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“Xiao De Jun-ssi?” Dejun looked up as he heard his name being called again, thankful that he was finally going to be able to see the orthopedic surgeon. He’d already had new x-rays done that morning, before being sent back to the waiting room with Dongyoung and the manager that had driven them to wait for them to be ready and for the doctor to actually look over them to determine what needed to happen next.
“I’ll go in with him, hyung,” Dongyoung replied, as the manager began to get up to join him.
“I should really…” the manager began.
“I’d rather have Dongyoung-hyung go with me,” Dejun interrupted, trying his best to sound confident in his response despite the fact that he was still more than a little terrified of talking back to the managers like that. Still, Kun and Taeyong had both told him to push for Dongyoung to accompany him if necessary, reassuring him that it was his right to choose who would be in the room with him while he spoke to the doctor.
The manager sighed, nodding and sitting back down so that Dongyoung and Dejun could follow the nurse into the exam room to wait for the doctor. “Your friend will be staying, De Jun-ssi?” the nurse asked, as they entered the exam room.
“Yes, please,” Dejun replied. “Korean isn’t my first language…”
The nurse smiled as she logged into the computer in the room, pulling up Dejun’s chart and a digital copy of nis newest x-rays. “Of course. So you’re here to help make sure that he understands everything, I assume?” she asked, turning to Dongyoung.
“That’s right,” Dongyoung replied. “We’re Idols, and we want to make sure that he doesn’t misunderstand anything and potentially cause any more damage to that wrist…”
The nurse nodded, smiling. “Of course. Dr. Kwon should be here in just a moment to discuss the x-rays and the plan moving forward, and to answer any questions either of you might have,” she replied, before leaving the two of them alone in the room.
Dejun watched as Dongyoung stood up, moving to get a better look at his x-ray on the screen. “Aish… at least it looks like a clean break,” the elder vocalist commented. Dejun didn’t get a chance to respond, as the door opened and an older gentleman in a long white coat joined them.
“It is a very clean break…” the man began, closing the door and turning to Dejun. “You must be Xiao De Jun-ssi. I’m Dr. Kwon.”
Dejun bowed slightly from his place on the exam table. “It’s nice to meet you,” he replied. “I hope it’s okay if Dongyoung-hyung stays… Korean isn’t my first language. I don’t want to misunderstand.”
The doctor smiled, nodding. “It’s no problem at all. The most important thing is that you’re comfortable,” the doctor replied, before he moved to sit at the computer as Dongyoung made his way back to the empty seat in the corner of the room where he could still see what was going on. “As Dongyoung-ssi pointed out, the distal radial fracture was clean. I can see from the hospital notes that it was only minimally displaced during the initial visit, which is why surgical intervention wasn’t initially indicated.”
Dejun nodded. “Is that… do I need surgery now?” he asked, suddenly worried about the effects that would have on all of the upcoming schedules.
“At this point, it doesn’t look as though that’s going to be necessary,” Dr. Kwon replied. “The bones are in their proper place, and everything seems to be healing nicely so far. Even the hairline fractures in the scaphoid and trapezium are healing…”
Dejun couldn’t help feeling confused by the doctor’s words. “I don’t… I don’t understand…” he began, shaking his head and looking to Dongyoung for help. “There was just one…”
The doctor nodded, pulling out his pen and pointing towards the x-rays on the screen, at the obvious fracture in Dejun’s radius first. “This fracture would have been obvious on the initial x-rays at the hospital, and you may have only been diagnosed with a distal radial fracture,” the doctor explained. “It would have been obvious immediately after your injury. Hairline fractures, however, may not be visible for a few days…” Dejun watched as the doctor pointed to an almost unnoticeable line in the small bone just above his radius, that didn’t go all the way through followed by a similar line in the bone just above it as he spoke. “These are both hairline fractures - cracks - in the small bones of your wrist.”
“Is it going to be a problem? The fact that there are multiple fractures?” Dongyoung asked.
“In this case, no,” Dr. Kwon replied. “All three require essentially the same treatment - stabilization and rest. It means a slightly different cast, to make sure all three fractures are stabilized properly, but that’s a minor adjustment that we can easily make. We’ll do two weeks in a cast to start off, and then reevaluate with new x-rays to determine if we transition into a brace so that Dejun-ssi can begin physical therapy, or if an extended period of time in a cast will be necessary in this case.”
“And dancing?” Dejun asked. “I’m supposed to ask if I’m allowed to rehearse once I have the cast…”
Dr. Kwon shook his head. “I don’t think that would be a good idea, under the circumstances,” he replied. “The last thing we would want during the next few weeks is for you to fall on your wrist again, while it’s still healing. And considering the fact that your initial injury happened while dancing, I don’t think that it would be wise to keep dancing while you’re still healing.”
