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Everyone knows that Soonyoung is a ray of sunshine. He’s always able to make his members feel better when they’re down and lift their spirits on bad days. He also has unlimited energy. He could run around the stage all day and then go on to sing karaoke until the next morning. Along with keeping the joy up, he’s always able to get serious and guide his members through their dances. He practiced so hard that he was practically dragged out of the practice room when they were done rehearsing their choreo.
This was the Soonyoung that Seventeen knew and loved. Unfortunately, not everyone loved Soonyoung’s endless energy. Soonyoung became aware of that at a photo shoot with a new photographer.
Seventeen was split up to take their photos faster. They were put into three groups: Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Jisoo, Junhui, and Soonyoung; Wonwoo, Jihoon, Seokmin, and Mingyu; and Minghao, Seungkwan, Hansol, and Chan.
They were shooting photos in a large room full of fake plants. Their concept was being in a jungle, and Soonyoung loved it more than anything. He was the youngest in his group, and his hyungs loved watching him jump around like a maknae.
The four oldest members couldn’t help but chuckle as they watched Soonyoung run around the set, peeking out from behind trees and jumping over fake bushes. He had the biggest smile on his face as he bounced around.
“Look at him go,” Jeonghan said, shaking his head fondly.
“He’s like a real tiger,” Junhui said.
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” Jisoo warned. “He’ll never let you live it down.”
Seungcheol smiled as he watched Soonyoung run around the fake jungle. He was relieved that the dancer still had so much energy. He had been practicing hours after the other members had left the practice room the whole week. He was an unstoppable force, but he often forgot that he was still a human who needed to take care of himself. Seungcheol admired his dedication to dance, but he also worried that one of these times he’d wear himself out and collapse.
“His energy truly is unmatched,” Seungcheol mused.
Soonyoung bounded over to the four. “What are you guys waiting for? Let’s find the best spot to take photos!”
Jeonghan threw an arm over his shoulders and led him back to the fake greenery. “Just waiting for you, little tiger.”
Somehow, Soonyoung brightened even more at the words. His smile widened and his eyes scrunched up.
Seungcheol turned to the photographer to tell him that they would be ready soon, but when he faced the man, he saw that he looked pissed. It was normal for photographers to be tense. Many things could happen to mess up a shot. The weather, but they were inside. The makeup artist could take a while, but they all had their makeup done already. The equipment could malfunction, but the photographer had everything set up and looking good. So why was he glaring at the scene?
Seungcheol followed his eyes and realized that he wasn’t glaring at the fake jungle… he was glaring at Soonyoung. His sharp eyes followed the boy as he ran around the jungle, weaving around the trees as he looked for the best spot for the photos.
Something burned in Seungcheol’s chest. He didn’t like when someone glared at his members, especially when it was a stranger that didn’t know his boys and their personalities.
He was about to say something to the photographer, but Soonyoung called out to him.
“Hyungie!” he yelled with a smile. “What’s taking so long? I found the perfect spot!”
A smile spread on Seungcheol’s face as he turned back to his members. “On my way, Soonie!”
He heard the photographer scoff and say, “Finally.”
Seungcheol forced himself to not react. He’d just have to smile for the camera for now. He could deal with the photographer later.
The five members took their group photos first, all of them lying around the jungle floor, limbs crossed over each other so they were all touching somehow.
The photographer kept a stoic look on his face the whole time. But whenever Soonyoung started getting antsy again, the photographer would roll his eyes and sigh heavily. Soonyoung didn’t seem to notice; he was too distracted by the set to care about anything else. The older members, on the other hand, were starting to catch on. Seungcheol could tell by the way they glanced at the photographer strangely and seemed to try to keep Soonyoung away from him.
Once the group photos were over, the members split up to take their personal shots. Seungcheol went first and it went by easily. When he returned to the other four members, he couldn’t help but laugh at what he saw. Soonyoung was lying down in a patch of fake grass while the other three placed flowers in his hair and behind his ears. Soonyoung was glowing. Seungcheol didn’t think he’d ever seen him smile that purely for so long before.
“Hannie,” Seungcheol called as he strolled over to them, “you’re up.”
Jeonghan stood up. “Cheol, come here for a second.”
He led the leader to the side, away from everyone else, so no one would hear their conversation.
“What’s up?” Seungcheol asked.
“You know what’s up,” Jeonghan said, voice cold. “That photographer has been sending nasty looks to Soonie for this whole shoot. What’s his problem?”
“I know, I know,” Seungcheol said, taking Jeonghan’s shoulders to calm him. “We’ll deal with him later.”
