Almond

This is a story about a monster meeting another monster.
One of them is me.

Yunjae was born with a rare brain condition called Alexithymia—he doesn’t feel emotions the way others do. Fear, anger, joy—they're concepts he understands but can’t quite experience. His world is structured, safe and small, centered around his mother and grandmother and the cozy apartment above their used bookstore. Post-it notes guide him through the motions of daily life—smile, say “thank you,” laugh.

But everything changes on his sixteenth birthday. A random act of violence shatters his carefully built world and leaves him utterly alone. As grief threatens to engulf him, Yunjae begins to retreat until Gon, a volatile and misunderstood new student, crashes into his life.

Against all odds, the two form an unexpected friendship. As their bond deepens, Yunjae starts to sense something shifting within him, something unfamiliar, and maybe even hopeful. When Gon’s life spirals toward danger, Yunjae must decide whether he’s ready to step out of the shadows of his mind and into the light of human connection.

Tender, thought-provoking, and quietly triumphant, Almond is a moving exploration of empathy, resilience, and what it means to feel deeply—no matter how late those feelings arrive.