Dejun glanced at Dongyoung, who nodded to indicate that he’d heard the doctor’s words. “So we’re talking at least two weeks before he’s allowed to dance, correct?” Dongyoung asked, to clarify.
“At a minimum… though it would be better to wait until after we see the next set of x-rays and discuss the case with physical therapy to set an exact date for him to return to dancing,” the doctor replied. “I do also want to suggest having your calcium and vitamin D levels tested… it’s unusual for someone young and healthy like yourself to break a bone this easily. It’s a simple blood test, but I do think that it’s important in this situation that we make sure we’re checking everything.”
Dejun could see that Dongyoung look confused. “Could that be something serious?” the older man asked.
“Not necessarily… you indicated that you’re both Idols, correct?” the doctor asked. Dejun nodded slowly. “If there are deficiencies, it’s likely due to dieting and a lack of sunlight. Nutritional deficiencies aren’t exactly uncommon within your industry, particularly when you don’t take supplements to account for any vitamins or minerals that might be lacking due to diets enforced by your company…”
Dongyoung sighed. “We are on pretty restrictive diets most of the time,” Dongyoung admitted. “That… actually makes a lot of sense, when you explain it like that.”
Dr. Kwon nodded. “It would probably be a wise idea to suggest that everyone in your group make sure they’re taking their vitamins, whatever we might find in Dejun-ssi’s blood work,” the doctor added. “Do you have any other questions or concerns, before we get you a new cast?”
Dejun shook his head. “I think I understand everything…” he began.
“Okay… we’ll get a nurse in here to get everything set up for that new cast, so that we can get you on your way,” the doctor replied, making a few notes in Dejun’s chart before he stood up and headed out of the room.
Dongyoung waited until the doctor was out of the room, before he spoke up again. “Is there anything you need me to explain?” the elder singer asked, leaning forward slightly.
Dejun shook his head again. “I think I understand… the company isn’t going to be happy, though,” he replied.
“The company is going to have to deal with it,” Dongyoung replied. “Your doctor said no dancing, so they’re going to have to figure out how to make it work for you. And if anyone gives you grief about it, you tell me and I will personally come rip them a new one.”
***
“Dejun-ah, when we get back to the company building I want you to go meet up with the rest of your group in the practice room,” the manager began, as they finally got back into the van. Dejun glanced over at Dongyoung, who raised an eyebrow at the man’s words.
“Hyung… he isn’t allowed to dance, remember?” Dongyoung reminded, crossing his arms.
The manager sighed. “They have to record a music video in a week, Dongyoung-ah… we can’t postpone that,” the manager replied. “We’ll have to figure things out as best we can.”
“But having Dejun-ah dance isn’t an option,” Dongyoung argued. “If he falls again on that arm, it could do serious damage… he needs to sit out of that right now, for his own safety.”
“I don’t think this is a discussion that you need to be involved in, Dongyoung-ah…” the manager began.
“Someone needs to be on his side here,” Dongyoung replied, obviously starting to get angry. “I’m the one who heard the doctor say no dancing… I’m also the one who heard him say that his diet - the diet we all follow a lot of the time - could have been a contributing factor. Which is really going to be a serious issue if that comes out…”
“That isn’t…”
“The doctor is testing him for calcium and vitamin D deficiencies, because he said that Dejun-ah shouldn’t have been injured that easily,” Dongyoung interrupted, before the manager could argue that their diets couldn’t have been related. “Dr. Kwon said that it could easily be caused by excessive dieting - we could all be at risk, if he really is suffering from some kind of deficiencies. And that’s on the company…”
“What do you want to do, Dejun-ah?” the manager asked, interrupting Dongyoung’s explanation of what they had learned at the doctor’s office.
Dejun took a deep breath before he spoke, knowing that he was going to anger the manager with his response. “I want to listen to the doctor, hyung,” Dejun replied. “My wrist needs to heal… and I really don’t want to risk letting this get any worse. If I fall on it again and have to have surgery, it’s going to take a lot longer for me to be able to dance again… but if I sit out for now, by the time we’re supposed to be on stage I’ll probably be fine to dance…”
“And the music video?” the manager asked.
“Nu’est-sunbaenims put a dancer in for one of their members when he couldn’t dance during the filming of a video due to an injury… it isn’t like it would be the first time someone has had a stand-in for part of a music video,” Dongyoung replied. “Dejun-ah can still film the other parts… but his arm has to have time to heal.”
The manager sighed. “I’ll have to check with upper management, make sure that we can accommodate…”
“Yah… it’s the company’s responsibility to take care of us,” Dongyoung spat, obviously starting to get pissed off. “His wrist broken in three places… you can’t just ignore that and pretend that he can go on like everything is perfectly normal right now!”
