[FLASHBACK]
January 3, 2023, 9:01pm, Daegu, South Korea.
Approximately 9 hours before the apocalypse.
"I'm going to sleep now, you dummy ONCEs! Hope this New Year be well for you, I'll see you real soon, I promise! goodnight kekekeke~!"
Jihyo presses send on the Bubble chat and closes the application.
She then scrolls around her phone until she sees the name "TWICE Nayeon", and video calls her.
Nayeon answers quite quickly.
"Hey! Nayeon-ah!" Jihyo waved at her.
"Jihyo-ya!" Nayeon replied as she waves back and shows her bunny teethed smile. Her dark brown hair was tied to a bun, and she was wearing light make-up to complete her simple, yet beautiful look.
"How was your road trip with Jeongyeon-ah?" Jihyo said as she was facing her phone, looking at Nayeon who seemed to be walking around a grocery store.
"Oh, we're just currently on a stopover, doing extra groceries for our trip to Gwangju tomorrow. We're going to sleep in the car after this, then continue the trip when we wake early."
Nayeon then fell silent for a short while.
"....you alright?" Jihyo asked. "Or is my phone lagging.."
"No, no, its just that I'm just being alert right now." She replied as Jihyo saw Nayeon looking from left to right. "Jeongyeon has been surprising me with jumpscares lately. She already got me three times, Jihyo-ya. THREE freaking times. I'm not going to fall for it again."
Jihyo chuckled. "Well, now I know you both are having fun."
"How about you, Jihyo? How's Daegu?" Nayeon asked.
"The trip was a long one. So long that Mina had to take a rest when she got to the hotel, telling me that we should just travel around tomorrow.. I can't blame her." Jihyo replied.
She then moved the phone to where Mina was as Nayeon looked. She was sleeping peacefully, all snuggled up on the bed with a comforter, hugging her teddy bear, Tim, by her side.
"Aww.. she still looks beautiful even while asleep.." Nayeon cooed as Jihyo saw her grab some chips from an aisle.
Jihyo points the phone at her face once more, then takes a deep breath.
"You're still confused, are you?" Nayeon asked Jihyo. "About our decision to take a break."
"Well... I just wish there was another way." Jihyo replied. "I don't want ONCEs to be upset, but I don't want us to get drained completely, either.. I want to keep performing on stage. It's something we love doing, but..."
"The times are really tough, Jihyo." Nayeon replied. "We've been working hard since 2020, and we haven't had a full rest since. I mean, we do, on several occassions, yes, but it feels... lacking. I believe some of us have already spiraled down into Exhaustion Avenue and we didn't even know. It's good that you voiced out your concern of resting to the higher-ups..." Nayeon stuffs a bag of candies on her grocery basket.
"...and good thing they listened.." She silently muttered under her breath.
"I've never felt this... torn before. We've been doing this for nearly a decade now. Can you believe it? We have released alot of songs, performed in alot of stages and concerts, and made wondrous memories... for almost a decade! And now I feel like needing quite the long break, but... our ONCEs... I..."
"I know you're worried about our beloved ONCEs, but Jihyo... look at it this way--- some of us really wanted that break." Nayeon replied. "Just take a look at Sana, Dahyun, and Momo. As soon as JYPe agreed, they just took off to their own solo adventures immediately without even telling us where they went. No group chat updates, no Twicetagram updates, no Bubble updates. I think they're making the most out of it this time." Nayeon said as she grabbed more chips.
"...." Jihyo just looked away.
"Look..." Nayeon said. "Time will tell if our decision was right. We could end our hiatus anytime, and go back to performing if everyone really wanted to, right?"
"Yes, yes. I know." Jihyo replied.
"So.. while we wait.. why don't we just savor every moment of it? We are already here. And besides, I bet ONCEs wants us to take a break too, after seeing us working hard these past 3 years. So... relax. Have a little bit of fun too, y'know?"
"Yeah. You're right." Jihyo smiled at her.
"I know you need the break as well. And you should take it! Remember, a well-rested Jihyo is a cute, happy Ji---HYAAAAAA!" Nayeon suddenly screamed as Jihyo sees her drop the phone on the floor. Another woman then picks it up. She had a blonde, wavy hair, and she was seemingly wearing a dark fur coat. She had no makeup, but she was absolutely beautiful, nonetheless.
