Syncing Dream [Aespa x M!Reader]

Side 2. Rina, Rocket Puncher

The Smash Room was not the type of place Y/n had expected to visit that day. The walls were covered in padding, and an impressive assortment of "smashable" items—plates, bottles, electronics—lined the shelves like some dystopian buffet. Karina stood beside him, grinning from ear to ear, holding a bat like it was the best gift she'd ever received.

"Are you... sure about this?" Y/n asked, eyeing a particularly delicate-looking lamp.

Karina rolled her eyes, thrusting a bat into his hands. "Yes, I'm sure. Trust me; you'll thank me later."

"But smashing things on purpose... it feels wrong," he admitted, staring down at the bat.

Karina laughed, already cracking her knuckles in anticipation. "It's supposed to feel wrong! That's the point. I needed a place to blow off steam, and I thought it'd be way more fun if you came along to try it out."

"...I don't really have anything to blow off steam, though?" Y/n questioned.

"Lies." Karina deadpanned. "You're dating Minjeong. Surely there is something you find annoying about her."

"Oi, you're trying to rat me out now?" Y/n widened his eyes.

"It's between us." Karina giggled. "...unless?"

Y/n gulped, but Karina's enthusiasm was infectious. "Fine... let's do this."

-

When they finally suited up, helmets secure and armed with a stack of plates, old electronics, and an assortment of glass bottles in the centre of the room, Y/n couldn't shake a lingering sense of hesitation. He'd been dragged here, no doubt, by Karina's insistence that "everyone needs to smash something every once in a while." She practically glowed with energy as she scanned the items around them, clearly fired up for what was about to go down.

"Ready to blow off some steam?" Karina asked, eyeing a nearby plate with a devilish grin. She picked it up and weighed it in her hands like a pro, already looking to him for the go-ahead.

"Uh, as ready as I'll ever be," Y/n replied, still clutching his bat with a mix of curiosity and trepidation. "You seem a little too excited about this."

"Oh, trust me, I am," Karina laughed. "You don't know how badly I've needed this!"

With a wild swing, she sent the first plate crashing against the wall, bits of ceramic scattering in every direction. She let out a triumphant yell, her face lighting up.

"Jeez," Y/n said, raising an eyebrow. "Is that plate supposed to be someone in particular?"

Karina grinned, winding up for the next throw. "That one was for all the times I've had to work late for a last-minute meeting. And—" She smashed another plate. "—for every time I had to remind everyone to be on time, especially NINGNING!"

Y/n snorted, gripping his own plate. "Ning just use her aespa time....a bit too much, huh?"

"Oh, and don't get me started on the stress of managing appearances and, like, fifty different social media expectations!" Karina vented, smashing another plate with gusto. "Not everything needs to be perfect, but the pressure is still there! SO DAMN ANNOYING!"

"YES!" Y/n said with feeling, setting up his own bottle to smash. He hesitated for a moment, thinking back on his recent frustrations with Winter, from her infamous 'kiss prank' to the slightly overwhelming reality of actually dating her...which came with some undisclosed baggage. He swung, and the bottle exploded in a satisfying burst.

"OHHH SHT! That felt good!"

From the bottom of his heart, he loved Winter, but that was liberating.

Karina, catching his thoughtful look, nudged him with a knowing smile. "That looked personal. Care to share?"