ATEEZ Imagines

Mingi ✦ Elf In Training

Word count: 3,430

DO NOT read or interact if you're under 14

The North Pole was covered in snow, the usual weather for Santa's Headquarters. Large, fluffy snowflakes came down in a flurry, adding to the inches of white snow that blanketed the ground.
You were hard at work in the workshop, painting and assembling toys. Christmas was only a month away and it was crunch-time at Santa's workshop. Every elf was hard at work preparing for the upcoming holiday. The sound of hammers tapping and the low hum of the assembly line machines were the only thing that could be heard in the building as every elf stayed laser focused on their job.

Mingi, a new elf in training, walked across the workshop with a box of completed toys in his hands. He was heading to the room next door where the toys were being collected. As he proceeded towards his destination, his head collidided with the top of the doorframe, a thud sound following after. You instinctively winced at the sight. Mingi was always bumping his head on the doorway. Unlike other elves, he was rather tall and towered over everyone. The average height of elves was around five feet, Mingi was six feet tall.
You hated seeing him always hurting himself on the doorframe and wondered why no one had done anything about it. At this rate he would give himself a concussion if nothing was done about the low doorframe.

A chorus of chuckles from nearby elves could be heard after Mingi's little incident. You abruptly abandoned your work station and hurried after Mingi, calling for him. He turned around, looking down at you with bright eyes and an expectant expression.
"Are you okay?" You asked.
A soft smile spread across his face.
"I'm fine. Thanks, Y/n."
"You don't need an ice pack or something?"
He shook his head. "I'm kinda used to it."
You gave him a sympathetic look.
"You should get back to work. Christmas is coming soon." He told you.
"What about you?"
"I'll be just fine."
As much as you didn't want to, you turned around and hesitantly made your way back to your station, picking up where you left off.
It was difficult to focus. All you could think about was Mingi and the way everyone always laughed at him. It made you angry. There was no reason for it. He's an elf just like the rest of you.

Lunch was called and you were able to step away from your work and take a break. You congregated in the cafeteria with the other elves where you got a slice of extra sweet cake and a mug of hot chocolate. As you made your way to your seat, you overheard a few comments from some of your fellow workers.

"Did you see Mingi?" Chuckled one elf. "He bumped his head on the doorframe again. That klutz."

"He's such a giant, no wonder he's always hitting his head."

"He's a weirdo."

"He's a misfit."

"He doesn't belong here."

"He's not an elf, he's a giant."

The comments angered you immensely. Everything in you screamed to speak up and say something, but you fought it, pushing that urge down deep. You didn't want to start something and cause a scene. However, your temper got the best of you and pushed aside all reason. Your grip tightened on your mug of hot chocolate as you harshly spun around to face the chattering elves.
"That's not very jolly of you to be saying such hateful things about a fellow elf." You punctuated the last word. "Surely, you know Santa is fully aware of what you're saying now."
None of them said a word.
"That's what I thought." You huffed, turning away.
Santa knows everything and they still had the nerve to say such rude things about Mingi. It was shameful, really.