Dejun couldn’t help feeling a little afraid of the elder Idol as he spoke angrily to the manager; it wasn’t something that Dejun was used to seeing, even if Ten did frequently get sassy when the managers were being particularly awful. But to be obviously angry at the man and the company on Dejun’s behalf - Dejun really wasn’t sure how Dongyoung felt confident enough for that, given the way they were all treated within the confines of the company building. “Hyung…” Dejun began softly, reaching out to try and calm the older man down a little before he said something that they might both regret.
“Dejun-ah, I am not going to let them bully you into doing something stupid,” the elder replied, shaking his head. “The whole point in me coming with you today was to make sure that you understood the doctor’s orders, so that they couldn’t do that to you… there are way too many Idols who have permanent damage to their bodies because they didn’t listen when they were told to take it easy after an injury. They know that’s true, too.”
“We also have to think about what’s best for the group as a whole,” the manager commented.
“How is potentially causing permanent damage to one of the members what’s best for the group?” Dongyoung asked.
There was a long moment of silence, and it was obvious that the manager didn’t have a good answer for the older man’s question. Dejun took a deep breath, suddenly realizing that he had been holding his breath throughout the disagreement between the two older men. “We just have to look at all of the possibilities, before we can make a final decision,” the manager finally commented. “Obviously the doctor’s orders will be taken into consideration, but the company gets to determine how the situation will be handled, not me.”
“I’m not going to go against the doctor’s orders,” Dejun commented, shaking his hand. “It isn’t safe, hyung…”
The remainder of the ride was silent, until they drove into the underground parking garage at the SM building. “Go on up to the practice room, while I meet with upper management and we try to sort out what’s going to happen next,” the manager commented.
“You’re going to make sure they have the doctor’s orders, right?” Dongyoung asked.
“I’m going to give them all of the information that we were given,” the manager replied. “I can’t guarantee what decisions they’ll make, but I will make sure that they aren’t making their decision blindly.”
Dejun still felt a little uneasy about not being part of the conversation with management about his current situation, but he knew that there was no point in arguing it at the moment. If it came down to it, Dejun knew that the whole group would argue with him if the company tried to force him to dance; all he and Dongyoung could do at that moment was make sure that the rest of WayV knew what they had learned from the doctor.
Thankfully, the group was already in a break by the time they arrived in the practice room a few minutes later. “What did the doctor say?” Ten asked, as soon as Dejun and Dongyoung walked into the room.
“Why did they extend the cast up your thumb?” Yangyang asked, before either Dongyoung or Dejun could answer Ten’s original question.
“I apparently cracked two other bones in my wrist, too,” Dejun replied. “I have to go back in a couple of weeks for new x-rays, to see if it’s healed enough to switch into a brace instead of the cast so that I can start physical therapy. And I’m not supposed to dance until the physical therapist clears me…”
Dejun could see Kun nodding. “At least the company can’t argue with the doctor’s orders there…” the eldest man began.
“I’m not convinced that they aren’t going to try…” Dongyoung warned.
“What do you mean?” Sicheng asked. “He’s injured, and the doctor said no dancing… it’s an easy call…”
“Manager-hyung doesn’t seem to be all that convinced that the company is going to be willing to agree to the doctor’s orders,” Dongyoung replied. “He said that he has to make sure that they can accommodate him or some bullshit like that… as if they haven’t made major accommodations for other members before because of injuries.”
“Hell, they’ve made accommodations for Donghyuck-ah just so that he could be in two groups at once…” Ten added, shaking his head. “We can figure out ways to make things work. This is more important than the video shoot or the comeback.”
“But… they can’t legally force him to go against the doctor’s orders anyway, can they?” Guanheng asked. “There are laws…”
“All they have to do is get a second opinion that contradicts the first doctor,” Kun replied, shaking his head. “If they have a doctor who will say that it’s safe, they can argue that his doctor overreacted.”
“So we’re basically screwed if we get hurt and the company decides we should work anyway…” Lucas commented.
“No… no way,” Ten replied, shaking his head. “We are not letting this happen. We are not letting them put any one of us at risk, and that’s final. We have to stand up for each other here.”
“Ten is right… this isn’t something we can let them just gloss over as if it’s a minor bruise,” Dongyoung added. “We specifically asked about dancing, and the doctor said not to try it because that’s how he got hurt. If he falls again, he could end up in surgery and out for a lot longer than a few weeks waiting for this to heal.”
Dejun felt Sicheng moving to wrap his arms around his shoulders. “So… what are we going to do?” the older man asked. “We have to protect Dejun-ah from the company… we can’t let them get away with making stupid decisions that are going to hurt him. If they get away with this, who knows what they’ll try to get away with in the future and how many other members will end up getting hurt.”
