The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x M!Reader

The unsaid thoughts through a doorframe

My phone buzzed in my pocket, followed immediately by Joy's. Then again. And again.

"What's going on?" she muttered, pulling hers out first. I watched her face shift from confusion to shock. "Oh no..."

My own phone felt heavy as I unlocked it, the headline hitting me like a physical blow:

BREAKING: aespa's Giselle Confirms Relationship with Rising J-Pop Star

The world tilted sideways as I scrolled through the article. Professional photos of Giselle with some idol I'd never heard of, obviously taken recently. Carefully crafted statements about young love and mutual support. Everything designed to look perfect, natural.

Except I'd seen Giselle this morning, after that meeting. Seen the shadows in her eyes, the careful blankness of her expression.

"Y/N..." Joy's voice was gentle. "The meeting this morning..."

"They forced this on her," I managed, already moving. "Made her agree to-"

"Where are you going?"

"The dorm. She shouldn't be alone right now."

"Be careful," Joy called after me. "With everything we found today..."

But I was already running, the USB drive bouncing against my leg with each stride. Seoul's lights blurred past as I pushed through crowds, ignoring the burning in my lungs.

The dorm building appeared ahead, its familiar outline both welcome and terrifying. Taking the stairs two at a time, I tried to calm my racing heart.

Winter and Ningning looked up as I burst through the door, their expressions a mix of worry and relief.

"You saw?" Winter asked quietly.

I nodded, trying to catch my breath. "Where is she?"

"Her room. Karina's with her." Ningning's usual brightness was completely gone. "They told her this morning, at that meeting. Said it would be good for her image, help with the comeback..."

"More like forced her," Winter cut in, anger evident in her voice. "Didn't give her a choice. Just handed her a script about their 'beautiful love story' and expected her to play along."

My fists clenched. "Has she said anything?"

"Nothing. Just locked herself in after the news broke. We can hear her crying sometimes, but..."

A muffled sob through the walls punctuated Ningning's words. Every instinct screamed at me to go to her, to try to fix this somehow.

But I'd lost that right a year ago.

Hours passed. Winter and Ningning eventually retreated to their rooms, though not before Winter squeezed my shoulder in silent support. Karina emerged briefly, her leader mask cracking just enough to show her own exhaustion.

"Stay," she said simply before disappearing into her room.

So I did. Sat outside Giselle's door as night deepened, listening to her quiet sobs gradually fade into silence. My back ached from the hard wall, but I couldn't bring myself to move.

At some point, exhaustion won out. My eyes grew heavy as Seoul's lights painted patterns through the windows...

Giselle's POV

The clock read 3:47 AM when I finally gathered the courage to open my door. My eyes felt raw from crying, my throat tight from holding back screams of frustration.

I nearly tripped over him.

He was slumped against the wall, fast asleep. In the dim light, I could see the worry lines etched on his face, the way his hand still reached slightly toward my door even in sleep.

Something in my chest cracked at the sight.

"You shouldn't be here," I whispered, though he couldn't hear me. "You lost the right to care this much."

But I couldn't stop staring at him - at the person who used to be my safe harbor, who I'd trusted with every piece of my heart before he shattered it.

"Why did you come back?" My voice broke slightly. "Why now, when I'd finally learned how to breathe without you?"

Maybe it was the late hour, or the emotional exhaustion of the day, but I found myself sliding down the wall to sit beside him. Not touching, but close enough to feel the familiar warmth of his presence.

"I hate that I still miss you," I admitted to his sleeping form. "Even after everything..."

He stirred slightly, eyes fluttering open. For a moment, he just stared at me, like he couldn't quite believe I was real.

"Giselle..." My name on his lips still had the power to make my heart skip. "I'm so sorry. About the announcement, about everything..."

"Don't." I wrapped my arms around my knees. "Just... don't."

Silence stretched between us, heavy with a year's worth of pain and unspoken words.

"They didn't give me a choice," I said finally. "Just called me in and told me about my new 'relationship.' Said it would help the group's image, make people forget about..." I swallowed hard. "About us."

"I saw the news and I just... I couldn't..." He ran a hand through his hair, frustration evident. "I know I have no right to be here. To care about what happens to you anymore. But-"

"But you do anyway." I finished softly. "Care, I mean."

"I never stopped."

The words hung in the air between us, dangerous in their honesty. Part of me wanted to run back into my room, to hide from the intensity of his gaze. But I was tired of running. Tired of pretending his presence didn't still affect me.

"I trusted you," I whispered, tears threatening again. "With everything. My heart, my dreams, my fears... And you just left. No goodbye, no explanation. Just... gone."

"I thought I was protecting you." His voice cracked. "Your career, your reputation... I thought if I disappeared, maybe you could salvage what was left."

"That wasn't your choice to make." Anger crept into my tone. "You didn't protect me, you abandoned me. Left me to face everything alone."

"I know." He looked down at his hands. "And I'll spend the rest of my life trying to make up for that mistake. Even if you never forgive me."

Another silence, this one slightly less suffocating.

"The dating announcement," he said carefully. "Is there... is there anything I can do?"

I laughed, but it came out more like a sob. "Unless you can magically make it disappear? Make the company stop using me as their puppet?"

"If I could..." He trailed off, and something in his expression made me pause.

"What aren't you telling me?"

He seemed to wage an internal battle before speaking. "Just... trust that I'm working on something. To fix all of this."

"Trust you?" The words tasted bitter. "Like I trusted you before?"

He flinched like I'd slapped him, but didn't argue. We sat in silence for a while longer, the city's distant hum a gentle backdrop to our shared pain.

"I should try to sleep," I said finally, moving to stand. "Tomorrow's going to be... complicated."

He nodded, understanding in his eyes. But as I reached for my door handle, I found myself hesitating.

"Y/N?"

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For staying. Even if..." I couldn't finish the thought.

Even if we can't go back. Even if this broken thing between us can never be fixed. Even if all we'll ever be now is fragments of what we used to have.

As I closed my door, I heard him settle back against the wall. Still guarding, still protecting, even when I wasn't sure I wanted him to.

Some things, it seemed, never changed.

Even when everything else had.