The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x Reader

Winter is followed by spring, so what comes after?

Yesterday will never leave my memory, ever. After months of working hard through various interview rounds, I finally got the job.Manager of aespa. The hottest group in town, just coming off success with Armageddon and Supernova.

The time is about 7:43 AM, on a Tuesday, as I walk to the aespa dorm to get them ready for a recording session for their next comeback.

I enter the building and take the elevator up to their floor, and knock on the door. No answer, as expected. I take out my phone and call Karina.

*ring...ring...ring...-*

K: Hello? y/n?

y/n: good morning karina! its my first day as manager, and we have a busy schedule today, could you unlock the door so I can come in and explain everything?

K: the doors unlocked, dude. just walk in

y/n: ... please tell me your not serious

I look up from the phone, at the door handle and give in a push down, and it opened.

y/n: you guys don't lock the door??

K: its a hassle

*cut*

and like that, the call ended. "Wow, that's an interesting thing to do as some of the most famous people in Korea right now." As I entered the dorm, it felt eerily quiet. No one seemed to be up yet.

"Coffee?"I nearly jumped out of my skin. Karina stood in the kitchen doorway, already dressed for the day in comfortable practice clothes, her long dark hair tied back neatly. Of course she was awake - everything I'd heard about aespa's leader and her impeccable work ethic was proving true."Thanks," I managed, accepting the mug she offered. 

"Are the others...?"

"Still sleeping," she smiled, a knowing look in her eyes. "Well, Winter's alarm will go off in exactly thirteen minutes. She's never late. Ningning usually needs a few wake-up calls, and Giselle..." She paused, and I hoped my expression didn't betray the way my heart jumped at the mention of her name. "Giselle's usually somewhere in between. Not as early as Winter, not as... creative with the snooze button as Ningning."

I nodded, trying to look professional while privately memorizing every detail about Giselle's morning routine.

"You know," Karina said carefully, stirring her own coffee, "I saw how you helped Giselle with that difficult transition yesterday during practice. She was talking about it all evening."I nearly choked on my coffee. "She was?" A small smile played at the corners of Karina's lips, but before she could respond, a door down the hall creaked open. My heart rate doubled - but it was just Winter, right on schedule, emerging from her room with the precision of a Swiss watch.Somewhere deeper in the dorm, another door opened. 

And suddenly, I was very grateful for the coffee in my hands, because I had a feeling I'd need all my wits about me when she made her appearance.

"Good morning," she said, her voice still carrying traces of sleep. Her eyes met mine and her smile widened just a fraction.

"You're here early."

"Manager duties," I replied, hoping my voice sounded steadier than it felt.

"Coffee?"

She nodded gratefully, and as I reached for another mug, our fingers brushed when I handed it to her. The touch was brief, but it sent those sparks through my entire body. "I was thinking about what you said yesterday," she said softly, leaning against the counter next to me, close enough that I could smell her light floral shampoo. "About the rap break in the bridge? I tried practicing it differently last night." I turned to face her, suddenly very aware of how close we were standing.