The silence in the company van became so unbearable, that dispite his strong dislike of the older man, Hongjoong was almost thankful when Manger Ho spoke up.
"Do you know of any particular spots Yeosang might be?"
Hongjoong pondered it thoughtfully. "There is a small park nearby. Yeosang often goes there when he is overwhelmed or upset."
"With or without your permission?" Manger Ho wanted to know.
"Yeosang doesn't open up very easy," Hongjoong murmured, looking out the window. "He tends to try and runaway from what bothers him, or at least bury it inside. He doesn't mean to be bad, he just doesn't know how to communicate his feelings."
Manager Ho shot him a sharp look. "So sneaking out is a regular occurrence?"
"That's not what I-" Hongjoong began to protest, but Manager Ho cut him off.
"So what have you done to try and stop that behaviour? Are you simply overlooking this because you feel sorry for him? That isn't how being a leader works. You need to be authoritative and use discipline when necessary."
"So you thought it was necessary to whip San with a belt?" Hongjoong snapped back at him. "He was so terrified and ashamed. You hurt and humiliated him!"
Mangager Ho said nothing. His eyes were glued to the road, but Hongjoong could see the way his jaw jutted out stubbornly. After a long drawn out silence, he finally spoke. "I admit I was wrong to discipline San the way I did. I was too angry to hold back. But none of that excuses their behaviour. They have all been running wild for too long, and you have been letting them. You need to step up before it gets way out of hand."
"They are young men. They have a lot of energy. Of course they are going to get wild."
The van suddenly swerved off the road and pulled to an abrupt stop. Manager Ho swung about in his seat to face the idol. "This isn't about their energy levels at this point, Hongjoong. It is about respect. RESPECT. You don't even respect me, your manager and elder. Do you understand the issue now?"
Hongjoong knew he had already dug a deep hole. But more than that, he did not want to make the manager any more angry than he already was. Not before they found Yeosang. He bowed his head to the older man.
"I sincerely apologise, sir. I was very disrespect."
Mangager Ho said nothing as he pulled the car back onto the road. With a sigh, Hongjoong went back to gazing out the window, just in case Yeosang had started heading home. Before too long however, the car was pulling into the park. Hongjoong glanced about, frantically hoping that Yeosang was actually there. If he wasn't, Hongjoong wouldn't even know where else too look. But sure enough, sitting on a bench under a light, Yeosang was on his phone, the remains of a takeaway meal left beside him.
Hongjoong felt relief, anger, and concern all in the same flood of emotions. He leapt out of the car and raced to his dongsaeng.
"Yah, Kang Yeosang!"
Yeosang started at the sound of his name, his eyes darting back and forth as if he was contemplating whether to run to or from his leader. He didn't get time to think, as Hongjoong grabbed his shoulders, giving him a light shake.
"You gave us such a fright, Yeosang-ah. You scared me."
"Hyung. Hyung, I...I-" Yeosang was cut off as the front door of the car opened and Manager Ho stepped out.
"You foolish punk!" He bellowed in rage."What the hell were you even thinking?"
He marched quickly over to the cowering boy and grabbed his collar. Pulling him roughly to his feet, he dragged him back to the company car and shoved him inside. Hongjoong blinked back his tears as he followed.He slipped wordlessly into the seat next to Yeosang, knowing the his dongsaeng would be comforted by his presence. As he expected, Yeosang quickly clutched at his hand.
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8-Teez Makes Chaos (spanking fic)
FanfictionA fictional story about the chaotic life of the kpop group Ateez. When Ateez's beloved Manager-nim takes a vacation, the dorm turns into chaos. Not only do they miss their manager, but he has been replaced by the strict Manager Ho who expects absol...