"What did you do now?" Seonghwa asked as a disheveled Wooyoung stomped into the matz hyungs' room.
Wooyoung grumbled an unintelligible reply and marched over to the corner. He glanced suspiciously at his eldest hyung and seeing no trace of mockery in the watching eyes, sighed and raised his hands above his head. "I hit that stupid punk," he finally answered in a clearer tone.
Seonghwa shot him a look of disapproval. "Don't call Jongho names, Wooyoung. It isn't nice."
"Yeah well, you knew who I meant so clearly you thought it too."
"Wooyoung, you are meant to be reflecting in the corner, not being a smart-mouth."
Wooyoung grunted and turned back to face the wall. "I think he has been let off too lightly, hyung," he continued to complain. "How come I got sent in here the other night, and all he got was Hongjoong's lecture?"
Seonghwa raised an eyebrow in amusement. "I dunno about you, but I think I would rather be sent to the corner, than get a lecture from our captain."
"True." Wooyoung shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. "Hyung, do you think Hongjoong's really gonna smack us?"
Seonghwa sighed and rested his book against his lap. "It wouldn't actually be a first, Wooyoung."
"Well sure, he has swatted us a time or two to get our attention. But not actually a go-in-the-room-and-wait kind of one."
Seonghwa only lifted his eyebrow even further, before raising his book again. This unsettled Wooyoung and he begin to feel flighty. He glanced behind him to see if there was any sort of escape route, and screamed as he saw Hongjoong right behind him.
"Yah, Wooyoung," the leader scolded him, jumping back in fright. "Don't yell like that."
"Don't yell at me, hyung. You are the one who scared me in the first place."
Hongjoong rolled his eyes and gave an exasperated sigh. Heaven help me, he breathed. How do I deal with these? They are going to be the death of me.
"Alright, Wooyoung. Tell me everything that happened and why you were fighting."
"Because he was being a little jerk. OUCH, hyung!" Wooyoung's hand went to his thigh where Hongjoong had just delivered a sharp smack. When Hongjoong raised a threatening hand a second time, he scuttled back. "Okay, okay. It was because I was mad at him for bullying Yeosang. I made fun of his singing and told him I wished he would go on hiatus. Then I punched him."
He left out what Jongho had said to him. He didn't even know why he felt the need to hold it back. Perhaps he knew deep down that Jongho was already deep in trouble. But perhaps it was also that doubt and hurt that still lingered in his mind. If he said it out loud, maybe it would hurt too much. He didn't want to be reminded of it. He would rather just forget it had ever been said.
Hongjoong rubbed his forehead, in an attempt to calm the feelings of frustration that had begun to rise.
"Do you really think that was okay behaviour, Wooyoung? To tell your fellow member you wished he was on hiatus. Don't you remember how lost and upset we were when Mingi was away? It didn't feel like we were a whole team anymore. Each member is valuable to Ateez."
"That was Mingi," Wooyoung protested. "Mingi is one of our 2 rappers. Obviously Ateez wasn't complete without him, but we already have 6 vocalists."
Hongjoong's face hardened. He was thoroughly disgusted with his dongsaeng's words, even though he knew Wooyoung was speaking through his irritable mood, not by how he truly felt. It was still completely unacceptable.
"Wooyoung, I want you to kneel down with your hands above your head. Seonghwa is going to keep an eye on you and make sure you don't attempt to get out of it or relax. When I call you, I want you to come downstairs immediately. Do you understand?"
Wooyoung jutted his jaw out stubbornly as though he was about to refuse. But he noticed Hongjoong's hand twitch as though he was thinking about reminding who the hyung was.
"Yes, hyung," Wooyoung finally muttered.
Hongjoong nodded. He waited for Wooyoung to kneel down in the corner, hands above his head again, before turning to go back to where Jongho waited in his shared bedroom, stopping first to grab something from his studio.
When Hongjoong entered the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind him, he was shocked to see the maknae was kneeling in the middle of the room, hands high above his head. Perspiration was already gathering upon his brow, as his exhausted arms trembled with the effort of holding them up for so long.
