Seulgi’s visits to the lab became frequent after and before work. She got to observe what a conscious Irene was like, how she was treated, and how picky of an eater she was. 

In the first few days, Irene behaved like a lost creature. Jumpy and always curious about her surroundings. She constantly lifted the padding of the bed and dived head in first. At times she covered herself in one of the thin sheets and sleep with the legs of the bed. But once she grew accustomed to the room that had nothing else but her bed, she was calmer and less of a freighting one. She began looking Seulgi, Johnny, and Sunny in the eyes more than scatter and cower when they showed up behind the glass window. 

For the first time and in a month, Seulgi forgot about finding Seol. She was riveted by Irene and her reunion with former classmate and friend, Jonny, was stronger. As she became obsessed with Irene’s growth and improvements, Johnny became obsessed with courting her. 

“Irene has yet to produce words but a breath of fresh air might do the trick,” Sunny hinted to Seulgi and Johnny. 

“You want us to take her outside?” Seulgi asked. More concerned than excited. 

Sunny hummed, “A walk around the building can’t hurt. Just make sure she doesn’t go beyond the dome.” 

Once Sunny was gone, Johnny fished out a rope from his pocket then he entered the room Irene was in. Behind the window, Seulgi watched as he carefully approached Irene. Then he showed Irene his bare wrist and slowly wrapped one end of the rope around it. He tied it then seconds later held out his rope-free hand to her. Irene’s eyes wandered for a moment. Seulgi could see that she was lost and confused so she gave the window a soft knock. Irene looked over after the sound. Seulgi raised her wrist up to her chest so Irene could see. Seulgi pointed from her wrist to Johnny. 

It took a few seconds longer but Irene understood eventually and offered her wrists out to the man. Johnny gently tied the other end to Irene then led her out of the room. 

Johnny walked over to Seulgi and smiled, “Let’s talk while we walk her.” 

Once Johnny passed by and pulled Irene after her, Seulgi noticed Irene’s eyes were glued on her. There was a hint of sadness and defeat in her lovely brown eyes. Though Seulgi couldn’t put a finger on it she knew there had to be a reason behind it. 

Outside, Seulgi and Johnny were 10 meters ahead of Irene as they all took a stroll around the boring industrial building. The place lacked beauty, decors, and plants; there was nothing but sandy brown dirt. 

“You wanted to talk,” Seulgi reminded the man. 

“I did. I have a lot of questions I wanted to ask you and I’m sure you have questions for me too.” 

Once he said that Seulgi couldn’t help but glanced back. It was true. She had questions about Irene. 

“Alright then. One question, one answer then we switch,” Seulgi said as she clasped her hands behind her back. 

Johnny couldn’t be bothered to hide his smile—he admired the authoritativeness. “I’ll start us off then. How’s the city?” When nothing was said, the crickets tell Johnny his question was too vague. “You see, from the moment I graduated, I was forced to come and live here. And only from the rooftop where we can see the city from here. Isn’t it funny? We both work for the government and yet, people like me can’t reenter the city unless I quit my job. But the government won’t allow it. My position is important but very unpopular. Very few want to live out their lives here.”  

Seulgi knew that those that worked the labs hardly came back to the city, but it was in the moment that she realized how dull and lonely that must be. Seulgi may not enjoy the constant festivals and partying, but it sounded better than nothing. 

“The city is...well the city. People are safe, comfortable, entitled, privileged,” Seulgi began then chuckled a little, “People’s biggest concerns are getting their drying laundry wet again and having children that aren’t theirs playing hide-and-seek in their houses. Robberies were on the rise but nothing the law enforcement couldn’t handle. Home security hasn’t been the best since Mr. Kim of WarLock’s death.” 

The mention of a familiar figure piqued Johnny’s interest, “Oh Mr. Kim of WarLock. Wasn’t he in between the candy shop and hair salon?”

Seulgi hummed cheerfully. 

“I remember running by it every day on my way to school. As kids, his store was intimidating since it seemed so dark compared to the other two,” Johnny reminisced. Seulgi laughed along with Johnny. Though they were more classmates than friends as children and adolescents, it was no secret that Johnny was afraid of the dark. “Enough about me,” Johnny said abruptly and Seulgi assumed he did so to stop her from teasing him about his past, “it’s your turn.” 

Seulgi’s laughter subsided, “Okay, um, how embarrassed were you when you mistook the light post as a ghost—bah-ha!” Seulgi erupted in laughter, failing to complete her question. She placed a hand over her stomach as she felt it ache and tighten from all the laughing. Johnny clicked his tongue and shot her a dirty look but her happiness overwhelmed him. And soon he found himself crackling along. 

“An Owl?” Chief Yeo asked under a sharp hushed. 

The president was leaned all the way back and seated behind his desk. Quietly, he picked at his salt and pepper stubble, pondering and weighing his options, “A weekly report from Lab C came in today. Dr. Lee believed the thing Seulgi found is an Owl.” 

Yeo scoffed in disbelief. “That can’t be. I thought the Owls have been wiped out?” 

“Wiped out within our reach but not completely around our planet.” 

The man’s words rang loud and true in Yeo’s ears. “Then what do you suppose we do, Mr. President?” 

“Swiftly and without drawing any attention I want you to put together a skilled and private team. Their mission is to roam farther than anyone ever had,”

“Yes, sir,” 

“Also, you need to stretch the fact that no one will be accountable for their lives but themselves,”

“Mr. President,” Yeo began, though he couldn’t believe what he was about to ask the leader of their nation. “If I dare ask...this private team...are you asking me to send them on a suicide mission…?” 

