Seoul Object Story

The battle against the giant I faced all the way in America had been truly challenging. I used to think those Objects I fought in America were tougher than usual, but it turned out I wasn’t just imagining it. Next time Yerin and I go on a trip abroad, we definitely need to avoid America.

I sprawled out on the dirt floor, feeling completely relaxed, and gazed up at the sky. There, the twinkling stars sparkled like diamonds, and the moonlight bathed everything in a gentle glow. Mini moons, small and irregularly lined up around a large gray moon, reminded me of the Mini Reapers.

Not only did their size bring back memories, but their irregular shapes also made me chuckle. Alongside them, there was a large ring encircling the mini moons, not particularly bright but certainly eye-catching. That simple circular ring was clearly the same one I had seen inside the ‘eye.’

It would have been fun if I could shoot beams from that ring of light—something like “Satellite Attack!”

The Black Reaper and Golden Reaper gathered around me, enjoying themselves in the dirt, taking advantage of the empty space left by the battle.

Punch—! Punch—!

The Golden Reaper swung its tiny fist, only for the Black Reaper to skillfully block it with both hands.

Shake—! Shake—!

Then, the Black Reaper shook its head, took a stance, and extended its fist, demonstrating a controlled punch—far more refined than the Golden Reaper’s wild flailing.

Clap clap clap—!

Amazing!

The Golden Reaper applauded the Black Reaper, clearly impressed. Meanwhile, the Black Reaper flashed its shark-like teeth, giggling with confidence.

It seemed fighting was a popular pastime among the Golden Reapers. They grabbed the Black Reapers one by one, eager to listen to their martial arts lesson.

The little ones flailed their arms and legs, making me laugh out loud.

While I watched the mini Reapers’ martial arts training with a smile, one Black Reaper came over and poked my cheek.

“Mom too!”

The Black Reaper smiled brightly, encouraging me to join in.

Hmm…

I wasn’t particularly confident in my athletic abilities, but it was hard to refuse.

Before I knew it, the number of mini Reapers wanting me to join them multiplied, and countless Golden Reapers and Black Reapers surrounded me. Their bright eyes, sparkling with pure curiosity, reminded me of meerkats.

When I finally pretended to give in to their pleas and got up, a Black Reaper as big as me was already waiting, bumping its fist.

A makeshift mini Reaper coliseum formed around me as the mini Reapers encircled me.

Wait… Wasn’t I supposed to be taking martial arts classes?

I was worse at sports than the Golden Reaper, let alone the Black Reaper.

“Cheer up, Mom!”

After hearing the Golden Reapers’ enthusiastic cheers, I reluctantly raised my fist, and the Black Reaper closed the distance with nimble steps.

Bang—!

Then, a loud impact echoed in my head.

I raised my guard just in time to see the Black Reaper’s punch flow through the gap like water. It didn’t hurt, thanks to my physical immunity, but I couldn’t even muster the strength to throw a punch.

“Mom, you’re weak!”

The Golden Reapers laughed and thoroughly enjoyed themselves.

“This is domestic violence!”

That domestic violence continued until the American Object Association people arrived to investigate the scene.

***Time flew, and by morning, Object Association employees were combing through the forest, snapping pictures and gathering information.

They documented the massive footprints of the giant—the shapes of collapsed trees and buildings. The most common traces among them were baby footprints, both large and small. There were the prints of a Mini Reaper, the Gray Reaper, and the 5-meter-tall Giant Reaper.

This site once again confirmed that the Gray Reaper could traverse long distances with ease.

However, the leader of Team Number 1, in charge of this site, was troubled by another issue.

Surrounded by numerous documents on a table set up in a large investigation tent, the team leader of the 1st Object Special Forces muttered to himself as he flipped through the papers.

“This is a big deal.”

The documents he was reviewing contained preliminary investigation results on the people rescued from the Eyeball Church.

“Yes. I think it’s a very big deal.”

But, contrary to his musings, a low voice replied to him.

When the team leader, startled to find someone nearby, looked up, he saw an investigator from the support team approaching the table with a serious expression.

The team leader calmed his surprise and spoke to the investigator, who had come from the association headquarters.

“I haven’t even submitted the report properly yet, and you’re already here.”

“This is serious. Even the association thinks it’s a huge problem.”

The report the investigator placed on the table was a chaotic compilation of notes and field observations hastily cut and pasted together.

Written in haphazard letters at the top of the report were the words:

< Possibility of artificial superhuman development through torture. >

The investigator rubbed his temples, as if suffering from a headache, and grumbled, “This is really, really big. If this news spreads, there will be so many kidnappings and instances of torture.”

“But it wouldn’t be easy to control the information from spreading. The Eye Cult isn’t limited to just the United States.”

A gentle breeze fluttered through the tent, causing the pages of the report on the table to rustle and turn.

