Busan, South Korea – Midnight
The old orphanage stood like a ghost of the past, its walls cracked, its windows broken. The wind howled through the empty halls, whispering secrets only Seojin could hear.
She had spent years forgetting this place.
Now, she was back.
Kade adjusted his gun holster. "I hate abandoned buildings."
Minji rolled her eyes. "You hate a lot of things."
Seojin ignored them. Her focus was on one thing.
The message that had brought them here.
I have something you want. Meet me where it all began.
Her mother's final move.
Or was it someone else?
The door creaked as Seojin pushed it open. Dust swirled in the dim light of their flashlights.
The memories hit her immediately.
The small, cold bed she used to sleep in.
The whispers of the caretakers.
The feeling that she never belonged.
Kade glanced around. "Doesn't look like anyone's been here in years."
Minji ran a hand over the wallpaper, peeling and stained. "Then why bring us here?"
Seojin's jaw tightened. "Because there's something here we haven't seen yet."
She took a step forward—
And the ground shifted beneath her.
A panel in the floor clicked.
Seojin's heart stopped.
She knelt, brushing away dust and dirt, revealing—
A hidden trapdoor.
Minji muttered a curse. "Of course there's a basement."
Kade sighed. "Of course we have to go inside."
Seojin pulled the latch. The door swung open, revealing a staircase leading into the dark.
Without hesitation, she descended.
The basement smelled of metal and age.
Rows of old filing cabinets lined the walls, covered in dust and cobwebs.
Minji shivered. "This place feels… wrong."
Seojin ignored the feeling clawing at her gut and moved toward the cabinets. She pulled one open.
Inside were files.
Hundreds of them.
Each one labeled with a name.
Minji reached for one, flipping it open. "These are… adoption records?"
Kade grabbed another. "Medical reports."
Seojin's fingers tightened around the file she had just pulled.
Because it had her name on it.
SEOK SEOJIN – SUBJECT 017
Her stomach dropped.
Not a child.
Not an orphan.
A subject.
Seojin ripped the file open, her hands shaking.
Inside was her medical history. Pages and pages of reports. Data. Experimentation logs.
Her heart pounded as she read the notes.
Subject 017 shows stable integration with prototype neural mapping. Memory insertion successful. Behavior modification at 82% effectiveness.
Memory insertion.
Seojin's vision blurred.
Kade and Minji stared at her.
"Seojin…" Minji whispered.
But she couldn't speak.
Her memories—
Her childhood—
Her entire life—
Had been engineered.
Her mother hadn't just created her.
She had programmed her.
Before Seojin could react, her phone buzzed.
A new message.
Now you know. But are you ready for what comes next?
Seojin's breath caught.
Her fingers tightened around the file.
Her past had been a lie.
Her future?
That was still hers to decide.
But whoever had sent this message—
They weren't done with her yet.
And this time…
Neither was she.
End of Chapter 124