The flowerbed - Aespa's Giselle x M!Reader

The afterparty

The hospital room was quiet in the early morning light, the steady beep of monitors creating a rhythm that had become strangely comforting over the past weeks. I watched the sunrise through the narrow window, painting Seoul's skyline in gentle golds and pinks.

"You're awake early." Giselle's voice made me turn to find her in the doorway, two coffee cups in hand and that soft smile that still made my heart skip.

"Couldn't sleep," I admitted as she handed me the coffee - made exactly how I liked it. Three weeks in this hospital bed had given us time to fall back into old habits, to come back into the things we'd lost during our year apart.

"Nightmares again?" She settled in the chair beside my bed, fingers automatically finding mine in a touch that felt like coming home.

"No, just... thinking."

The doctors said I was healing remarkably well, all things considered. Three broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, concussion, and enough bruises to look like I'd been hit by a truck - but somehow, nothing permanent. Nothing that wouldn't heal with time and rest. The physical recovery was progressing according to schedule.

The emotional one was more complicated.

"Winter's coming by later," Giselle said, thumb tracing idle patterns on my hand. "She's bringing more footage of the trial."

"Is it helping the case?"

She nodded, a fierce satisfaction in her eyes. "The lawyers say it's ironclad. Both Jung brothers, Choi, all their associates - none of them are getting out for a long time."

The trials had begun almost immediately after my admission to the hospital. Detective Kang and the legal team had been thorough in their investigation, building a case so comprehensive it left no room for escape.

The evidence we'd gathered had been just the beginning - once investigators started digging, they uncovered years of corruption, blackmail, and violence that extended far beyond what we'd known.

"Jung's testimony yesterday was... enlightening," Giselle continued, sipping her coffee. "He tried to claim you attacked him first, but Winter's video evidence proved otherwise. His own brother turned on him, trying to make a deal."

"Rats abandoning a sinking ship," I murmured.

"Exactly." Her grip tightened slightly. "They're talking twenty years minimum for Jung, maybe more with all the additional charges. The financial crimes alone would put him away for a decade."

There was a righteous anger in her voice that I understood all too well. The past weeks had been filled with revelations - each more disturbing than the last - about what Jung had done to them during the hiatus. The "training" sessions that bordered on torture. The psychological manipulation. The threats.

Every new detail made me wish I could have five more minutes alone with Jung before they locked him away forever.

"The company finally issued a formal apology," she added. "To us and to all the other groups affected by Jung's management. CEO Lee is leading an internal investigation."

My own testimony had been taken right here in this hospital room a week after my admission - Detective Kang recording my statement while Giselle held my hand through the painful recounting of everything from the night of the accident to Jung's final countdown in the dorm.

"How are the others doing?" I asked, though I already knew the answer. They visited daily, bringing updates and company, filling my sterile hospital room with warmth and life.

"Better," she said simply. "Karina's still handling most of the official business, but she's sleeping more. Ningning's appetite is back - she ate three servings at dinner last night. And Winter..." She smiled slightly. "Winter's bought about 5 new cameras for pictures, apparently each one is for a specific kind of photo.'"