“I want to deal with him now,” Jeonghan said. “Soonie hasn’t been this happy in a long time. I mean truly happy. He’s enjoying himself too much for someone to ruin it for him. He’s been working on the choreo nonstop this whole week. He’s finally getting a break and I don’t want this nobody photographer to mess it all up!”
He was breathing heavily after this rant and Seungcheol couldn’t blame him. He was pissed at the photographer too, but he also knew that they had to get these photos taken.
“We’ll take care of Soonie,” Seungcheol assured. “It’ll be okay. He didn’t notice the man’s dirty looks, and we’ll make sure it stays that way.”
Jeonghan looked reluctant but nodded anyway. He made his way over to the photographer while Seungcheol went back to the others. He joined them on the ground, decorating their current maknae.
“Hey, Soonie,” Seungcheol greeted.
Soonyoung opened his eyes and smiled up at the leader. “Hi.”
Seungcheol matched his smile and took a flower from Jisoo’s outstretched hand. He tucked it into Soonyoung’s hair, the dark pink petals standing out in the blond strands.
“You’re looking pretty gently for a tiger,” chided Seungcheol.
“He’s still a cub,” Jisoo teased.
Soonyoung swatted at him, then rolled over and snuggled into him.
“I really like this concept,” he said, voice muffled from being pressed into Jisoo’s chest.
“We can tell,” Junhui said. “I’m glad it’s made you so happy.”
Jisoo nodded and ran his fingers through Soonyoung’s hair. “You deserve the break after all the pressure you’ve put on yourself.”
Soonyoung rolled back slightly and pouted at his hyungs. “I don’t have that much pressure.”
“Soonie,” Junhui said flatly, “you do nothing but stress yourself out.”
“He’s right,” Jisoo agreed. “You’re such a perfectionist that even when you do something perfect, you find the tiniest thing to critique yourself on.”
“I can always be better,” Soonyoung mumbled.
Seungcheol spoke up as he saw Soonyoung start to deflate. “Alright, that’s enough talking about work. Let’s just focus on being in a jungle and making our tiger pretty.”
“It’s a fake jungle, hyung,” Soonyoung said.
“But we have a real tiger,” Junhui said, pinching Soonyoung’s cheek.
He swatted the older member’s hand away with a smile. Jisoo and Junhui took that as a challenge. They started poking and squishing his cheeks before moving on to his stomach and sides, prodding and tickling him until his laughter filled the area and he was begging them to stop.
Seungcheol watched as Soonyoung was back to smiling widely. He was proud of Jisoo and Junhui. They were able to make Soonyoung feel better without being obvious about it.
“What’s happening over here?” Jeonghan mused as he walked back over. “Looks like a tiger got taken down.”
Jisoo and Junhui let up on the youngest, and Soonyoung tried to catch his breath.
“Jisoo, they’re ready for you,” Jeonghan said.
He took Jisoo’s place next to Soonyoung as he got up and went in the direction of the photographer. Soonyoung had rolled on his side to escape from his attackers, and Jeonghan saw this as an opportunity. He started scratching Soonyoung’s back in large circles. The younger sighed happily and rolled all the way over so he was lying on his stomach, giving Jeonghan free rein of his back.
Soonyoung relaxed more with the back scratches. The four of them talked about randomness until Jisoo came back. Junhui left to take his photos and the other members continued with their idle conversations.
Then it was Soonyoung’s turn for his solo shots. None of his hyungs wanted him to go to the photographer by himself, but they knew they would be cast away if they tried to join him.
“That bastard better not do anything,” Jeonghan said once Soonyoung was out of earshot.
“He wouldn’t dare,” Seungcheol said, hoping he sounded more sure than he felt.
A few minutes later, they heard a voice ask, “You guys all done?”
They looked over and saw Jihoon approaching them.
“Everyone else is finished,” he explained. “We were told that we can leave as soon as everyone has taken their solo shots.”
“Soonie is still taking his,” Jisoo said, glancing in the direction where he should be in the jungle. He didn’t see him. “Where are they?”
Seungcheol snapped his head in the direction of his member, only to not see any trace of him.
Jeonghan leaped to his feet. “Where the fuck did they go?”
Jihoon paused, eyes widening. “Woah, what’s up with you guys?”
Seungcheol and Jeonghan were already on the move.
“Our photographer kept glaring at Soonyoung,” Junhui explained.
Jihoon’s eyes narrowed. “What? Why?” he demanded.
“It’s a jungle,” Jisoo said blankly. “Our tiger was excited and you know how he can get.”
“So the photographer was mad because Soonie had an actual smile on his face?” Jihoon snapped.
“He was moving around a lot,” Junhui said. “The photographer didn’t seem to have a lot of patience.”
