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" Thank you, everyone. This has been seventeen !” Seungcheol led their greetings as soon as the camera lights went off, all 12 members following him and bowing to their staff.
Hoshi moved to a side,fidgeting with his shirt as he watched the members walking around with slumped shoulders, exhaustion making their movements a bit sluggish . To say they're tired would be an understatement. Their days were filled with schedules due to their upcoming comeback . The members going from one set to another with little to no breaks in between. He couldn't help but feel sorry for them, even though he was in the same situation.
He can't stand seeing Jihoon locking himself up in his studio for hours.
He can't help but worry whenever he sees Cheol and Jeonghan practicing hard despite their injuries.
He has noticed the way Seungkwan often excuses himself to go and cry, thinking about Binnie.
He can't ignore the tiredness in Jun and Minghao's eyes, as the two went back and forth from China for promotions.
of course it's not their first time having such heavy schedules; actually they've been in much worse situations before. But this is the first time he's feeling this helpless, with anxiety creeping through his system, making him restless.
He snapped out of his thoughts as a weight pressed against his side, their maknae leaning on his shoulder with a cute pout.
" Hyung , It's been almost a decade since we debuted.......why is being an idol still so tiring ? " The boy asked as he rubbed his face on his hyung's shoulder. His pout getting more visible.
Hoshi has asked himself the same question many times, and there have been many answers. It's tiring because they are working more and more each day.
But for what? For their fans, to repay their love with great content. For their family, to give them a happy life. For the company, to make them a corporate giant in the industry.
But what about them? They chose this career because they loved music. But these days, he thinks they are unable to enjoy music freely and peacefully due to all these schedules. It feels like they're forgetting to live their lives while trying to please others.
But right now he really don't want to make their young maknae anxious by sharing his worries with him and, it seemed like chan was just asking, not really expecting an answer. So, he slowly turned around, trapping their maknae between his arms,ruffling the boy's hair making him whine.
The boy pouted some more before smiling at him sweetly. "Bye hyung.take rest. see you tomorrow", chan said as he pulled himself away from his hyung, smiling at the elder once again before walking towards his car.
Hoshi watched as the cars left one by one, taking his members home.And Hoshi wanted nothing more than to do the same . He longed for a refreshing shower before lying on his bed, slowly drifting asleep while listening to calming music.
But he can't...
Soonyoung walked to the parking space, sighing as he climbed into his car , where his manager was already waiting for him.
"Hoshi-ya are you sure you want to go ? It's already late and you've been shooting since early morning." The manger asked as he saw Hoshi slumping against the car seat.
and Hoshi sighed once again. massaging his forehead with one hand, trying to reduce the growing headache.
"I'm sure hyung. I just need to make some choreo. It won't take that long. 1 or 2 hrs maybe." He said before closing his eyes, trying to avoid any further questions.
"we both know that's not the the case Hoshi-ya. I checked the security system to find you leaving the practice room only after midnight. You still have enough time before comeback and it's not like you need to do this alone. Ask the members to assist you or atleast ask the performance team. You're tiring yourself out hoshi-ya. " The manager hesitated for a second before continuing in a low voice " is this because of what your performance director said last week?
Hoshi's eyes shot open at the mention of their performance director, gasping as the man's words echoed in his mind making his anxiety skyrocket.
" You're a disappointment, Hoshi. your incompetence is dragging the whole team down. If you can't handle the pressure of being the performance leader, maybe it's time to find someone who can. So one week. You've got one week to finish all four choreo and show us you're not a lost cause."
"I knew it......Even though you're not telling me what exactly happened that day, I can say it's affecting you very badly. That son of a b**ch. I'm going to report him to the company" The managed hissed angrily before grabbing his phone, trying to call someone.
But Hoshi was quick to take the phone away from his hand.
" No hyung... that's not it . I am just anxious. I.. I just want to finish the choreo asap. Please don't make a fuss out of it. Do you really think that his words can hurt me? No hyung.......I can handle it. I'm an experienced idol after all". He said as he tried his best to fake a smile.
