The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x M!Reader

The orchestra

????'s POV - The night of the rumours

The orchestra's strings filled the private box with haunting melody, but I barely heard it. My attention was fixed on the newspaper in my lap, the headlines exactly as I'd planned.

AESPA'S GISELLE CONFIRMS RELATIONSHIP

A smile played at my lips as I traced the carefully staged photos. Revenge, like fine wine, was best served with patience. And I'd been very patient.

The door to my private box opened quietly. Even without turning, I knew who it would be - only one person would dare interrupt him here.

"Brother," Choi's voice carried that familiar mix of deference and ambition. "I trust you saw the news?"

"Quite the performance." I replied, finally looking up from the paper. The orchestra below continued their symphony, oblivious to the plotting above.

Choi settled into the adjacent seat, his cheaper suit a stark contrast to the box's luxury. "The company bought it completely. Even arranged the photos themselves." He paused, then added with barely concealed glee, "You should have seen her face when they told her. Like a puppet getting her strings pulled."

"And our former manager?"

"Exactly as predicted. Came running back to play hero." Choi's smile turned cruel. "Though he has no idea who's really conducting this show."

Below, the music swelled to a crescendo. I allowed himself a moment to savor it - the perfect metaphor for what was to come. Every player in position, every note precisely planned.

"Prime Japan Stages is ready to move forward," Choi continued. "The contracts are prepared."

"Good." I closed the newspaper carefully, the rustle of paper almost lost beneath the orchestra's passion. "It's time they learned what happens when you cross the wrong person. When you dare to think you're more than what we make you."

The music reached its dramatic finale, strings and brass combining in beautiful violence. As applause erupted from the main hall, I smiled again, thinking of all the pieces falling into place.

Soon, they would understand. The company that had cast me aside, the group that had defied me, the manager who'd dared to challenge me - they would all learn the true cost of their actions.

And I would conduct every moment of their downfall.

"Shall we begin the next movement?" Choi asked.

"Yes," I replied, rising as the orchestra took their bows. "I believe it's time for the main performance to start."

As we left the private box, the last notes of the symphony fading into silence, I thought of their faces. The ones who thought they'd won, who believed they'd escaped my influence.

They had no idea what was coming.

After all, every great tragedy needed a proper overture.

Y/N's POV - The next day

Morning sunlight pierced through the hallway windows, waking me from an uncomfortable sleep against the wall. My neck protested as I shifted, memories of last night's conversation with Giselle flooding back. Her door was still closed, silence heavy in the morning air.

The USB drive felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket. After what we'd found yesterday, after seeing Giselle's pain up close... I needed to move faster.

Making my way to my room to change, I could hear movement in the kitchen. The familiar smell of coffee drew me in, where I found Karina and Winter already up.