9 Layers Down (Twice)

Chapter 18 - Savages

"You, Park Jihyo. I shall punish you in the red room." He announced with a higher level of visciousness in his aura that sent shivers in their spines.

"Red room?" Jeongyeon mumbled. There was horror and excessive amount of fright in her eyes. Nobody has ever been punished in the red room. Just by hearing the name made them shiver beyond control.

He dragged her to the vicious room that everybody feared.

"I'm not afraid anymore. I'd rather die. Just let the others go and I'd stay in return. You can do anything you want. I will take it." Jihyo bravely dared the devil.

"Yeah I can do that but I think it's a little too late now. You betrayed me too. What can you expect from a traitor anyway? You did it to Mina first. And then to your new friends and now to me."

"Which is why I deserve to rot in here, don't you think? Just kill me already!"

"No! Not yet. I have a better idea." He smiled a wicked smile and walked out the door, leaving Jihyo in her mysery.

The girls just watched her tear up and drift apart. 

When he came back, he dragged a girl. A person they never saw before. They didn't have any idea that there was a 10th abductee.
"Who is that?" Nayeon asked in confusion. Everyone was just as shocked.
The poor girl was covered in blood and full of bruises on her face and body.

Dahyun moved closer to the monitors and finally recognized her.
"Somi." She said in surprise. "Jeon Somi? Hey!"

"Hey, Dahyun!"
Dahyun ran to the room to see her best friend. The girls followed behind.
"That's my best friend! Somi!"
When they barged in, she quickly ran to her side and gave her a hug.

"What did you do to her?"

"Perfect timing. Now you can witness in person how I'm gonna punish the one who betrayed all of you."

"Stop this, please. I beg you." Dahyun cried.

"Hey, Dahyun. You're here." The girl still managed to smile.

"Yes. I'm here. It's Dahyun." She wiped the blood that's covering Somi's face while tears escape her own eyes.

"I have a very important confession to make." the man said, lifting his head up high. "Kim Dahyun, did you know that you're not supposed to be here?"

"What do you mean?"

"The 9th girl on my list is not you. It's Jeon Somi. It's your best friend who was supposed to be in your place. I was just challenged and abducted you instead because I wanted to beat agent Kim. She's such a huge headache. And you're the perfect bait."

Everyone looked at Dahyun with empathy. 
But she just gave him a devil glare and stood on her feet.
"Now that you have me, just let her go. I already took her place so be it."

"You think I'm that stupid?"
He pushed Dahyun and the girls caught her and helped her get up.

"One of these girls will die today." He declared, aiming a gun on Jihyo and Somi who were on their knees with their hands tied up as if their criminals in an ancient court. "Should it be Somi? Ah! I haven't told you yet why she's on the list. She killed her own mother. She electrocuted her to death."

"She was trying to kill me first. That made her not deserving to live. And so are you." Somi stated with bravery. "Isn't that what you also thought when you killed your own father? You're just trying to look tough but behind all these strong facade hides a weak and helpless little man who's suicidal. Instead of killing yourself you train these girls to be strong enough to kill you. Just like what your father did to you. That's why you eliminated him. Do they even know you have cancer? You're about to die and all you want to do is cause pain to people."