Syncing Dream [Aespa x M!Reader]

32. Whipupulashu

The studio buzzed with excitement as aespa dove into preparations for their next album, Whiplash. The girls were seated around a large table, scribbling down notes, lyrics, and potential ideas for their upcoming songs. The atmosphere was intense but filled with anticipation.

Y/n leaned against the doorframe, taking in the scene. The shift in aespa's style was immediate and bold—darker, edgier, with a mysterious allure. The title track was already sending chills down his spine with its haunting melody and fierce beat. It was still very "aespa," but something about it felt... elevated.

He stood at the back, trying to focus on logistics, but something else kept grabbing his attention: the black lipstick.

The girls were experimenting with their new stage looks, and the black lipstick, combined with their sleek, all-black outfits, was hypnotic. Especially on Winter. Her bold new appearance, complete with a sharp bob wolf cut that framed her face perfectly, was hard to look away from. The dark, edgy makeup made her already striking features even more intense.

Winter caught his eye as she casually adjusted her outfit. She had always been beautiful, but this was something different—a new kind of allure, one that had Y/n feeling like he was seeing her in a whole new light.

He tried to focus on the meeting, but his mind kept drifting back to the way Winter looked with that black lipstick. She caught him staring more than once, and each time, she smirked, clearly noticing his flustered state.

"Y/n," Karina's voice snapped him out of his daze. "Are you okay? You've been kind of... spaced out."

"Wha—oh, yeah, I'm fine," Y/n stammered, standing up straight as if he had been caught doing something wrong.

"Uh-huh," Karina smirked, her eyes flicking toward Winter, who was now looking at her reflection in the mirror, adjusting her wolf cut. "You sure it's not something else?"

Y/n quickly looked away, pretending to be engrossed in his tablet. "It's fine. Just a lot on my mind."

Giselle, always quick to jump in, chimed, "I dunno, looks like our idiot's been daydreaming again."

"I wasn't daydreaming," Y/n muttered defensively, though his flustered expression only made the girls giggle.

Winter, sitting across from him, smirked but didn't say much. Her eyes, however, lingered on him just a bit longer than usual. "Do you like it? The black lipstick? The hair?" she asked, her voice soft but teasing.

She's doing it on purpose.

Y/n gulped. He could feel his face getting warm as he nodded. "Yeah. It's definitely a bold look."

Winter's smile grew into a playful smirk. "Bold, huh? Good. I like bold."

Karina leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, clearly enjoying Y/n's awkwardness. "Careful, Y/n. You might get hypnotized if you keep staring."

"Tsk. I'm not staring," Y/n said quickly, trying to hide his embarrassment. He shifted his gaze back to his tablet, but even as he pretended to check something, his mind kept drifting back to Winter's new look—the bob cut, the fierce aura, and that black lipstick.

It reminded him of that night in the dorm, the way she'd pinned him against the wall, bold and confident.

A few moments passed, and Winter finally broke the silence, glancing at Y/n with a glint of mischief in her eyes. "I think you'll like this concept. Reminds you from that night, huh?"

Y/n nearly choked on his own breath. He turned bright red, his mind flashing back to that night she had cornered him during the prank. The girls had laughed it off, but Winter's lingering gaze and the way she had brushed it off as a prank had left him wondering ever since.