Shadows: The Black Star

Chapter Eight

"Wooowww!! Eonnie, this is hugeee!" Eunha exclaimed, clinging to Sojung, but Joohyun separated them from each other.

Joohyun did this to every couple, separating them from each other and letting them team up with others they aren't close with.

It was because Yong Sun gave her and
Jihyo specific orders to separate everyone as long as they could, as it was already the start of what Yong Sun called as "bootcamp".

"Alright, everyone. The room assignments are as follows:"

Room 1
Sojung, Jeongyeon, Lisa, Sooyoung, Sinb

Room 2
Joohyun, Yewon, Nayeon, Chaeyoung, Jennie

Room 3
Jihyo, Yerim, Mina, Eunha, Yerin

"Go to your rooms, and stay there until eight o' clock the next morning." Yong Sun said, and proceeded to her room, separate from Moonbyul, as she decided to do the same to be fair for everyone.

Sinb sighed as she put her bags in the room, sitting down the bed as she stared at her new roommates.

"They really planned this thoroughly, huh?" Sojung said, as she sat next to Sinb.

"I can perform my duties without any distractions, even if I have that relationship." Lisa said, sitting next to Sinb as Sojung chuckled.

"Ah, with Jennie?" Sojung said, Lisa shaking her head.

"Ani, I have a girlfriend outside the agency. Jennie eonnie's just a friend." Lisa said, as Sojung nodded, pouting as she wasn't used to not having Yewon or Eunha around.

"But with the others, not so much. What if Eunha eonnie was at gunpoint in exchange of Yewon? Who would you choose, eonnie?" Sinb asked, as Sojung continued to stare at nothingness, a thing she's doing whenever she's sad or troubled.

"But of course we are here to train to prevent those kinds of situations, Sinb-ssi." Yong Sun said, emphasizing Sinb's fake name, to which the girl stiffened slightly.

"Of course, President. I thought all of us aren't permitted to go out of the rooms?" Sinb asked, as Yong Sun smiled.

"I want to talk to you, Sinb-ssi. I already have Joohyun on the meeting room." Yong Sun said, as Sooyoung bolted up.

"Is this about my case? Eonnie, I can help--"

"All of you should go to your loved ones for the last time. Moonbyul and I are giving you a chance to say goodbye temporarily, for you will be staying at different areas of his agency, and will not meet the other teams for one to two weeks." Yong Sun said, as she gently grasped Sinb's arm and led her out of the room, and walked towards the meeting room that Yong Sun mentioned.

Going inside, Yong Sun locked the door and let Sinb sit next to Joohyun, who didn't look fine at all.

"Eonnie...?" Sinb asked, Joohyun finally looking at her.

It was the first time that Sinb saw Joohyun like that. Broken, so broken that Sinb wanted to hug the older, but was afraid that Joohyun would push her away.

"What happened?" Sinb asked cautiously, but Joohyun answered with a hug, sobbing on Sinb's shoulder as Yong Sun sighed and clicked a button.

The walls on the meeting room opened, revealing a white room on the other side, a girl tied on a chair, thrashing and trying to remove the rubber belts that tied her on the chair, and that was when Sinb realized that the room they were in was an interrogation room.

Sinb had seen her before, she was sure of it. She had seen the bear looking woman before, probably on a portrait--

A portrait on Joohyun's room. Sinb thought, as she remembered the portrait.
A portrait of that woman, and she was beside Joohyun eonnie in the picture, the two of them smiling together.

Then why was the woman tied up?

"That... Is that..." Sinb trailed off, Yong Sun nodding grimly.

"One of our best agents before the building she was in exploded. She is Kang Seulgi, the former leader of Eclipse before Joohyun." Yong Sun said, Joohyun crying even more.

"But... How is she here? Why is she tied up-- that tattoo. I... I think I know that tattoo." Sinb said, as she stared at the tattoo on Seulgi's collarbone:

★02×10×94★

Sinb pulled down Joohyun's shirt, slightly exposing her collarbone, and saw the same tattoo, slightly faded, but different numbers:

★03×29×91★

"You get the tattoo when you reach the age of five years old, and you were going to receive that tattoo but Joohyun took you away. Since Seulgi became a part of the syndicate probably after the failed mission, her tattoo is still fresh." Yong Sun said, as she closed the window, hiding Seulgi again.

"How did you find her?"

"She got caught by Yena and Chaeyeon, which I am thankful for that I made them do surveillance. They reported immediately that Seulgi was roaming around the area again, and I had Wonyoung and Kwon Eunbi catch her and bring her here before we arrived." Yong Sun said, as Joohyun stopped crying.

"Maybe she knows me, eonnie. Maybe... Maybe if I go inside..." Joohyun said desperately, and Sinb looked at Yong Sun for an answer.

"Fine. Sinb, inject this to Seulgi just in case she tries something. This is a sedative, it will knock her out." Yong Sun said, as Sinb helped the older go inside the detention room, where Seulgi was staying.

Carefully, Sinb removed the gag on Seulgi's mouth, and Joohyun's heart weakened at seeing her girlfriend, tied up--

" You made a mistake bringing me here. " Seulgi said, hate laced in her tone as she glared at Joohyun and Sinb.

"Seul... It's me, Seul..." Joohyun said, and Sinb found herself teary as she watched Joohyun approach the tied girl.

"I-I don't know you." Seulgi said, the hate in her tone slowly vanishing, her features softening.

"Don't you remember me, Seul? It's me, Joohyun, your girlfriend--"

Seulgi suddenly bolted from her seat, Sinb realizing that the belts that held her became untied, Seulgi lunging towards Joohyun and strangling her, Joohyun struggling to breath.

Sinb, at once, injected the sedative on Seulgi, the bear's muscles relaxing as she slumped down on top of the older, fast asleep.

Sinb quickly carried the asleep girl away from Joohyun, the older heaving and breathing heavily as she caressed her neck, her neck filled with strangle marks and bruises from what Seulgi had done.

"Eonnie, get up." Sinb said, as she finished tying the asleep girl again, this time tighter.

"Sinb... She..."

"She isn't your Seulgi anymore, eonnie. What made her like that is what the syndicate did. If she hurts you again, I swear I'll put a bullet through her forehead." Sinb said, her tone harsher as she removed her oversized turtle neck jacket and put it on Joohyun, hiding the terrible marks.

Joohyun clung unto Sinb, looking one last time to Seulgi, afraid of what the girl had become.