Hongjoong placed the item he had fetched from the studio down onto Jongho's bedside table, before sitting down on the bed. He stared at the youngest member thoughtfully, reflecting on all that had occurred both recently and in the past. Despite being very mature for his age and perhaps a little more emotionally distant than the other members were, he was someone who loved and needed to be loved. Perhaps it was just harder for him to express his feelings. People like San and Wooyoung expressed their love readily and without limit. They would give out hugs and kisses unconditionally, and ask for them in return if they needed to be comforted. Jongho however, was different. He couldn't easily ask for affection, and was awkward about giving it. But perhaps he did need that love and reassurance just as much, even if he pretended not to.
With this in mind, Hongjoong turned his attention to the kneeling maknae. "You can put your hands down, Jongho," he told him gently.
Jongho seemed to hesitate, before his arms fell limply to his side. "I am really sorry, hyung," he whispered. "I know I have been causing a very negative affect on the team lately. I know I have been acting really awful, and mean to my members. I will accept any punishment you give without any complaint."
His voice sounded so dejected and tired, that it almost broke Hongjoong's heart. It reinforced his desire to be the best leader he could be for his team. He reached out to Jongho.
"Come here, Jongho-ah."
Jongho rose to his unsteady feet, his legs aching with protest at having knelt for so long. He limped over to Hongjoong and stood at attention before him. Hongjoong grabbed his arm and pulled him closer.
"This is how we are going to do this okay." He hesitated as Jongho glanced up at him with his large sorrowful eyes. But this time, Hongjoong was determined to go through with it. "You are going to get the ruler across your palms and knuckles for laying your hands on your hyungs, okay?" When Jongho gave a small nod, he continued. "For your disrespectful behaviour, bullying Yeosang, putting the entire team at risk, and your overall unpleasant attitude, you are going to get the belt. But you won't be alone. Wooyoung is also going to be punished with you, for instigating a fight. Is that clear?"
"Yes, hyung," Jongho replied quietly.
"But I am going to give you a choice. If you are still feeling too sore from your punishment with Manager Ho, we can postpone it for a couple of days. I know I still feel mite too tender for comfort." He added the last bit in a light-hearted tone.
Jongho shook his head. "I am good, hyung. I would rather it now than have to wait."
Hongjoong nodded. "Okay, hold out your hands then, please."
For a moment, Jongho hesitated. He didn't want this. But at the same time, he wanted it all to be over. He wanted to forget everything and go back to playing around with his hyungs again. With this thought in mind, he slowly put out his hands, palms faced up.
Now it was Hongjoong's turn to hesitate. The maknae's eyes looked so sorrowful and his lips had formed a soft pout. Even if Jongho was a tsundere type of person, all of Ateez doted on him as their younger brother. But it reminded Hongjoong that as a hyung, he had to protect and discipline his dongsaengs. Jongho's behaviour had been unacceptable, and it was his duty as the hyung and leader, to correct the maknae. If he backed out now, he was not only putting his whole team at risk by disobeying the company rules, but he was also letting down Jongho, even if Jongho might not realise it.
His determination now renewed, Hongjoong brought the ruler down sharply across Jongho's palms.
Thwack! Thwack!
Jongho yelped and jerked his arms away. Hongjoong patiently waited as Jongho studied his hands closely and let the sting subside.
"That hurt, hyung," Jongho finally whispered, gazing up at his leader.
Hongjoong sighed. "It is meant to hurt, Jongho-ah. That way it stays in your memory and will help you to make better decisions in the future. If I just talk to you, it always seems to go in one ear and out the other." He paused to reach out and pull Jongho closer again. "I don't want to do this, and it brings me no pleasure at all. But if it helps keep Ateez together and prevents bad things happening to us, then I will do it without anymore hesitation. You understand, don't you, Jongho?"
Jongho nodded slowly, causing Hongjoong to breathe a sigh of relief. He held out his hands again, and squeezed his eyes shut. "I am good with pain, hyung. It was just worse than I expected."
