What Could Have Been (HangexFemReader)

Chapter 21: Traitor

If her mouth hadn't been duct taped, (Y/N) would have breathed out their name, wondering if she were hallucinating. Was it a side effect from the weird smoke that she had inhaled earlier? Was it because she was going delusional? Instead, all (Y/N) could do was stare at the person in front of her. Appearance wise, it was definitely Hange...except...they were different.

Hange wore a simple black track suit, donning an eyepatch that covered their left eye. They were frowning in her direction, looking very displeased. Hange? What were they doing at the factory? They were dead. Hange was dead. She had seen them die in front of her. Although, she had never seen the actual body.

"Oh, (Y/N)," Hange sighed. They walked closer to where (Y/N) was bound, raising a hand so that it brushed her cheek gently. "I tried so hard. I tried very hard to get you to stop chasing after this case. But you never listened, huh? Even my death didn't dissuade you."

(Y/N)'s words came out as urgent mumbles, straining against the shackles. Hange sighed and quickly peeled off the duct tape from her mouth, causing (Y/N) to wince.

"Hange..." she whispered. "How are you even alive? The explosion—"

Hange placed a warm hand on her cheek, and even in this circumstance, their eyes were kind. The physical feeling of their touch confirmed the fact they were alive and this wasn't a dream.

"The mines have tunnels connected to the factory," Hange explained simply. "It was messier than I had anticipated, but I had been able to find my way back to the factory. Of course, it was me who set off the explosion. I had timed it wrong. My initial plan was for both of us to get out, but my supposed death actually ruled in my favor. I had hoped that you'd stop your pursuit."

"I—but—" (Y/N) stumbled over her words, unable to come up with a comprehensive sentence. This didn't make sense. It didn't make sense at all.

"I know you must have many questions," Hange pulled a chair from a nearby table and sat in front of her. "And I'm willing to answer them. Despite what it looks like, I'm not your enemy, (Y/N)."

(Y/N) let out a noise of shock. "Not my enemy? Hange, you tied me to this pole, in a factory full of shimmer. What about that screams friendly to you? Was this all a lie? What...there has to be an explanation! I don't understand...I thought you wanted to help me."

"Oh, dear. That's a lot to unpack, isn't it? Let's take this from the beginning," Hange suggested. They extended a glass of water to her, but she shook her head fiercely. They shrugged and settled back into their seat, staring at her with a piercing gaze.

"When you first broke into my lab and kidnapped me, I had assumed you just wanted a hefty ransom or whatever. It wasn't until you told me about your shimmer situation did I agree to help you. I mean, why wouldn't I? It was a win—win situation for me," Hange said. "I got to stay close to you and see your every move. The determination in your eyes had told me that you wouldn't stop chasing after the person behind all this—which by the way is me—and in order to prevent you from finding my true identity, I had to play the role of somebody who wanted to help you."

(Y/N) was unable to speak. Hange had betrayed her. They had played her since the very start. This entire time, the person she had been hunting for had been right beside her. Suddenly, it made sense. Everything began to click together. The guards that were dealing the shimmer...how Augustus and Leo had died immediately after she had told Hange about them...how Jean was missing and how Hange had tried to pin the blame on him because he was close to her. Everything made sense. Except for one thing.

"Augustus and Leo were quite easy to take out," Hange sighed. "I did have to damage my precious lab, but...you were getting too close, dear. I had to take them out. It hurt me physically and mentally, but it was a necessary task."