Love Square | An Aespa Romance

Sleepless Nights

The first few days of the tour were a blur.

The energy of performing in front of thousands of fans in Tokyo was unlike anything Karina had ever experienced. She'd been on stage countless times before, but the sheer scale of their first world tour amplified everything—the cheers, the flashing lights, the adrenaline rushing through her veins. But as exhilarating as it was, it was also exhausting.

Backstage, after the Tokyo concert, the four of them sat sprawled on a couch in their dressing room, the electric buzz of the crowd still humming in their ears. Their stylist fussed with Karina's hair, but she barely noticed, her body limp with exhaustion. Giselle was the only one with enough energy left to still be talking, and even her voice was quieter than usual, her words blending into the background as she recounted her favorite moments from the show.

"I swear, the fans were so loud tonight, I couldn't even hear myself sing at one point," Giselle said, laughing softly as she leaned back against the couch. "They knew every word."

Ningning, who had been laying with her head on Giselle's lap, only groaned in response, her eyes half-closed. "I'm dead. I think my legs are officially broken."

Winter sat beside Karina, her shoulders pressed against hers in the small space they shared. Neither of them had spoken much since they walked offstage, and yet, there was a quiet comfort in the shared silence between them. Karina stole a glance at Winter from the corner of her eye. She looked just as tired, her usually sharp eyes slightly softened, but there was still a quiet energy to her that Karina found herself drawn to more and more.

Despite the physical exhaustion, Karina's mind refused to settle. The thrill of the performance still coursed through her, but beneath it was something else—something far more complicated. That same unnameable tension that had been building between them for weeks seemed even more present now that they were on tour. Every small touch, every glance, felt magnified under the pressure of the spotlight and the tight proximity they shared.

Their tour schedule was brutal. They had little more than a day of rest before they were set to fly to Paris for their next performance. The idea of sleep was a distant fantasy at this point, but they were all professionals. They knew how to push through, how to plaster on smiles and give everything they had to the fans, even when their bodies screamed for rest.

But it wasn't just the lack of sleep that was wearing Karina down—it was the way her thoughts kept drifting, the way her focus kept splintering every time Winter was near. And Winter was always near.

"I need a shower," Winter muttered, finally breaking the silence between them. She stretched her arms above her head, her muscles protesting after hours of choreography. "But I don't even think I have the energy to stand."

Karina smiled faintly, her eyes still lingering on Winter's profile. "We should sleep soon. Our flight is early tomorrow."

Winter nodded but didn't move. Instead, she leaned her head back against the wall behind them, closing her eyes. Karina watched her for a moment longer, a strange warmth blooming in her chest at how peaceful Winter looked in that moment. Without thinking, she reached out, her hand brushing lightly against Winter's arm. The touch was barely there, but it was enough to make Winter open her eyes, her gaze locking onto Karina's.

For a moment, neither of them spoke. The air between them felt heavy with something unsaid, something that had been building for weeks now. Karina's heart beat faster, her hand still resting on Winter's arm.

"Karina..." Winter's voice was soft, barely above a whisper, but it was filled with a meaning Karina couldn't quite grasp.

Before either of them could say anything more, the door to the dressing room burst open, and their manager walked in, breaking the moment entirely.

"Great show, girls!" he said, his voice full of the excitement that the four of them no longer had the energy to match. "Get some rest, we've got an early morning tomorrow."

Karina quickly pulled her hand back, her face flushing as she nodded. The others stirred as well, pushing themselves off the couch with groans of exhaustion. As they gathered their things and prepared to leave the venue, Karina couldn't shake the feeling of Winter's skin beneath her fingers. It had been such a small touch, so insignificant, and yet it felt like a line had been crossed, or maybe just acknowledged for the first time.

---

That night in the hotel room, sleep didn't come easily. Karina lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as her mind refused to quiet down. The exhaustion that had weighed her down after the concert seemed to melt away the moment her head hit the pillow, replaced by a restless energy that wouldn't let her rest.

Winter, who shared the room with her, was just a few feet away in the other bed. Karina could hear the soft sound of her breathing, slow and steady, signaling that she had already fallen asleep. Karina envied her for that. She envied how Winter could switch off the world so easily, while Karina's thoughts continued to spin.

Every time she closed her eyes, her mind wandered back to that brief moment in the dressing room—the feel of Winter's skin beneath her hand, the way Winter's eyes had lingered on hers for just a second too long. It was nothing. It was everything.

They were best friends. They had always been close, always relied on each other. But lately, Karina couldn't help but notice the way that closeness had started to change. It wasn't just friendship anymore, was it?

Karina turned onto her side, her eyes drifting to the silhouette of Winter's sleeping form. She didn't know when it had started. Maybe it had been gradual, creeping up on her so slowly that she hadn't even realized it until it was too late. Or maybe it had always been there, buried beneath layers of friendship and professionalism, waiting for the right moment to surface.

Whatever it was, it scared her. She didn't know what to do with these feelings, didn't know how to make sense of the way her heart sped up every time Winter smiled at her, or the way she found herself wanting to be close to her, even when they were already sharing the same space day in and day out.

And then there was the guilt. She was their leader. She was supposed to keep them focused, to be the steady one who kept the group on track during this whirlwind of a tour. She couldn't afford to be distracted, couldn't let these feelings—whatever they were—get in the way of what they were here to do.

Karina sighed softly, burying her face in her pillow. She needed to sleep. Tomorrow was another long day, and she couldn't afford to show any signs of weakness. The fans, the crew, her members—they were all counting on her.

But even as she tried to quiet her mind, her thoughts kept drifting back to Winter. She wondered if Winter had felt the same strange tension between them lately, if she had noticed the way things had started to shift. Or maybe it was all in Karina's head. Maybe she was the only one struggling with these feelings.

---

The next morning came far too soon. The alarm on Karina's phone blared loudly in the still-dark room, jolting her awake from the few hours of restless sleep she had managed to get. Groaning, she reached over to silence it, her body protesting every movement. She could already feel the exhaustion settling deep in her bones, and the day hadn't even started yet.

Winter stirred in the bed beside her, blinking blearily as she sat up and stretched. "Morning," she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep.

"Morning," Karina replied, trying to sound more awake than she felt. She forced herself to sit up, swinging her legs over the side of the bed. The room was still dim, the soft light of dawn just beginning to filter through the curtains.

For a moment, the two of them sat in silence, the weight of the day ahead pressing down on them. The flight to Paris was in a few hours, and from there, they had another concert to prepare for, more interviews, more rehearsals. There would be no time to rest, no time to think.

"Ready for round two?" Winter asked, a tired smile tugging at her lips.

Karina managed a small laugh. "Not even close."

But as she met Winter's eyes, something in the way Winter was looking at her made her heart skip a beat. It was the same look from the dressing room the night before—the same quiet intensity, the same unspoken question.

And just like that, the exhaustion didn't seem quite so overwhelming anymore.