The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x M!Reader

The setting sun

Present Day - Jung's Private Office, Tokyo

The call came during our weekly update meeting.

"Sir," our contact at SM stammered, "we have a situation."

I put the phone on speaker, sharing a look with Minhyuk. "Explain."

"It's Y/N... he was seen in the security office with Joy from Red Velvet. They were... they were accessing archived footage. All of it."

The sake cup in my hand cracked under sudden pressure. "What footage exactly?"

"Everything. Your meetings with Choi. The Prime Entertainment van. The..." our contact lowered his voice, "the conversations about company takeover plans."

Minhyuk's usual composed expression flickered. "When?"

"This morning. They downloaded everything before we could stop them."

Silence fell in the office as implications sank in. All our careful planning, our meticulously laid groundwork...

"He's getting smarter," Minhyuk observed, that dangerous edge creeping into his voice. "More dangerous."

"Should we be concerned?" Choi asked from his corner, trying to hide his nervousness.

I stared at the Seoul skyline through my window, mind racing. "He's not the same broken man who left Seoul a year ago. This version of Y/N..."

"Is actually a threat," Minhyuk finished.

My phone lit up with another message - security footage showing Y/N and Joy leaving the building. There was something different in his posture, his eyes. No longer defeated. No longer running.

"He's gathering evidence," Minhyuk said quietly.

"Then we need to move faster." I turned from the window.

"And Y/N?" Choi asked.

My smile held no warmth as I picked up my phone, typing a message I knew would reach him:

"Digging into dangerous matters, aren't we? Back off now, and maybe I'll let them keep their careers. Push further..."

"Is threatening him wise?" Minhyuk raised an eyebrow. "Given his current state of mind?"

"Oh brother," I laughed softly, watching the message deliver. "Threats are just the beginning. He wants to play detective? Fine. Let's remind him what happened the last time he tried to be a hero."

The Seoul sunset painted the sky crimson as we began planning anew. Y/N thought he could expose us? Thought he could protect them?

Time to show him exactly why the Jung name was feared in this industry.

The game was changing, but this time?

This time we'd make sure he stayed broken.

Permanently.

Y/N's POV

Saying goodbye to Sakura felt mechanical, my mind still reeling from everything we'd uncovered. Jung. It had been Jung all along, pulling strings like some twisted puppeteer while we danced to his tune.

The walk back to the dorm passed in a blur of scattered thoughts and half-formed plans. Seoul's afternoon bustle faded to white noise as my feet carried me home on autopilot.

The dorm was quiet when I entered - unusually so for this time of day. A note on the kitchen counter explained why: "At company for comeback prep discussions. Back late. - Karina"