Was that an attempt to comfort me? Hongjoong felt worse than ever. But he raised the ruler again.
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
Hongjoong stopped as he heard a pained hitch in Jongho's breath. Jongho looked surprised, but grateful that Hongjoong had stopped. He held his hands close to his chest again, rubbing them gently, as though he could rub the pain away. He glanced hopefully at Hongjoong, and felt his heart sink as Hongjoong shook his head.
"Four more, Jongho. Then it will be over."
The first part at least, Jongho thought ruefully. If he hadn't regretted his actions before, he was definitely regretting them now. He reluctantly put his hands out, but Hongjoong didn't strike them straight away.
"I know you were upset over what happened the other night. And I honestly believe you have every right to be so. It wasn't fair that Yeosang asked you to keep it a secret, and it wasn't fair that you staying up was considered disobedience by Manager Ho, when you were just worried about Yeosang's safety. But Manager Ho is our senior and in charge, so we have to respect him and his choices. Maybe if we give him a chance, he may get to know us better and see how we work. But let's think about it from Yeosang's point of view. He broke the company rules, and not just a little one. He snuck out without permission, late at night, and didn't answer his phone. And if he wasn't feeling guilty enough, two people got involved and were punished instead of him. He never wanted or asked for that. He knew he had done wrong, but he wasn't punished. Don't you think that was punishment enough? We both know he would rather have been punished than see us like this. He didn't want any of this, so don't you think it is wrong to keep shunning him?"
Jongho bowed his head in shame. "I know it was wrong, hyung. I really regret everything I did. But it wasn't really Yeosang I was angry at. I mean-" he broke off, almost like he was confusing himself with his words. Hongjoong stayed silent, letting Jongho take his time to put his thoughts back together. "I think I was just jealous, hyung. Everyone else has better friendships than me. But I was also angry at myself, because I know I don't interact much with the others. So..." His voice trailed away.
"So, you turned that anger onto the others around you," Hongjoong gently finished off. "I understand how you feel, and it is okay to feel that way. It is just your mind's way of telling you that you need love and interaction just like everyone else. But to react the way you did was wrong. Don't you think there would have been some better choices to make?" When Jongho nodded, Hongjoong gestured for him to speak.
"I should have told you or one of my other hyungs how I felt. Even if I resented Yeosang, I should have told him I was angry but that I would calm down after some time alone. If I was lonely, I could have went to play with San or Mingi. If I was upset, I know Seonghwa would have listened. I...I was just selfish, Hongjoong-hyung." Tears spilled from the maknae's eyes and trickled down his cheeks. "I must have hurt everyone."
Hongjoong sighed softly. "Yes, but you know they will all forgive you in time. Yeosang is already waiting for you, and you know Wooyoung gets over it easily. Let's get this over and done with, so we can quickly go back to being 8 again."
Jongho nodded and held out his hands once more.
Thwack! Thwack!
The ruler came down in quick succession, once on each hand.
"We do not ever fight each other, Jongho," Hongjoong told him sternly. "You are strong enough that you could have pushed Wooyoung off yourself and called someone. You know you are one of the strongest on our team, so I don't ever want to see you lay hands on anyone again. It is only because Wooyoung started it, that I separated this punishment from being the belt. You will also not use the cameras as advantage over another member. I know what you were doing back there to Yeosang. I am being lenient with you, so do not dare to repeat this again. Do you understand?"
"Yes, hyung," came the quiet reply.
Thwack! Thwack!
Hongjoong tossed the ruler aside and pulled Jongho into a quick hug.
"I wish this was it, Jongho. But you know we have to discuss everything that happened. Manager Ho witnessed it all, so I can not leave out anything." He drew back, ruffling the maknae's hair affectionately. "And whether you like it or not, we are all going to cuddle and watch a movie after this is over. I won't ever leave you alone and hurt ever again. Okay?"
The tears welled up in Jongho's eyes again, but this time it wasn't the regretful tears of before. His heart leapt joyfully within his chest, and it felt like a heavy weight had been lifted. "Yes, hyung."