It was Jeongyeon.
"I got you again!" the bare-faced Jeongyeon said, laughing hysterically as she looks at the phone. "Oh, is this Jihyo? Jihyo! The cutest in the world! Huhuhu, I miss you already!"
"Hello, my best buddy Jeongie! I miss you too..." Jihyo pouted. "Glad you're okay and you're having fun!" Jihyo said as she smiled.
Jihyo hears a faint but angry "Jeongyeon!" from Nayeon in the distance.
"Oh, I gotta go. Nayeon is going to kill me, hehe, I love you Jihyo, please take care with Mina, see you at Incheon soon, bye bye!" Jeongyeon said as she began to run, still laughing as she dropped the call. Jihyo chuckled.
"Oh, Jeongyeon, Nayeon.. you two never change..." She muttered to herself as she puts away her phone.
Jihyo lay down next to Mina, pondering about what Nayeon said. She was right. She needed to relax. These past few years have been rough, and they needed the rest.
She closed her eyes and dozed off to a dreamless sleep.
The night passes on, and soon enough, dawn breaks. Jihyo wakes up to Mina making coffee on the kitchen area. She checks the time: 6:01am.
"Mina.. you're awake.. It's too early." Jihyo said, rubbing her eyes.
"Oh, Jihyo-eonni, goodmorning. I just wanted to rise early and make it up to you, I slept like a log last night.." Mina said, pouting as she poured the coffee she made into two cups.
"No, no it's fine. I get it, you're tired. Even I was." Jihyo said as she stretched her arms.
"I'll make it up today. Can we take a stroll after we've had coffee..?" Mina said as she gave Jihyo a cup of Americano coffee. "It just looks so peaceful outside at this time."
"Why not? This is what we came here for anyway." Jihyo giggled.
After their morning coffee, they changed their clothes before going out. Jihyo wore her black fur coat and yellow jeans, while Mina sported a dark blue hoodie and black jeans. She then wore her teddy bear, Tim, as a backpack, and finally, a necklace consisting of 18 pearls.
"Wow. You're really wearing that necklace I bought you two years ago." Jihyo said.
"Well, Jihyo-eonni, I'm proud of your gift. I feel like I attract good vibes ever since I got it. And best of all, I feel even more beautiful with it." Mina smiled.
"With or without it, you're always beautiful, my dear Mina." Jihyo combed her hair as she gave a wide grin. "Now, let's get that stroll."
Before they finally went out, both of them covered their faces with a face mask, to shield them from paparazzi and fans.
They took time to just walk around leisurely and aimlessly around Daegu, talking about their experiences--- their previous comebacks, friends, and songs.
As they continued to drown themselves in their conversation, something hard falls on top of Mina. As Jihyo and Mina look on the ground, they realize it was a hailstone, and more of them are falling.
"Owow.." Mina exclaimed, rubbing her head.
"Hail..? I don't remember a forecast about hail.. Ah. We gotta take cover for now." Jihyo exclaimed, lowering and holding Mina's head to shield her from the hail as they rushed to find cover.
But before they could take another step, the sky roared. Jihyo and Mina watched in horror as an icy, cube-like structure whizzed past Daegu at an incredible speed, and she sees alot of glowing cube-like things falling from the sky to their location.
"W-what.. the heck is that?" Mina shook in horror. Jihyo's eyes widened.
"Let's keep going, Mina, lets go back to the hotel!" Jihyo said as they began running.
The next few seconds were too fast. Hail was still pouring, but this time, along with large, glowing icy cubes that started to crash to nearby buildings, cars and sidewalks. These same icy cubes beep and glow in intense light, and explodes, slowly freezing everything around them.
"Jihyo-eonni, are we gonna make it back..?" Mina said, shivering.
"We'll make it in time! I'll keep you safe, I promise!" Jihyo muttered as they kept running and running.
Soon, they hear a faint explosion, followed by a rumble that catches them off balance, making them sit on the ground. After that, everything fell silent.
For a moment, atleast.
