A week after their successful debut, Aespa was breaking records and establishing themselves as the rookies of the year. With the experience of numerous music show performances, wins, and encores, they no longer had doubts or nerves about their stages.

Ever since the midnight kitchen incident between Winter and Karina, the two had not had much time to be together. In fact, they could rarely have a moment of peace together without their manager nagging them, idols asking them to be in their TikToks, and staff ushering them from location to location. 

Even the Music Bank food court, which was once Winter's happy place, is no longer a place for banter and small talk. Their lively table which was once filled with teasing Winter and Karina, arguments, and Hajoon crying was now notably more strict and stiff as their manager used their eating times to fill them in on what was expected of them throughout their schedules. 

However, one place that did not change was their dressing room. Newfound idol friends constantly dropped into their dressing room with congratulations and greetings, much to the dismay of Karina, who had been trying her hardest to force an opportunity with her girl. She didn't want to be pushy in case Winter was feeling too tired from work, but it seemed like every attempt to get some alone time with the other girl, just to talk, was somehow thwarted by an external force. 

'Is this karma for how I've treated her in the past?' Karina pondered, angrily poking at her food with her chopsticks. Her mood was sour. 

Their manager had decided to order delivery to their dressing room for the first time. At first, Karina was ecstatic. She thought that eating in a different place than the rigid cafeteria meant that their manager would lighten up a bit, especially since they were eating her favorite food. 

She couldn't be more wrong. 

The girls felt like their manager had become their boot-camp instructor. The playful and mischievous manager who once lost track of her baby in the workplace was now more firm and serious. 

Karina and the girls knew that this is part of their job and that they shouldn't harbor any ill feelings toward the actions of their manager. She was just doing her job, after all — their job as well. However, listening to their manager monotonously drone on and on about their schedules was beginning to get stale. Especially for Karina as more time spent discussing their schedules meant less time focused on Winter. 

"Alright, girls. You got the rundown on this week, right?" Their manager asked between bites. The girls nodded quickly, eager for their manager to quit lecturing them already. "Really?" The girls nodded again. The manager cleared , "Okay. Minjeong, recite your week's schedule, then."

Winter choked on her spoonful. "W-what? The whole thing?"

"The whole thing." Winter swallowed deeply before attempting to focus on what their manager had been talking about for the past half hour. Although she was usually a diligent and focused person when it came to her work, she admittedly got a little distracted during their meal. An upset and irritated-looking Karina was incredibly hot, and she knew why the leader was feeling that way. 

"Alright." Winter collected her thoughts. "Okay, today we have two music shows, a dance challenge with LE SSERAFIM, an interview with Sunmi and a vlog later tonight around dinner time. Tomorrow, we have a shoot with..." Winter continued, flawlessly recalling the work events until a week from now. The manager nodded, satisfied. 

"Great! You should all be more like her. She always listens well." Winter smiled thankfully.

"Huh? I can do that too." Giselle complained. Their manager shook her head. 

"Yeah, me too!" 

"Ning, no."
 

"What do you mean no?"

"You can't even keep track of your AirPods." Giselle scoffed. The girls around them giggled. 

"So? That's different."

"No, it's not. It's responsibilities, Ning." The girl reminded.

"Pfft. Whatever. I would be a better manager than you, that's for sure." Their familiar bickering brought a smile to Winter and Karina. It was moments like these in the midst of all the chaos of their jobs that they were able to appreciate the close bond they all shared. 

"That's such a lie. You can buy another pair of AirPods whenever you lose one. But you can't just buy a new interview or photoshoot if you forget about it."

"Ooh. She got you there, Ning. You had to order a new pair, what like a week ago?"

"Oh, so you wanna argue with me too, huh manager-unnie?" The group's fun and light energy was back due to Ningning's antics. The girl was clearly their happy pill in every situation. "You wanna talk about Airpods, okay. Let's talk about how you lost your whole son!"

Their manager fake gasped. "That was one time!"

"Losing a baby once is pretty bad. You can't just buy another baby." Ningning mocked in a poor imitation of Giselle's voice.

"Well, I've learned my lesson." The manager conceded. However, she wasn't going down without taking someone with her. "Besides, don't you think Hajoon running around free allowed-" The manager cleared dramatically. "Some people to grow closer together?"

Winter and Karina let out a gasp of disbelief in unison. They should have known that just because they weren't the topic of conversation this time that it means that they would be completely free from the wrath of their members. Ningning and Giselle covered their mouths to hide their laughter. Winter and Karina were not as amused, however.

"Wait, how do you even know about that?" Winter asked with her head tilted. As far as she remembers, their manager immediately left the stage with Hajoon after they found him.

"What, you think I don't have sources and eyewitness accounts? I've got friends in all places." Their manager said proudly, puffing out her chest. Winter and Karina groaned. 

Although the conversation had suddenly turned to endlessly teasing Winter and Karina, as is always the case nowadays, Karina was relieved that the girls had not lost their spirit despite their incredible workloads. 

Little did she know, her own w