Tick, tock, tick, tock.
I've been sitting inside a locked room for about three hours- well, I'm assuming it's been three hours. I could hear the ticking of the clock, of which I had counted 11,309 so far, but couldn't see it anywhere, which leads me to believe that it's in the room on the other side of the two-way mirror in front of me. The only other furniture in the room aside from the chair I was sitting on was a wide, sturdy-looking table in front of me, as well as another chair on the other side.
I drummed my fingers on the table, beginning to feel impatient. I knew that someone was watching me from the other side of the mirror, as well as from the "hidden" camera in the corner of the room. I also knew that the other girls were also sitting alone in different interrogation rooms. They had probably already been questioned, and I was just waiting for my turn.
I didn't have to wait for too long. A few minutes later, the door opened.
In walked a short, middle-aged man. He had a somewhat plump figure and a soft, kind-looking face. However, when he looked at me, I saw the years of wisdom and experience behind his eyes.
There was a smile on his face as he walked over to the chair in front of me. He pulled it out and sat down, putting the small, McDonald's paper bag and folder he was carrying on the table.
"Hi."
"Hello, Captain Bang." I replied calmly. He didn't even look surprised that I knew his name.
"I have some food for you. You must be hungry." He said as he slid the paper bag over to me.
"Thank you." I replied. He waited for me to touch the bag but I didn't, so he just continued.
He opened the folder, and inside I saw a picture of me taken a few years ago with some text printed at the bottom.
"Song Aeri." He read.
"That's me."
Captain Bang sighed and put the paper back inside the folder, closing it as he moved it to the side. He then clasped his hands together and leaned forward.
"That's all we have on you." He stated.
"Honestly, I'm surprised you even got that much." I shrugged, but on the inside, my mind was whirring.
I wonder how they got that picture of me as well as my name. I don't have any government records. Heck, technically I don't even exist.
Captain Bang studied me for a moment, no doubt wondering what I was hiding from him. I didn't move under his stare.
That would be a sign of weakness.
Although, from what I've seen from the Captain so far by studying his movements, micro expressions, and words, he didn't seem to be the type of person to take advantage of someone in a vulnerable state, but if there's one thing I've learned from my training, it's that I shouldn't trust anyone.
My girls were the only exception.
"I have already interviewed-"
Interrogated, you mean
"-the other girls." He told me. "You can say that I'm shocked at how cooperative they've been."
"Why is that?"
"Criminals don't usually confess to their crimes that easily."
"Shouldn't you be happy? We're giving you what you want." I asked, raising an eyebrow. Captain Bang stared at me again, still trying to decode me.
"You see, that makes everything suspicious." He said with a careful tone. "We get an anonymous tip on the location of your family's-"
Why did he say it like that?
"-hideout. When we raided. it was empty. No people, no files, no weapons- nothing, save for five girls sitting calmly in an unlocked room." He leaned forward a bit more, slightly tilting his head. "Tell me, why would members of a criminal organization allow themselves to be caught by the police?"
'Eyes focused on me. Body leaned forward. Hands open and on the table as opposed to earlier, when they were clasped together. Body language shows interest in what I have to say. No sign of being accusatory or judgemental.' I analyzed almost automatically. I was a bit surprised at what I had gotten from him. He was genuinely interested in my reason and wasn't just being sarcastic when he asked the question.
"Maybe we just want a new start together, the five of us." I said slowly. "Even if that meant being in prison for the rest of our lives."
"The worst possible punishment for criminals in this country is the death penalty. You do understand that, right?" He asked.
Eyebrows raised slightly, mouth dropped a bit. Expression of mild surprise.
"I'm not lying." I replied nonchalantly instead of answering. The girls and I were trained to not fear death, and even though we didn't talk to each other while we waited for the police to arrest us, we all knew that it was possible for us to receive capital punishment given the things we had done for our organization, but somehow the thought of dying together and at the same time answering for our sins was less scary than escaping, but then having to live without one of us.
A look of understanding flashed across Captain Bang's face.
"I know." He said softly. "That's exactly what the other girls said as well."
I could feel the tears pricking my eyes, but I wouldn't let them drop.
Captain Bang cleared his throat, his tone turning serious again.
"Look, Aeri-ssi, I'm not going to beat around the bush much longer." He started. "The department has nothing on you and your friends. We have no evidence to arrest you, and aside from finding you in the headquarters of the YG Family that day, we have no proof that you've committed any crime."
Does that mean-
"You and the others are free to leave, if you wish." He stated, watching me intently. I tried my best to maintain my blank expression, but on the inside, my emotions were getting all jumbled up.