People around them are still running in panic. Jihyo sees more cube bombs fall from afar.
"Mina, are you hurt..?" Jihyo said as she checked on Mina, who was now clinging to her tightly.
"No, but I'm scared... What is going on..?" Mina said, still shivering due to the fear and cold.
Jihyo and Mina see what seems to be the one of the cube-like structures one block from where they are.
It then begans beeping.
Horrified, and without another word, she immediately rolled over to a covered area and hugged Mina as tight as she could, bracing herself for what's to come.
The beeping goes faster, and then, the cube explodes.
A cold wind followed by an immense icy shockwave tore their path. Jihyo hung on to Mina for as long as her strength could muster, in what seemed to be an endless onslaught of ice and snow.
Jihyo feels weaker by the minute. She knows she couldn't handle the cold any longer and that she would pass out, but she kept on hugging Mina.
The last thing on her mind before she blacked out was that atleast, Mina was safe.
January 5, 2023, 2:01pm, Daegu, South Korea.
Jihyo wakes up slowly to a slight, creeping pain all over her body. She slowly realizes she's covered in snow, and tries to wiggle free, grunting at every movement of her body. She still hasn't opened her eyes, however, she hears faint voices in the background: one that seemed to be male and female. She tried to listen to them.
"Hmph. Those cryogen detonators really worked just as hypothesized, Feurcleit, but I didn’t know we would have survivors like this one over here..." a woman said. "She even managed to wound us. What kind of.."
"I know. This one is a fascinating being." The man replied.
"This human with an animal backpack... This might be what we are looking for after all. The research should move along soon with this." The woman replied.
When Jihyo heard the woman mention a human with an animal backpack, she suddenly felt a burst of energy coursing through her system. She slowly managed to open her eyes and was shocked to see the now desolate Daegu blanketed with snow, ice, and destruction. Near her were two slightly pale human figures, who she deducted were the voices she heard earlier.
The man had an icy trench coat with bits and pieces of mirror-like designs all over. His face was pale, and his eyes were glowing with a shade of dark blue. He was wearing what seemed to be like a hi-tech monocle that didn't look like it was made on Earth. Next to him was a woman who was wearing glasses and had the same slight pale complexion as the man. She was wearing what it looks like a black and white jumpsuit, riddled with frozen alien tech all over.
Jihyo watched as the woman picked up a figure on the ground. Her eyes widened as she saw that it was Mina-- bruised and seemingly passed out.
She immediately tried to stand up with all the strength she could muster. Still shivering, Jihyo slowly walked toward the two figures.
"M..Mina..!" She muttered. The woman notices her approach.
"Oh, look, Feurcleit, we got a cute little survivor." The woman said as she drops Mina to the ground and approaches Jihyo. She then grabbed her by the neck as Jihyo struggled to pry loose.
"What.. have you done to her..?! Give... back... M-Mina..!" Jihyo struggled.
"Oh, so that's your friend's name. Don't worry, we're going to take care of her for you. You don't need to do anything anymore." she replied with a smile.
"N..no..! What are you.. going to do with her..?" Jihyo struggled further.
"It's none of your business, human. You don't need to know, for you're going to perish anywa--"
Jihyo, with all her strength, suddenly lands a punch on the woman's face. She doesn't know why she did it, probably out of pure instinct and desire to save Mina. The woman flinches as she wipes her mouth.
"You'll... pay.. for this.." Jihyo muttered.
"Why you desperate little--" she then tightened the grip on Jihyo's neck.
"Platina, that's enough. You're wasting energy, and we are lagging behind schedule. I still need to assess other areas for potential subjects for experimentation. We're done here." Feurcleit said. "Leave the human be. She's not going to last long, our Scrapers are already deployed around this area. If she survives that, our soldiers will deal with her. In any case, she dies."
"Tsk, you're no fun." Platina said as she threw Jihyo on the snowy ground. She walks back towards Feurcleit.
"She had guts." Feurcleit remarked. "Hitting you, the mighty Koul'in General Platina." He chuckled.
"Shut up. I would've killed her if you didn't stop me. You just showed her mercy, and we Koul'ins don't do that. Just say you're a weak Koul'in General incapable of killing, and go." Platina replied.