He was lying and he can say his manager isn't believing him by the way he sighed and turned around. "I'm making a fuss cause I care about you hoshi-ssi and it's my duty to protect you. I'll let it slide this time. But the next time i won't do the same "Hoshi had nothing to say, so he just leaned against the window as the manager started driving.
Their new performance director was different from the old one. Always having an arrogant expression on his face and being mean for no reason, especially towards Hoshi. Usually, everyone works together on choreography, but this time the director told Hoshi to do it all. And when he asked for some suggestions , the director scolded him, calling him a pathetic performance leader .Deep inside he knew it's all wrong. He's not the performance leader of seventeen for nothing. He have proven himself many times, getting himself to the list of top dancers in kpop industry.
But the words of the director did some tricks on him, making him feel insecure. The incident not only hurt his feelings but also added to the pressure. And even though he's usually good at making choreo the pressure from the director was making it hard for him this time.
But he didn't tell anything to the members. But, lately they have been asking him about the choreographies...saying it's time to start working on them . Abd he assured them by saying he got it all covered that they can start practicing from next week after completing all other schedules. Not wanting to add more burden to their shoulders . But in reality , he was struggling with the dance moves, staying up late trying different steps without success.
Still , he don't wanna reach out for help, feeling pressured to prove himself. The director came to him a few times, only to criticize the movements he already made, questioning his position in the team again and again. Now, he had only two more days left and none of the choreo are complete yet. He can only work at night due to the morning schedules....and two nights are not at all enough to make all four new choreo.
Hoshi felt tears prickling in his eyes, feeling helpless. He squeezed his eyes shut, attempting to stop the tears from falling , yet they still managed to escape.
Meanwhile, the manager's hold on the steering wheel tightened as he observed Hoshi's silent tears in the rearview mirror.His anger towards whoever hurt the boy simmering within him, causing his jaw clench tightly .
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Soonyoung was sweating profusely, feeling small streams of water running down his body, causing his shirt to cling to his skin. He completed the final step of choreography, swirling on his feet and striking the ending pose before lowering himself to the floor with a thump.
The boy layed on the cold floor, struggling to breath properly because of the intense choreo. He's almost done with two choreo still having two more choreo to work on.Hoshi could feel his muscles twitching due to exhaustion, an ugly headache slowly creeping up to his head.
To say he's tired would be an understatement, spending hours on making choreography after an eventful day was not at all an easy task. He's been doing this for a week now. Rushing to the practice as soon as their schedule ends, spending rest of the day practicing.
Hoshi let out a heavy sigh before slowly sitting up, reaching one hand to take his phone from the counter top. The phone screen lit up and he winced at the time. 2.00 AM . The boy slowly raised to his feet, groaning as a sharp pain shot up through his spine.
" hang in there Hoshi-ya.. we still have 2 more songs left. "
He said to himself before playing the next song on the phone. Trying to move his heavy limbs according to the tune snd getting frustrated when they refused to do so. And that's how he ended up on the floor once again, tears flowing uncontrollably and his body trembling,eventually succumbing to sleep's embrace, utterly exhausted.
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
Hoshi hurriedly grabbed his things as his head and muscles throbbed from pain.He felt the exhaustion weighing heavily on him, having only managed to get a four hours sleep, before getting interrupted by his annoying alarm.He quickly put on his shoes, each movement sending a jolt of pain through his body, but he can't afford to be late. Gritting his teeth, he pushed through the discomfort, determined to make it to their morning plans on time.
But as he was picking his bag from the floor, the door to the practice room opened.
"It appears you fell asleep in the practice room last night, Hoshi-ssi. Working hard, aren't you?"
The performance director's mocking tone filling the practice room, causing Hoshi to flinch.
Hoshi hesitated to turn around, knowing what will happens once he do that. Hoshi wasn't scared of the director, but he was afraid of the words said by him. Everytime the man spoke, it made him doubt himself and feel super anxious. But he quickly snapped out of his thoughts , knowing he don't have time to waste. He slowly turned around, facing the man who's been giving him a hard time. The man smirking at him before talking again
" By the way I came here to remind you about the day. I need you to show me all the choreographies tonight. let's see how good of a performance leader you are. "
Hoshi stood there with slightly opened mouth, taken aback by the words. His mind taking it's time to process what he just heard.
