# Chapter 145
Before anyone could say anything, Semi appeared beside Taejin. After safely bringing Taejin to an area where the thorns couldn’t reach, Semi stood in front of him protectively, facing Sano.
“What’s this now.”
Sano’s eyeballs rolled around. Soon after, the thorns changed direction. This time, the attack was aimed at Semi.
“Mirae, close your eyes for a moment.”
“Uncle, are you okay? Sano is… to the secret unnie…”
Iyeon hurriedly turned Mirae around and embraced her. Mirae’s muffled voice could be heard as he wrapped her face against his chest and firmly pressed the back of her head. He couldn’t tell her the truth, nor could he let her witness the explicit scene unfolding. Iyeon awkwardly patted Mirae’s back.
“It’s okay. It’s okay. Right now, Sano is… playing with the secret unnie.”
“Playing?”
“Yeah. Remember when we went to the amusement park? It’s similar to that. The secret unnie is having so much fun that she’s jumping up and down.”
As Iyeon told this outrageous lie to comfort Mirae, she looked uncertain but soon nodded. From a distance, it might somewhat resemble riding an amusement park ride. Including the part where falling off would mean death…
“Sano and I came to take Mirae to her mom.”
“Mom?”
Iyeon barely stopped Mirae from excitedly raising her head and buried her face back in his arms.
“Yes. Your mom asked me for a favor. Remember when we went to the amusement park together? That was also your mom’s request.”
“That’s right. Uncle played with me instead of mom.”
“This is similar. Your mom said she misses you so much she can’t stand it.”
“Really? Mom misses me?”
“Of course. Your mom talks about you all the time.”
Staying as far away as possible from the sharp explosive and cutting sounds, Iyeon spoke gently to Mirae. Fortunately, Mirae was quickly distracted by talk of her mother.
Just then, something tugged at the hem of Iyeon’s pants as he comforted Mirae.
[Mirae friend.]
It was ChilChil. Mirae, just now noticing the small furry doll, exclaimed in surprise.
“Mom!”
Iyeon barely managed to lift Mirae as she bent down to reach for ChilChil, then squatted to pick up the doll himself. He examined the now dirty doll. It seemed Mirae had named the doll after her mother.
“ChilChil-ssi doesn’t look like D.S-ssi though…”
Iyeon muttered somewhat glumly. Mirae responded firmly to his comment.
“Mom gave this to me and told me to think of her. So this is mom.”
So that’s why D.S had been receiving calls non-stop. Just calling the name would have transmitted video… As Iyeon hesitated to give the child the doll covered in dirt and dust, Mirae snatched ChilChil up.
[Hello, Mirae. I am ChilChil.]
“ChilChil? Not mom?”
[Yes. Mirae’s mother is separate. She is very worried about you.]
At those words, Mirae rolled her round eyes. Her face showed slight concern.
“Why is she worried? Did I do something wrong?”
“No, no.”
Iyeon, startled, quickly denied it. After reassuring her that Mirae hadn’t done anything wrong at all, she nodded obediently with a sullen face. Once Mirae calmed down, ChilChil got to the main point.
[We need a bed.]
“…Excuse me?”
[The current time is almost 11 PM. It’s way, way past Mirae’s bedtime.]
“Wow! ChilChil can talk too!”
Mirae murmured in amazement. “How can it talk?” she chirped, turning ChilChil around with sparkling eyes. Regardless of what the child was doing, ChilChil stubbornly continued speaking.
[Is there somewhere for Mirae to lie down?]
“Does it look like there is?”
[Mirae likes fluffy blankets.]
“…”
Iyeon wondered how D.S had programmed the AI to be so obsessed with sleep. This was hardly the time to put a child to bed… Even as Iyeon looked at ChilChil with such eyes, the doll didn’t withdraw its demand. Being a robot, it seemed to lack social awareness.
Glancing toward Sano, he appeared busy fighting Semi. Well, it was more like a one-sided attack than a fight…
There was no way Semi could be a match for Sano. All she had was the teleportation ability. Just avoiding Sano’s attacks from a distance would be overwhelming enough.
Even if she somehow managed to approach Sano, she wouldn’t stand a chance in physical combat.
“Ugh!”
