The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x M!Reader

The glass falls

Giselle's POV - A few hours ago..

I knew something was wrong the moment my phone started buzzing uncontrollably. Messages flooded in faster than I could read them - kakao, Line, Instagram, every platform lighting up simultaneously. Then Winter's sharp intake of breath from across the practice room:

"Oh no."

She was staring at her phone, face pale. Karina moved first, crossing the room to look over her shoulder. I watched her leader's composure crack for just a second before she caught herself.

"Unnie?" Ningning's voice was small. "What's wrong?"

But I already knew. Somehow, I knew before I even looked at my own phone. The happy bubble we'd been living in had finally burst.

The photos hit like a physical blow. Us at the jazz club, at the gallery, every private moment suddenly public property. The headlines screamed accusations: "AESPA MEMBER SCANDAL", "MANAGER-IDOL RELATIONSHIP EXPOSED", "SM ENTERTAINMENT STOCK PLUMMETS".

Then came the comments.

With trembling fingers, I scrolled through messages that turned increasingly violent. Death threats mixed with accusations, personal attacks, promises to "make me pay" for betraying fans' trust. Some posted detailed information about places I frequented, my routines, my family's contacts.

"Don't read those," Karina said sharply, trying to take my phone. But I couldn't stop.

Every refresh brought new hatred. Fans I'd interacted with for years now posted vicious speculations about how I'd "advanced my career." Videos of our performances were being dissected, every interaction with him analyzed for "evidence."

"He's being called to PR," Winter said quietly, watching staff rush past our practice room. The building had erupted into barely controlled chaos.

My heart clenched. I knew what that meant in the Korean entertainment industry. Especially after watching how companies handled similar scandals.

Before I could process everything, my phone lit up with a message from my mother. Her usually perfect Korean was shaky:

"They're calling the house. Your sister had to leave work. Please tell me you're safe."

The guilt hit like a wave. It wasn't just my life being torn apart - my family was being dragged into this too.

"Security team is here," Ningning announced as men in suits appeared outside our door. "They want to move us to a secure location."

"We need to wait," I said, my voice surprisingly steady despite the chaos in my chest. "He'll come say goodbye."

The others exchanged looks but didn't argue. They knew me too well.

We watched through the practice room windows as staff rushed between offices. Phones rang constantly, voices raised in controlled panic. The building we'd called home felt foreign suddenly, filled with people who wouldn't meet our eyes.

My phone kept buzzing with threats:

"Hope you're ready to pay..."

"We know where you live..."

"Should have stayed in Japan..."

Each one carried the weight of possibility. Sasaengs had done worse over smaller "offenses."

"Unnie," Ningning said softly, "maybe we should-"

"There," Winter interrupted, pointing toward the lobby.

Security was escorting him out, one small box containing years of memories. He looked... defeated. Different from the man who had held me this morning, who had made coffee while wearing that soft smile I loved.

Without thinking, I pressed my hand to the glass. He looked up, just for a moment, our eyes meeting across the distance. Everything we couldn't say passed between us in that last look.

Then he was gone.

The silence felt deafening.

"We need to move," Karina said gently. "The reporters are gathering outside."

I nodded, letting them guide me toward the private elevator. My phone buzzed one last time - the company's official statement:

"SM Entertainment announces immediate termination..."

I turned it off before reading more.

The dorm felt wrong that night. Empty somehow, despite all of us being there. The others moved around me carefully, like I might break. Maybe I would.

"Here," Winter pressed hot chocolate into my hands. "You should eat something too."

"Not hungry."

"Giselle-ah," Karina used her leader voice, but gentler than usual. "You need to keep your strength up. The next few weeks..."

She didn't finish, but she didn't need to. We all knew what was coming - restricted appearances, carefully managed interviews, the long process of rebuilding public trust.

My phone sat dark on the table, too afraid to turn it back on. The threats kept replaying in my mind, mixed with memories of happier moments. Morning coffee, stolen kisses, the way he looked at me like I was everything.

"We'll get through this," Ningning said firmly, curling into my side.

Winter settled on my other side while Karina perched on the coffee table, all of them forming a protective circle around me. Their silent support meant everything, but it couldn't fill the new emptiness in my chest.

"I don't regret it," I said suddenly, surprising myself with how true it was. "Any of it."

"We know," Winter replied softly. "That's what makes it love."

Outside, reporters still camped beneath streetlights, hungry for scandal. My sister's number had been leaked online, my mother's email flooded with hate. The career I'd worked so hard for hung by a thread.

But in that moment, I let myself feel everything - the pain, the fear, the lingering warmth of happiness now lost. Let the tears finally fall as three pairs of arms held me together.

The night felt endless, but at least I wasn't facing it alone.