The Box (A Twice AU)

Path 3 - Give up and do nothing [3rd out of 3 endings]

Jeongyeon and Nayeon floated in the water. The water has almost filled the room. Their heads touching the ceiling.
They've decided to let the water take them. Either the one controlling this place decides to stop or we drown it doesn't matter to me. Jeongyeon remembered Nayeon's words to her. As long as you're with me. I am not scared. She held Nayeon's hands. They took a deep breath together before the water finally engulfed them both.

She held up her thumbs looking upon the older girl and Nayeon nodded before looking around the environment they were in. Jeongyeon looked around as well. But one item caught her attention. The hourglass was still stuck on the pedestal. Seemingly permanently attached to it. The sand has all poured down. And where the top part should be empty, something shiny caught Jeongyeon's eye. No. No You've gotta be fucking kidding me. Her mind screamed. All this time! Jeongyeon was mad as she swam towards the hourglass. She looked close and there it was, subtly taped to the top "lid". She pulled off her gun and bashed open the hourglass. The grains beautifully floated on the water, but Jeongyeon focused on the important part. She removed the key from the lid and immediately swam towards the door lock they have been trying to open all this time. If this isn't it, then all hope is lost.

The big door slid open and water rushed through draining the room of the water, and the had Jeongyeon not held on to the doorway, the current would have carried her a distance as well.
Jeongyeon and Nayeon coughed hard and looked at each other. Nayeon rushed forward and hugged the younger girl and sobbed.
"You did it!" Nayeon exclaimed.
"Yeah. Almost too late. But I did it." Jeongyeon hugged back.
They stayed there for a while. Hugging. Drying off as the the floor around them dried out as well.

[later]

They came to two paths the one to the left led to an open doorway, the smell of nature inviting them. To the right was a closed red door, ominously waiting.
Jeongyeon felt Nayeon hold her right hand. She looked at her.
"It's up to you." Nayeon smiled encouragingly. "I'll follow wherever you go"

Jeongyeon closed her eyes, clicked off the safety of her gun and slowly moved towards the red door. Nayeon's footsteps following her. She leaned on the door, took a deep breath and slowly opened the door.

Inside was something she wasn't ready for. Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, and Sana were chained to the wall, tape over their mouths. A rope attached to their neck and the ceiling. Dahyun looked a little roughed up. At the end of the room was a big window letting a big view from and to the room. And stood there, upon the consoles and other tech was none other than.

"Seungyeon." Jeongyeon spoke in utter disbelief.
"Hello sis." her sister spoke through the mic.
"But- But the voice." she stuttered out.
"Ah yes the voice" said her sister before pressing something on the console. "It's so funny how easy we can fake everything with simple tech nowadays." Seungyeon's voice came through the speaker in a low, male voice. The same voice that has been directing them all this time.
"I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU!" Jeongyeon raised her gun and aimed towards the girl on the other side.
"Tsk tsk tsk Lieutenant" Seungyeon smirked and knocked on the glass separating them. "Military grade bulletproof glass. Not even whatever bullets are left on your gun can penetrate it." she explained. Jeongyeon cursed and lowered her gun.
"Why Seungyeon?" she asked.
"You already know why." Seungyeon started. "Sunmi's killer goes unpunished. You already knew who she was, and yet you still spared her. Even the guts to almost let her escape!"
"Dahyun! Is a brainwashed victim. YES! She's a trained killer. But takeaway her mental programming and what is she? A human. Just like you or I."
"Oh get off your high horse, you idealistic fuck. Brainwashed or not, she killed MY FIANCÉE. She must die."

"If you wanted her dead so much, you could have done it yourself. You are capable of it. You're a fucking police officer just like me." Jeongyeon reasoned.

"Me? No. That would've been too easy, Jeong. Sunmi's death hurt... NO! TORE at my very being. If I had to suffer that, the ones who care about her must too." Seungyeon spoke with conviction. At this, she heard Sana try to struggle with her restraints. Tears and anger in her eyes, trying to scream.

"That's right Miss Minatozaki. Squirm, knowing your 'baby' is about to breath her last today. At the hands of the 'friends you have made along the way'." Seungyeon smirked

"Seungyeon please stop this madness. Let them go." Jeongyeon pleaded to her sister. Seungyeon shook her head.

"You told me you loved Sunmi as if she was your own sister. I loved her too, Jeong. Aim your gun to the killer and empty the bullets on to her. Show her no mercy like she didn't with Sunmi." Her sister persuaded. "If you don't, maybe Nayeon will have the guts to do it." her sister added.


At the mention of the name, Jeongyeon looked towards the girl. Who was sat down on the floor.

"Nayeon are you okay?" she asked

"I don't know, Jeong. What are you gonna do?"

