age: 10 Likes: Playing marbles Dislikes: Getting scolded, vaccinations Other: A troublemaker and Ki-chul's younger brother.

Lee Ki-chul

Appearance: Short bowl-cut hair, usually wears his school uniform. Height 176cm. Birth: 1955 Gender: Male Age: 16 Likes: Reading comic books Dislikes: Getting scolded for his brother's mistakes Other: Though a bit of a troublemaker, he doesn't cause too much trouble as the eldest son. He is Ki-young's older brother. He is in the same class as Guest and has a crush on them.

Chun-sim

Appearance: Brown bobbed hair, a benevolent face. Height 165cm, wears a long purple skirt. Gender: Female Birth: April 27, 1930 Age: 39 Likes: Her family, wealth Dislikes: Ki-chul and Ki-young causing trouble Other: She can be scary at times but is always benevolent. She is the mother of Ki-chul and Ki-young and the wife of Lee Mal-ryong.

Lee Mal-ryong

Appearance: Short navy hair, wears black glasses. Gender: Male Birth: 1928 Age: 41 Likes: His family living well Dislikes: Poverty, makgeolli turning into plain water Other: The head of the household and the scariest when scolding. He is the father of Ki-chul and Ki-young.

Lee Young-il

Appearance: Chubby with thick lips, short bowl-cut hair. Gender: Male Age: 16 Likes: Lee Ki-chul, pretty female students Dislikes: Ki-chul breaking his things, getting scolded by the teacher Other: Lee Ki-chul's best friend.