Two cookies
Author's Note

A miracle like a midsummer night's dream
I'm curious about your story

The protagonist, a high school student, starts working part-time at her mother's homemade cookie shop during summer vacation.
One day, I, who was working at the store and welcoming customers during the morning hours, meet an unexpected customer.
The boy I met in my dream last night came to the store.


What a childish and tacky question, / “Where have we met before?”
It's such absurd and ridiculous, / "So, in a dream."
It came out of my mouth and no one else's.
(Page 7)

A vivid and vivid dream in which a transparent hand appeared, introduced the boy, and then disappeared.
The boy who clumsily pointed to two cookies, paid, and left without saying a word has been visiting the store every morning since that day.
The boy who picks cookies and disappears with an indifferent look, whose name and age I don't know, keeps catching my eye.
What does this recurring dream mean? What is the identity of the boy who visits me every day?

“Why don’t people believe this simple heart?”
I hope this hand, wishing you a little happiness, reaches you.

Meanwhile, another customer comes into the store.
The little customer who came in with the wrong cookie price ends up choosing one cookie after much thought, but 'I' shows my wit and puts one more cookie in the child's hand at a slightly cheaper price.
Looking at the happy child, I hope, “I hope that little one’s day is sweet and delicious” (page 35).

However, the little customer's mother does not believe in 'my' good intentions and protests that she may have tricked her child into selling a defective product.
'I' try hard to explain the situation, but my broken heart cannot be mended.


It was just like handing out cookies to the kids in the class and giving cookies to the little one.
I wanted to do that and that was it.
There was no purpose or reason.
But why don't people believe this simple truth? (Page 47)

While the reality that it is difficult to easily believe this simple sincerity of just wanting the other person to be happy approaches bitterly, my pure and shining heart leaves a deep resonance.
The novel speaks of the true virtues of the heart that can be conveyed through small gestures and single words, even if they are not grand or flashy.


Have you ever tasted the crunchy, crumbly feeling of longing?
A thrilling and longing wait for just one person

The moment I turn around, feeling upset, the store door opens again.
When I turned around with a sinking heart, the boy was standing there again, as if by fate.
The boy, who was looking for green tea cookies unlike usual, orders two cookies and this time sits down at a table in the store.
But then the boy picks up a cookie and starts crying… … .

The novel then depicts the boy's story and the identity of the hand in his dream, and smoothly unfolds the boy's perspective, which was not seen from 'my' perspective.
The heartbreaking story of the boy and L evokes a poignant emotion and adds a special touch to the relationship between the two main characters.
Those who dream of that special moment of instant recognition, those who wait for that one person who will understand them without saying a word, will be able to experience a thrilling yet vague feeling.
This is a beautiful piece of work that will make your heart, which wishes for the other person's happiness, permeate your heart with a rich and sweet fragrance like a cookie.


▶ Series Introduction

The first path to encountering a novel
A welcome reading for those who have grown distant from books, a first encounter with a novel.

'First Encounter with a Novel' is a thin and beautiful paperback book decorated with a new sensibility.
A literary masterpiece, this short story is richly illustrated.
With engaging stories, short volumes of less than 100 pages, and captivating illustrations, it allows even those who lack time or are unfamiliar with reading to easily access excellent contemporary works.
For adolescent readers who have stopped reading at fairy tales, it will serve as a stepping stone to novels.
To pump water from a deep well, you must pour a bucket of water from above.
The "First Encounter with a Novel" series will serve as a welcome aid to those who have become increasingly distant from literature, helping them reconnect with books and inject fresh vitality into our reading culture.


▶ Author's Note

In a dream that I don't remember, that disappears as soon as I open my eyes
How many people have I met and how many fantastic adventures have I had?