"Run. You've got to go. Come on!!!! Why won't my legs move any faster!" I yelled at myself. Why, out of all places was I even here? In the darkest corridor of all. Why?! How did they get me here? Anesthesia? What have I done? How did I even get here in the first place? I open my eyes, only to realize I can't run. I'm attached to a wall with handcuffs and chains. All clanking the second I move one limb. Knowing this plan, I'm stuck in a cell while people are listening to make sure that I'm alive, and conscious. This is normal. But this was the first time I've been locked up. Alone.

~FLASHBACK~

"Ji-Eun!" I hissed.

"W-where are we?" she mumbled, as she stood up from her squatting position. My legs were burning. They were about to fail. But I knew that if I left this square—we would be toast.

"I don't know. But don't move from that area," I hissed back. I looked around the room, and I saw multiple flashing lights. My eyes could not handle the pressure of the lights. They were quite literally blinding.

"Unnie, what are those?" I asked quietly.

"Um...the one to the left...is an alarm. Presumably if we move.. And the one next to it is the deactivator of the alarm. So...yeah." she replied.

"Ok so we have to shut the deactivator of the alarm and then plot the escape. And...we have two hours. Great," I mumbled. I looked around my surroundings to find a meter stick and a fire extinguisher. What was I supposed to do with those?

"Spray the extinguisher. It will probably send a different alarm that there is a fire. Then they will come running in which will activate the alarm. Then pull the deactivator and exit out of the window. We can break it," Ji-Eun exclaimed.

"You sure about that?" I inquired. I was definitely very hesitant about that plan. A lot could go wrong if one part of the plan went downhill.

"Or we stay in captivity. Take your pick," Ji-Eun shrugged.

"Fine. Let's do this," And soon enough our plan was in action. The fire extinguisher was sprayed, and an alarm started ringing. It was loud. We waited until some form of movement was there. A sign of imminent action. The door bursts open. The meter stick goes flying to their face before they could process what was even happening. Then, the alarm is quickly deactivated. Here the security guards were trying to get their composure back after being hit in the head with a stick, and we were out the door. (or window, should I say)

-END OF FLASHBACK-

So here I was, still stuck in the same cell reminiscing about old memories until it hit me. I was in the same building. Maybe even the same cell. I froze as the realization hit me like a freight train. The layout of the room, the faint smell of burnt rubber, the dim, flickering lights—it was all too familiar. My heart began to race. Ji-Eun and I had escaped this place once before, but now I was back here, alone, and the chances of pulling off another escape felt impossibly slim.

The faint scratch of a rodent in the corner snapped me out of my trance. No time to panic. I scanned the room again, trying to find anything that could give me a fighting chance. The square tiles beneath my feet were chipped and uneven, and the walls were stained with grime and what looked like old burn marks. My gaze landed on a vent near the ceiling—a possible exit if I could reach it.

But how? There was no Ji-Eun to strategize with this time. I had to rely on myself.

Taking a deep breath, I crouched down to examine the corners of the room. My fingers grazed a loose tile. Jackpot. I pried it free and found a rusty nail buried beneath. Not much, but better than nothing. Carefully, I pocketed the nail and scanned the room again.

That's when I noticed it: a faint glow under the cot in the corner. Crawling over, I discovered a tiny, blinking red light. A surveillance camera? No, it was too small for that. I squinted, trying to make sense of it.

A tracking device.

Panic gripped me, but I forced myself to stay calm. If they were tracking me, it meant they weren't watching me live. I still had time to move, but I needed to act fast.

I pulled the cot away from the wall and crouched beneath it, out of sight of the tiny device. Using the rusty nail, I began working at the screws of the vent cover. Each twist felt agonizingly slow, my ears straining for any sound of approaching footsteps.

Finally, the cover came loose. I peered inside the vent—a narrow, claustrophobic tunnel. It wasn't ideal, but it was my only shot. I hoisted myself up, wincing as my shoulders scraped against the metal edges.

I began crawling, the confined space amplifying every sound. My breaths were shallow, my heart pounding. Where did this vent lead? Did it even lead out? I had no idea, but staying in that cell wasn't an option.

The tunnel seemed to stretch forever, the metal cold and unforgiving against my skin. But then I heard it—a muffled conversation. Voices.

I froze.

"...Check the cells again. We don't want another incident like last time," one voice said, low and gruff.

"Don't worry. We've reinforced everything. There's no way anyone's getting out this time," another replied.

My stomach dropped. They were looking for me.

Pressing myself as flat as I could, I held my breath, praying they wouldn't hear me. The voices faded, and I dared to exhale.

