Bad timing
1540 Words
Huo Yan was in his room, gripping the iron bar bolted into the walls.
One pull-up.
Another.
Muscles tightening. Sweat dripping down his neck.
His breathing stayed even, controlled.
Lu Kai leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, watching him like this wasn’t his first time.
“So, Captain,” Lu Kai said lazily, “I was thinking we all go out for lunch. Real food. Restaurant. Human interaction.”
Huo Yan didn’t stop.
“Not interested.”
He finished the set, dropped to the floor, and grabbed a towel, wiping his face without looking at him.
Lu Kai clicked his tongue. “You’re allergic to fun, you know that?”
Silence.
Lu Kai sighed, pushing himself off the wall. “Alright then, I’ll tell the others.”
He headed out, muttering, “One day I’ll drag you outside. One day.”
Down the hallway, Lu Kai spotted Rong and Yu Chen.
“Hey.”
They both turned.
Lu Kai walked up, hands in his pockets, eyes flicking between them. “Still on the grand tour?”
Yu Chen nodded. “Yeah.”
“Good,” he said. “Then let’s upgrade it.”
Rong raised a brow. “How?”
“Lunch.”
Rong’s eyes lit up immediately. “Say less.”
Lu Kai smirked. “Bills on you.”
Rong froze.
“…I suddenly remembered I’m not that hungry.”
Lu Kai laughed, clapping his shoulder. “Relax. Bills on me.”
Rong exhaled in relief. “I almost died just now.”
Lu Kai turned to Yu Chen and casually threw an arm over her shoulder.
She stiffened for half a second, then forced herself to relax.
“I didn’t really welcome you properly,” Lu Kai said, voice easy but sincere. “So, welcome to ONYX5.”
Yu Chen blinked, then nodded. “Thanks.”
“You’re gonna suffer here,” he added with a grin. “But you’ll get used to it.”
Rong leaned in. “Or you won’t. Fifty-fifty.”
Lu Kai chuckled. “Manager Han said there’s a party tonight.”
“Yes,” Yu Chen said. “He told me.”
Lu Kai’s smile turned sharp. “Good. Then consider today your calm before the storm.”
Rong laughed. “Translation: drink, noise, and secrets.”
Yu Chen’s smile faltered just a bit.
“…Sounds fun.”
Lu Kai gave her shoulder a light squeeze. “Trust me. If you survive the party, you officially belong.”
They started walking.
Behind them, unseen, Huo Yan stood at the top of the stairs, watching.
Expression unreadable.
--------
They went on foot.
The restaurant was only a few streets away, close enough that no one bothered calling the team bus.
Shen Wei walked ahead, hands in his pockets.
Rong followed, relaxed as always.
Lu Kai talked as he walked, voice loud enough to carry.
Yu Chen stayed slightly behind them.
They barely made it halfway down the street when it started.
“....Wait.”
“Is that...?”
“Oh my god, it’s ONYX5.”
Phones came out almost instantly.
“ONYX5 boys!”
A girl rushed forward, excitement spilling all over her face. “Can I get your autograph?!”
Rong laughed lightly. “Already? We just stepped out.”
More people gathered. Mostly girls.
“Shen Wei!”
“Lu Kai, look here!”
“Rong—Rong!”
Yu Chen stepped to the side instinctively, trying to stay out of the way.
Someone bumped into her shoulder. Hard.
She staggered back a step.
“Hey...” she started, but the crowd surged forward, closing in around the others.
No one noticed her being pushed aside.
Girls surrounded the boys, voices overlapping, laughter sharp and bright. Phones lifted. Hands reaching.
Yu Chen adjusted her cap lower and moved back, pressing herself against the wall of a nearby shop.
Invisible.
That was fine.
She watched as Rong signed quickly, smiling, easy with fans. Shen Wei nodded politely, quiet but familiar with the attention. Lu Kai soaked it up, half-showing off, half-complaining.
They looked like they belonged in the middle of it.
_____________
Seconds passed.
Then minutes.
Eventually, the crowd thinned. Phones lowered. The last few fans waved as they walked off, still buzzing with excitement.
Rong stretched his arms. “Whew. Free at last.”
Lu Kai clicked his tongue. “We can’t even eat in peace anymore.”
Shen Wei adjusted his jacket. “You say that every time.”
They started walking again.
Yu Chen stepped away from the wall and rejoined them, falling into place quietly like she’d never left.