***
It felt weird, having all twenty-three members of NCT crowded into the small dance room WayV used. They were rarely all together to begin with, but to have all of them confined into such a small space… it was just weird. And yet, it was oddly comforting for Dejun to know that each and every one of them was in the room to back him up when he stood up to the company for his own safety. “You okay?” Taeyong asked, as the leader put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently.
“I don’t like that they haven’t said anything yet…” Dejun replied. “And I hate that you guys have to do this for me. That there’s actually a question about whether or not they’re going to do the right thing…”
“If you were Korean, too, there wouldn’t even be a question…” Renjun commented, as the younger Chinese man moved to join them. “That’s the really screwed up part about all of this. This wouldn’t even be an issue, except for the fact that you’re a foreigner. Which means that the company is going to worry more about how much it’s going to cost to do the right thing than whether or not you’re going to be safe continuing on with promoting…”
“What’s going on in here?” Dejun looked up as he heard their manager walk into the room, obviously annoyed at the sheer number of people in the room at the moment. “I’m not sure what all of you are doing in here, but the WayV members have practice…”
“That’s why we’re here,” Taeyong replied, speaking up for the rest of the group. “We want to know what the company has decided about Dejun-ah’s participation in this comeback.”
The manager sighed, shaking his head. “You’re all here for that purpose?” the man asked.
“We don’t want the company to force Dejun-ah into something dangerous,” Jaehyun commented, from somewhere a few feet away. “He’s injured - he needs time to rest so that he can heal.”
“We aren’t going to let the company force him,” Yuta added, crossing his arms as he stepped forward. “It isn’t safe - his doctor said that he shouldn’t do it, so I don’t understand why there’s a discussion about it.”
“Because the company has already put a lot of money into this comeback, and we have to determine what’s the best course of action here that will result in the least loss…” the manager began.
“If he falls again, it’s going to cost the company a hell of a lot more than hiring a dancer for the music video would,” Dongyoung interrupted. “There are trainees, even, that they could sub in for him - it’s not that hard to figure out.”
There was a moment of silence in the room, as they all waited to see what the manger would say next. “Dejun-ah doesn’t have to dance. For now,” the man finally admitted. “The exact details of how it’s going to be handled are still being worked out, but they’re expecting that he’ll be able to dance again by the time performances start.”
“And if he isn’t?” Dongyoung asked. “There’s going to be a plan in place just in case he isn’t allowed to dance, correct? Because it’s not going to do any good if you just wait until he’s nearly healed, and then put him in danger again before he’s cleared by his doctor there’s no point in doing any of it…”
“That’s a discussion that we’ll have to have if that happens,” the manager replied. “As it stands right now, we’re following the doctor’s orders. Now, if that’s all that the rest of you came here for, I would suggest that you get back to your own practices or whatever other schedules you have today, so that the members of WayV can get started because they have a lot of work to do if they’re going to be ready to film next week.”
Dejun smiled at the other NCT members as they began to file out of the room, thankful that all of them had shown up for him.
“Hyung… if Dejun-ah isn’t going to dance, can I borrow him for a little while for something I’m working on?” Taeyong asked, before the manager could walk away from the small group of members that had gathered in Dejun’s immediate vicinity. “I don’t have any schedules for a few hours, so I was going to work on some ideas for some new music. I could use his voice…”
The manager nodded, sighing. “You’ll be in your studio, right?” the man asked.
“Yeah… the only other place we might go is down to the café if we get hungry,” Taeyong replied.
“Fine… Dejun-ah can go to your studio instead,” the man relented.
Dejun followed Taeyong out of the dance studio, thankful that the leader had decided to get him out of the dance room before the manager could somehow find a way around the doctor’s orders. “Thanks, hyung,” Dejun commented, as they entered the elevator to make their way to the proper floor.
“I figured it’s probably better to get you out of there, since you aren’t going to be able to dance for a while,” Taeyong replied. “I also thought you might want to lay down for a little while… it hurts worse at night, doesn’t it?”
Dejun nodded slowly. “Yeah, a bit,” he admitted. “The painkillers help, but I had to get up in the middle of the night to take another dose and wait for it to kick in…”
“If you need to take a nap first, you can do that,” Taeyong replied. “I do have some guide tracks that we can work on afterwards, but I figured just getting you somewhere quiet so that you can get some more rest would probably be a good idea. Your arm will heal faster if you’re taking proper care of yourself.”
Dejun was thankful to be able to lay down in Taeyong’s studio, closing his eyes and quickly drifting off to sleep. He barely even noticed as the leader tucked a blanket around him, gently ruffling his hair before Taeyong moved away to boot up his computer and get to work.