Syncing Dream [Aespa x M!Reader]

2. Begin anew...also a-screwed

Morning came too quickly.

Y/n squinted at the pale sunlight streaming through the gaps in his curtains. His first day as aespa's manager loomed over him like a storm cloud, and the nerves from yesterday had clearly followed him into his dreams. He sighed, rubbing his eyes, thinking back to that awkward encounter with Karina. He had barely gotten through that without stumbling over his own words.

Throwing on his outfit, he grabbed his bag and headed to the dorm to check on the members before the day's packed schedule. Maybe this time he'd manage to keep things less awkward.

Keyword: maybe.

He reached the dorm early, the streets still mostly quiet as the city slowly came to life. Swiping the keycard, he hesitated outside the door. He could feel the weight of his responsibilities already pressing down on him.

Taking a deep breath, he entered the dorm quietly. It wasn't that he was afraid of the girls—he had trained with Winter back in the day and knew her well—but there was something about being their manager now that made him feel strangely out of place.

As he stepped into the living room, he froze. There, sitting on the couch in the dim morning light, was Karina, sipping on what looked like a cup of tea. Her gaze flickered up from her phone and locked onto him.

The air felt thick with unspoken tension, a remnant of their awkward exchange the previous day.

"Morning," Y/n muttered, trying to sound casual, though his nerves betrayed him.

Karina raised an eyebrow, her expression unreadable. "You're here early."

"I, uh, wanted to make sure everything was ready for today," he replied, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. His voice sounded smaller than usual. He cursed himself for being so jittery.

She didn't say anything for a few moments, just watched him with that same quiet, calculating expression. Then, without breaking eye contact, she took another sip of her drink.

"You seem stressed."

Y/n let out a nervous laugh, trying to ease the tension. "Yeah, I guess managing a group isn't exactly what I thought it would be."

Karina raised an eyebrow. "What did you think it would be?"

Y/n hesitated. "I don't know... less chaotic?"

Karina gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Well, welcome to the chaos."

Y/n chuckled softly, though the tension still lingered between them. There was something about Karina's demeanour that kept him on edge—like she was always assessing, always judging whether they were good enough to handle this job.

"I'm really trying, you know," Y/n said, feeling the need to explain himself , to somehow prove they weren't a complete failure. "I don't want to mess this up."