"Tonight? B - but You said I have one week to practice, and that includes today as well. and I still have some more steps to make. _ I' ll work on them tonight and show you the choreo tomorrow."
He was trying his best to not stutter, controlling his anxiety by lightly scratching on his leather bag.
He watched in slight horror as the man's face literally twitched in a funny way.... excited to make fun of Hoshi. " But Hoshi, according to my watch, the one-week deadline I gave you ends today, and if those choreographies aren't ready by the end of the day, you might as well get ready to step down from this position of yours. "
and that was it for Hoshi, the pend up emotions coming crashing down making him shout in anger. " Who do you think you are huh? I've been controlling myself for so long...Do you really think that you've the power to remove me from this position. I've been the performance leader of this group for the past nine years and no one have ever questioned my ability like you did. So go on.. do whatever you can to get me down from this position.. you m*r*n. " He panted heavily, feeling a sudden rush of tiredness due to the shouting. But he couldn't help but clench his teeth and hand as he saw the man infront of him smirking again.
" you're almost right Hoshi-ssi.. I can't do much about your position . But you can and you will. " He stopped for a second, enjoying the confused look on Hoshi before continuing " You might have done many things for the team. But past is past Hoshi-ya. What's the point of still having you as the performance leader if you can't even make some choreo in time? Just take a look at woozi, he's been making music ever since you started your career and he's still so good at it, producing hit after hits. and here you're whining pathetically for extra time. You can't do anything alone huh? Always needing other's help for making choreo and still taking all the credits to yourself as the performance team leader. It's time to make a choice Hoshi .you can either step up or step down... you decide.. ”
Hoshi stood there with mouth open, too stunned to speak as the words said by the performance director echoed in the practice room. He saw the director mumbling something before turning around to leave, the sudden throbbing pain in his head making it difficult to comprehend the words.
He stood still as a rock for who knows how long until someone jolted him out of his trance. He looked up, trying to find the distant voice calling him. And when his dazed eyes finally focused on the concerned face of his manager, he broke down.
He cried loudly, trying his best to muffle the noise in his manager's shoulder as the man hugged him tightly. The man was asking many things and he said nothing. He wept until he reached a point where he couldn't cry anymore.The boy pulled himself away from the manager, asking the man to take him to the shooting location and refusing to say anything else. The manager watched as he hurried out of the practice room, determined to prove himself and unwilling to waste any time, completely ignoring the sickening feeling in his guts while doing so.
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
"what's up with him lately " Jeonghan asked to the group, his eyes pointing towards Hoshi, who's currently being led to the make-up room by their staffs. Hoshi was late for shooting, apologizing to them as soon as he entered the studio before getting rushed by their staffs .Jeonghan could say there's something wrong by the way Hoshi looked and one look at the members was all it took for him to realize the others were thinking the same too.
" I've been thinking the same. He's not acting like himself these days and he definitely looks more tired than any of us " cheol's voice was laced with concern as he spoke, clearly getting worried about his dongsaeng .
Silence enveloped them as they exchanged confused glances, wondering about the sudden shift in Hoshi's demeanor. It was their youngest member's voice that finally shattered the quietness.
" Hyungs, I'm not sure...but I think it has something to do with the choreo. He says he's almost done with the choreo. But how did he even managed to find time for practice when we had schedules throughout the past week ? There's something wrong hyungs.. we should not have let him do it alone. "
Noticing Dino's distress, Dokyeom gently pulled him in for a side hug before comforting him "He's the one who told us not to interfere, so I believe if there are any issues with the choreography, he'll seek our help . Plus, we still have enough time to create the choreography, and he's aware of that as well. So, I doubt he'll work extra hours just to finish it since there's no urgency."
Dino was about to speak but changed his mind when he noticed Hoshi approaching them.The later looking tired, even with makeup on. " We can talk to him after the shoot. Now focus on the filming. Ok? " Cheol whispered to them from one side. The others nodding slightly before welcoming Hoshi, patting and caressing him as he walked towards his position. Seeing the forced smile on Hoshi's face made their hearts ache.... having no idea about what's happening. But they knew one thing....This wasn't the Hoshi they were used to – he was their happy, energetic tiger. Always the first one to lift their spirits when things went wrong, giving them hope and energy.