Happy. Excited. Scared. Anxious. Worried-
"However, I am asking for your help." He continued. "Help us bring down the YG Family."
There was dead silence in the air as he waited for my response.
"W-what?" I stuttered, not sure that I heard him correctly.
"You know how about the evil things that your organization has done, and considering that you chose to get captured when you could have easily fled leads me to believe that you don't want to be a part of it anymore." He explained, his tone both firm and convincing.
How could he ask that so easily?
Did he even know what he was asking me to do? He was asking me to betray the people who have raised me, the people who have made me into who I am.
He was also asking me to betray the most dangerous organization in the country.
"You do know that this will be a suicide mission, right? No one crosses our family and lives."
"You and I know both that none of you will be safe until the YG Family disappears." He replied, not answering my question. "I can offer you protection. I can help you get immunity. I can help you get a new start."
"What did the other girls say?" I asked.
"They'll agree if everyone agrees." He answered. "Your answer is the only one I'm waiting for, Aeri-ssi."
A small smile slipped on to my lips.
It was ride or die with my girls. Always.
"You have to promise me that you will keep my girls safe." I said firmly.
"I promise."
I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. When I opened them again, I looked the captain straight in his eyes with fierce determination.
"Then I'm in."
The corners of the captain's eyes crinkled as a grin appeared on his face.
"Thank you." He said as he stood up. "I'll go inform the others of your decision. I'll be back shortly."
He then bowed slightly, which surprised me, before walking out the door and closing it behind him. A few minutes later the door opened again and in walked my girls. Rośe and Lisa immediately ran up to me and hugged me tightly, with Jisoo-eonni and Jennie-eonni following closely behind.
"So, we're really doing this, huh?" I said when we pulled apart.
"It's not like we have a choice. We have to stop this once and for all. It's the only way we'll ever be free." Jisoo-eonni replied.
Captain Bang, who was standing by the doorway the entire time, gave us a warm smile.
"Thank you for choosing to cooperate with us, girls."
The five of us all nodded in acknowledgment.
"I'm sure you all want to rest after everything that's happened today, unfortunately since this all happened so quickly, I haven't had the chance to make living arrangements for you yet." He continued. "For now, you'll stay with me. I hope that's alright with you."
"That's kind of you, Captain Bang." Rosé said.
"Tomorrow we'll discuss our action plan, and you'll meet the team that you'll be working with." He told us. Beside me, Jennie-eonni tensed a little bit.
"We don't need anyone else." She said, her tone becoming a bit sharp as her eyes narrowed. "They'll only slow us down."
"I assure you that they will be able to keep up with you." Captain Bang replied, unfazed.
I was impressed. Not a lot of people can keep their cool under Jennie-eonni's intense, cat-like gaze.
Jisoo-eonni put a hand over Jennie-eonni's, calming her down.
"That's fine Captain, thank you." She said. The captain nodded and told us that he just had to get a few more things in order before we could go home. We thanked him again before he left, after which we just sat in silence, Jisoo-eonni and Lisa on the chairs while me, Jennie-eonni and Rosé sat on the floor. I knew that everyone was still a bit shaken with everything that had happened and we were still processing our thoughts and emotions.
I don't know how long we waited, but after a while, Captain Bang entered the room again to fetch us. We followed him to his car, and he drove to his home which was in a somewhat busy street near Myeongdong.
During the drive, Captain Bang tried to make some light conversation. He started by telling us a little bit about himself. He has been a police officer for about twenty-five years now and had been captain for five. He was divorced, but have two children who had now moved out and were living on their own, which meant that there were two spare bedrooms in his house. He also asked us some questions about ourselves, such as our ages, our hobbies, our likes and dislikes. Rosé and Lisa, who seemed to have immediately warmed up to the captain, happily answered his questions, but our eonnis were a bit more cautious, only speaking every now and then.
When we got to his house, he showed us the rooms where we would be staying at for the time being. We had agreed that the eonnis would stay in one room while the maknaes would stay in the other.
He made sure that we were settled in before retiring for the night. We thanked him one last time before also going to bed, however, I found that I couldn't sleep. Beside me, I could feel Lisa tossing and turning, while I could hear Rosé's soft sobs.
I sat up, and almost immediately they did the same. Just by looking at each other, I could tell that we all had the same idea. The three of us gathered our blankets and pillows then made our way to our eonnis' room. When we opened the door, we saw that they were also still awake. They smiled when they saw us, and since we wouldn't all fit on the bed, they moved their pillows and blanket to the carpeted floor where we joined them.
With the five of us finally being in the same room, I was finally able to sleep peacefully.