I had to keep moving. This wasn't over yet. I kept crawling as quick as my heavy legs could carry me. Today was already an exhausting roller coaster ride, and now? It was torture. Soon enough, I was lead to another vent. It seemed to have lead to the outside. The back garden. I knew this place like the back of my hand—every shadow, every hiding spot. But the vent cover was the problem. Removing it without a sound seemed impossible.

I examined the screws again, my hands trembling. If I yanked it free, it would echo, and they'd find me in seconds. I glanced at the rusty nail in my hand. It wasn't ideal, but I began prying each screw gently, my breaths shallow and deliberate.

After what felt like an eternity, the last screw came loose. I held the vent cover carefully, lowering it to the ground as silently as I could. The fresh night air hit my face.

Freedom was just a few feet away.

Sliding out of the vent, I crouched low behind a hedge, scanning the area for guards. The garden was eerily quiet, but I knew better than to let my guard down.

I had to move fast. Every step was carefully calculated with precision. Before I knew it, I was out of captivity. The only problem about this place...was that it was in the middle of nowhere. There were no remote things nearby. Except for one convenience store about a mile away. 

That's my only shot.

My pace started to quicken. Every step that had first felt heavy felt more exhilarating every time. I was almost there. 

- - -

"Annyeonghaseyo," I mumbled while I pulled up my hood and mask. I soon went to the drinks section, grabbed a milkis, and paid. I was glad that no one had recognized me. 

"Excuse me?" I whispered.

"Hello, ma'am. How may I help you?" the cashier asked.

"Would it be possible if you could call a taxi? Or Uber, by any chance?" I quickly asked.

"Ma'am I can see what I can do for you. I should be able to call an Uber with my phone, if that would be alright with you," she responded. "Would it be possible to get your name, ma'am?"

"Yeji." I tersely replied.

"Y-y-yeji...Are...you...possibly...Hwang Yeji?" she asked. Don't blame her, I would've asked the same question to a different idol.

"Yup. That's me," I mumbled.

"Oh. My. God. Of course! Would...you like that name or a different name for your Uber?" she asked with sparkle in her eyes.

"Uhm if you could put my name down as...Yoonhee, that would be great," I smiled.

"Ok," she exclaimed, "your Uber is supposedly going to come in four minutes. Would you like me to wait with you?"

"I'll be fine, thank you though," I said, "Sorry for making you go through all of that. I don't have the Uber app on my phone...and that's so dumb."

"No, it's ok! I'm surprised to see you out of all places, here though," she said.

"Oh, yeah. I had some business here. That's why," I smiled. My cover couldn't get blown.

- - -

"Thank you, sir. Have a nice day," I said as I waited until he left. I couldn't risk him following where I was going.My feet were burning, but I couldn't stop. Not now, not with the storm closing in. The weight of it was suffocating, but headquarters was so close. I could hear the wind picking up, the storm about to swallow everything in its path, and I needed to be inside. I pushed forward, running through alley after alley, finally reaching the mansion.

But something was wrong.

The air was thick, wrong—tainted with a sense of dread. I had no time to think, not with everything that had been happening. The mafia's secrets had been exposed, and I knew that chaos was already bubbling over.

I stepped through the door, and the first thing I heard were screams—sharp, gut-wrenching. My heart lurched. Without thinking, I followed the sound, moving faster, harder, until I reached the source.

And then my blood froze.

Tiffany... Izumi.

She was on the ground, her body wracked with agony. Blood was spilling from her like a river, dark and thick, pooling beneath her. A scream—no, a gurgle—ripped from her as her eyes locked onto mine. But there was no recognition. She was already slipping, fading.

It didn't make sense. How could someone do this? How could anyone have this much hate? I looked around, expecting someone to emerge from the shadows, but the silence that followed was worse than any sound.

My lungs burned as I inhaled, my chest squeezing with panic. My mouth opened, but no words came out. Only a scream—a raw, guttural sound, like an animal in the throes of despair. A cry for help, for mercy, for something, anything.

But no one was coming. The walls seemed to close in, suffocating me. My sister, my protector, my last thread of hope was being torn apart in front of me, and I was powerless to stop it.

And then, the true horror sank in. I wasn't just watching this—I was frozen in it. There was nothing I could do. Please. The dreams. Work. Show Jiyoung. Show Lee Know. Show Chan. Show Hyunjin. Anyone. 

________________________________________________________________________________

SRY for the late update!!!! But this is like a superrrrr important chapter... ty for reading! ✨