The cold and heartless man wasted not one millisecond when he challenged his most loyal subject, “Will that be too difficult for you?” when the other didn’t answer and hung his head instead, the president sighingly continued, “Jinuk, sometimes we must sacrifice a little to win a lot. Didn’t I warn you not to become too attached when I promoted you? You always did right by the people and I trust you to do it again. I trust your judgment and I trust you’ll find the best people for this job. Regardless of who they are,” President Kang said before pulling a file out from one of his cabinets and tossing it onto the desk for Yeo. 

Chief Yeo reached for the file. His eyes widened upon opening it. “Mr. President, this—but this—”

“Seulgi, my only living child, will lead your team.”

When Sunny suddenly radioed Johnny back into the building, the man left Seulgi in charge of Irene. And as she and Irene shared the wooden bench near one of the back doors, Seulgi couldn’t help but wonder. It seemed urgent and she’s never heard Sunny so expression and panicked before. 

Except for sickness and thievery, Rurakin faces no immediate danger. Or at the very least, hardly any. When Seol stepped out of Rurakin, very few were alarmed. One being their father, the current president. 

Seulgi was lost in thoughts until someone motioned a wave by her. Looking up, she turned her attention to the one who’d wave. Irene hadn’t made a sound or said a word so Seulgi briefly forgot she wasn’t alone. With a small smile, Seulgi tightened the rope around her hand. 

“I don’t know how you did it, Irene,” Seulgi began softly, “Being out there, alone, without so much of a breathing mask and still survived the thin air. But what I do know is that you’re not a monster or a threat to us.” 

The longer she gazed into Irene’s shimmering doe eyes, the more she wanted to know. However, she’s convinced she won’t get a word out of Irene as Sunny and Johnny believed that the woman is mute. 

Nothing was said for a long minute as Seulgi observed the woman rest a hand on her forearm. Curiosity filled Seulgi’s mind but she couldn’t utter a sound. Something in Irene’s dark irises tells Seulgi to watch carefully and quietly. And so she did. 

Seulgi said nothing when Irene retracted her hand, stood up slowly, turned her back to Seulgi, gripped the bottom of her dress, and slowly pulled it up until Seulgi could see her backside and what looked like a rope burn around her waist. The burn surprised Seulgi and before she knew it, she was already standing behind Irene and tracing the scar with her cool fingers. 

A wave of irritation washed over Seulgi momentarily. She knew the mark was new. When she first saw Irene at the gravesite, the woman had no obvious lesions. And because Seulgi did bring Irene to Rurakin, she felt responsible for the other, “Who did this to you? Was it Sunny or Johnny?”

Before the iciness in her tone could melt, they heard someone approaching and swiftly, Irene pulled down her dress. 

“Seulgi!” Johnny called out as he and Sunny turned the corner but came to a slow stop when he sensed the pair was displeased to see him and Sunny, “Everything alright?” 

“No,” Seulgi answered abruptly, not caring if she came across as mean or rude, “but it will be in a moment.” She dropped the rope from her hand then circled around Irene to remove the rest from her wrist. Now, with Irene standing behind her, Seulgi turned around to confront the lab workers. “When I handed Irene over, you both assured me she won’t be in any discomfort or harmed. But just now, I find her with burns, not around her wrists or ankles but her waist! Tell me I’m mistaken or you’ve both lied!” 

The shock on Johnny’s face and a blank expression on Sunny’s tells Seulgi all that she needed to know. 

“She is a test subject and it’s my job to do what I can to learn more about her” Sunny began, insouciantly, which further anger Seulgi. 

“So you did what? Put scars on her! What were you trying to see? If she’ll bleed? If she feels pain? If she—”

“You said!” Sunny shouted to silence Seulgi, “You said when you brought her in, she was breathing fine on her own. Doctors said her collapsing had nothing to do with the lack of air but from starvation and dehydration. As lab workers, we don’t get to explore or see what you see out there but as far as we can see, there’s nothing out there. So what did she live on before you found her? She must have wandered for a very long time and from a very far place. I admit I secure her tightly when I let her out of the dome. As scientists, I couldn’t just take your words for it. I had to see it for myself if she can truly breathe without the gears we’re forced to equip ourselves with. At the labs, we’re not given much to begin with so if she’d escape, we may have very well lost our only chance at hope.” 

Seulgi looked at Sunny with a quizzical frown. “What do you mean our only chance at hope?” 

When Sunny didn’t answer right away, Johnny chimed in kindly, “We know what Irene is.” 

Seulgi glanced over her shoulder shortly. What could Irene be other than human? 

“And what is she?” 

“An Ow—”

“That’s nothing of your concerns,” Sunny said, clearing , “I’ve been told you’re the president’s daughter. Any more questions you have should be reserved for him. Though I suppose it won’t happen as I feel you’re not close to each other. Your behavior just now obscures me. You deplore what I’ve done to the test subject but says nothing about the president and his plans. Should we be convinced you’re unaware?” 

The more Sunny spoke, the more confusing everything was. Sure, it wasn’t shocking that the Blue Boat receives reports from the laboratories, but plans? What exactly does the president have in store for Irene?

As Seulgi tried to make sense of everything, she felt something smaller but warmer in her hand. 

Irene’s hand.