The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x M!Reader

The seventh day (Part 1)

Two days to go...

The company building loomed ahead, a towering monument that is pretty... daunting despite spending so much time in there. I stood across the street, hands clenched at my sides, trying to summon the courage to take that first step.

"We don't have to do this today," Winter said softly from beside me. "There's no rush."

I shook my head. "I need to. If I'm going to be here, if I'm going to be a part of your lives again... I need to face this."

She nodded, understanding in her eyes. "Okay. But we're with you, every step of the way."

Together, we crossed the street, each step feeling like a milestone. But as we reached the entrance, my feet froze, refusing to carry me any further.

"I can't," I whispered, my voice cracking. "I thought I could, but I can't."

Winter's hand found mine, her grip steady and reassuring. "That's okay. Let's just go to the parking lot for now. Baby steps."

The parking lot was quiet, the familiar smell of asphalt and gasoline filling the air.

Here, in this spot, was where I'd park every morning, two coffees in hand, waiting for Giselle to arrive. There, by the entrance, was where we'd sneak glances at each other during breaks, always looking away before anyone could catch us.

"Y/n," Winter's voice cut through my thoughts. "There's something you need to see."

She led me to a bench, pulling out her tablet and swiping to a folder titled "Evidence."

"We started collecting it after you left," she explained. "Every incident with Choi, every cruel word, every unsafe practice. We knew we might need it someday."

She handed me the tablet, and with shaking hands, I started to scroll through the files. Photos of Giselle's bruised wrist after a particularly grueling practice. Audio recordings of Choi's verbal abuse. Detailed logs of every violated safety protocol.

Tears blurred my vision as I saw the pain they'd endured, the suffering they'd kept hidden even from each other. And through it all, small moments of resilience - Karina leading them through breathing exercises, Ningning sneaking in extra snacks, Winter documenting everything for the day when justice could be served.

"He's gone now," Winter said, her voice tinged with a hardness I'd never heard before. "We made sure of that. But this... this is what we survived while you were gone. This is what we had to become to protect each other."

I looked up at her, at the steely determination in her eyes. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I should have been here. I should have..."

"You're here now," she cut in gently. "That's what matters."

"And i'll make him pay for what he has done," I replied shakily, "the whole company, even if it will be last thing I do."

We sat there for a while, the weight of the past year hanging heavy between us. But as the sun started to set, Winter stood, offering me a hand.

"Come on. The others are waiting."

Dinner that night was something that I needed, the revelations of the day still fresh in my mind. But as the food was passed around and stories were shared, the atmosphere started to shift.

"Remember when Ningning tried to sneak a puppy into the dorm?" Karina asked, a smile playing at her lips.

"It was so small!" Ningning defended. "And it was raining outside! What was I supposed to do, leave it there?"

"You named it Ramyeon," Winter deadpanned. "And tried to hide it in your closet."

"It ate my favorite socks," Karina added, but there was no real annoyance in her voice.