So, seeing him like this was really heartbreaking. But they brushed off all the negative thoughts as the camera started rolling, instantly getting into their idol facade.
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
Hoshi slumped against the nearest chair as soon as he reached the makeup room. watching others removing their make-up, getting ready to go home now that their next schedule is cancelled due to some issues.
He let out a deep sigh as their staff began to gently wipe away his makeup with a damp cloth, the coolness providing some relief for his headache .
His morning headache has now evolved into a full body pain, his body resisting to move the way he wants. And the shooting was anything but easy for him.The throbbing body pain and heavy eyes making it difficult for him to grasp the situation. He made many mistakes today , got scolded by the staff for messing up his lines.But the hardest part was seeing the pity in his member's ' eyes, even though they never scolded him. It's sad... they must be thinking of him as a pathetic, weak person , just like their performance director does.
The director's words filled his mind once again, scaring him. He chewed his lips, nervous just by imagining himself being the reason for their group's downfall, all their efforts going in vain because of him. His members will never forgive him if that happens.. right?
No... he whispered under his breath while shooting a quick glance towards others , making sure no one is noticing him. Picking up his bag and moving slowly toward the door, sending a text message to his manager asking for a ride as he went.
"Hoshi ya ,where are you going ?"
He was almost at the door when someone shouted his name from behind. Hoshi jerked, nearly dropping his phone at the sudden voice as he quickly turned around to find their leader standing before him, gripping his shirt lightly.
"We have no other plans today. So, stay here ... I want to take you all somewhere......It's been days since we spent time together."
and ohh... how he longs to do just that, spending the day with his beloved members, joking around and enjoying each other's company after all the hectic schedules. It sounds like nothing but heaven.
But he can't......the words of their performance director echoing in his mind...... challenging him to prove himself.
So he refused his hyung's offer.
" I'm sorry.. but, I can't come hyung. you guys go and enjoy... I'll join the next time. " Hoshi nearly cried as he watched his hyung's smile fading, wanting nothing more than to just hug his hyung and apologize for constantly letting him down.
But before he could do or say something, Jihoon stepped up into the scene, determined to face the elephant in the room. He guided Hoshi to the nearest chair with a hand on his back, asking him to sit there. Hoshi watched in confusion as the others rushed their staff out of the room, leaving the 13 of them alone.
" soonie... " Hoshi looked into Jihoon's eyes, the later kneeling infront of his chair " We've been together for more than a decade... right? We can tell if there's something wrong just by the way you act. But we can't understand the exact problem unless you tell us. So, open up your mind, Soonie. What's bothering you these days? "
Hoshi could feel the others' eyes on him even without looking. Everyone waiting for his answer in an awkward silence. He looked down on his lap, twisting his shirt with his fingers, the unexpected situation making him anxious and fidgety.
" you...you're just imagining things jihoon-ah, I'm perfectly ok. It's just that I'm not in a good mood recently. But it'll pass... j-just give me some time ". He managed to say before trying to get up, embarassed to be in such a situation .
But Jihoon's hands were quick to push him back to the chair. Hoshi watched with wide eyes as Mingyu joined woozi on the floor, taking hoshi's hands on his, looking at him with puppy eyes.
" Hyung , please don't hide anything from us.If you're going through a tough time, we're here to help. Isn't that how it always been? You can tell us hyung.... did any of us do something wrong? is that the reason? " Hoshi could feel Mingyu's pain in his words.
" I know you'll always be there for me.. but I should learn to deal with things by myself.... so please don't worry about me guys. "He squeezed Mingyu's hand as he spoke trying to comfort his poor dongsaeng.
They fell into an awkward silence, not knowing what to say next.But the silence broke when Dino came forward. " Is this about the choreography, hyung?' The maknae asking out of now where.
The question caught Hoshi off guard, sending shivers down his spine. He glanced up at Chan, opening his mouth in an attempt to speak, but was left speechless, unable to find the right words to say next.
