Baek Du-Ho (4)

Mr. Jeong looked at Baek Du-Ho with disdain as he ate down on a salad. He had been scolded by the higher-ups for letting Baek Du-Ho fall into these 'poor conditions'. Why couldn't anyone see that he was trying his best as a manager for this… odd group. 

They were all quite close for a K-Pop group of all things, even if Baek Du-Ho was often excluded in private. He couldn't complain, though, as ASCEND's astounding growth as a group was a really good look on his resumé. Not to mention how little effort he had to put into the group besides informing Mi Yong of their schedule and driving them where they had to be. Money was flowing into his bank account like crazy.

He noticed the large abundance of chicken and even a few croutons in the salad and raised a brow. "Why are there carbs in your salad?" He asked, venom laced in his voice. 

Baek Du-Ho's fist tightened around his fork, "I… They said I needed them so they could test my blood." He explained, losing his appetite at Mr. Jeong's judgement. 

Mr. Jeong narrowed disbelieving eyes at Baek Du-Ho, "I'll ask your nurse." He remarked snarkly. 

Baek Du-Ho nodded, a little frightened at the ego change in Mr. Jeong as of late. 

"Your mom will come visit tomorrow. The band might come tonight after activities." Mr. Jeong informed, before curtly walking out of the hospital room. 

A light lit up in Baek Du-Ho's eyes, quickly leaving it at the mention of the rest of ASCEND.

"Okay. Thank you." 

Baek Du-Ho felt submissive to the devil.

–+–

Ryeo Hyun broke out in a sweat after the fifteenth pull up. 

ASCEND and the hosts cheered him on. 

"Just fifteen more!" One of the hosts camped by the side of the pull up bar.

Ryeo Hyun shook his head at the strain in his muscles. He was quite weak with exhaustion. Usually he could pump out more but his muscles were shaky with malnutrition. 

He was able to get five more down before he shook his head and as casually as he could, landed on his feet. His head spun a little but he didn't let it show. "Aish…" He hissed as he shook out his arm's ache. 

"So strong!" The host cheered, clapping his hands and suddenly placing a hand on Ryeo Hyun's shoulder. 

The host gestured towards Joon-woo and Mi Yong. Notably the shortest members of ASCEND. "How much do you lift Hyunnie-ah?" The host asked sneakily. 

Joon-woo feared he already knew what was gonna be the follow up. 

"About… 250 lbs…" He replied cautiously. 

The host raised an eyebrow, "That means you can carry any of your bandmates, yes?" 

Joon-woo shifted closer to Reggie. Perhaps a little fanservice would get his name out of the hat. Reggie, used to the process of fan service, took an arm and wrapped it around Joon-woo's waist to pull their sides closer to each other.

The host chuckled at the action, while Mi Yong looked at Joon-woo slightly betrayed. 

"Joon-ah! Don't use Reggie as an escape, huh?" Mi Yong complained, slightly serious as his whole branding was. It was odd to see Mi Yong so serious on camera when he was so unserious off it. 

Joon-woo sucked in a breath of pride and he buried his head into Reggie's shoulder as if to avoid the confrontation. Reggie slightly stiffened. "Reggie Hyung…" Joon-woo whispered, putting on an obviously fake act of fright. 

Mi Yong took a long sigh, looking at Joon-woo a second too long. As Ryeo Hyun, scooped Mi Yong up like he was weightless. 

Mi Yong shrieked like a girl. Even Joon-woo let out a chuckle at the way Ryeo Hyun held Mi Yong by his knees as Mi Yong beat against his back rebelliously. Jung Hyun-Ok took a staff member's phone and snapped a selfie with Ryeo Hyun as he carried Mi Yong across the filming studio with ease. 

"Let go of me you ogre!" Mi Yong yelled, quickly changing gears to his serious "self". "Put me down Hyun-ah." He spoke sternly. 

After a few moments, Ryeo Hyun basically dropped Mi Yong onto the couch with a thud. The whole studio was engulfed in laughter, but Reggie seemed… oddly quiet. Joon-woo thought he should've been laughing the hardest. 

He shrugged it off without much thought. Sometimes it was hard to play the part of someone you really weren't. 

–+–

"Hasn't our schedule been lighter lately?" Jung Hyun-Ok asked to break a tired silence in the van. 

Ryeo Hyun shrugged, "I figured it was because our promotion period is almost over."

Mr. Jeong scoffed, "No… The company cancelled a few things to make your workload "easier" or whatever bullshit. You guys were handling it fine anyway." 

"Fine" was a choice of word Joon-woo wouldn't use. Their bandmate they were on the way to see was out of consciousness for hours and sick enough to need multiple IVs. Fans had pointed out the sheer amount of content they were getting from such a new group. Perhaps concerned? Joon-woo just thought they were tired of all the same content of he and Reggie. 

They all exchanged glances, unknowingly to Mr. Jeong.

–+–

Baek Du-Ho was drowsy with sleep medicine when he processed the words leaving his bandmates mouth. 

"We're gonna report Mr. Jeong." Mi Yong said, staring at Baek Du-Ho with concern. "He… hasn't been reporting our conditions to the company. Which is partly why, you know, you're here." 

Reggie interjected, "Not to mention how neglectful he was when it came to your fatigue before!" 

Baek Du-Ho was surprised they even noticed it. Like, yeah, his exhaustion after performances and practices and such wasn't hidden at all, but he didn't think anyone cared enough to notice. He gulped back a wave of emotion. 

"Oh." Was the only reply Baek Du-Ho could muster out. 

"He also… doesn't treat women well." Joon-woo said. 

The band snapped Joon-woo's way, but it was Jung Hyun-Ok to speak up first. 

"What…?"

"When I had to go to a few extra meetings about MCing for events and music shows, he never treated the women representatives well. I know a lot of men are like that, but…" Joon-woo continued.

"No. I get it. It's bad for image, right?" Baek Du-Ho asked. 

Joon-woo nodded. 

"That's fair." He said, "They said that I can practice again next week." 

The way the mood lifted made Baek Du-Ho's anxious and tight chest lessen a bit. Jung Hyun-Ok and even the usually expressionless Joon-woo seemed relieved. And it was odd to Baek Du-Ho. If he was such a burden, why did they seem to miss him so much? Even the fans barely acknowledged his absence all the times Baek Du-Ho had been bored and internet monitoring. 

"I'm glad you're feeling better, Hyung." Reggie expressed with his classic genuine smile. 

It would be a lie if Baek Du-Ho said he didn't feel like crying.