Rong glanced sideways at her. “Sorry about that. You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah.”
Lu Kai looked back, eyes sharp for a second. “You disappeared.”
“Crowds aren’t really my thing,” she said lightly.
“Hah,” he laughed. “Good luck with that. You joined the wrong team.”
They walked on, the noise of the street settling back into normal.
Yu Chen tugged her cap a little lower and exhaled.
The restaurant sign came into view ahead.
Lunch was close.
-------------
They got to the restaurant without any more interruptions and slid into a booth near the window. The place was quiet, the kind that knew how to mind its business.
Menus were barely touched.
Rong ordered first. A lot. Shen Wei followed, sensible as always. Lu Kai added something extra just because he could. Yu Chen copied the safest option and stayed quiet.
Food came fast.
For a while, the only sounds were chopsticks, plates, and Rong eating like he’d been starved.
Then Shen Wei spoke. “Scrim’s tomorrow.”
Lu Kai nodded. “ONYX5 versus Black Vortex.”
Rong groaned mid-bite. “Ugh. Them.”
Yu Chen looked up, interested but careful not to stare.
“Strong early game,” Shen Wei continued. “Messy mid. They like forcing fights they can’t always finish.”
Lu Kai smirked. “Which is why they hate us.”
Rong leaned back. “Last time we scrimmed them, they rage-paused.”
Yu Chen blinked. “Rage… paused?”
“All-chat silence. Five minutes. Beautiful,” Rong said fondly.
Shen Wei’s gaze shifted to her. “You’ll be playing.”
Her chopsticks paused. “Tomorrow?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “Scrims are practice, but we treat them like real matches.”
Lu Kai tilted his head. “Black Vortex’s mid-laner likes to roam early. If you lose vision, he’ll punish it.”
Yu Chen nodded slowly, absorbing everything. “Then I won’t give him space.”
Rong raised a brow. “Confident.”
She shrugged. “It’s my lane.”
That earned her a look.
Not disbelief. Interest.
Shen Wei gave a small nod. “Good.”
Lu Kai leaned back in his seat. “After scrims, we prep for the official match next week.”
“Stage match,” Rong added. “Crowd. Lights. Cameras everywhere.”
Yu Chen’s fingers tightened slightly around her chopsticks.
Stage.
Shen Wei noticed. “Nervous?”
She shook her head. “No.”
Then, softer, “Just focused.”
Rong grinned. “You’ll fit right in.”
Halfway through the meal, a dull ache bloomed low in Yu Chen's stomach.
Familiar.
She froze for a second, chopsticks hovering.
The pain rolled once more, heavier this time, settling around her waist. She sucked in a breath and winced before she could stop herself.
Rong noticed first. “Yo— you good?”
Shen Wei looked up immediately. “You look pale.”
Lu Kai frowned. “Food poisoning already? That was fast.”
“I’m fine,” Yu Chen said quickly, forcing her voice steady. She nodded a little too hard.
She pushed her chair back slightly to stand.
And froze.
Her eyes dropped., Her chest went cold.
The chair.
There.... faint, but unmistakable.
Red.
Her breath caught in her throat.
No.
No no no no....
Her mind spiraled.
Now? Of all times?
She slowly sat back down, movements stiff, like nothing was wrong.
Inside, she was screaming.
I’m dead.
I’m actually dead.
This is how I get exposed.
Lu Kai squinted at her. “You sure you’re okay? You just did a whole dramatic pause.”
She nodded again, fast. Too fast. “Yeah. Totally. Just—uh—cramp.”
“Cramps?” Rong repeated, raising a brow. “Like gym cramps?”
“Something like that,” she muttered, staring very hard at her plate.
Shen Wei studied her for a second longer, sharp eyes missing nothing, but he said nothing.
Lu Kai leaned back. “Man, you mid-laners are fragile.”
She laughed weakly, the sound coming out wrong. “Guess so.”
Her hands trembled slightly under the table.
Think. Think.
Bathroom. Hoodie. Jacket. Anything.
The stain wasn’t big.
Yet.
But time was not on her side.
Rong went back to eating, already distracted. “After lunch we should rest. Tomorrow’s scrim’s gonna be nasty.”
Yu Chen nodded, barely hearing him.
All she could think was one thing.
I need to get out of this chair.
And to make it worst she was wearing a grey pant.
- Writer
