Before We Knew It

Kanoko Tsukishiro is an editor in her mid-twenties working for a publishing house. While her colleague, Hiro, keeps scoring big with one bestseller after another, Kanoko has yet to work with a writer with the potential to produce any work of significance. She struggles to make a mark on the literary realm—until she is tasked with editing the works of Saku Kagaya, the bestselling writer who is almost a celebrity.

Kanoko is overjoyed as she finally gets the big break she was waiting for; however, Mr. Kagaya is not quite the person she was hoping he would be. His reputation with women precedes him, and his blunt refusal to cooperate with Kanoko leaves her dejected. Nevertheless, slowly, she is reminded of how much she loves his writing and is unable to let go of the admiration she feels for him. Even as her instincts warn her to stay away from him, Kanoko cannot help but be drawn to the writer whose unconventional lifestyle seems to be a way of concealing scars from his past.