The walls felt like they were closing in around Seojin. She stood in the dimly lit control room, staring at the cold, unblinking eyes of her mother on the screen. Every word that echoed from the speakers twisted the knife deeper into her soul.
"You've failed." Her mother's voice was almost gentle, a cruel mockery of compassion. "You can't win, Seojin. You never could."
Seojin's fingers tightened around the gun, the cool metal biting into her palm. Her breath came in shallow gasps. Every word from her mother was like an attack on her very being. Betrayal. Deception. It was suffocating her.
She had spent so many years searching for answers, trying to uncover the truth, and now that it had been revealed, it was worse than she could have ever imagined.
Her mother wasn't a victim, wasn't someone to be saved. She was the puppet master—the one who had orchestrated everything from the beginning.
Her mind raced as she glanced at Kade and Minji. Their faces were pale, their eyes filled with confusion and concern. But Seojin couldn't afford to focus on them—not yet. She had to focus on one thing now: herself.
Her mother's laughter filled the room, the sound sending chills down her spine. "You think you can fight me, Seojin? I've anticipated every move you've made. I've been watching you, planning, waiting. You're a part of the system now. You always have been."
Seojin clenched her fists. Was it true? Had she always been a puppet in her mother's twisted game?
Her eyes darted back to the screen, and for a moment, she thought she saw a flicker of humanity in her mother's expression. A glimpse of the woman who had once held her close as a child. But it was gone before she could grasp it, replaced once again by the cold, calculated expression of a woman who had sacrificed everything for power.
A deep voice interrupted her thoughts. It was Kade's. "Seojin, listen to me. This isn't you. You don't have to become her. You can still fight."
Seojin didn't respond. The words rang in her ears, but they felt like empty promises. How could she fight someone who knew her better than she knew herself?
Her mother's image flickered once again on the screen. "You were always my greatest disappointment, Seojin. You were never supposed to be the leader. You were meant to be the tool. The key to unlocking everything I wanted."
She took a step forward, her voice trembling with anger. "I'm not a tool, and I'm not your puppet."
Her mother's smile was thin, almost smug. "We all are, Seojin. All of us. And you are the most important one."
The weight of her mother's words crashed down on her. Could she ever truly escape this? Could she live a life free of manipulation and control?
Seojin's mind was torn. The fight for freedom was no longer just about the system—it was about herself.
She had always thought she was acting of her own will, but now, everything seemed like a lie. Her every decision, every step, had been carefully planned, shaped by her mother's machinations. Was there any true choice left for her to make?
Kade's voice broke through the haze of confusion. "Seojin, please! You're stronger than this! You have the power to break free!"
Minji, her face hard with determination, added, "Don't let her win. She's already lost, Seojin. You can still stop her."
Seojin swallowed hard. She wanted to believe them, but doubt clung to her like a heavy fog. Could she break free? Was it even possible to escape from her mother's grasp?
She took a step back, her head spinning. "What if I can't? What if everything I've done has already been decided?"
Kade approached her cautiously, his expression softening. "No one can control you unless you let them, Seojin. You're not a puppet. You're not her tool."
Her mother's voice broke through the tension, as chilling as before. "You still don't understand, do you, Seojin? You were never meant to be free. You were meant to be mine. And you always will be."
The words felt like a slap, but something within Seojin snapped.
No.
She would not be a part of her mother's twisted game. She wouldn't let her destroy what little freedom she had left.
Seojin clenched her fists, her mind clearing with purpose. "I don't need your approval."
Her fingers hovered over the controls, her heart pounding. She could feel the weight of the choice before her. She could either continue her mother's legacy, become a part of the system she had tried to destroy, or she could burn it all to the ground.
It was a choice—a choice that would define not only her future but the fate of the world.
Seojin took a deep breath and, with shaking hands, made her decision. She couldn't let her mother control her. She couldn't let the system win.
She hit the reset button.
The screens blinked to life, the entire system starting to crash. The ground beneath them trembled. The lights flickered. The central control began to shut down, slowly at first, then with increasing speed.
Seojin felt the weight lifting from her shoulders. The freedom was finally within reach.
Her mother's face appeared once more, her expression twisted in fury. "You can't do this! You can't—!"
The system's final shutdown came with a deafening silence.
End of Chapter 105
Thoughts for Readers:
Seojin's decision to reset the system was a gamble. Do you think she made the right choice? With her mother's control severed, what challenges do you think Seojin will face next? What will happen to the world now that the system has fallen?
Sneak Peek for Chapter 106:
Seojin faces the consequences of her actions as the system crumbles. But the world is not as free as it seems, and dark forces still loom in the shadows. As Seojin begins to rebuild, she'll have to face the true cost of freedom.