Looking back on my high school days, even amidst the relentless grind of college entrance exams, it seems everyone found their own way to relieve stress. Amidst cramming for entrance exams, some friends turned to sports, musically talented friends joined bands, or others utilized their free time (?) through various club activities to ease the frustration.

The protagonist of this novel runs an online cafe that solves the troubles of friends exhausted by exam life in a unique way. Operating under the name ‘Kairos’ at a cafe called ‘The Shop That Sells Time,’ they take anonymous requests and carry out missions. The first mission begins with finding lost electronic devices on campus and returning them to their rightful places. This case, initiated by an anonymous request from someone who knew the culprit who had touched the items, is successfully completed. The story then unfolds as he continues to solve other tasks. I got so engrossed in the Willa audiobook that I lost track of the pages turning, just like reading a mystery novel. Turns out, this work was a masterpiece that won a youth literature award. Not only was the pure Korean language refreshingly pleasant, but it was also educational to learn the language used by today’s high school students. The voice actor’s vivid performance made it twice as enjoyable. This novel, which is also the coming-of-age story of Baek On-jo, a student who lost her firefighter father in an accident, vividly depicts the worries and friendships of high schoolers through unique characters you might actually know one or two of.

Through various clients’ missions, it made me appreciate the preciousness of time and the principle that ‘time is money.’ Above all, the warm ending left me feeling healed. It was so engaging that I thought it could easily succeed as a movie adaptation. It was a wonderful book that brought back memories of my own high school days and blew away my stress.