[3-Minute Novel] A Dream That Stirs the Heart Once More | Grace of my heart ― MAX

Five years after graduating from design school, Rei's heart was completely worn out.
Between the daily overtime and the rejection notices from competitions, the dream of launching a brand under her own name had long since been pushed to the back of her closet.

Now, her days were spent merely making revisions to other people's designs and handling menial tasks. Caught up in the grind, Rei was starting to run away from her dream, afraid of being hurt by the reality of being 'not chosen'.

"I guess dreams aren't meant to be chased after all."

On a weekend night, she visited the workshop of Hajime, who worked as a furniture maker's apprentice, to vent her frustrations. Hajime stopped polishing an old, scarred chair, and opened the bottom drawer of his workbench.

He brought out a sketchbook that Rei had drawn in a long time ago.

"I like your designs, Rei. Deep down, don't you still want to give it a try?"

Hajime had kept the sketchbook she had given him, saying, 'When I become a top designer, this will be worth a lot!' Rei flipped through the pages, filled with surprise and nostalgia.

When she looked back at Hajime, he was gazing at her with warm eyes.
A gentle warmth spread deep within Rei's chest.

The next morning, Hajime called Rei out and handed her a ticket.
It was a ticket to a guerrilla solo exhibition by Gil, a world-class designer Rei had admired since her student days, held in an old warehouse in the downtown area.

"Wait! Why do you have a ticket for Gil!? I heard they're impossible to get!"
"It's a seeeecret♪"

Hajime laughed mischievously and took Rei's hand.
The moment she stepped into the brick venue, the sparkle returned to Rei's eyes. A world of free and vivid design, which she had almost forgotten, spread out before her.

While she was overwhelmed, she caught sight of Gil in the corner, maintaining his work. Ignoring Rei, who had frozen in nervousness, Hajime walked up to him and called out. Then, the two shook hands with smiles on their faces.

"Wait! Hold on, Hajime, you know Gil!?"

To the surprised Rei, Hajime smiled brightly and said,
"She has always admired you," introducing Rei to Gil.

"What kind of designs do you usually draw?"

To Gil's innocent question, Rei began to speak, stuttering with nervousness. She poured out everything—how she hadn't been able to draw new designs, using her busy days as an excuse, and her fear of her own lack of talent and of not being chosen. Then, Gil stared intently at Rei's hands and smiled at her.

"You're overthinking it! You should just do what you want to do. You can do what you wanna do!"

Those powerful words overlapped with the warmth So had given her, bursting within Rei's heart. No more running away by blaming others or her circumstances.

Rei quietly made a declaration of resolve toward the setting sun.
So handed a new sketchbook to Rei, who was like that.

The path for tomorrow is still unseen. However, there was no longer any hesitation on the profile of Rei, who walked through the twilight streets holding So's hand.