TW: abuse, eating disorders
"Get it right," the CEO warned. "Or we'll all stay here and watch until you do."
"I'm sorry," Beomgyu whispered. "I'm trying."
"You're not trying," the man scoffed. "You're not even paying attention. Run it from the break."
Kai winced, watching Beomgyu fumble his cowboy hat for the eighth time that night.
"How hard is it to put on a jacket?" The CEO grabbed Beomgyu's wrist. "You have six beats to get into position. That's more than enough."
"The buttons take too much time. I can't catch the hat if my hands are-"
"I don't care." The man tightened his grip on Beomgyu's wrist. "You should be able to follow any choreography."
Beomgyu writhed in pain, trying to pull his hand away.
"Stop it! You're hurting him!" Taehyun grabbed the CEO's arm.
The CEO shrugged Taehyun off, pushing the boy into a clothes rack.
"Taehyun!" Kai scrambled to dig him out of the pile of costumes. "Are you okay?"
Taehyun sat up, tears welling in his eyes. He tried to speak, but only a pitiful whimper escaped his lips. Yeonjun clenched his jaw, grimacing as Taehyun began to cry.
"Don't." Soobin kept a firm grasp on Yeonjun's shirt, keeping him from moving. "You'll make it worse."
The CEO crouched in front of Taehyun. "Repeat after me. You hurt yourself while filming a variety show for MOA."
"I-" Taehyun shook his head. "You pushed me!"
"Soobin, control him."
"Soobin hyung," Taehyun cried. "He's-"
"Say it." Soobin avoided his eyes. "Just say it, Taehyun. You're wasting his time."
The younger boy gave him a cold stare. "I hurt myself while filming a variety show for MOA."
Yeonjun ripped the buttons off Beomgyu's prop jacket, making direct eye contact with the CEO. "As the oldest, I'm making the executive decision to get rid of these. Our dance looks better with the jackets open."
The CEO shrugged before leaving the room.
As soon as the door shut, Soobin threw himself to the ground. "Taehyun, I'm so sorry, I had to play along-"
"You were just going to sit there and let him treat us like that?"
"I had to; he wouldn't have left otherwi-"
"You're supposed to stand up for us!"
"You need to go to the hospit-"
"I don't need anything." Taehyun wiped his tears, struggling to his feet. "I'm going home."
"Taehyun..." Soobin's eyes were wide with distress. "Please, I-"
"Tae." Beomgyu touched the younger boy's waist. "You're going to the hospital."
"Not with him." Taehyun took deep breaths, trying to prevent himself from crying again. "My bag."
"I'll carry it."
"Okay," he choked. "Thank you."
"Yeah, of course." Beomgyu gently took Taehyun's uninjured hand. "Squeeze whenever it hurts."
"I'm not in labor, you idiot. The pain's constant." Taehyun shut his eyes. "And fuck you. It really hurts. Sorry, I- You're not an idiot. I'm sorry."