Just as she teleported behind Sano and tried to kick his side, a large hand caught her ankle. Her light body flew effortlessly. If she hadn’t barely managed to use teleportation right before crashing into the wall, something would certainly have broken.
“In this situation, how could Mirae possibly fall asleep…”
Iyeon muttered glumly. Even adults couldn’t sleep in this chaotic environment with constant explosive sounds from the battle.
[Based on Mirae friend’s physical condition, there can be no compromise on childcare guidelines.]
“Look, height is mostly determined by genetic factors.”
[Are you saying you maintained a healthy lifestyle and still ended up that size?]
“…”
He had spent two years just sprawled out sleeping.
[We need a bed.]
Getting tired of the bickering, Iyeon waved his hand half-heartedly. The request was absurd, but making a bed itself wasn’t difficult.
Just wait till Mirae doesn’t fall asleep after lying down… While childishly plotting, white sand formed a child-sized bed. When the fluffy blanket was perfectly materialized according to the demanding request, Iyeon placed Mirae on the bed, deliberately blocking her view of the battle scene. Mirae, released from his arms, looked at Iyeon in confusion.
“Mirae, let’s lie down here. It’s bedtime.”
“Huh?”
Iyeon thought Mirae wouldn’t lie down in this situation, but surprisingly, she didn’t seem to mind. The child’s adaptability was amazing… Iyeon also created earmuff headbands and put them on Mirae. He had been concerned about the rough battle sounds echoing since earlier.
“Uncle.”
Mirae, wearing the round furry earmuffs, sat upright and pulled Iyeon closer. As Iyeon bent his waist and brought his face close to Mirae’s, she whispered in his ear.
“Hey, can I say goodnight to the secret unnie before sleeping?”
“That’s…”
If Mirae looked at Semi now, she would also see her condition. With that thought, Iyeon couldn’t turn his head. He made eye contact with Mirae and smiled awkwardly.
There was no way Semi would look presentable while fighting Sano. Even from the brief glimpse Iyeon had earlier, she already looked quite disheveled. Mirae seemed to have built a deep bond with Semi, so seeing Semi’s battered state would make things much worse.
There was no time to calmly explain to Mirae what Semi had done. It was also questionable whether Mirae would understand.
“That unnie also wants Mirae to get a good rest now. Let’s say hello later when we meet her.”
That was the best Iyeon could offer. At those words, Mirae wriggled under the covers. Her tiny fingers tightly gripped the edge of the snow-white blanket that came up to her neck.
“Uncle.”
“Yes?”
“My mom always said to meet later too.”
“…”
Her tone was excessively calm for a young child. Momentarily at a loss for words, Iyeon closed his mouth.
“I know everyone is busy, but… but I’m still waiting.”
The child, showing consideration beyond her years, looked more dejected than usual today. It was heartbreaking to see how accustomed she had become to hiding her feelings, not wanting to be a burden or disliked. Iyeon stroked Mirae’s head.
“No one has forgotten.”
“…”
“No one has forgotten about Mirae.”
Mirae pulled the blanket up to just below her nose.
“Okay.”
Iyeon picked up ChilChil, which had fallen haphazardly in the corner of the bed as Mirae lay down, and placed it beside her. Feeling the soft touch on her shoulder, Mirae naturally hugged ChilChil and closed her eyes. The somewhat irritating mechanical voice seeped out again.
[Confirmed that Mirae is lying in bed.]
“Yes, yes. Please put her to sleep quickly.”
[Safety zone secured. Contact with the subject in progress. Would those nearby please step back.]
“Huh?”
“What?”
[Moving to the preset location.]
Before understanding what those words meant, a faint light emerged from ChilChil. When Iyeon reflexively removed his hand from the bed and stepped back half a step, a spherical range spread around ChilChil. It was large enough to completely cover Mirae lying down.
Feeling the characteristic floating sensation of teleportation, Mirae opened her eyes in surprise. As the eyes of the two, Iyeon and Mirae, met, with a “pop” sound, everything within the range touching ChilChil disappeared.
Because the blanket, bed frame, and mattress were all precisely cut according to the range, ChilChil briefly hovered in the air before falling onto the circular hole in the floor. Though Iyeon had never seen this form before, he could easily guess what it was. A stunned murmur escaped through his lips.
“A portal…”
