Amazon's Book of the Month and Editor's Recommendation,
USA Today Bestseller,
The biggest hit that swept the UK and the US!

In search of an old man's first love that began on a bus 60 years ago
A colorful group of neighbors embark on a delightful adventure.

Libby, who came to London carrying the scars of a broken heart, hears the story of his old first love from Frank, an old gentleman she met on the number 88 bus.
60 years ago, Frank fell in love at first sight with a woman on bus number 88.
I was so impressed by the courageous woman who ran away from home against her parents' wishes to go to art school that I asked her out on a date, but I lost the bus ticket she gave me with her phone number on it, so I was never able to see her again.
But even after 60 years, he still hasn't forgotten his first love and he still gets on the same bus every day to look for her.

Libby, who once wanted to go to art school but had to give up her dream because she couldn't go against her parents' wishes, is so impressed by the woman in Frank's memories that she offers to help him find his first love.
Soon, other neighbors learn of the existence of this 'Find Your First Love Project' and join in one by one, experiencing great changes in their lives...

"Miracle on Bus 88" is a coming-of-age story about characters with diverse personalities who meet, collide, reconcile, and find their own happiness through the everyday space of a bus.
This novel, which catches the eye with its unique setting of planning a project to find his long-time first love for an old man he meets on the bus, gives readers a pleasant feeling with its cheerful plot, lovable characters, heartwarming ending, and hopeful message toward the community, and became an Amazon and USA Today bestseller, and was selected as Amazon's Book of the Month and Editor's Pick.

“I waited at that stop for a full twelve hours.
Shivering like a soaking wet rat.
But in the end she never showed up.
I had a really bad cold, went home that evening, collapsed in bed, and was sick for two days.
Honestly, I thought my life was over without her.”
“I have nothing to say, Grandpa.”
“Young people like dramatic things.
Isn't that right? My life didn't end, it just turned 180 degrees.
What she said touched my heart and I couldn't live like before.
A week later, I made a bombshell announcement to my parents that I was quitting my job at the store and that I was going to learn acting from now on.”
“What did your parents say?”
“He was so angry, like fire.
I've never seen my father so angry, yelling and threatening.
But like she said, you only live once, so I pushed through.
After a few difficult weeks, my father calmed down.
“The next day I applied to acting school.”
(…)
“You are truly amazing.
"What happened to the woman I met on the bus? Please tell her I met her later!"
Frank slowly shook his head from side to side, and Libby finally seemed to notice and let out a short breath.
“So you take the bus?”
“I’ve been looking for it for 60 years.
Her.”
--- pp.72~73

These days, I find myself thinking more and more about the old days.
I'm sitting on the bus, thinking about this and that, and then I suddenly see or hear something and I'm transported back to 50 or 60 years ago.
This is really weird.
Old memories are coming back to me.
I guess this is what happens when we get to our age.
I'm not complaining.
The other day, while I was watching the students playing on the number 88 bus, I vividly remembered what I was like at that age.
Fear, hope, desire.
They say that when you're young, you don't know youth.
But I'm not sure if that's true.
If those great emotions of victory and defeat come back again, I won't know what to do.
Because right now, finding a crisp copy of Metro on the bus is the most exciting thing I can handle.
--- p.81

“You may not have any feelings for Frank after seeing him desperately searching for his first love for so long, but I think it’s the love story of the century.
And I intend to help Frank's daughter as much as I can before she puts him in a nursing home."
“I never said I had no feelings at all,” Dylan said with a frown.

"Then why do you keep nitpicking about everything I do? If you care about Frank, wouldn't it be natural for you to want to help him?"
“I really care about Frank.
“But it’s more complicated than you think,” Dylan said pointedly.
“Why?”
Dylan took a moment to catch his breath and ran his hand over his shaved head.

