Broken Melodies (NCT)

Ten

Dancing is a form of art. A way to express yourself when your freedom is taken. This way was the way for Ten: to never speak out in public, transferring his rage and sadness in the form of dance

Of course he was angry. He was angry at the world, at his friends for moving on with their lives and cutting contacts with him, with no warning whatsoever. He understood, of course, or tried to, but it was sometimes hard to keep his anger at bay. 

He was doing fine. He was a prestigious dance trainer in one of the top entertainment companies in the country. Getting paid well, living a relatively comfortable life; way better than probably 90% of N City's population. He was in a place to be envied.

And he was absolutely miserable. 

What was that saying? About money and happiness? Ten never truly understood the meaning of that quote: how could the thing that buys you happiness be the cause of your misery? He understood now. Quite ironic, that his best-paying job would bring him the most misery.

His company was named SM Entertainment, and despite it being one of the biggest entertainment companies in N City, it was common knowledge that it was one of the worst. Between slave contracts, improper management, and inhumanely slow wifi, along with blatant abuse going on behind the scenes, it was no wonder that almost half of the artists there had filed to sue and managed to escape. Ten envied them: they were artists, able to leave with the public's support. The instructors were forced to stay and teach the trainees, and were usually never credited at all. The puppeteers, per se, directing their dolls of what to do to achieve the next stunning act. 'Oh my god, how amazing so-and-so artist does this choreography!', they would say, forgetting about the ones who taught it to them. Sure, they put their own unique spin to the dance, but they shouldn't ignore the hard-working choreographers and trainers. Forgotten stars, he and the others. 

He was in the middle of teaching this kid, Shotaro, who had joined only 3 months prior. A mere fledgling, still bright and full of life. Clearly he hasn't faced the discrimination and abuse this company had to offer. He wasn't even that bad at dancing; in fact, he was exceptional. So exceptional it baffled Ten he wasn't placed in a group immediately. He learned choreography extremely quickly in unexpected styles, making it always a thrill to watch him dance. His rap and vocals weren't terrible, either. Ten had just suggested taking a break when the trainee whispered some news, so quiet he almost didn't hear. 

"So, Ten hyung. . ." he started, steadily turning redder and redder by the second. Ten, who was facing away from him, didn't see.

"Yeah?" he said casually, half distracted as he took a swig of water. "What's up?"

"So, the company called me a few hours ago. . . they're creating a Japanese subdivision called Kintsugi, and. . . I'm part of the lineup." the last sentence was even quieter. At this point Shotaro was redder than a tomato. 

"Oh." Ten registered Shotaro's words a second later, the full impact of his words crashing down on him. "Oh!" he jumped around, embracing the trainee. "Shotaro, that's amazing! A Japanese group? When's your debut date?" 

"Sometime near the end of the year." Shotaro was shining with excitement. "We're in the middle of practicing our lines and choreography so we can record." 

"Give your hyung a spoiler," Ten said, teasingly coming closer. "What's the song about?" 

Shotaro wouldn't say at first, but after a few minutes of convincing, he relented. "So. . . the album is called, 'The Songbird's Wish', the title track is 'Rapture', I think. We're going for a darker theme this time." 

"Well, I'm proud of you, kid." Ten said. Finally, after all that training, the kid would finally get to debut. "Keep practicing, and you'll kill this debut for sure." 

The door to the practice room opened, revealing his least favorite trainer, Kim Taesung. His trademark smirk was wider than usual, which meant something was horribly wrong. He motioned for Ten to come with him.

"I never see you around here." Ten spat. "What business?" 

"I've been promoted to Kintsugi's new manager." he said. "And I've convinced the board to change the lineup." 

"What do you mean?"

"Your little boy isn't debuting." Taesung's smirk was creeping up his cheeks, splitting the side of his face. "We swapped the Japanese trainees with Korean ones that speak Japanese." 

"What?" Ten was mortified. "A Japanese group with Korean members? Are you kidding me? How does that even make sense? Shotaro, and the other trainees worked hard for this debut, you can't take this opportunity away from them."

Taesung shrugged. "We haven't announced the lineup for the group to the public yet. How is anyone going to know? Besides, they're Japanese. Who in their right mind is going to like a Japanese idol?" 

"I'll expose you on the media." Ten warned. "You don't think I wont?" 

"I don't think you'll dare." Taesung's expression turned dangerous. "Your job will be on the line if you do." 

"And how will you get me fired from my job?" 

"I'll create a rumor." Taesung's childlike excitement was disturbing. "Maybe that the dance trainer Ten assaulted a trainee, that was a minor. That'll get you fired for sure, and it'll ruin your reputation, too. Let's see you get rehired after a scandal like that." 

"You wouldn't," Ten said, embarrassed about the crack in his voice. "Who in the company would believe it?" 

"You know there's many that would like to see you gone." Taesung's voice had dropped to a whisper, the freakish grin never leaving his face. "Besides, who would SM believe, a highly respectable Korean manager, or the foreign dance trainer who can't eve speak Korean without an accent?" 

He didn't leave Ten time to reply. Getting right in his face, he said "I would hope you think this through. I'd hate it if I was forced to ruin your life. Over a Japanese trainee, of all people." 

ᕙ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)ᕗ

Of course Ten was going to do it. 

There would be consequences. He didn't doubt that Taesung would do exactly as he threatened to do and more, but at that point he didn't care about himself. He went into his official account, and typed up the message: "New Japanese kpop group, Kintsugi, had a last minute change in lineup due to racism". There. That title would grab people's attention, and hopefully give those trainees justice. He had finished typing a lengthy paragraph explaining everything, and was about to post it, when a message popped up on his phone.

Chenle: Yo, Ten! Take a break from work and come with me to a separate dinner.

Ten: Just the two of us? A bit romantic, don't you think? 

Chenle: No, idiot. Other people are coming, like Shotaro. You know Shotaro, right? He used to be my friend before he left.

Ten: Of course I know Shotaro. Where are we meeting?

Once Ten gathered the rest of the supplies, he debated a bit before deciding to postpone the message until after he came back from Chenle's surprise party for someone he only loosely knew. Lucas had been a mutual friend back in school, but he didn't really know him well. At least Shotaro would be there.

Shotaro. He hoped the kid would be okay once the news of his removal broke.  

AN///////
Happy birthday, Hendery! 🎂