"I don't know." she replied. She addressed her sister again. "Why go all this effort, just to kill one person?"

"Because Dahyun's not the only one I blame." Seungyeon sneered. "You. You let her die."

"I DID NOT!" Jeongyeon interjected. "She ordered me to go."

"You let her die. Orders or not, you could have carried her out of that building and not let her bleed out!" Seungyeon's voice boomed through the mic. "Nayeon, I blame for Sunmi's vulnerability and miserable life. Didn't you asked me to seek a psychiatrist to deal with Sunmi's death? Mina was the one I went to, BIG HELP she was. It was so easy to fool my recovery and the doctor took it hook, line and sinker. And Jihyo... well her company designed this place. It would've been a nice coincidence to have killed her too. The others... they were expendable." Jeongyeon can't believe the words coming out of her sister's mouth. "Do you wanna what else? I wanted to prove a point."

"There's that again. What point? You've been spouting that from the very beginning." Jeongyeon asked.

"And even from the beginning you still have learned nothing. Still proving my point all the way to this moment." Seungyeon sneered disdainly. "The power of words and the illusion of choice, sister."


At this, Seungyeon spoke in a more formal voice.

"Power of words... the idea that people would do anything as long as someone in a position of conceived power told them too. Tzuyu fell for it and almost killed Chaeyoung when she believed her theories by just a few words from me. Sue believed her only way out was killing the moment the walls moved. Every single one of YOU! Believed the lie that the ONLY way out is killing the murderer. But you, dear sister was the biggest offender, even before this. From Sunmi's order to leave her, to my coaxing of you to survive to find out why this place existed, to even the decision to kill Momo and so much more. You fell for the power of words. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME."


Jeongyeon shook her head in disbelief. "That's... ridiculous."


"Is it?" Seungyeon asked. "Or you're just still denying the truth. How about the illusion that you had a choice? Did you really think you were in control the whole time? Everything, every choice you have and could have made, would have led to any possible outcome of my design. The tunnels down below and the pipe that led to it? I could have removed that feature. But I let it stay cause I knew some of you will try to escape there. The water pipe that brought the water to the room you were in, you could have escaped through there as well... yet I still took that risk because I know there's a possibility you'll try. Your choices didn't matter in the end, Jeong. All of you could have taken any path, chosen anyone to kill, and it would still have brought you somewhere I wanted you, feeling the feelings I wanted you to feel."


Jeongyeon was down to her knees at this point, shaking her head still.

"And now, your choices today are at my whim as well." Seungyeon pressed something on the console and the four who were tied to a rope were lifted. Choking them, squeezing the life out of them. "Make your choice and make it fast." Seungyeon's voice boomed. "Kill Dahyun or watch all four of them slowly find their peace."


Jeongyeon looked at them one by one. Mina shook her head slowly. Jihyo's eyes spoke of fear. Sana tried to scream to her through the tape. And Dahyun, most of all, spoke of acceptance. She knows she dies either way.


"You're running out of time Jeongyeon!" Seungyeon screamed at her.


MAKE.


YOUR.


CHOICE!


Jeongyeon screamed again in anger this time.



Her voice heard by everyone.



She did what she had to.



BANG! BANG!! BANG!!!


The sound of the pistol echoed around the room.


Seungyeon felt it before she looked. Her body was caked with blood. The pain of the bullets penetrating her chest and stomach. She choked up as she looked at Jeongyeon. Gun still aimed at her, the empty pistol's barrel smoking, and her eyes filled with tears at what she has done. Seungyeon's eyes rolled back into her head before she fell into a bloody heap on the ground. Jeongyeon bashed the glass and pressed a button on the console, releasing any and all restraints on the four girls. Nayeon rushed to remove the tapes on their mouths. Everyone was breathing heavily. Mina looked at Jeongyeon.

"I thought... I thought the glass was bulletproof?"

"Power. Illusion." was Jeongyeon's reply. "Another lie to save herself and continue to manipulate the outcome she wants."


Mina nodded in understanding.


"But why spare me?" Dahyun asked the cop.

"That would have been the easy way, won't it?" the tall girl replied. "Seungyeon CHOSE this path for herself. You never had that chance in life. That was taken away from you." Jeongyeon faced the brainwashed assassin. "You will be arrested when we get to civilization. You will serve your sentence. You will be in therapy with Doctor Myoui, we will try to reverse the brainwashing done on you. And when you're done, you will live the life you were never given the chance to live." She patted the small girls shoulder.


Jeongyeon pressed another button on the console that opened all the doors. Jeongyeon looked at Seungyeon's corpse one final time before leaving and meeting the fresh air of the forest outside. One by one the girls followed.


The future was uncertain for each of them. But this incident has certainly changed something in them, for better or worse...



....



...The world may never know.


//END