The maknae seemed to understand his situation, so he continued " You don't have to say it hyung... we can see the answer in your face".
Hoshi had nothing to say. So, he just sat there, concentrating on the throbbing pain on his head . He could feel other's eyes on him... everyone waiting for him to say something.
"Hyung?" seungkwan's gentle voice snapped him of of his thoughts. " You should have let us know if you were having difficulties with choreography. We usually work on choreo as a team, but this time you took on everything by yourself. Whenever we asked, you said you had everything under control, so we assumed you were enjoying it. If only we had known you were struggling, we would have helped you, hyung."
"He's right soonie.... and we still have enough time to work on choreo. So please don't worry too much.. we will help you with the moves. ok? " Jihoon spoke in a gentle tone....with all the other members nodding in agreement .
and Just when they thought everything was okay, Hoshi's voice broke the silence. It was barely a whisper, yet it grabbed everyone's attention.
" Why Jihoon-ah ? Do you see me as an incapable leader too? You hardly ask for our help when producing songs. I've never seen Cheol hyung making others do his work. So why am I the only one like this? I'm the performance leader of this group , still I struggle to make some choreo without help. So,tell me guys...why do you still want me in this position? "
Loud gasps filled the room when Hoshi stopped speaking. Hoshi heard sniffles nearby, maybe from Dk, but he wasn't sure. He felt numb, tears blurring his vision as they streamed down his cheeks. His head throbbing painfully as the words of the performance director's echoed in his mind. Hoshi glanced around the room finding all his members with tears in their eyes.
"You're speaking nonsense, Hoshi-ya. We chose you as our performance leader because you deserve it. Where are all these negative thoughts coming from?" Cheol said, putting his hand over Hoshi's shoulder and lightly squeezing it.
"Then why am I struggling, hyung? I've been putting in so much effort for these choreographies. Yet, there's no progress. " Hoshi yelled at cheol, making everyone flinch " I Feel like I'm failing, hyung, and I'm letting all of you down." Hoshi let out a small sob as he finished .....the emotions finally coming crashing down to him.
"Hoshingie.... please take a deep breath for hyung ". A calm voice urged him to cam down. Hoshi looked up to meet Jeonghan's teary eye, the man crouching down before him despite his ankle injury. "We understand your frustration, but please calm down. We still have plenty of time before the comeback. If you feel like you need to work on them alone, you're free to do so. None of us will interrupt. But please, take it slow. You're talking as if someone's been pressuring you to rush through these choreographies."
At the mention of that 'someone', Hoshi felt his anger simmering within. The mocking expression of their performance director flashed in his mind, causing him to clench his fists. The determination to prove him wrong pushing all other thoughts out of his mind.
"Jeonghan hyung is correct... there's no need to hurry, Hoshi-ya. You can work on them alone. But please, promise us that if you ever find it challenging, you'll come to us. If not us, you can seek assistance from our performance director. I'm sure he........"
Before Joshua could say the rest, Hoshi, having reached his breaking point, abruptly rose from his chair, forcefully cutting off his hyung by yelling at the top of his lungs.
" Enough. I know I'm acting weak, but I won't give in. I'd rather face death than fail in front of that jerk. I don't want anyone's help. I'll work hard and finish these choreo tonight. And if I fail, I'll step down. I won't let this group fail because of me. " and with that he stormed out of the room..... yelling at the staff who tried to stop him.He dashed towards one of the waiting cars and instructed the driver to take him to their company.
A tense silence enveloped the others as Hoshi stormed out of the room. The members exchanging concerned glances with each other , their expressions reflecting a mix of shock, confusion, and worry. Some of them still staring at the door through which Hoshi had just exited,unsure of what to do next.
The members snapped out of their shock as Hoshi's manager entered the room, frantically asking them about what happened. Cheol stepped forward to explain the whole situation, tears streaming down his cheeks as he spoke.
The manager remained silent for a while, simply standing there, processing everything in his mind. and after some moment he slowly pulled out a phone from his pocket.
