B2 · 한국어

    Korean short stories for B2 learners

    Classic stories, retold for your level

    These are classics originally written in Korean, retold for B1–B2 learners. A retelling keeps the whole plot of the original — every scene, every turn — in language pitched at your level. Every sentence has a translation into your language, and the first sentences of any story are free to type, no account needed.

    1. B사감과 러브레터

      Teacher B and the Love Letters · Hyun Jin-geon, 1925

      C여학교에서 교원이면서 기숙사 사감을 맡고 있는 B여사는 깐깐하기로, 또 독신주의를 굳게 지키는 독실한 예수쟁이로 이름이 높았다.

      At C Girls' School, Dormitory Supervisor B was well known for her strictness and for being a devout Christian who held firmly to her belief in celibacy.

      B1–B21,461 words~44 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    2. 감자

      Potato · Kim Dong-in, 1925

      싸움과 간통, 살인과 도둑질, 구걸과 감옥살이 — 세상에서 벌어질 수 있는 온갖 비극과 소동이 다 모여 있는 곳이 칠성문 밖 빈민굴이었다.

      Fights and adultery, murder and theft, begging and imprisonment — every kind of tragedy and mayhem the world could produce was gathered in the slum outside Chilseong Gate.

      B1–B21,731 words~52 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    3. 동백꽃

      The Camellias · Kim Yu-jeong, 1936

      오늘도 우리 집 수탉이 또 호되게 당하고 있었다.

      Our rooster was getting a savage beating again that day.

      B1–B22,022 words~61 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    4. 메밀꽃 필 무렵

      When the Buckwheat Blooms · Lee Hyo-seok, 1936

      여름 장날은 처음부터 영 신통치 않았다.

      The summer market day was a disappointment from the very start.

      B1–B22,234 words~68 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    5. 탈출기

      Escape · Choi Seo-hae, 1925

      김군, 그동안 자네가 몇 번이나 보내 준 편지를 나는 늘 반가운 마음으로 받았다.

      Kim, I have always received the letters you sent me with a glad heart.

      B1–B22,523 words~76 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    6. 백치 아다다

      The Idiot Adada · Gye Yong-muk, 1935

      박씨가 뒤란 쪽에서 들려오는 이상한 소리에 뒷문을 열어 보니, 아다다가 땅바닥에 쓰러져 두 다리를 힘없이 버둥거리고 있었다.

      When Pak heard a strange sound coming from behind the house and opened the back door, Adada lay collapsed on the ground, feebly kicking her legs.

      B1–B22,543 words~77 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    7. 운수 좋은 날

      A Lucky Day · Hyun Jin-geon, 1924

      하늘은 곧 눈이라도 쏟을 것처럼 잔뜩 흐려 있었다.

      The sky hung heavy and overcast, as if it might dump snow at any moment.

      B1–B22,795 words~85 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    8. 적빈

      Extreme Poverty · Baek Sin-ae, 1934

      그의 둘째 아들이 매촌이라는 산골 마을로 장가를 들었다.

      His second son had married into a mountain village called Maechon.

      B1–B22,888 words~88 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    9. 봄봄

      Spring, Spring · Kim Yu-jeong, 1935

      "장인님, 저, 이제 슬슬..." 내가 뒤통수를 긁으며 나이도 찼으니 혼인을 시켜 달라고 말을 꺼내면, 돌아오는 대답은 늘 똑같다. "이 녀석아, 혼인이 다 뭐냐, 키부터 더 커야지!" 여기서 커야 한다는 것은 내 키가 아니라, 앞으로 내 아내가 될 점순이의 키 이야기다.

      "Father-in-law, I... it's about time..." Whenever I scratched the back of my head and brought up the subject of marriage — that I was old enough and ready — the answer was always the same. "You fool, what's all this talk of marriage? She needs to grow taller first!" What he meant by "grow taller" wasn't my height, but the height of Jeom-sun, who was to become my wife.

      B1–B22,896 words~88 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    10. 벙어리 삼룡이

      Samnyong the Mute · Na Do-hyang, 1925

      내가 열 살이 될까 말까 하던 무렵의 일이다.

      It was around the time I was turning ten years old.

      B1–B23,017 words~91 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    11. 치숙

      My Foolish Uncle · Chae Man-sik, 1938

      우리 아저씨 이야기를 좀 해 볼까요?

      Let me tell you a bit about my uncle.

      B1–B23,273 words~99 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    12. 날개

      Wings · Yi Sang, 1936

      ‘박제가 되어 버린 천재’라는 말을 들어 본 적이 있는가?

      Have you ever heard the phrase "a genius reduced to a taxidermied specimen"?

      B1–B23,573 words~108 min to typeTranslation: EN UK ES FR DE IT PT

    B2 in other languages

    Questions

    How were these retellings made?

    Each retelling starts as an AI draft written to its level. A second pass critiques and revises it: does it fit the level, is the whole plot still there? A mechanical check makes sure no long passages are copied from the original. English and Ukrainian retellings are also read by a person before they go live.

    Are these official CEFR levels?

    No. A1–A2, B1–B2 and C1 are the targets each retelling is written to, on the CEFR scale (the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) you know from courses and exams. No one certifies the level of a story, ours included, so treat it as a guide: if a page feels too easy or too hard, move one level over.

    Can I switch levels in the middle of a story?

    Yes. The three levels are separate retellings of the same story, and each keeps its own progress — switch to an easier or a harder one whenever you like, and come back to where you left off.

    Is it free?

    The first sentences of every retelling are free to type, no account needed, and the free daily practice draws sentences from the whole library. Whole stories, at all three levels, come with Krapka Pro — $5 a month or $45 a year.