Pumpkin on the Vine｜Caught on the Spot｜Secret Notebook｜Secret for Secrets｜Eyebrows｜The Turn That Won't Come｜Pit Child｜Everyone's First｜The Disappearing Child｜Author's Note

A dangerous heart hidden beneath a calm expression

Bitnara transfers to a new school and, as luck would have it, makes friends she likes.
I promise myself that this time I will never let anyone know that I am an 'adopted child' and that I will live well.
Because I was bullied at my last school when my past became known.
But when a school assignment is given to present a 'prenatal dream', anxiety rises.
What may seem like a small thing to others can become a huge threat to Bitnara that could turn her daily life upside down.

If you just search the internet, you will find a wide variety of dreams to choose from.
I found a pumpkin there and even copied the dream interpretation.
It looks more plausible than a common dream and the interpretation is not bad either.
For Jang Bit-na, decorating is as easy as eating cold porridge.
-In the text

The assumption that everyone is born and raised within the confines of a family highlights and hurts the lack of light.
But the shining country doesn't show it.
Expressing her hurt and loneliness would cause worry to her current family and would also endanger the position Bitnara stands in.
A storm is raging inside Bitnara, who endures with a calm face.
This stark contrast creates tension and increases the immersion of the reader.


A child who finds balance and lightens the load through the power of writing

Bitna loves the secret notebook she shares with her best friends Eunjae and Yuri.
Because it is proof that you have a special friend with whom you can share everything from the smallest details of daily life to your deepest feelings.
But filling a notebook is not easy.
It is difficult to continue the conversation with only the ‘truth’ while avoiding the secrets that one wants to hide.
After much thought, I decided to write a 'story I wrote while embellishing'.
But as I write this story with imagination, memories of my orphanage days keep coming back to me.


Although my heart feels heavy because I'm lying to my friends, I practice revealing my wounds by writing Bitna's story, and I receive comfort and healing.
When a relationship goes wrong, Bitnara immediately runs away, but the driving force behind her decision to stay in her current position is writing.
Because she carried a heavy secret, she often lost her balance in reality, but she learned how to relieve that weight through writing.
This passage truly demonstrates the power of literature to reflect and heal, and touches the hearts of readers.


A jam-packed fun story surrounding a mysterious figure

Heo Yun, a transfer student to Bitnara's class, is a mysterious character.
He had lived abroad, was wearing long sleeves even though it was summer, and had an aloof attitude, as if he had no interest in making friends.
The class becomes lively with Heo Yun's appearance.
Change comes to Bitnara and Eunjae as well.
Eun-jae, who usually has no interest in boys, likes Heo-yoon.
On the other hand, Heo Yun shows interest in Bitnara, talks to her, and hovers around her.


This precarious love triangle makes the story as interesting as a romance novel.
Bitna tries not to pay attention to Heo Yoon, for whom friendship is more important than love, but somehow Heo Yoon reminds her of her days at the orphanage and of a child she wants to hide.
What character hides in the "shadow" of Light Nara's past? The mysterious figure's identity adds a twist to the story, delivering the suspense and thrill of genre fiction.


The shining shadow was annoying.

I didn't recognize the shining shadow.

It wasn't until the shining shadow left that I knew for sure.

That I was very close to the shadow.

-From the author's note