The story begins at a high school and follows a patient with depression and delusions as they meet and come to understand each other.
It's also the coming-of-age story of two children who are no longer innocent.
Wu Fan: Taciturn but secretly passionate, a genius at logic, a super brain, a skilled masseuse, childish when drunk, and a pro at scaling walls.
Wen Xu: Speaks in an old-fashioned way? Crybaby? Great memory? Imagination running wild?
Afraid of the dark but would rather die than admit it. Keeps candy in his pocket and Wu Fan in his heart.
Wen Xu: "I've already dug a hole. Hurry up and jump in."
Wu Fan: "It's so shallow..."
The side plot follows a loving couple: loyal guard dog of an instructor X fake-aloof school doctor. (Few scenes, but incredibly sweet.)
Excerpt:
In a shabby little house in a foreign country, Wu Fan shut off the water and used his phone to record the following:
On a 6-degree night, the cold water covering my feet actually makes me feel safer. My sleeves are soaked, my feet have been in freezing water, and my hands holding a beer can and phone are as cold as my feet.
It's laughable and melodramatic. The fire burning in my lungs is put out by beer, but my heart grows warm again. The alcohol can't numb me, and the night goes on.
After typing it all out, he smiled and deleted it. He'd spent so much time with Wen Xu that he was becoming flowery with words too. He stared blankly at his phone for a while, then walked out of the house and disappeared into the empty street.
On the screen, he sat on a rooftop with a boy. Moonlight fell on the boy's face, while he sat in shadow.
Splash. That was the sound of someone falling into the water.
Many potential triggers: both characters are patients, their thought processes are eccentric and erratic, and things don't always make sense. Read with caution.
Theme: Occasional mentions of music
