Abyss

Part 3

"Let's keep it going, guys," Jihyo commanded. All the girls began walking, completely blowing off Irene. Dahyun grabbed your arm, pulling you close before throwing you over her shoulder once more. Irene looked at the two of you, curious. Seizing the opportunity, you yelled out, "HEY, HELP ME! THEY'VE TAKEN ME AGAINST MY WILL! PLEASE, HELP ME!"

Irene approached you two, a hint of suspicion in her eyes. "I'm sorry, our friend had too much to drink. We are taking her home right now," Dahyun lied, sighing with feigned exasperation. "WHAT? NO, SHE'S LYING! THEY ATTACKED ME AFTER WE WERE—" Dahyun dropped you to the floor. "Oops, sorry. You are too much to handle when you're drunk, stop moving," she giggled, putting on a friendly smile.

Irene seemed unconvinced, redirecting her questioning toward you. Her piercing gaze analyzed your features as she asked, "Name?" You hesitated, but Dahyun pinched your side and interjected, "LIA, her name is Lia!" Her voice carried a nervous tone. Irene gave them one last look before walking back toward the her group. Dahyun let out a sigh of relief, feeling the weight of Irene's intense glare lift off her.

The other eight girls breathed a collective sigh of relief after the intense questioning. Jihyo, came over and held your hand, "You okay? Let me take her for now." Dahyun agreed with Jihyo and handed you over. Jihyo fished through her pocket, pulling out clippers. With hope in your eyes, you looked at her and then at the clippers, smiling. When she clipped both restraints off, you wasted no time and bolted, thinking, 'I've got to get the hell out of here.'

But just as you reached the tree line, you were once again forcefully brought down to the ground. Laughter filled the air as someone sat on your back. "You really thought she was letting you go, huh? Guess again," Momo whispered into your ear. "Come on, just let me go. I won't tell anyone; please, let me go." Momo got off you and pulled you to your feet. Jihyo attached restraints to your arms, then attaching to herself to you. "Stop yapping". Jihyo glared at you.

"Everybody, how many times do I have to tell you? Keep on going," Jihyo commanded, urging the others to continue. As everyone began to walk, Nayeon walked beside you and Jihyo. "Yelling for help is pointless. Just come with us so we can sort this out," Nayeon said, recognizing the futility of your previous actions. With no other viable options, you had no choice but to stick with them.

...

After what felt like hours of mindless walking, you looked over at Jihyo and questioned her, "Are we almost there yet?" Jihyo, having heard that question countless times, was on the verge of losing her patience. She tried to maintain her composure as much as possible, forcing a smile as she replied, "YES, we are VERY, VERY close. So PLEASE..." She trailed off, hoping you would understand her silent plea to stop asking.

Mina approached Jihyo, whispering something into her ear. Jihyo let out a sigh before announcing, "Everyone, get in the carriage." As you all boarded, you found yourself stuck by the carriage's door, with Jihyo as the only person on your left. Letting out a sigh, you knew it was going to be a long journey ahead. The discomfort lingered, as you and Jihyo were still tied together.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, it was also your birthday. You had planned to celebrate it with Namjoon and Yoongi at the studio, just as you had done for the past few years. A wave of despair washed over you as you realized they might be frantically searching for you while you were trapped here. With minutes left until your birthday was over, you looked out the window at the moon, making a wish in silence, just as you would have done with a birthday cake.

Refusing to shed a tear, you simply frowned. Jihyo watched you from the corner of her eye, noticing the sadness in your expression as you slowly drifted off to sleep. 'She's pretty,' Jihyo thought, glancing around the carriage to find everyone else fast asleep.

Chaeyoung and Dahyun were drooling on each other since they were sitting next to one another. Mina and Tzuyu maintained her posture, sitting upright. Jeongyeon and Nayeon were also sound asleep. Sana leaned on Momo, who in turn leaned on Jihyo's shoulder.

It had been an incredibly long day, and everyone was exhausted. Taking one last look at you, Jihyo gently lifted your head and made you lean against her shoulder out of guilt, before drifting off to sleep herself.

...

A sweet scent filled your nostrils as you began to awaken. Opening your eyes, you realized you were resting your head on someone's shoulder, and they were also leaning on you. Looking down, you noticed that your hand was still in theirs, and they were gently caressing it.

A deep blush spread across your face as you panicked mentally at the situation. Deciding to play it cool, you kept your eyes closed, pretending to be asleep until she woke up. After nearly another hour passed, you were on the brink of falling back asleep when Jihyo began to shuffle around.

Taking that as your cue, you 'woke up' again, rubbing your eyes and yawning, playing your part. Noticing Jihyo's slightly pink cheeks, you looked away, pretending to be disoriented. As she straightened her posture, Jihyo let go of your hand.

While the others woke up, you gazed outside the carriage window. The dense forest had given way to a massive row of walls and gates not far away. "Okay, even though we are almost at the palace, let's not let our guard down. We are still in the hot zone, so let's stay focused," Jihyo tried to rally everyone's attention. The group, still groggy, slowly resumed their alertness.

Lost in your thoughts once again, you drifted off until you heard a song playing. "🎵What makes you think I'm not in love?🎵" You looked around in surprise, searching for the source. Your eyes landed on Tzuyu, who had your phone in her hands. "HEY, THAT'S MY PHONE!" Catching Jihyo's attention, you lunged forward over the seat in front of you and snatched the phone from Tzuyu's hand. Tzuyu turned around, grabbing your arm, holding her knife against your throat once more. "Tzuyu, I thought I told you to stop with that? Give me that, Y/n," Jihyo intervened, trying to maintain peace between the two of you.

"We've arrived," Mina announced. Tzuyu glared at you before turning back around. You managed to get you phone and put it in your bra. The carriage entered through the massive gates, entering a passage closed off from the city, leading directly into the palace. Fear gripped your mind as you played out various scenarios of what could go wrong. Coming to a stop, you looked over at Jihyo, waiting for her guidance.

"You can get off now," Jihyo said. Stepping off the carriage, you followed her lead. Guards surrounded all of you, one after another as each girl exited the carriage. "I'm going to cut this because I trust you. Follow us and don't do anything unless you've been told," Jihyo said, giving you a glimmer of freedom.

Jihyo spoke with the other girls before they headed toward the hallway. They formed a protective box around you as you walked. Mina was by your left side. Everyone maintained silence as they approached the door at the end of the hall. They all halted in front of it and kneeled down, heads bowed.

Following their lead, you knelt down as well. Jihyo knocked on the door before opening it. Everyone entered the room, kneeling down and bowing their heads. A woman sat on a chair, her gaze fixed on you. "Show her," Jihyo spoke. Mina stood up and forced you forward. The Woman grabbed you face gently and started to analyze your face. Mina then presented her with your music box.The woman's eyes widened as she looked back at you. She paused before commanding the girls "You nine are excused," she said with emotion in her voice, wiping away her tears. Overwhelmed, tears streamed down her face. Awkwardly standing there, her hands still on your face, you asked, "You are?" She wiped her tears and composed herself. "I... You don't recognize me? I'm your sister."

"What? No, you're not? Who are you?" Nervousness filled your voice as you stood before a woman you swore you had never met, let alone had a sisterly bond with.

"I'm Y/Ln Ji-eun, or what you used to call me, IU."

________
Author:
Im getting back in my mojo with these updates so bare with me. I sort of forgotten certain details so I'm sorry if I've said something that was not the same as the previous chapters.

Important question:  Short chapter at a quick rate (not a lot of detail but are quick) or Longer chapter at a slower rate (takes more days but are full of detail and should overall have more) ( ◠‿◠ )