Slowly, he started to understand how shuttling between the two worlds – floating among her clouds of thoughts and grounding herself in reality – enriched her life.

I just find people who give their utmost to a pursuit cute. It makes me want to treat them well.’

It’s like I don’t have the capacity to get close to people. I was always alone, my heels clicking furiously as I kept trying to move ahead of others, farther and farther. But when I finally paused to turn around one day, everyone passed me by as if I were invisible. No one came up to me to ask, “Would you like to try this? It’s really delicious!”

Small talk could be a considerate gesture, but most of the time, at your own expense. With nothing to say, squeezing the words dry leaves only an empty heart and a desire to escape. Sharing space with Minjun taught her silence could also be a form of consideration, that it was possible to be comfortable without needing to fill the silence.

As with everything in life, reading is about the right timing.

Despite falling short of expectations, could a book, if enjoyed, be considered a good read? Is a good book always a good read?

Isn’t that what life is about? Forging forward with the answer you have – stumbling along the way and picking yourself up – only to one day realise that the answer you’ve held on to for a long time is not the right one. When that happens, it’s time to look for the next answer. That’s how ordinary folks, like herself, live. Over our life span, the

Immersing herself into the feelings of the characters provided a reprieve from her own. She grieved, suffered, and emerged stronger with them. As if sharing their experiences and emotions would, at the end of the book, allow her to understand anyone in the world.

Every one of us is like an island; alone and lonely. It’s not a bad thing. Solitude sets us free, just as loneliness brings depth to our lives. In the novels I like, the characters are like isolated islands. In the novels I love, the characters used to be like isolated islands, until their fates gradually intertwined; the kind of stories where you