The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x M!Reader

The conclusion

Two Months Later...

"Five minutes to broadcast!"

The familiar chaos of a music show backstage washed over me as I navigated through staff and other idol groups, clipboard in one hand, coffee in the other. My new position had brought countless changes, but some things remained comfortingly consistent—like the electric energy before aespa's performances.

"Director-nim!" A junior staff member bowed nervously as I passed. The title still felt strange, especially from people who had once been my colleagues.

I nodded acknowledgment but kept moving. My priority right now wasn't the director role but the manager one. Today marked aespa's official return from hiatus, their first music show performance since everything with Jung and Choi.

I found them in their waiting room, each handling pre-show nerves in their own way. Karina was reviewing formations one last time, leader-mode in full effect. Winter methodically checked her in-ear monitors, expression focused. Ningning bounced between members, energy radiating from every movement.

And Giselle—my heart still skipped when I saw her—sat quietly by the mirror, eyes closed in what looked like meditation but was actually her running lyrics in her head.

"Coffee delivery," I announced, setting the tray down. Four pairs of eyes immediately brightened.

"Did you get the—" Ningning started.

"Extra whipped cream and chocolate sprinkles? Yes."

"And my—" Winter reached for her cup.

"Double shot, no sugar? Of course."

Karina accepted hers with a grateful nod, while Giselle's fingers brushed mine as she took her cup, the contact brief but deliberate.

"How's the crowd?" Karina asked, instantly shifting to performance concerns.

"Full house," I reported. "And loud. Your fansite preview photos crashed three different servers this morning."

"The comeback concept is definitely hitting right," Winter nodded in satisfaction.

After weeks of preparation, they had emerged with something entirely new—a concept centered on rebirth and strength, shedding old baggage to become something more powerful. The lyrics, which Giselle had helped write, contained subtle references to breaking free from control and finding your voice.

The public had connected immediately, drawing parallels to their real-life battles that the company neither confirmed nor denied. Their comeback single "Unbroken" had already broken streaming records within hours of release.

"Any sign of nerves out there?" Giselle asked softly, her question carrying multiple meanings only I would catch.

"None," I assured her. "Just excitement. Pride."

Some of the tension left her shoulders. We'd all been concerned about how the audience would receive them after the revelations about Jung and Choi became public. But the response had been overwhelmingly supportive—fans rallying around them, other idols speaking out in solidarity, the industry slowly, painfully beginning to acknowledge its darker sides.

"Two minutes!" a staff member called through the door.

Ningning immediately started doing her pre-performance ritual—jumping in place while making faces that were supposed to loosen her facial muscles but mostly just made her look ridiculous.

"Stop laughing," she pouted when Winter snickered. "It works!"

"Sure it does," Winter pulled out her camera, quickly capturing the moment.