The Moon on a Frozen Lake

20: Challenge

Strangely, the day I ran out of words...
...was the happiest day of all.
— J.

Jihoon felt fantastic.

No, he should feel fantastic, especially after the night he and Yingyue had. But insomnia had struck again, and it weighed down on his supposedly euphoric state. That's why as soon as dawn's light began to filter in through Yingyue's bedroom windows, Jihoon had carefully eased himself out of bed. She murmured something unintelligible as if protesting his absence, then continued on with her light snores. Despite his fatigue, a smile lifted a corner of his lips. She was the cutest little thing.

After carefully donning his clothes, he decided to go on a brisk walk around the neighborhood. The crisp spring air filled his lungs with a fresh burst of energy zapping his tiredness away. This was probably his favorite time of the day. When the moon and sun fleetingly share the same sky and the stars quietly made their exit, when only a few other souls moved around like characters in a shadow play, that's when Jihoon felt the most at ease. This moment marked the end of a restless night. This was when he could stop pretending to sleep and make his way out into the world where he could focus his attention on tasks other than the thoughts in his brain.

After a kilometer or so, the sky had made its transition from midnight and lavender to hazy red orange. From experience, he knew his secretary was already awake so he apologetically gave her another early call. For the first time in a while, there was something else he'd rather do other than work. So he informed his secretary he was taking the day off so she could rearrange his schedule. With that done, he made his way back to Yingyue's house, buying food on the way so he could surprise her with breakfast in bed.

That, of course, didn't turn out the way he expected. As soon as he got a good look at her clad in that black satin robe, which hugged her every curve, he'd lost every other desire except the one craving to have her. And now, after a long and leisurely repeat of last night, a delayed breakfast, and a quick trip home for a shower and change of clothes, they were now in his car.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked, observing her face with concern.

She had a determined expression, her jaw raised in a stubborn tilt and her eyes meeting his head on. "I'm sure. I want to do this."

"But isn't it a little too soon?"

Yingyue firmly shook her head. "Last time I saw my therapist, she encouraged me to challenge myself to go out, to actually confront my fear."

His gaze lingered on her face a little more. On one hand, he was glad she was taking active steps to combat her anxiety disorder. Last night, she told him about how she had gone back to regularly seeing a therapist and taking medication. Yet on the other, he wondered if she was pushing herself too much too soon. Healing took time. He, of all people, knew that. Already half a decade dealing with his trauma and yet, he was still no where near defeating his own insomnia.

"I know you're worried," she said, raising a hand to cup his cheeks. "But I really want to do this. And there's no one else I'd rather do this with than with you. If things don't go as planned, you'll save me won't you?" She quirked up an eyebrow and gave him a teasing smile.

He grinned back and turned his face to kiss her palm. "Of course! I'll be your hero."

"Perfect! Then shall we go?"

"Let's go!"

After helping Yingyue with her seatbelt, Jihoon buckled his own then started the car. Earlier, Jihoon had declared he was ready to do her bidding for the entire day. Although it surprised him to hear she wanted to go to the cinema, he would help her accomplish this challenge to the best of his abilities. After inputting the name of a nearby mall into his car's navigation system, he pulled out of the curb and made his way out of an alley into a wider tree-lined avenue. Since it was already half past ten, they managed to avoid the worst of Shanghai's Monday morning rush. Still, they had to slow down to a crawl when they reached a busy intersection. At the stop light, Jihoon unlocked his phone and handed it to her.