The report indicated that victims of the Eye Cult had developed some sort of Object-like or superhuman abilities.

***As soon as Seoah returned to the lab after being questioned by the association regarding the Eye Cult kidnapping incident, she stumbled upon a large-scale construction site.

“Construction? What on earth are they building all of a sudden?”

It seemed far too extensive to be merely a repair job. Following the trail of construction materials, she found herself at the basement housing the enormous golden statue.

There, a multitude of construction materials were being moved in, and work was bustling to build a large bathroom. As Seoah turned her gaze to grasp what kind of construction this was, she caught sight of Sehee, brightly giving instructions to the workers.

“Director Lee Sehee!”

“Ugh.”

When Seoah called out Sehee’s name loudly, Sehee groaned before quickly running off.

“Director Sehee! What kind of money are you using to fund this construction?!”

Seoah chased after Sehee, firing questions, but Sehee merely covered her ears, pretending not to hear, and dashed away.

“My head…”

In the end, after failing to catch the nimble Sehee, Seoah grasped her head, feeling a sudden headache wash over her.

She had no choice but to meet her in the director’s office, yet Sehee still managed to escape.

Grumbling to herself, Seoah looked around. The construction that had already begun seemed unavoidable, so she planned to take a quick glance, but something unusual was happening at the site.

It must have been Sehee’s doing.

The Golden Reapers were perched on the shoulders of the construction workers, grinning as they wiped away their sweat. Meanwhile, large Black Reapers were carrying heavy construction materials with ease.

Jealous of the Black Reapers’ strength, the Golden Reapers carried small stones on their shoulders, imitating the heavy steps of the Black Reapers before “throwing” the stones into the waste material collection area.

Seoah found the sight of the weak Golden Reapers to be somewhat endearing, but she suddenly snapped back to reality. Their cuteness almost made her forget about her duties as a researcher.

Shaking her head slightly to regain her focus, her heart sank as she surveyed the chaos in the basement.

Exposing Objects with mind corruption abilities to the workers!

She’s not in her right mind…

Seoah rubbed her temples, the headache intensifying.

< Don’t get tired! Please! >

< Don’t get sick! Please! >

The Blue Reapers were tending to the workers.

The Orange Reapers were floating around, clearing away concrete debris.

A Bud Reaper pot sat in the workers’ resting area on one side of the construction site.

The Black Reapers showcased their strength, rivaling that of cranes.

And lastly,

The Golden Reapers cheered the workers on while clearing away rocks.

It was hard to discern if this was a construction site or the Garden of the Mini Reapers.

Seoah took one last look at the facility’s blueprints and hurried to find Sehee. The documents she checked contained something unbelievable: an underground indoor swimming pool, a bathhouse, and a water park connected to both above and below ground.

It was a Mini Reaper Water Park that was more than twice the size of the Sehee Research Institute.

She needed to find Sehee quickly to stop whatever she was planning.

***Late at night, in a room at a hospital near Songpa-gu.

A security team member slowly regained consciousness and lifted her eyelids.

An unfamiliar ceiling, a bed with curtains typical of a hospital, and the faint hum of a refrigerator.

Oh, thank goodness, it’s a hospital.

Though it had been two days since she arrived, every time she woke up, she felt anxious that this place might be that hellish cave.

Her younger sister, whom she had been trying to rescue, was currently in containment. It wasn’t because she had been mind corrupted by an Object, but it seemed she needed treatment due to the extreme violence she had exhibited.

As she tossed and turned uncomfortably due to the bandages, she began to hear a small sound.

Crunch—! Crunch—!

The crunching noise came from beyond the curtain.

It sounded like someone was peeling an apple.

Could it be?

She slowly opened the curtain and peeked outside the bed, spotting the Blue Reaper sitting at the table next to her, peeling an apple with a serious expression.

“Reaper!”

The security team member tried to jump up in joy but was halted by the bandages and pain enveloping her body.

< Lie down properly and wait. Please! >

Noticing her grimacing expression, the Blue Reaper scribbled an unreadable string of words with a worried look. Then, she felt a soft and gentle pressure as she sank back into the bed.

The Blue Reaper, awkwardly peeling an apple larger than its body, stabbed the small pieces with a fork made of water and held them out.

< Open your mouth! Please! >

Was the Blue Reaper trying to feed her?

The security team member felt touched.

No matter how close she was with the Blue Reaper, she never expected such a sweet gesture!

As she waited with her mouth wide open in anticipation, the apple, wobbling, slowly approached her face and…

Poked her cheek.

The apple missed her mouth and slapped her cheek instead, leaving the Blue Reaper flustered.

The Blue Reaper wore its hat too low, making it hard to see properly, which resulted in the failed attempt to feed her.

However, the employee simply looked at it with a pleased smile.

< Close your eyes! Please! >

The Blue Reaper insisted, noticing the employee’s expression, and urged her to close her eyes.