Jihoon hasn't slept well in years.
Not since he survived the accident that killed the woman he loved.
Yingyue never leaves her house.
Not since her parents died in a car crash two years ago.
Both crippled by their own fears, the two of them should...
Jihoon wiped it away then paused to retrieve his phone. His mother was going to love this view. Having lived away from her hometown for decades, she was always eager to see bits and pieces of it, while relaying how things have changed over the years. Jihoon quickly snapped several photos before tucking his freezing hands back into his pockets and continuing his stroll.
A few feet away, he spotted a profusion of plum blossoms dusted with snow spilling over a low brick wall. With his destination in sight, a smile tugged at the corner of Jihoon's lips. The first time he went there, he hadn't been able to set even a foot inside. A woman bundled up in a down jacket, who he assumed to be Hu Yingyue, had met him at the gate. After exchanging the customary greetings, her eyes widened into saucers. She then gave him a really long once over and shoved the door shut in his face. While he stood there trying to comprehend what had happened, he received a WeChat message announcing that classes were canceled. No further explanations nor replies were given.
If he was any other person, then her rude behavior would have rightly offended him. Yet, his sense of humor had always verged on the peculiar, so he was unsurprised to find himself not only faintly amused but also wildly curious.
Even a week after that bizarre incident, Jihoon still couldn't understand what had happened. He had run through the brief encounter in his head multiple times but found no logical explanation. Because Jihoon had a tendency to obsess over puzzles until he figured them out, he was back to give it another shot.
When he finally reached his destination, he shivered, partly from the cold but mostly in anticipation. This time around, Jihoon was determined to make it past that door. After pressing on the doorbell, he rubbed his palms together and waited.
Tonight was going to be fun.
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Yingyue hated the moon.
If she could scoop it out of the sky and throw it down a bottomless lake, she'd do it in a heartbeat. Whenever that sickly pale orb showed its full form and cast its stolen light upon the earth, tragedy struck.
Like tonight.
One step, and then another, Yingyue dragged her boots against the snow-covered ground towards the indigo door insulating her from the rest of the world. The few meters separating the front door from the courtyard walls seemed to have lengthened by several kilometers.
Had it always been this way?
She gauged how far she had to go, tracing the path marked out by red lanterns strung above her head, but her vision wavered. Everything appeared to be trapped inside a dewdrop, sometimes shimmering, mostly wobbling.
Ding dong.
The sharp sound pierced the silence, reminding her of what had lured her out in the first place on a night when she'd rather be snuggled under a warm blanket. Winter was another thing she hated. Yingyue couldn't stand the cold.
