Goddess of MY Dreams | AESPA Winter x MALE READER

Chapter 3

The rush of aespa's first successful solo concert gradually faded over the next few days, packed schedules kicking back into high gear. But both Y/N and Winter still floated along on a happy high remembering their silent moments of connection at the show.

At dance rehearsals, Y/N smiled secretly to himself while nailing every step, the image of Winter shyly showcasing his banner on stage replaying fondly. His students no longer teased him for his dreamy distracted gazes, clearly having deduced the lovestruck source.

Meanwhile Winter cherished Y/N's exquisite wreath displayed prominently on her dorm dresser, fingertips gently grazing the petals whenever she passed it. The personalized gift filled her heart with joy and so much affection for this special fan who somehow made her feel seen.

The fateful Instagram DM thread still ominously awaited some brave overture. After endless agonizing, Winter finallymustered a simple "thank you..." for Y/N's concert support. Backspace deleted it instantly.

Y/N typed and retyped: "That wreath took ages but your smile was worth it..." before chickening out again.

Both fruitlessly waited as days turned into weeks for the other to make the first move across the virtual void...

The turning point came on one fatefully rainy October night. Y/N sprinted towards the tiny hole-in-the-wall dance studio which was the sole neutral ground allowing a brief escape from his suffocating world. Icy rain drenched his hair and clothes but numbness seeped even deeper inside.

Mercifully the studio was empty,Ontracks and mirrors reflecting only his anguished face. Y/N cranked up an aggressive beat, surrendering his body to violently aggressive moves seeking to externalize and release the choked sobs building in his chest before they shredded him from within...

Winter sighed tiredly, having just wrapped a long music show prerecording across town. Their van's splashing wheels and smeary windshield wipers made the ink black streets outside pass in a disorienting blur. Winter rested her throbbing temple against the foggy glass as the others slept around her.

Something about tonight's depressing weather and this lonely midnight hour suddenly had her craving comfort of the heart. Before overthinking, Winter opened Instagram and clicked into Y/N's DM thread, surprising herself.

Thumbs trembled nervously over the keyboard. Gathering scattered courage, she finally typed a simple hello greeting to test the waters. Watching those two syllables deliver felt oddly monumental after ignoring the looming message thread so long...

Nothing. One minute passed, then five... disappointment slowly extinguished Winter's foolish flare of hope that Y/N might instantly materialize to enthusiastically chat. About to exit the app, she jumped when three bouncing animated ellipses abruptly appeared!

Heart in throat, Winter typed another tentative hello, anticipation swelling dangerously. But again no reply came, the dialog glitching unsent. Confused whether her app was bugging out or Y/N was playing games, Winter fired off a playfully annoyed kaomoji emoji. Just testing your reflexes... ;)

The mystifying nonresponse stole her breath somehow more than any actual words could. Fingers squeezed the phone edge, fighting irrational tears. Of course this nameless faceless fan couldn't truly hold such power to hurt her...yet the ache rapidly hollowing her chest argued otherwise.

Winter leaned her splintering heart against the cold glass once more, exhausted eyes drifting shut. She missed the three blinking dots reappear briefly before vanishing into the empty rainy night again...

Y/N's explosive solo dance therapy gradually depleted along with his energy well past midnight. Gulping water between ragged gasps, his burning eyes blearily checked the phone he'd tossed atop his bag.