The underground lab felt smaller, like the walls were closing in.
Seojin's mother's voice still echoed through the room.
"Choose, my love. And choose wisely."
Seojin's hands shook.
This was it.
The moment where she decided who she really was.
The choices burned in her mind.
Accept her mother's plan. Become the leader of Phase Two.
Destroy everything. Wipe out the system—even if it meant wiping out herself.
Find another way. Break free from both her mother's control and the Council's influence.
Seojin's heart pounded.
Was she even real?
Had her choices ever been her own?
She felt a hand on her shoulder.
Kade. His grip was firm, grounding her.
"Whatever you decide, Seojin," he said quietly, "make sure it's your choice."
Minji's eyes burned with intensity. "You're not just some project, Seojin. You're more than that."
Seojin's chest ached.
They still believed in her.
Even when she wasn't sure she could believe in herself.
She clenched her fists.
And then—she made her decision.
She turned to the screen, staring at her mother's digital form.
"You don't control me."
The words were steady. Strong. Final.
Her mother's expression flickered. "Oh, Seojin. That's what you think."
The system hummed around her. The entire room pulsed with artificial life.
Seojin raised her gun.
And she fired.
The bullet shattered the main terminal. Sparks erupted, and the room shook violently.
"Seojin—what have you done?"
Her mother's voice distorted, warping as the system began to crash.
Seojin turned away. "I ended this."
Minji and Kade were already moving. "We need to go—now!"
The facility began to fall apart.
Alarms screamed. Red warning lights flashed.
Seojin sprinted, her heartbeat matching the countdown to destruction.
The trio burst through collapsing corridors, dodging falling debris and electrical sparks.
The moment they reached the exit—the entire lab exploded.
Flames engulfed the underground structure.
Everything—gone.
Seojin stood in the rubble, breathing hard.
Her mother was gone.
Phase Two was gone.
But so was the last piece of her past.
She looked down at her hands.
Her mother had told her she wasn't real.
But standing here, alive, breathing, free…
Seojin knew the truth.
She was more than a project.
She was Seojin.
And no one would ever take that away from her again.
End of Chapter 121