“Frank has dementia.”
“What?” Libby’s eyes widened.
“I was diagnosed last year, but I just can’t accept it.
So my daughter hired me to make sure she takes her medication twice a day and eats on time.
But these days, things are happening that are making me lose my mind.”
"oh my god.
So, you're trying to get Clara to take that assessment.
“I’m worried I’ll pass out when I’m home alone or on the bus.”
Libby knew Frank was blinking, but she never dreamed it was dementia.
“That’s why I’m more obsessed with finding that woman.
“Before the dementia worsens.”
“Do you really believe that putting up a few posters will help you find an eighty-year-old woman in London, a city of nine million people?”
--- pp.120~121

You're probably saying, 'What did I tell you?'
That's right, my friend, because you always told me I had talent.
But I didn't know that.
In some ways, it's because of my father.
When you grow up with someone who constantly tells you that you're wasting your time, it's hard to ignore them.
But on the other hand, I think it would have been less painful to give up art if I had thought I had no talent.
If I truly believed I was talented and could achieve what I set out to do in life, it would have been hard to turn back when I had to quit.
Do you know what I mean?

Besides, it wasn't like I had a choice.
Because the moment I became pregnant with David, any hope of pursuing my worthless dreams vanished.
These days, women are raising children and holding all kinds of jobs.
Just look at our Macy.
It's completely different from our time.
You know better than anyone, but I love being a mom.
Becoming a grandmother or great-grandmother is also exciting.
Even if our grandchildren are on the other side of the world.
--- pp.130~131

“Well, it’s not my concern, but I think it’s better to stop caring about what my family thinks.”
Dylan advised.
Libby turned to Dylan.

“What do you mean?”
“How many times have I told you that my family is disappointed?
But now you're all grown up.
“Why do you care so much?”
“Easy for you, Mr. Anarchist Punk.”
“I’m not an anarchist.
“I just don’t care what other people think about my life choices, or what my father thinks.”
"If my family was wrong, would I have cared this much? Honestly, my life hasn't been a success. I dropped out of college, I'm still obsessed with a guy who says he's sick of me, and I'm currently unemployed, soon to be homeless and without a place to call home.
“Did I plan for this life?”
"Who said it wasn't a success? That whole 'get a decent degree, start a family, have 2.4 kids' life is bullshit.
The moment I said I didn't want any of these things, life became a lot easier for me.”
--- pp.168~169

“So, what I’m trying to say is, you’re a really dazzling person.”
Dylan continued his monologue.
“The way she planned to put up posters to help Frank, the way she boldly accepted the pregnancy, everything.
I know it's hard to raise a child alone, but you'll be a really good mother, so your child will be blessed to have a mother like you.
I know that I can raise a child on my own without needing anyone to help me.”
Dylan paused again to take a breath.
His eyes were still fixed on the gift.
“But that doesn’t mean you have to do all this alone.
If you don't want to do it alone.
I don't know anything about babies, so I don't know if I can be of any help, but I want to be by your side.
As long as you like it.
“Whether as friends or not… … .”
"or not?"
Words leaked out of Libby's mouth without her knowing it.
Now Dylan shifted his gaze from the spacesuit to Libby's face.
Suddenly, the tension in Dylan's expression disappeared, and a strange, indescribable expression gripped Libby's heart tightly and wouldn't let go.
“Or more than friends.”
--- pp.274~275

Libby sighed, feeling tired of talking back any longer.
I didn't really want to give up the argument and just do what my mom said.
Just like you've always done with your family's interference.
But what Dylan said lingered in my mind.
You shouldn't care what your family thinks.
“Mom, I’m going to be thirty soon and I’m going to be a mother.”
Libby opened her mouth again, trying to speak calmly.

“Now stop treating me like a kid who causes trouble and disappoints your parents.”
“I really can’t live like this, are you really going to keep saying such nonsense?”
Pauline rolled her eyes and replied to Libby's words.
“You said exactly that just now.”
Libby answered me point by point without giving a single word.

“You don’t listen to what I say and you don’t care what I want.
They judged me as incapable of deciding my own future and treated me like a loser.
“I’m sick and tired of this.”
“I never thought you were incapable of making your own decisions.
Your mom is just worried about you.
You dropped out of a promising medical school because of that smart-alecky whim of yours.
“I don’t want to make the same mistake as Simon.”
“How many times have I told you that this is not a medical school with a bright future?
Medical school wasn't a good fit for me at all! My mom and dad insisted on being doctors so much that I could hold out.
“I won’t make the same mistake of going back to Simon’s house just because my mom wants me to.”

--- pp.332~333