LULLABY - TAEGYU ✔️

thirty-six: WORKLOAD

"Rejected." Beomgyu says sternly and tosses the file on his desk, eyeing the boy in front of him.
"H-Huhh?" Taehyun's voice cracks, almost coming out like a whisper even.

"Your paperwork is awful. We can't hand these to the investors."
"But I followed the framework you gave me??"

"And there's a reason why it's called framework. It's not detailed. Redo the whole thing."

Taehyun clicks his tongue before picking the file up and leaving Beomgyu's office. Once he closes the door behind him, he leans against the door, heaving a sigh as if he held his breath the entire time he's been inside
A week passed since Taehyun first got hired and he has never been so exhausted. He didn't expect himself to even over work and spend most of his times in his office rather than home.

He's beyond frustrated. He didn't know what Beomgyu wanted from him to be treated so badly while the other employees were treated nicely.
...

Scratch that, he knew exactly why Beomgyu is doing this to him and the more he thinks about it, rather than being mad at Beomgyu, guilt just consumes him but in all honesty, he really doesn't think he should be treated like this. Why can't Beomgyu just leave him alone and treat him like a stranger, wouldn't that be better?

Painful, actually.

Even during one of their first meetings with the company's shareholders, Beomgyu embarrassed him in front of them and as much as Taehyun wanted to snap back at him, he wasn't the Beomgyu he used to know.

And Beomgyu's his boss and his work is on the line if he ever defies him. It's Taehyun's biggest sacrifice even if it means appearing as an incompetent executive secretary in the eyes of others.
Beomgyu's wicked... and vile.

+×+

"Dammit why the hell won't he leave??" Beomgyu hisses to himself as he runs his fingers through his hair in a frustrated manner.

Beomgyu sighs. When he first found out he can finally take over BigHit Entertainment, he was elated but now that he found out who his secretary is, he least expected it to be Kang Taehyun.

So he did what he had to do, he did the bad (drink holy water if you're thinking different), hoping Taehyun won't come back at all, but he still, STILL did.

Beomgyu slumps into his chair, thinking what he's been doing this past one week ever since he started work and Taehyun had just been recruited.

He'd treat him badly. As badly as he can. He gave him loads of work, even those that weren't important.
He gets mad at him whenever he doesn't complete the impossible heaps of paperwork just to get on the younger's nerves.

But even after all that, Taehyun won't quit.

Beomgyu's thoughts are disrupted when he hears a knock on his office door. He takes his legs off his desk and sits up properly before asking whoever it is to come in and when the door slowly opens, a silver haired male pops out the gaps and Taehyun enters, bowing.

The latter had terrible eyebags under his eyes and his eyes were red. Clearly he didn't get enough sleep this whole week thanks to the heaps of workload yet in this state, he still managed.

Taehyun approaches the desk and hands the report to Beomgyu which the older takes and reviews it. The room falling silence and nothing but tension.

"I completed it. Please take a look and see if there are areas I need to fix." Taehyun says, voice coming out hoarse.

Beomgyu looks through the papers, one by one and sighs. And before Taehyun's eyes-

Beomgyu tears the paper into pieces, and harshly throws them in front of Taehyun's face.
Taehyun's eyes widen, his heart plummeted and he feels his eyes well up with tears.

He immediately kneels down onto the floor, collecting the scattered torn pieces of paper of the report he spent hours completing.

Beomgyu clicks his tongue in annoyance.
'Get out.'

'Why are you still here?'

Beomgyu gets up from his chair and walks over the desk before placing a foot on Taehyun's shoulder and pushing him roughly, causing Taehyun to yelp and stumble back onto the floor.

Taehyun looked away, elbows propping himself and from all the exhaustion, stress and despair, Taehyun didn't care how unprofessional he looked right now, he lets his tears fall.

It catches Beomgyu off guard when he sees droplets of tears falling onto the floor, soft sobs echoing in the room but, he doesn't let it faze him.

Instead, he looks down at the younger pathetically.
'You have to feel what I felt five years ago.'

"Dont you ever learn?? Follow the framework!!" Beomgyu scolds coldly.

Taehyun immediately gets up, stumbling on his knees with the torn pieces of paper in his grip. He then bows at Beomgyu, body trembling, voice shaky.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I lost focus. I'll redo it." Taehyun says before leaving the office.
But as he opens the door to leave, he bumps into Yeonjun who's about to enter Beomgyu's abode.

"Taehyunnie?" Yeonjun calls out with concern written all over his face as he notices the terrible state he's under.
"H-Hyung..." Taehyun sobs out.

But when he feels an intense gaze pierce right through him, Taehyun's sense of urgency suddenly clicks in and he bows.
"S-Sorry hyung, I'll get going." Taehyun says before walking pass the older.

Yeonjun glances over at Taehyun before walking into Beomgyu's office to see his best friend slumped in his chair once again with his feet up on the desk and himself pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Are you serious?" Yeonjun frowns.
"What?" Beomgyu scowls.

"Didn't you take a look at him? His eyes are red, there are bags under his eyes, he looks like he'd pass out any second."
"Then he should've done the work I gave him properly."

Yeonjun sighs at the younger's answer.
"I know you hate him-"

"I want him gone." Beomgyu cuts the older off angrily.

"But that doesn't give you the rights to treat him that badly. Want him to quit? Sure. But not by slowly killing him." Yeonjun says before leaving the room in frustration.

Beomgyu clicks his tongue.

"What do you know about us?"