"I have something important to share with you all. I should have addressed this earlier, but Hoshi asked me not to do so.Your performance director has been causing distress to Hoshi for some time now. He challenged Hoshi to complete the choreography within a week and scolded him when he sought advice. That's all the information I got from Hoshi. But, I could say he was concealing many things. Now, I just came from the company after reviewing some CCTV footage.Thank God they've been recording voices also.I want all of you to see this." He informed the members as he passed his phone to cheol. The members gathering around him to watch the videos.
The members gritted their teeth as they watched the scenes. Their blood boiling at the director's words. wanting nothing more than to beat the shit out of him.But then, as they watched the footage of their friend, the Tiger, practicing, something changed. They saw him dancing over and over again until he couldn't stand anymore. He was crying on the floor, holding onto his knees tightly. In some clips, he even passed out right there in the practice room.
More than half of the members were crying by this point. The others either cursing in pure anger or standing with closed eyes to calm themselves down.
"Why are we just standing here?" Jun hissed angrily, ready to storm out and confront the director, but Minghao stopped him before he could leave the room."Let's deal with him later, hyung. Right now, finding Hoshi hyung is what matters most. He's been through so much. I'm worried that we will lose him if we leave him alone.". Jun visibly relaxed at the mention of Hoshi's name, the urge to find and comfort his friend growing in his mind.
"He is right guys.....first of all ,we need to find Hoshi .I'm pretty sure that he'll be in our practice room. So, let's go there without wasting any time.... we will deal with the director after that. ”. Scoups said as he led the members towards the cars, all of them urging their drivers to go faster, eager to reach and comfort their struggling brother.
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
Hoshi sobbed loudly as he reached their practice room, falling to the floor and curling up into himself. With each sob, pain jolted through his body. He cried harder as he remembered what happened on set, the hurt faces of his members making his heart clench. He was disappointing them in every way possible, right? and the thought made him cry even harder.
After some time, he slowly sat up, wincing and groaning from the body pain. He supported himself with a nearby chair as he searched for their new songs in phone . His blurry eyes making it difficult to see the scene clearly. He limped towards the mirror as the music started playing, staring at himself for some time before moving his body to the tune.
He attempted some uncoordinated moves before darkness overtook his vision, shutting down all his senses. With a heavy thud, he fell to the floor, Hoshi felt the dampness of blood on his face before losing consciousness, the weight of exhaustion and pain finally overcoming him.
And that's how his members found him minutes later, laying unconscious on the floor with a small pool of blood near his head, while their new song continued playing in the background.
≪•◦ ❈ ◦•≫
Hoshi groaned in pain as he attempted to move, but a sharp ache shot through his head, making him stop.He reached instinctively for his head to soothe the ache, but someone gently pressed his hands back onto the bed, urging him to relax. "Shhh... take it easy, we're here," a voice reassured him.
Hoshi couldn't tell who was speaking, his mind foggy, unable to process anything other than the pain pulsing in his head. He attempted to open his eyes, the bright light in the room making him squint and shut them tightly again.
"Vernon-ah , could you turn off the light? It's too bright for him,"the voice urged with concern. Hoshi's eyes fluttered open, as gentle fingers ran through his hair. He slowly turned his head to find Jeonghan's worried gaze. "How are you feeling, Hoshingie?" Jeonghan's voice was rough, his eyes swollen as if he'd been crying.
Hoshi opened his mouth to answer but failed. His throat feeling rough like a sandpaper. "W... water..." Hoshi rasped in hoarse voice , frowning at the sound of his own voice.
"Here..." , Joshua approached them with a bottle of water, as if he's been waiting for Hoshi to ask water. The man gently lifting Hoshi's head and assisting him in taking small sips of water.
Hoshi shut his eyes, welcoming the cool sensation of water easing down his throat, offering small relief from the pain. with that, memories started flooding his mind: the heated conversations on set, the tears, the practice room, and the sight of blood. His eyes snapped open as the reality came crashing down to him.. Scanning the room, he found more than half of his members scattered around the room, their gazes filled with concern.
Jeonghan was the first to notice Hoshi's distress, continuing to stroke his hair gently as he spoke in a soothing tone. "Calm down, Hoshi-ya. Hyung will explain everything to you." Hoshi looked at Jeonghan expectantly. "You fainted in the practice room, hitting your head on the floor on the way down. We had to take you to the hospital. But don't worry, it's just a small wound. We can go home as soon as you feel better."