Jihoon didn’t say anything to that. He just walked after the two oldest members with haste. He caught up with them fast.
“Where did they go?” Seungcheol was growling.
Just as he asked that, Soonyoung came from around a bundle of fake trees. He looked deflated. His face was blank and his movements were sluggish. Nothing like how he should be acting surrounded by the fake foliage.
“Soonyoung,” Jeonghan said seriously, rushing over to him.
Soonyoung looked up, shocked, not expecting his members to be there. A smile flashed on his face quickly.
“Hey!” he said cheerfully. “Sorry, was I taking too long?”
“Soonie,” said Jeonghan. He got close to the boy and cupped his face in both hands. “Where did he go?”
“Who?” Soonyoung asked, face squished slightly.
“The photographer.”
Something flashed in Soonyoung’s eyes. They all saw it.
“He left,” Soonyoung said. “Once he was done with the pictures, he left.”
“What did he do to you?” Seungcheol demanded.
Soonyoung blinked. “Nothing.”
“What did he say to you?” Jihoon tried.
Soonyoung opened his mouth, then closed it. He tried to look away, but Jeonghan kept his hands firm on the sides of his face.
“Soonie,” he said gently, “what did he say?”
Jeonghan’s eyes were so sincere and open that Soonyoung couldn’t resist. He told them what happened.
⋆˚°. ఇ ◝‿◜ ఇ .°˚⋆
Soonyoung was having the time of his life. The jungle concept was definitely his favorite and he couldn’t help but love how his hyungs were treating him. Usually, Soonyoung had to be serious while doing anything related to being an idol. He leads during dance practice and makes sure the other members are always feeling their best when they record. Maybe it was selfish, but it was nice to be treated like a maknae.
Throughout the group shots, the older members were allowing Soonyoung to act childish and he couldn’t remember the last time he was able to relax and act however he wanted. Sure, he was constantly acting crazy with Seokmin, but this was different. He was acting like a child and no one was getting mad at him. It was freeing.
Even after the group photos, his hyungs continued to baby him. Putting flowers in his hair, teasing him, rubbing his back. Soonyoung felt like it was the best day ever…
Then it was his turn for solo photos. And that’s when his day turned from fun and freeing to restricted and tense.
“Just pose wherever,” the photographer said when Soonyoung neared him. “Try not to move as much this time.”
Soonyoung paused. “What?”
The photographer rolled his eyes and leveled the boy with an ice-cold glare that sent a shiver down Soonyoung’s spine.
“Don’t act surprised,” the man scoffed. “You’ve done nothing but move around this whole time. You’re too hyper for a photoshoot. Calm down while I’m on the clock.” He scoffed again. “I don’t know how the other members can deal with being around you every day. Must be draining for them.”
It felt like someone shot Soonyoung in the heart. His chest squeezed and he had to fight to keep his face neutral. He didn’t want this man to see any more weakness from him.
He got through the photoshoot without too much struggle. There were a few times he was told to fix his face or his posture; told he looked too sad for the concept.
It took a little longer with the pauses to fix himself, but once Soonyoung was done with the shoot, he bowed respectfully and started to head back to the others.
“Wait,” the photographer called harshly.
Soonyoung winced and turned around slowly. “Yes?”
The photographer got up in his face and Soonyoung was backed against one of the fake trees as the photographer spit in his face: “You are one of the worst clients I’ve ever had to work with. You should change yourself before they all get tired of keeping you around. Do everyone a favor and calm the fuck down before you get thrown away.”
Then he left.
Soonyoung was frozen. He watched as the man left. After a second to collect himself, he started towards his members again. He couldn’t stop his mind from running through the way he acted during the group shots. He was acting like a child. Why did he think that was acceptable? Why did he think that his hyungs liked to baby him? They were only putting up with him so the shoot would move faster. How stupid could he be?
“Soonyoung,” he heard Jeonghan say.
Shit. He fixed his face (he was getting good at that) and greeted the members who were approaching him with a smile.
⋆˚°. ఇ ◝‿◜ ఇ .°˚⋆
“Soonie,” Jeonghan cooed. He pulled the boy close, wrapping his arms around him tightly.
“I’m sorry,” Soonyoung muttered, voice muffled from the embrace.
Seungcheol threaded his fingers through the dancer’s hair, soothing him. “You have nothing to apologize for.”
“I was messing around and–”
“And nothing,” Jihoon interrupted firmly. “Sounds like that guy was an asshole.”
“But I was making us late,” Soonyoung tried again, pushing away from Jeonghan, refusing the comfort. “I– I was running around and I should’ve just gotten the photos taken before I goofed off. I wasn’t thinking about how I was slowing you guys down too. I’m just a burden and so selfish and–”
“Stop it!” Jihoon shouted.
