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When Minghao was around seven or eight years old, he had been diagnosed with asthma. Most people didn’t have bad asthma, and at the start, it had been the same for Minghao. Occasionally after a sports lesson at school or playing tag in the playground with his friends, he needed his inhaler, but usually, it was manageable and didn’t really annoy Minghao.
Despite his asthma, Minghao still joined the school’s football and hockey teams, and he was one of the best players on both teams.
When Minghao turned thirteen his condition took a quick turn for the worse, landing him in the hospital in less than half an hour.
During a school football match, Minghao’s chest suddenly started feeling very tight. At first, he had ignored it in favour of trying to win the game, but it wasn’t long before his breathing got worse and one of his teammates helped him off the pitch.
Minghao wasn’t all that aware of what was happening around him, but someone helped him with his inhaler, which for the first time in his life, didn’t help in the slightest.
Soon enough, Minghao’s wheezing turned into gasping for oxygen, and not long after that, he passed out.
While he was unconscious, an ambulance was called and Minghao was taken to the hospital with his best friend staying by his side. His parents were called and they met him in the hospital, and Minghao was taken for a bunch of tests.
Minghao woke up in the hospital, able to breathe with his parents and his best friend beside him. The doctor told him he had suffered an asthma attack and that the paramedics had used an adrenaline shot to get his airways to open back up.
The worst part of it all was that the doctor suggested Minghao quit his sports teams since his asthma seemed to be getting much worse and that he should get a new, more useful inhaler.
After that, Minghao was much more careful.
He pulled himself from both the football and the hockey teams and stopped running around so much. Minghao very quickly turned from a sporty student to an academic student who stayed at the top of his class.
Sometimes Minghao wished his asthma wasn’t so severe, that he was still the best player in the football team and that he could go out more often.
He still had asthma attacks, much more often than before the football match, even when he was seventeen and had moved schools he still had random asthma attacks. Sometimes he even ended up back in the hospital.
It was bad.
When Minghao was sixteen, his parents moved house to Seoul. Minghao hadn’t been fond of the change, but he was glad he would no longer be the kid who was forced to give up sports because he literally couldn’t breathe when he ran around.
In Seoul, he was just any normal, smart kid who had moved from China because of his parent’s work. He didn’t join any sports teams, but he became well known for being the kid who took part in all the academic competitions. Minghao even managed to join a friend group of twelve. He was the thirteenth person and he loved it.
After Minghao left the football team, he had essentially been kicked from the friend group and had simply been lonely for the next three years.
Minghao couldn’t have been more thankful for the change.
Minghao was seventeen when the one thing he wanted to keep from his friends came to light in the worst way.
It was mid-spring, Minghao's least favourite time of year. It was just as the pollen really started irritating him, and his lungs seemed to forget how to cope and it always made it harder to breathe.
Minghao’s friends had made the stupid decision of sitting around a bench beside the big lake, right under the willow tree. As beautiful as it was, Minghao didn’t appreciate the way the tree kept dropping its pollen all over him.
It didn’t take long for Minghao to start wheezing, chest tightening in that horrible way he was just so used to. Minghao grabbed his inhaler, taking two puffs to try and ease his breathing and stop what may have been an oncoming asthma attack.
His friends knew about his asthma of course. They had to in case Minghao had an attack with them and he needed help. They all knew how to help him with his inhaler and to call an ambulance if it got too bad, but they didn’t know just how easily it got bad.
Junhui moved a little closer when he saw Minghao get out his inhaler, rubbing his back. “Are you okay, Hao? Need us to call anyone?”
Minghao shook his head. “No, I’m fine.” He said, despite the fact that the inhaler wasn’t making him feel any better.
This was how his attacks always started, but Minghao was desperate to avoid embarrassing himself. He didn’t want to be the weak kid who could barely breathe while he ran around, the kid who couldn’t even sit outside because it set him off.
Everyone left him alone after that, at least until his breathing got even worse and he started coughing.
Junhui stood up, linking his arms under Minghao’s arms and around his chest, hoisting Minghao to his feet. “Come on. We’re going back inside.” Junhui said, voice stern as he looped an arm around Minghao’s waist and started to guide him back up to the school building.
They were only halfway across the field when Minghao's legs gave out from under him.
It was getting so hard to breathe, chest so tight and the desperate gasps sounded so weak and desperate.
“Hao, come on. Stay awake for me.” Junhui said, lifting Minghao’s head into his lap.
Minghao hadn’t even realised he was starting to fall asleep, lack of oxygen finally getting to him.
Behind Junhui, still over at the willow tree, Seungcheol was on the phone while Mingyu was running over to help them.
“What’s going on?” Mingyu asked, kneeling down beside the two Chinese boys.
Junhui sighed. “He’s having an asthma attack,” Junhui said, his soft voice distant to Minghao’s ears.
Mingyu nodded. “Yeah, thought so. Seungcheol’s already called an ambulance and Jeonghan’s waiting out the front so he can bring the paramedics over here.”
Minghao could no longer move, too tired to even try and shuffle his limbs.
Junhui grabbed Minghao’s inhaler from where it was tucked into his pocket.
“Okay, Hao. We’re going to give you a puff every thirty seconds. Okay?”
Minghao couldn’t respond, but Junhui held the inhaler to his lips anyway, pressing down on the top to give Minghao the medication.
He did that every thirty or so seconds for five minutes before the ambulance came.
The inhaler hadn’t helped much, only stopping it from getting too much worse.
The first thing the paramedics did when they arrived was give Minghao an adrenaline shot, Minghao was able to breathe a little better only a few seconds after the injection.
Junhui ruffled his hair. “That’s it, Hao. Deep breaths.”
Once they’d ensured that Minghao wasn’t on the brink of death, the paramedics got him up and strapped to the gurney they’d brought in, quickly whisking Minghao away.
———————
Minghao was discharged from the hospital the next day after the doctors made sure his breathing was fine and that he was all good to go.
Junhui met him in the car park, standing with Minghao’s parents.
Minghao first went to hug his mother, and then he was crushed in his father’s arms. Finally, Minghao turned to Junhui, hugging him tightly to try and express just how thankful he was for Junhui helping him.
Junhui just smiled. “It was no problem, Hao. You would’ve done the same for me.”
Minghao nodded, hopping into the back of the car beside Junhui.
Junhui had long been established as the best friend, his relationship with Minghao much closer. Junhui was the only person in their friend group who had been over to Minghao’s house. He knew the most about Minghao’s asthma and had always been willing to help Minghao out when his asthma got bad.
Minghao was forever grateful to Junhui, whether it be for simply being there or for always helping him out.
The journey back to the house was quiet, Minghao resting his head on Junhui’s shoulder while digging through his hospital bag for his phone.
One advantage of having a medical condition was the fact that Minghao always had a bag in his room prepared for a few days in the hospital, consisting of snacks, small game sets like cards and travel board games, and of course a phone charger and a pair of headphones. Minghao liked having his bag because it meant he never forgot something on a hospital trip.
When they got back to the house, Minghao and Junhui both got out of the car, exchanging a final goodbye before Junhui headed off down the street back to his own home over on the next street.
Minghao watched him with a smile before he felt an arm wrap around his shoulder and he followed his parents into the house.
It was getting late, the sun setting over the distant mountains. Minghao sat in the kitchen eating his dinner and simply watched the sunset until the city was plunged into darkness and the lights of the city started ruining the view.
Once he had eaten, Minghao took a quick shower before hopping into bed.
Minghao truly believed that he would never final any better friends than he had.