Seojin sat in the back of the black SUV as it cruised through the empty streets of Seoul. The Council of Nine had accepted her. The deception had worked—for now.
But now that she was inside their world, there was no room for mistakes.
She could still hear her father's voice from earlier:
"Good. Bring her in."
It wasn't relief. It wasn't pride.
It was a warning.
Minji's voice crackled through the hidden earpiece in her ear. "You good?"
Seojin kept her expression neutral, eyes scanning the city outside. "For now."
Minji exhaled. "Just don't get too deep. We need you to get out of there alive."
Seojin didn't respond.
Because deep down, she wasn't sure she would.
The SUV pulled up to an underground facility—a sleek, high-tech building disguised beneath an abandoned government structure.
Inside, the air was clinical—cold and sterile, like a lab. Seojin walked through the white hallways, her heartbeat steady despite the tension in her veins.
Then, she was led into a private chamber.
Her father stood inside, waiting.
"I have to admit," he said smoothly, "I didn't think you'd go through with it."
Seojin held his gaze. "You underestimate me."
Her father smiled. "Perhaps." He gestured toward the screen on the far wall. "Then let's see if you're ready for what comes next."
The screen flickered on, revealing a live feed from a hidden location.
Seojin's breath caught.
A woman sat inside a glass-walled room, dressed in a simple hospital gown. Electrodes were attached to her temples, her hands trembling slightly as she stared at nothing.
Seojin knew that face.
It was her mother.
Alive.
A sharp breath left her lips. The world around her blurred for a moment.
This wasn't a lie.
This wasn't a trick.
Her mother was alive.
And she was being held like an experiment.
Seojin's voice was barely above a whisper. "Where is she?"
Her father's expression didn't change. "In a secure location. She is… special, Seojin. More than you realize."
Seojin tore her eyes from the screen and turned to him, fury burning through her veins. "You kept her from me. You let me believe she was dead."
Her father exhaled, almost regretful. "It was necessary."
Seojin's fists clenched. "What have you done to her?"
"She is not harmed," her father said. "But she is important to the Council's future. More than you know."
Seojin's mind raced. Her mother—locked away, controlled, studied. Why?
And then, a horrifying thought took root.
The mass compliance protocol.
The experiments. The tests.
Her mother was part of it.
Seojin's blood ran cold.
"You used her," she whispered. "You're using her as a test subject for mind control."
Her father didn't deny it.
Instead, he simply said:
"She is the key."
Seojin took a step back, her body tense. "What do you mean?"
Her father walked slowly toward her, his voice low. "Your mother has a genetic trait that makes her resistant to traditional methods of control. The Council studied her for years before realizing—she wasn't just immune. She could reverse the process."
Seojin's heart pounded. "Reverse it?"
Her father nodded. "She has the ability to undo what the Council has built. She could be our greatest weapon… or our greatest threat."
Seojin's pulse thundered in her ears.
Her mother wasn't just another prisoner.
She was the antidote to the Council's control.
And they were keeping her locked away—because they were afraid of her.
Seojin's hands curled into fists.
If she could get to her mother, she could destroy the Council's entire operation.
She could end this war.
Her father studied her. "I know what you're thinking."
Seojin forced herself to breathe. "Do you?"
Her father gave a small smile. "You want to save her. But I need you to understand something."
He stepped closer, his voice sharp.
"The Council will never let her go."
Seojin's jaw tightened. "Then I'll make them."
Her father sighed. "I expected as much." He gestured toward the guards at the door. "Which is why you'll be proving your loyalty once more."
Seojin's stomach twisted. "What now?"
Her father's expression darkened. "You're going to help us test her."
Silence.
Then—
Seojin's entire world shattered.
End of Chapter 84