Soonyoung’s mouth closed with a snap.
“Gentle, Jihoon,” Seungcheol warned, seeing the already glossy eyes of Soonyoung.
“No!” Jihoon said. “I’m going to yell at him until it gets through to him that he isn’t a burden and there’s no way in hell that he’s selfish!” He turned towards the dancer, still held in Jeonghan’s arms loosely. “Kwon Soonyoung, you are not selfish, and never in your life have you ever been selfish. You are constantly overworking yourself while also making sure everyone else is okay. You deserve a break. Today was supposed to be a stress-free photoshoot. We have nothing scheduled after this, so we could take as long as needed. There was no rush, so having fun wouldn’t be a bother. That dick shouldn’t be allowed to say something like that to you. He has no idea how hard you work every day and the passion that you hold for everything that you love. You amaze all of us with your hard work and dedication. I know you’re a perfectionist and you don’t think that everything you do is amazing, but we do! If you’re ever doubting yourself, come to us. We’re family; we help each other. And don’t ever think that we’ll leave you. How could we ever give up someone who’s as amazing as you, huh?”
There were tears dripping down Soonyoung’s face now. He couldn’t take all the nice words given to him after all the harsh words thrown at him. It was all too much. He didn’t want to cry, but it was useless trying to fight against the tears.
“Come here,” he heard the leader say.
Without a second thought, Soonyoung moved in the direction the voice had come from. His vision was flooded with tears, blurring the world around him.
Strong arms wrapped around him and a firm hand held the back of his head, pressing him against the leader securely. The other hand was rubbing up and down his back, an anchoring pattern that allowed Soonyoung to calm down and gain control over his breathing. He hadn’t realized that the tears had brought hyperventilation along with them.
He pressed his forehead against Seungcheol’s shoulder. He used the hand on his back to time his breathing. As the hand went up, Soonyoung sucked in a breath and held it until the hand went back down. This system repeated until Soonyoung could breathe normally again. He pulled back gently. Seungcheol slackened his arms to allow Soonyoung some room to move.
“Thank you, hyung,” Soonyoung said, then he turned to the other two. “Thank all of you. I didn’t mean to get emotional. I just–”
“You don’t need to explain, Soonie,” Jeonghan reassured. “We get it. Let’s just get back to the others and go to the dorms.”
Soonyoung nodded and allowed himself to be led back to the rest of the members.
When they arrived, they learned that Jisoo and Junhui had filled everyone else in on the photographer problem. The members were quick to comfort Soonyoung and promise that they would have a sleepover that night. Soonyoung smiled at them gratefully. He couldn’t ask for better members.
They decided to have the sleepover in Jeonghan and Seungkwan’s dorm. They had a big TV; perfect for watching movies. The members grabbed blankets and pillows and piled everything on the floor. They all laid down in a cuddle pile to watch an arrangement of tiger-themed movies. Everyone made sure to constantly comfort Soonyoung through soft words and gentle touches. He felt so loved.
In the middle of the third movie, Soonyoung had fallen asleep. He lay in the middle of the pile with a content smile on his face.
“What are we going to do about the photographer?” Chan asked quietly, brushing some strands of hair from Soonyoung’s forehead.
“I already talked to the company,” Seungcheol said. “That photographer won’t work for our company or any other company ever again.”
“Good,” Hansol said.
The others nodded their approval.
“How could someone ever say stuff like that to him?” Seokmin wondered aloud. He and Seungkwan were on either side of Soonyoung, both wanting to stay close to their fellow BSS member.
“He’s stupid,” said Mingyu.
“Strong words,” quipped Wonwoo with a smirk.
Mingyu tried to slap him, but he couldn’t reach the other boy and gave up. “You know what I mean.”
Minghao nodded. “I’m the only one allowed to stop Soonyoung’s delusions. No one else gets to tell him that he’s not a tiger.”
“No one gets how hard he works,” Chan spoke up.
“Even he doesn’t seem to realize how much he puts on his shoulders,” Seungkwan agreed. “Constantly working on choreos and making sure we understand all the steps.” He shook his head fondly. “He’s insane.”
The rest of the members muttered their agreement, growing tired as they continued to complement Soonyoung as he slept in the middle of them.
Seungcheol smiled at his boys. He was sure that they would never let Soonyoung forget how loved he was. He trusted them to always be there for each other and that’s all he could ask of them. He sighed happily as they started falling asleep one by one. As the last one awake, he got to see all of their calm, sleeping faces. He couldn’t think of a better image to fall asleep to.