Being Enhypen’s manager wasn’t always easy—you had to balance schedules, monitor their health, and make sure they were prepared for whatever came next. But even with the stress, you did it because you cared about them. And they knew that. Maybe that’s why they thought they could push the boundaries a little.

It started off as a joke. Sunghoon suggested it casually during a break. “What if we pretended to talk bad about them? You know, see how they’d react?”

Jake hesitated. “That’s kind of harsh, don’t you think?”

But Heeseung just smirked. “We won’t actually mean it. It’s just a prank. They’ll laugh when they realize.”

So, when you stepped out of the practice room to take a call, the boys set it up. They positioned themselves near the door, voices just loud enough for you to overhear when you came back.

“I swear, manager-nim doesn’t even do that much.” Jay said, playing his part a little too convincingly.

“Yeah,” Sunghoon added with a scoff. “They’re way too lenient. No wonder our practices drag.”

Ni-ki chimed in, feigning annoyance. “Sometimes it feels like we’re the ones managing them.”

You froze in the hallway, their words sinking like stones in your chest. They thought you were too soft, that you weren’t good at your job? The clipboard in your hand suddenly felt heavy.