* * *

“… Totally irresponsible… UTTER AND COMPLETE DISREGARD FOR OUR COMPANY’S NAME… DO YOU EVEN REALISE WHAT YOU’VE… SUCH A DEVASTATING SCANDAL HAS NEVER…”

That was about all Henry had picked up from their manager’s long and angry speech. By now, he was completely sick of it.

“HUG ME!!!” interrupted Henry.

Blinking fast, the manager was completely bewildered.

“… Excuse me, what did you just say?”                          

“I TOLD YOU TO HUG ME, YOU OLD GEEZER!!!”

“OLD? OLD?????” squealed the manager, who had barely crossed thirty. But Henry had really hit him where it hurts.

“Ah, please don’t mind Henry! As you know, he can be quite childish.” said Leeteuk in his soothing voice, but sending Henry a glance of warning. Henry could swear the leader’s sideways glance could fry eggs with its burning anger.

“You’re very young, really!” tried Ryeowook, saddened by their manager self-consciously checking up on  his own hair. Was it still there? Had it all fallen off already from old age?

“Umm, but your age is… what, thirty-one?” asked Heechul incredulously. Having arrived from the army recently, he was yet to get used to the perks of their new manager.

“THIRTY-TWO!!!” the man cried out desperately, and Super Junior instantly decided to drop the subject.

“Hug me?” tried Henry again.

“NO!!!” yelled the manager, storming towards the nearest bathroom. No doubt he was searching for a mirror to check up on his invisible wrinkles.

“Hug me?” suggested Henry to Leeteuk. He thought it was a great idea!

“How many times to I have to tell you?! You know that our manager… is pretty sensitive about his age. Did you have to go and provoke him?”

“Henli didn’t mean to, Henli didn’t mean to, Henli didn’t mean to!!!” swore Herny truthfully, but Leeteuk only sighed and went to check up on the manager. Sure enough, there was a soft weeping coming from the bathroom.

“Hug me?” asked Henry, approaching his fellow SJ-M member, Kyuhyun. “Maknae bonding time?” he added with sparkling eyes.

Kyuhyun laughed his head off.

Henry didn’t think it funny at all. He urgently needed a hug! And he was the goddamn maknae! What the hell happened to his maknae powers?!

“Hug me!” commanded Henry to Sungmin, making the cutest face he could muster.

Snickering in that annoying way of his, Sungmin replied smugly: “Please don’t underestimate me, Henry. I’M THE KING OF AEGYO!!! I know all of its ancient secret techniques! You can’t fool me! Hehehehe!”

If Henry had just been messing around so far, now he actually needed a hug.

“Zhou mi-” he started, relieved, as soon as he saw the tall man enter the room. Surely, he’d hug Henry instantly-

“Sorry Henli, no time to chat, I’m in a hurry!” said the taller man without even looking at the SJ-M maknae.

“WOULD SOMEBODY PLEASE HUG ME!!!” yelled Henry as loud as he could.

* * *

Author's Note: The author sincerely apologises for the lack of hugs in this chapter.