Hypoglycaemic Minghao

Back To School

The summer holidays always seemed to fly by, a very annoying fact for someone like Minghao who hated school with all his heart.

School had always been difficult for him, ever since he was really young.

Minghao was maybe seven years old the first time Park Young Hwa approached him. Young Hwa was someone Minghao learned to fear as a kid, someone who would take any chance to hit or yell insults at Minghao.

Minghao was nine when he met his best friend, Junhui.

Junhui helped protect him from Young Hwa until he moved from the school when Minghao was thirteen.

It was during the summer that Junhui left when Minghao was diagnosed with chronic hypoglycaemia after fainting while alone at home. His mother had found him unconscious when she got home and called an ambulance. Minghao's stay in the hospital was a few days and by the end, his schoolbag was slightly heavier with the weight of a glucagon injection kit and a glucometer.

One thing that had gotten better over the holidays, and that had been finally being asked out by his long-time crush, Chwe Hansol Vernon. Vernon stayed with Minghao the whole time he was in the hospital, only leaving at night when visitor hours were finished. Vernon had been so kind and caring when it came to checking Minghao's blood sugar. Minghao really didn't like having to prick himself with a needle, and a few times he had refused to do it and ended up fainting with Vernon, earning himself an ambulance journey and a glucagon injection.

Eventually, Minghao agreed to just let Vernon prick his finger instead of trying to do it himself.

The first few days back at school were fine.

It was difficult adapting to school without Junhui and with his new condition. He had to check his blood sugar at every meal and at morning and afternoon breaks. Vernon always helped him, but during the second week of term, Vernon was off school for a dentist appointment.

Minghao had to prick his own finger at break, and it came up a little low, but not low enough to need any extra supplements.

It was halfway through the next lesson that Minghao realised he should have eaten some candies.

Minghao excused himself when he got dizzy and faint, heading down the corridors to find his locker and his bag.

Minghao found his locker, struggling to unlock it with his shaking hands and blurry vision, but he didn't need to.

Young Hwa was standing in the middle of the corridor a good ten metres away, holding Minghao's bag in his hand. On either side of him stood his two friends, Kyung Tae and Sang Woo.

Tears started pooling in Minghao's eyes, knowing he needed his bag but it was going to be a struggle to get it back, hypoglycemic or not.

"Young Hwa, please. I need that bag." Minghao said, voice weak and shaky, preparing to take a weak lunge at the boy.

"Or what bitch? You gonna go cry to Miss Kang. Don't you already know she won't do shit?" Young Hwa's cronies laughed cruelly.

Minghao took a few steps forward, trying to grab the bag before Young Hwa dodged away, lifting the bag out of Minghao's reach. As Minghao started to fall, dark spots clouding his vision, Minghao felt Sang Woo strike him over the head, making his vision fade to white and his ears ring for a few seconds before it cleared up and Minghao took a weak, gasping breath.

"I need that bag, or 'm gonna faint," Minghao whispered, only earning some cruel, taunting laughs.

Minghao only managed to roll onto his back before his vision faded completely, eyes rolling up and body tensing up against the tiles.