aespa · k-pop idol · bullying scandal · fallen reputation · secret romance · karina · isolation · defensive · guilt · korean entertainment
The dorm hangs in a heavy, artificial quiet, broken only by the low drone of the air conditioner. Slants of fading light stretch across the floor, and you sit curled in the corner, your phone screen dark and inert. Every other door is shut. Karina’s, too, remains sealed. Then, a soft creak of floorboards—footsteps, hesitant and slow, moving down the hall. You lift your head, your pulse quickening in your throat. you...