A tear rolled down Hoshi's cheek as Jeonghan leaned down to kiss his forehead, overwhelmed by everything. Someone gently wiped his cheek from the other side . Turning around, he saw Minghao crouching beside him. "You really scared us... But everything's okay now, hyung... we're all here... Please don't cry."
everything's ok.......
Minghao says everything's ok...but Hoshi wasn't sure. How could everything be okay when he hadn't finished their choreography yet? He couldn't afford to be injured now... the comeback.....their performance director. He winced audibly as the thoughts intensified, causing his head to throb even more painfully, more tears streaming down his cheeks.
"There, there... slow down, hyung," Mingyu said as he sat near Minghao, taking Hoshi's face in his hands gently, making the injured man look at him.
"I want you to hear me carefully, hyung. We found out what's been happening with you. Your manager hyung told us everything. We even saw some clips collected by him. We heard everything the director told you, saw you working your ass off to satisfy that bastard ." Hoshi looked at his dongsaeng with teary eyes, his words settling on his mind as he continued, "And I want you to know, whatever he said is bullshit. We made you our performance leader because you're so damn talented, and you still are. Nothing's going to change that. So please stop listening to such mfs and ruining your life for them."
Hoshi was straight-up sobbing by the time Mingyu finished talking, his dongsaeng hugging him to his chest while caressing his back lightly.
"B... But..." Hoshi tried saying something, but Dino shushed him by putting a finger on his lips, "No 'buts,' hyung... we're sorry that you had to go through this. We should've noticed." Jeonghan gave their maknae a side hug as the boy started sobbing, and Mingyu did the same with a crying Hoshi.
"There's nothing to worry about, hyung... Cheol hyung and Woozi hyung have already gone to the company; they are filing a suit against the performance director. He will never get to you ever again," Vernon said from where he's been calming a crying Seungkwan.
Hoshi looke at his members with so much love. He had no idea how to express his gratitude by words so he gestured them to come near. All the others showing tearful smile as they huddled together. Creating a safe bubble around Hoshi.
But the sweet moment got interrupted as the door opened reveling Cheol and woozi.
" thank God.. you're awake " Woozi exclaimed as the both rushed towards them , joining the hug , Cheol placing a gentle kiss on Hoshi's hand. They stayed like that for some time, feeling each other's warmth.
" "Are you feeling okay, Hoshi-ya?" Cheol asked softly when they parted, gently stroking Hoshi's hand. Hoshi nodded with a slight smile. "That's good to hear. Others have already explained everything to you right ? so there's nothing to worry about, Hoshi-ya. The performance director has been dismissed from the company, but our actions won't stop there. Legal consequences await him soon, alright?"
Hoshi nodded once again, overwhelmed by everything. He slowly took Cheol's hand and squeezed it tightly, opening his mouth to thank them . But before Hoshi could respond, Woozi took a seat beside them. "But I won't forgive you if this happens again, soon-ah. We're a team..... You should learn to share your worries with us. We're not asking for everything, but at least the things related to work."
Hoshi lowered his head in response to Woozi's words, feeling overwhelmed by guilt. But Woozi gently lifted his chin with a finger and said, "I'm telling you this because I care, soon-ah. You know we care about you deeply.. right? so please don't worry us like this again, okay?" Hoshi looked at Woozi once again before pulling him into a hug not minding the dull pain ih his head. He hugged his friend tightly, Jihoon's hands caressing his back in a comforting way.
"I.... I'm sorry guys....I should have told you everything. I know I was being silly," he said, sniffling as he looked up at the others from where he was hiding on Jihoon's shoulder.
"It's no surprise, really. You've always been a bit silly, Hoshi. Our foolish tiger," Seungkwan commented from the corner, breaking the tense atmosphere with his entertaining skills. Everyone started laughing at the remark. Hoshi initially acted offended but soon burst into laughter wholeheartedly.
Watching his members goof around him,Hoshi realized one thing. He'll never be alone as long as these twelve boys are with him ❤️.