Mirae-N Publishes New Book *Fantastic Fan Mates*, About a Fandom Friendship Between a Teen and a Woman in Her 70s

[Financial News] A woman in her 70s and a fifth-grade elementary school student become friends as they support the same male idol in his 30s. The new friendship story features the unusual premise of two people separated by 60 years who overcome generational barriers and connect through their shared fandom activities.
Mirae-N’s children’s publishing brand iSeum announced on the 10th that it had published *Fantastic Fan Mates 1: Sweet and Tangy Between Us*, a new children’s story that challenges stereotypes between generations.
The new book boldly moves away from the conventional relationship often seen in children’s literature between a “teaching adult” and a “child receiving care.” The story begins when Se-yoon, a fifth-grade student, discovers traces of her favorite 30-something boy group, Doldolsam, on the cellphone of Semmi, a woman in her 70s. Although they differ in age and experience, the two expand each other’s worlds by listening to the same singer’s music and collecting related merchandise.
To enhance the book’s quality, leading creators from children’s literature and webtoons joined forces. Park Hyun-sook, who has sensitively portrayed children’s emotions in the best-selling *Suspicious Series* and *Nine-tailed Fox Restaurant*, wrote the story. Dahong, who won the Today’s Our Manhwa Award for the WEBTOON series *Dam of the Forest*, provided the illustrations. The combination of webtoons’ lively character direction and Park’s witty prose is said to heighten the story’s appeal.
The book is the first installment in the *Fantastic Fan Mates* series, newly launched by Mirae-N’s iSeum. The series aims to show readers how to form new bonds with others through shared tastes, hobbies, and interests, rather than through external factors such as age, generation, or gender.
A Mirae-N representative said, “The book humorously conveys the message that people can become equal friends when they share what they love, even if they differ in age and generation.” The representative added, “We hope it will encourage young readers to listen to other people’s tastes and feelings instead of being confined by their differences.”

[email protected] Man-gi Kim Reporter