# Chapter 136
Like any other time, Semi appeared during the party, Seeun avoided the place, and Iyeon opened the door to the emergency stairs where she had briefly gone to hide.
‘Seeun-ssi.’
‘…Iyeon oppa?’
And then, as everyone knows.
“Semi was caught.”
By none other than Heesu himself.
Because Seeun had encountered Iyeon first, she was trapped in the stairwell and couldn’t grasp how the situation was unfolding. She managed to escape the building by releasing her ability, but seeing the police cars and people in front of the hotel made her too afraid to think of contacting Semi or even Heesu.
Only after hurriedly returning home did she learn that Semi had been captured. She heard about the incident, which didn’t even make the news, through her father.
‘So Heesu took Semi away.’
‘What?’
Though Semi was often spiteful and acted as she pleased, she was still Seeun’s only sister. Not once had she ever wished for Semi to be captured by the Superpower Management Office.
‘What, what should we do? Will Heesu oppa release Semi?’
Unlike the surprised and confused Seeun, her father’s face showed little concern. He looked like someone who already knew all the outcomes.
‘Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to Semi.’
Her father stroked Seeun’s head. Since he rarely spoke nonsense, Seeun was reassured by his comfort. If Father said so, it would be alright. She would probably see Semi soon.
‘Unnie, do you want to see the video I filmed today?’
‘No. Not now, later.’
Seeun mumbled halfheartedly without even making eye contact with Mirae. Since Semi had been captured, she couldn’t focus on anything. She didn’t have the mental space to watch and edit a child’s daily videos.
Mirae brought up the videos a few more times after that, but as Seeun kept postponing, she eventually stopped mentioning them altogether. The two just sat side by side in silence, occasionally exchanging a few words, then falling quiet again.
‘Unnie, don’t you go to parties anymore?’
Since Seeun, who had always been the first to leave when there was a party, showed no signs of doing so for a while, Mirae seemed curious. Seeun laughed weakly at Mirae’s question.
‘No. I won’t go anymore.’
Given what had happened, she probably would never be able to go again. Seeun had attended too many parties and had become a familiar face, even without directly conversing with people. There was no need to create unnecessary trouble. Now there was no Heesu to let her in either. …It was regrettable but inevitable.
‘Why?’
‘Probably no one wants to see me anymore.’
Looking back, despite attending parties so frequently, she hadn’t formed a single meaningful relationship. She wondered why she had felt like she had everything. Seeun buried her head in her raised knees. Even she didn’t know exactly what made her feel so disappointed.
‘Then when I grow up, let’s go together.’
At that moment, a clear voice pierced her ear.
‘I’ll always want to see Unnie, so if I go there, that means there will be someone who wants to see you.’
‘…You.’
Seeun started to speak but felt a lump in her throat and stopped breathing. A slightly trembling voice flowed between her lips.
‘You wanted to see me?’
‘Yes.’
The cheerful voice replied without the slightest hesitation.
‘I keep coming because I want to see you.’
‘…I thought you came to look around this place.’
‘That’s nice too, but I also like being with Unnie.’
The child didn’t hide her feelings at all, openly revealing everything. The sincerity she poured out was as soft as cotton candy, yet when it soaked into Seeun’s heart, it stuck like grains of sugar. Not knowing what to say, Seeun simply reached out and stroked Mirae. She could feel the small head leaning into her gentle caress.
But no matter how much time passed, Semi did not return. Seeun grew more anxious with each passing day. If nothing was wrong, why wasn’t Semi released? Why was she still captured? Worry and anxiety increasingly enveloped Seeun’s heart. Even when she asked her father again, there was little gain.
‘Jin Heesu is playing all his tricks.’
That was all the grumbling she got in response.
Semi had teleportation abilities, so she could escape on her own anytime. Seeun didn’t know why she wasn’t using her power, but nothing good would come from being captured for this long.
‘Seeun, shall we just go get Semi ourselves?’
So she was glad when her father gave such instructions. Seeun nodded happily.
Getting Semi was easy. Seeun just had to follow her father’s instructions. Semi, who had been slumped listlessly in the car, brightened immediately upon seeing Seeun, and the two held hands and returned.
Once back home, Semi went straight down to the research lab with their father. The two immersed themselves in research, engaged in various discussions regardless of whether Seeun was hovering around. The only conversation she could understand was that they needed to execute the plan earlier than expected.
Seeun was accustomed to being forgotten when the two were absorbed in their work. She didn’t know what the plan was, but seeing them so focused that they even ate meals in the lab, it must be substantial. To avoid disturbing them, Seeun walked on tiptoes, entering and leaving the lab silently. She especially avoided going near the main research lab.
The reason she kept going down to the research lab, despite knowing nothing about the plan or its progress, was simple. This was Heesu’s house—the one who had taken Semi. He could come into the main house anytime, so the only place to hide was the research lab.
And…
‘Mirae, are you here?’
She could also see her young friend there.
‘Not here today either.’
Seeun wearily slumped down in a corner after carefully whispering while searching empty rooms. Strangely, Mirae hadn’t been seen recently. Clearly, they had parted with smiles just the day before Seeun went to rescue Semi.
She searched the entire research lab several times for places where Mirae might be hiding, but all in vain. It wasn’t just that their paths hadn’t crossed—there was no trace of her. Is this a busy time for elementary school students? What would they be doing…? Even after thinking deeply, Seeun, who hadn’t attended elementary school, didn’t know how children Mirae’s age spent their days.
Perhaps Mirae had made a new friend at school. No matter how spacious the research lab was, there was a limit to what could be explored without remodeling, and although they had conversations, Seeun didn’t really play with the child. Her interest would have faded easily.
That’s good. This place was never meant for outsiders to come and go. Seeun tried hard to think that way. It would be better not to encounter each other anymore.
Despite thinking this, she couldn’t help feeling drained. Not seeing someone she had seen every day for several days left her daily life feeling empty. Seeun only then realized that she had enjoyed her time with Mirae more than she had thought.
Without Mirae, Seeun had no reason to be diligent about visiting. After sitting blankly for a long time in the main research lab, she suddenly felt thirsty and stood up, only to meet Semi’s eyes. Father had disappeared a few days ago, saying he had things to do. During that time, Semi acted as if she were the owner of the main research lab.
‘You’re here often these days?’
‘Just, I’ve seen everything there is to see.’
‘Well, you don’t understand much anyway.’
Though the lightly affirmative voice contained no criticism, Seeun felt deflated for no reason. At some point, Seeun had become tense when talking to Semi, just like when she faced her father.
‘But you were helpful.’
‘Huh?’
‘You did something quite commendable.’
At first, she thought it might be thanks for helping Semi escape, but the focus seemed oddly different. Looking at Semi with round eyes, not understanding what she meant, Semi smiled slyly.
‘That little kid didn’t keep her guard up, so things worked out easily.’
Thump. Her heart beat violently as if it had malfunctioned.
‘She called you Secret Unnie, right? That was you?’
Seeun just blinked, frozen in place. Countless words stuck to the back of her throat, unable to form language.
‘…Mirae?’
She had to squeeze out all her strength just to utter that one word.
‘Why are you so surprised?’
But Semi looked at her as if her reaction was strange.
‘This was our plan all along.’
