#《Candy Recipe》and a new beginning for Storybowl

On a spring day with blooming flowers, Baek Hee-na's new picture book has been released.
“I want to eat magic candy too…”, “How was Dongdongi’s candy made?” Readers of “Candy” would have thought about this at least once.
This earnest wish became an inspiration to the writer, and returned to the readers like magic, like a gift.

If "Alpsatang" was a story about "eating" alpsatang, "Alpsatang Recipe" is a story about "making" alpsatang.
This book is a spin-off of "Candy" and details the secret recipe for making the mysterious candy that allows the old man at the stationery store to hear the voice of one's heart.

This is also the first work to be published after reopening the Storybowl.
The author briefly shared his thoughts on opening Storybowl, saying, “I want to create a free creative environment and communicate more closely with readers, reminiscing about my childhood when I could freely draw on a blank sheet of paper.”
I hope this book will be a sweet surprise gift to those who love "Alsatang"!

#The secret to candy starts under the stars

On a clear, starry day, an old man sits cross-legged and waits for a quiet night.
The old man, wearing a pair of gray underwear and faded striped pajamas, catches his breath and diligently practices yoga movements.
Take a warm bath and put on your most comfortable pajamas.
This is a unique practice for the elderly to purify their body and mind in order to make candy.
The old man, who had filled the veranda with clear water and had a good view of the stars, now began making the candy in earnest.
The ingredients are nothing special.
Clear water, a pot, a blanket, an interesting book… just common things around us.
If something a little more special, perhaps a small friend as articulate as a bluebird? Could we make a candy that could convey the heartfelt cry of our hearts with these ordinary ingredients? Could we ever taste real candy? Unfold.
The secret is right before your eyes.
However, in order to make a fail-proof candy, it is important to carefully read the notes at the bottom of the text.

#This old man is unusual: Alsatang's messenger

Oh, this is a familiar scene.
If Dongdong, who was examining the candies carefully on the cover of "Candy", was the main character, then in "Candy Recipe", the stationery store owner takes his place, meticulously checking whether the candies were made well.
He has a bald head, a large red nose, gold-rimmed glasses, a yellow cardigan, and a wide-open mouth, making him look comical, but he hides a keen wisdom within.
There's no way he's just an ordinary stationery store owner.
What is the old man's true identity? A candy taster, a mountain spirit, a magician? Or perhaps a spiritual leader seeking inner peace? He may possess powers far more profound than we imagine, or perhaps he possesses a secret book passed down through his family for centuries.
He is not just a candy maker, but a messenger of life wisdom, silently watching over the young beings living in the harsh reality, reminding them that the world is still a safe, beautiful, and good place.
We grow old, but we pay no attention to the lives of the elderly.
Is it because I don't want to face a scary future?
However, Baek Hee-na believes that there is a strong bond between the old man and the child, and that the old man has a lot of wisdom and secret stories to pass on to the child.
The author willingly invites the seemingly ordinary, if not boring, life of an elderly person into his story.
A mysterious and special being who possesses the secret recipe for candy that contains the sound of the heart.

#It will always be clear!

“Only those with pure hearts can make it, and only those with pure hearts can feel the benefits of Alsatang.”
“Candy made with a clear mind will produce a clear sound.”

But this candy is not easy to make.
Anyone can learn how to make a candy that lets you hear the sound of your heart, but not everyone can perfect it.
The secret to the candy that reveals one's true feelings lies in its 'clarity'.
'Clear' means transparent, clean, light, and refreshing.
It can contain peace, quiet, and truth.
Eastern philosophy also emphasizes that purifying the mind is the path to wisdom.
Because only when your mind is clear and transparent can you perceive the world correctly and discover your true self.

You can only make candy on a clear night with lots of stars.
Clear water can capture starlight, and transparent soap bubbles can fill dreams of various colors.
Clarity is like a small friend of an old man, allowing them to communicate and understand each other well.
Clear and transparent candy is the courage and wisdom to speak one's heart.
So, transparent candy is the beginning and the end of candies, the 'King of Kings', the king of candies.
In this way, the author explores the true meaning of ‘clarity’ through the process of making candy.
Because I believe in the power of clarity to see things as they are and wash away the turbid.
Believing in the power of 'clarity', both children and adults who read this book will have a clear day today!

#Tangled Narratives and the Joy of Discovery: The Story of "The Candy Recipe" and Beyond

People are beings who live intertwined with each other, each with their own unique narrative.
So it's fun to be entangled.
Because there is a catharsis in letting it go.
This work is a story of ‘process’ and at the same time a story of ‘relationships’.
《Candy》 with Dongdong as the main character, 《I am a Dog》 with Dongdong's dog, Guseul as the main character, and 《Candy Recipe》 with the stationery store owner who made Dongdong's candy as the main character.
The author expands the story by introducing characters intertwined with Dongdong as new protagonists.
This unique spin-off method unfolds Baek Hee-na's warm and unique worldview, conveying new perspectives and meanings to readers.

The old man in the stationery store in “The Candy Recipe” also appears by chance, as if by deja vu, in other works by Baek Hee-na.
Such unexpected encounters can change the story of our lives.
Like the author's Easter eggs that give the joy of discovery.

Today you might meet someone who offers you quiet comfort, like Dongdongi.
Or maybe you'll be the stationery store grandpa who offers gentle comfort to someone...

#Candy making and creative process

The process of making candy resembles the creative process of a writer creating a story.
As if capturing “the moment when a star shines brightest,” the author captures one of the most shining stories.
The author's creative process - from story conception to sketching, character creation, and capturing the moment with the camera shutter - is carried out by the author's fingertips from start to finish, just like the process of a stationery store owner meticulously making candy.
This process ultimately becomes a candy filled with various wishes that captures the hearts of readers.

The physical properties and techniques of books also add a deep charm to the author's creative world.
The stationery store grandfather, sculpted from polymer clay, is based on the artist's actual father and meticulously expresses his warm and delicate expressions and gestures.
Additionally, to increase the focus of each scene and effectively convey the process of making candy, we chose a simple and clear composition method that places text and images in a 1:1 ratio.
Books produced in small formats can be easily taken out and read at any time, like a stuffed animal, providing small comforts in everyday life.
The carefully controlled angle of the light plays a crucial role in creating not only the expressions and gestures of the stationery store owner, but also a dreamy and cozy space and atmosphere.
In particular, in this work, “light” was used as a core material in the candy manufacturing process, going beyond a simple visual technique.
I hope that the process of making Alsatang will be an opportunity to reflect on the hearts of all those who dedicate their lives to someone in their own place.

#A little friend I take out and look at whenever my mind gets clouded

In fact, the secret to Alsatang is nothing special.
If you live each day faithfully and with sincerity, that's enough.
The gifts that come from daily hard work are priceless.
If we live each day with all our heart, each of us will experience our most shining moments.
How much effort do we put in today for the candy we create? The power to truly enjoy our daily lives by consistently cherishing our own path—this simple message is perhaps the secret of the stationery store owner, and perhaps the message the author wishes to convey to us.

I hope that this book, which discovers the extraordinary in the ordinary and the precious in the trivial, will become a "little friend" that will clear our minds whenever our hearts become clouded.