Chapter Three

Dismissal, Yeon Hee and her friends went straight to a nearby park to hang-out and watch the boys play a little soccer game when Lay happens to pass by.
“Lay!” Chanyeol’s deep voice called upon spotting the male walking by, the said male groans inwardly and just continues walking as if he heard nothing and the fact that he has his earphones on was an also an excuse, though there were not really music coming out from it. Unfortunately for Lay, Chanyeol has long legs. “Layy!” Chanyeol slung an arm around the other male, "Come join us." As much as Lay don't want to, he was left with no choice since Chanyeol was already dragging him to where the others were.

"Hey Lay!" The group greets upon seeing Lay with Chanyeol, and the said male gave them another forced smile. Luhan, who is playing with the ball, invited Lay to play soccer with them since it was a weekend the next day. Almost immediately did Lay shook his head in reponse, "Ah no thank you, I don't play soccer." 

"Then what sports do you play?" Kai asks, stealing the ball from Luhan and playing it as if he was playing basketball. "Ah nope, I don't play any sports."Lay answers nonchalantly, not wanting anything more than to go home already. "Why? Are you sick?" Everyone's attention turns to Lay as a question left Chanyeol's lips. Yeonhee tilts her head at the male, amused at the thought that Lay doesn't play sports but has a well built body. 

"No, it's not like that." Lay shool his head, chuckling, that made everyone heave a sigh of relief. "Then come on, it'll be fun." Sehun smiled up at the older male, leaving Lay no choice but to join their little game. And it has been so long -way too long since he last played soccer or any kind of sports. 

No one needs to know. 

 

Right when the 10 years old Lay kicks the ball towards the goal, everyone cheered but the little boy collapses on the ground holding his tightening chest. His breathing irregular and his eyes filled with tears of pain. His playmates and his parents were surrounding him, Mrs. Zhang was calling out to him but the pain was unbearable for the little boy that all he could respond was crying. 

Back then, when Lay becomes stubborn and plays too much until he was lying on the ground crying in pain, he couldn't do anything but to let others watch in agony. He doesn't need people to pity him because he is sick. 

That is why Lay has never played soccer or any sports again after that day, but now he became too absorbed that he played too much than he was supposed to. Sitting behind a tree, hiding from the others who were still busy playing that they didn't noticed Lay was gone. He silently cries, his breathing ragged and he is holding his chest in pain. 

Little did he know, that one has noticed Lay suddenly disappearing from the game, "Where is Lay?" Yeonhee asks, looking for the male. 

"Maybe he'd gone to the bathroom." Jina answers before cheering at Luhan kicking the ball towards the goal. Lay was in a new environment so Yeonhee decided to check on him, but when she was on her way to the bathroom, something -or someone rather caught her attention from behind the tree. 

"Yixing? Is that you?" Knowing that it was just them staying at the park, she thought it was Lay. "Yixing? Lay?" She calls out again, slowly walking towards the tree. 

"Ohmygod. Yixing!" She let out a short scream, immediately rushing to the male's side. She touches his pale face, her face shows worriedness towards the male. "You're not okay. I'm going to get some help." Right when she was about to stand up to get some help, Lay used all his strenght to stop her by holding her wrist. "N-no. Don't t-tell anyone." It was almost inaudible since Lay is still in pain, but Yeonhee was still able to hear it. "But Yixing-"

"My bag. G-get my bag." Not asking anymore question, the girl quickly stands up and runs back to where they were staying to get the boy's bag. "Yeonhee! Have you found Lay?" Jina asks upon seeing Yeonhee, the said girl nods in response. "Then where is he?" 

Don't tell anyone.

Lay's hoarse voice replayed in her head, she has to make up an excuse. "He needs to go home. Because he's going to poop, okay! Bye!" She runs away with her bag and Lay's bag in her hands, leaving Jina and Subin laughing at the reason Yeonhee just told them. 

"I'm back yixing. Do I need to call your mom?" Lay shooks his head telling her not to call his mom. "But you're hurting! Why didn't you told us you're sick and can't play sports!" Yeonhee, obviously panicking, started rambling. "What are we going to do?! Are you dying?! You can't die stupid!" Despite the fact that he was still hurting, he found himself chuckling at how cute he finds Yeonhee panicking. 

"Are you laughing?! In a situation like this?! Yixing really?!! Tell me what to do, if you don't want me to call your mom or the others." 

"O-open left pocket." With shaking hands did the girl opens the left pocket to see a medicine, immediately handing it to him she then grab a bottle of water from her own bag and handed it to him as well. 

With his right hand, holding his tighthening chest, Lay uses his free hand to drink the medicine. After a few minutes he has cam down and was slightly back to normal, making Yeonhee sigh in relief.

"Stupid." She uttered, glaring at the male for making her worried. Lay couldn't help but smile. "Why didn't you just told them?" 

"It was just an asthma, no need to worry." A weak smile forms upon his lips as he was standing up to go home. "It'll be just our secret, okay?" Even though, she doesn't understand why Lay wanted to keep it from everyone she still agreed.

"Promise?" He held out his pinky finger, making her laugh at his childish act. "Why are you laughing?" He asks, frowning at the short girl. "I didn't know that a man with frozen organs could be childish as this. HAHAHAHA--" she immediately stop laughing as Lay's eyes glares down at her. "I mean, I promise." She smiles sheepishly at him as she wraps her pinky finger around his. "Good." He smiles back, genuinely. 

"What excuse did you tell them?" Lay asks as they were walking home, her eyes widen upon remembering what she told Jina and Subin back at the park. "I told them that you need to do some things." He nods, clueless about everything. 

 

"Hey lay, it was nice playing with you today too bad your poop can't wait.

Maybe you should join the soccer team. "

-Chanyeol

Lay' eyes widen at what he just read. 

Poop?! What the heck Yeonhee