A Sparkling Goodbye

*Cherry Shrimp* · *The Right Time to Confess*
The conclusion of the Growing Pains trilogy

Why do we never grow numb to goodbyes?
They say nothing in this world lasts forever,
so why does the heart long to give forever?
Will we understand when we're grown? Hwang Young-mi, the author who sparked passionate devotion among young adult readers with *Cherry Shrimp* and *The Right Time to Confess*, has returned—with the most lyrical, most wistful story that only she could write, built in the language of children.
Dahyun in *Cherry Shrimp* and Jimin in *The Right Time to Confess* may waver under others' gazes and struggle with relationships, yet they make new friends, develop crushes, and come to embrace the part of themselves that wants to be better. Jeongyu in *A Sparkling Goodbye*, however, is different. The people around her keep leaving. First her mother left, then Seunga went abroad to study, and now Hyebin is moving away. Soon even Suji, her lifelong friend, will leave for a boarding school. If Suji leaves too, I'll fall apart. But I can't hold her back. Why have I never developed an immunity to goodbyes? How does everyone else let go of the people they love so calmly? Following *Cherry Shrimp* and *The Right Time to Confess*, this novel completes the Growing Pains trilogy—an achingly lonely coming-of-age story of Jeongyu, the most tender yet most mature of children.