The Moon on a Frozen Lake

7: Gravity

A string that's unseen,

In that space between,

Just like the moon on tides,

Gravity pulls 'til our worlds collide.

--- J., 2008

Attraction was a dangerous thing. Like a killer lurking in the dark, it attacked the unwitting. Today's victim: Hu Yingyue, a hermit in her early thirties. On the day of the crime, she was at home, as usual, watching the Lunar New Year gala on television. Then, just as she was about to swallow a piece of vegetable, the unexpected blow came.

The assailant's weapon? A megawatt smile.

Soon after, Yingyue was gasping for breath. Tears squeezed out of her eyes while questions swirled her mind. What had she done to deserve this? Why her? Why now? Right at the brink, when her lungs wailed at the increasing lack of oxygen, she was revived by the very person who vanquished her: Kang Jihoon.

Leaving his spot at the far corner of her L-shaped couch, he ran and started tapping her back.

"Have some water," he said, taking the chopsticks away from her hand and replacing it with a glass. Hands guiding hers, Jihoon brought the drink to her lips.

Yingyue swallowed as much as she could and when she regained her capacity to breathe, she put the glass down and inhaled. His scent intoxicated her senses. "Thank you," she rasped, a little lightheaded.

"Miss Hu..." He grabbed a tissue and offered it to her. "What am I to do with you?"

Taking it from him, she wiped the moisture off her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You need to be more careful while eating. Are you even allowed to eat these?" He eyed the selection of dishes she prepared from whatever ingredient she found in her fridge.

"I already told you. The doctor said it's okay to eat normal food as long as it's not too spicy. Also, it's not my fault the food went down the wrong way."

The fault was his and his alone.

In the first place, this whole fiasco began because Jihoon started imitating the way the performers in the program were singing. Except, he did it in an exaggerated Beijing opera-style, needlessly prolonging the last syllable of each word. She was doing her best to ignore his antics, but then he started laughing at himself. It was so silly because who laughed at their own jokes? Regardless, the impact of his boyish grin, fuzzy cream sweater, and fluffier-than-usual hair proved to be her undoing.

And so, she choked on that cursed piece of cabbage.

"Aww, don't pout. You're right. It wasn't your fault. I'm to blame. I should take better care of you."

Now, what was she supposed to say to that? Yes? No?

She settled on, "It's no one's fault."

"Hmm..." Using another sheet of tissue, he dabbed her forehead. When she made a little sound, he stopped and explained, "You're sweating."

"I guess it's hard work coughing," she attempted to joke.

Instead of cracking a smile, he sighed and used a magazine he grabbed from the pile underneath her coffee table to fan her. While he did so, sections of his fringe moved up and down as well.

Yingyue's heart squeezed even more.

God, he's so cute!

She wished she could cup his face and pull him closer, but that was crazy. So, she grabbed a throw pillow and hugged it instead. Jihoon's nearness was messing with her head. Hoping he'd go back to his spot a few feet away, she said, "I'm okay now so... so we can go back to watching TV."