The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x M!Reader

The countryside (Part 5)

Morning in the countryside felt different with a full house. I woke to the sounds of Ningning's bright laughter mixing with my mother's gentle scolding about trying to help cook.

"Aish, you'll burn the rice! Sit, sit. Let this old woman feed you properly."

"But I want to learn!" Ningning protested. "My dorm cooking is getting better!"

"The fire department might disagree," Winter mumbled, already documenting everything with her camera.

"That was ONE TIME-"

"Three times," Karina corrected, accepting coffee from my mother with a grateful bow. "And that's just this month."

I lingered in the doorway, watching them fit so naturally into this quiet life I'd built. My mother moved between them like she'd always had daughters to fuss over, adding more food to bowls and clucking disapprovingly at how thin they all were.

"Ah, finally awake!" She spotted me hovering. "Come eat before Ningning tries to help again."

"I'm not that bad," Ningning pouted, but her eyes lit up when she saw me. "Oppa! Tell them about that time I made ramyeon perfectly!"

"You mean when you forgot to add water and nearly set off the smoke alarms?" I said without thinking, falling into old patterns of teasing.

The table fell quiet for a moment - the weight of our year apart suddenly heavy in the air. Then Ningning's laugh broke the tension.

"See? He remembers! I've improved since then!"

"That's not the endorsement you think it is," Winter said dryly, but she was smiling.

Breakfast felt... normal. Almost too normal, like the past year had been a bad dream we were all trying to wake up from. But the empty space at the table reminded us what was still missing. Who was still missing.

"The Japanese schedules are lighter now anyway," Karina was saying, carefully casual. "With the hiatus and everything. Gives everyone time to... process."

My chopsticks stilled. "Japanese schedules?"

"Mm." She took a careful sip of coffee. "Giselle's been staying with her family in Japan since... everything. Said she needed space to think."

The information hit like a physical blow. She wasn't even in Seoul. Had been an entire country away this whole time.

"Oh! Speaking of space," Ningning chirped, either missing or choosing to ignore the tension, "I can help at the store today! Chaewon-unnie said she has calls to make."

"You don't have to-"

"I want to!" She was already bouncing in her seat. "I'm really good at organizing things now! Well, when I can find them. But I always check my left pocket first!"

My mother's knowing smile followed us as we headed to the store after breakfast. The morning sun painted everything in soft golds as Ningning chattered about everything and nothing - exactly like she used to during early practice sessions.

The store's familiar routine felt different with her endless energy bouncing around. She insisted on reorganizing the candy aisle ("It needs to be arranged by flavor profile, oppa!") while humming their latest song under her breath.

"You seem... okay," I said carefully during a quiet moment. "After everything with Choi..."

"I had good teachers," she replied, suddenly serious. "Someone once told me that survival sometimes looks like finding small joys even when everything hurts."

The words - my words, from years ago during her hardest trainee days - felt like a punch to the chest.

"Ning..."