"I'm just choosing my battles, unlike you. And hey, you're the cocky one here. If I got grabbed in the neck like that, I would've punched you too." Feurcleit replied.
"I'd like to see you try. Now come on. We still have other areas to go." Platina said as she picks up Mina and leave the area.
Feurcliet looks at Jihyo for a brief while before he leaves as well.
Jihyo couldn't do anything but hold her neck as she coughed. She wanted to stand once more. She knew she still had the strength to. She wanted to fight them.
But she couldn't.
"M.. Mina, no.." She helplessly watched as Feurcleit and Platina carry Mina away until they were out of her sight.
Hours have passed. Jihyo was huddled in a corner infront of a barely intact building, shivering and lost. She doesn't know where to go or what to do. She looks around her as she sees the once lively streets of Daegu now a frozen wasteland. People were frozen all over, stores destroyed and many of the cars are smashed, buried in ice and snow.
As she tries to keep herself warm, she hears faint footsteps. These footsteps slowly become nearer and heavier, and as Jihyo looks around, she sees a huge, snowy golem-like humanoid towering over her.
This must be one of the Scrapers that Feurcleit was talking about.
Jihyo slowly stood up as it roars and starts to swing its pale disfigured arm towards her. Tired, cold, and lost all hope, she just stood there, gazing at the pale creature. At this point, she just wanted to be taken. There wasn't anything to hope for anymore.
But then..
She unconsciously dodged the creature's swing.
She didn't understand her sudden action. Was it out of instinct? Adrenaline? It didn't matter. Her body moved on its own. Something inside of her was clearly telling her to survive, and now, she felt committed to do so. She looked behind her and sees the door unlocked. She barges in and makes a run for it.
The Scraper swings one of its arms toward the building as it destroys a wall and pursues Jihyo. She makes a run for the back entrance as the creature just bulldozes along the walls. She continues running toward the next building as the Scraper continues its relentless pursuit.
Jihyo makes it out in the open street. She looks back and sees the creature still chasing her. The Scraper topples a few high voltage wires along the way. The wires makes contact with its skin, but it looked unfazed by the live electricity coursing through its seemingly tough exterior.
"Tsk.. Persistent.." She said as she reaches another building and this time, tries to climb up to the highest floor. The creature spots her path as it swings it's arm towards the ceiling, narrowly missing Jihyo.
The foundations of the building suddenly crumble due to the attack, and the a quarter of the building topples into the creature, seemingly burying it in metal and concrete.
Jihyo takes a deep breath. She was now on the second floor of the building, still alert. Not wanting to believe that the creature is finally dead, she continues climbing and reaches the rooftop of the building.
She takes a few minutes of her time trying to regain her strength. Her legs were shaking, her heart was racing, and she was already shivering due to cold.
A rumble was heard from below. Jihyo watched as the Scraper slowly tries to pry loose from the rubble it was buried on.
She had nowhere to run. There was a building next to her that she can jump on, but she hesitated.
Then again, she has no other choice.
Jihyo closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She backs a little, sprints towards the edge of the building and jumps.
Jihyo narrowly misses the rooftop of the other building and falls, but she manages to grab a window ledge on the third floor. Her whole body hits the concrete wall as she did. Jihyo let out a pained scream as she held on to the ledge tight.
It wasn't too long before Jihyo felt the strain in her hands and arms. She desperately tried to hang on, for she knows that if she falls from this height, she's done for.
Suddenly, she feels someone grab her wrists.
"I got you..!" A male voice suddenly spoke to her as he continued clinging on her wrists, trying to prevent her from falling. Jihyo was frightened. She thinks it might be another one of those icy aliens.
"Oh god.. You better not be one of them!" Jihyo said.
"Nope! I sure don't want to look like them, they're hella ugly!" The voice replied.
Jihyo chuckles, letting out a sigh of relief. For a moment, she felt safe. She doesn't know who this person is, but she was glad that she wasn't alone in dealing with whatever this is anymore.
There's hope, and it shined upon her just in time, she thought.
"Glad to know we are on the same page. Now please hurry up and pull me over. I can't feel my hands."