Seoul Object Story

Very big trouble has arisen.

An extremely huge problem has occurred.

Lee Sehee, who serves as the director of Sehee Research Institute, has encountered a massive issue.

A bed, a toilet, and snacks scattered on the floor.

At first glance, there seemed to be no problems with this scene, but considering that the walls and doors were replaced by iron bars, it instantly transformed into a prison-like location.

The bigger problem wasn’t the fact of being imprisoned—it was something else.

It was the horrifying screams.

Beyond the steel door, the most terrible scream she’d ever heard echoed incessantly, never pausing for even a moment.

Gurrrl

She hadn’t eaten anything in an entire day.

Her stomach growled as meals were served regularly, but she hadn’t touched even the water provided here.

There’s no telling what could happen if she blindly accepted food from such a suspicious place.

The kidnapper was a powerful elder in this region, already over eighty years old.

However, his appearance was far from ordinary.

He was completely emaciated, resembling a dried-up ancient tree or even a mummy.

Despite his frail look, his agility and strength surpassed that of any human—clearly linked to some Object-related phenomenon.

The whereabouts of the old man’s family remained unknown, and judging by the current situation, they might have already met their end.

The old man’s exact purpose remains unclear.

But the outcome would undoubtedly be horrific.

And why predict such horror?

Because outside this prison-like room lay a mountain of human bones.

Right beyond the iron bars stood a colossal steel pig statue, commanding attention.

Its hollow eyes blazed with eerie fire.

Around the fiery red pig statue, scattered human bone fragments littered the ground haphazardly.

Judging from past experiences with Object research, both the old man’s abnormal strength and the pile of bones appeared to stem from the pig statue.

Just as I entered Seoul Forest to investigate strange phenomena, this happened…

A year ago, I almost died during a similar investigation. Could I have underestimated the dangers of Seoul Forest again?

Grgrl

The sound of heavy stone scraping accompanied light footsteps.

The familiar creaking of the old man’s steps approaching the basement yet again.

“Hmph, still not eating?” His raspy voice came from outside the bars.

With a click of his tongue, the old man turned and left the basement.

His gleaming eyes sent shivers down my spine, though I couldn’t explain why.

Many questions lingered.

Why does he keep trying to make me eat?

What is that ominous pig statue?

What are those piles of bones?

Is the old man’s superhuman strength truly derived from the pig statue?

Why does he kidnap people only to kill them?

I jot down every thought and question in my notebook, but the more I write, the more questions arise.

If Sehee Research Institute staff discover the director missing and find me in time, it would be great… but somehow, that seems unlikely.

***

As the annoying alarm clock buzzed, I pulled back the curtains to let in the crisp morning air, which chased away my drowsiness.

Today also started with a pleasant morning.

Hanging my ID card around my neck, I stepped out onto the street.

-Sehee Research Institute

-Researcher Yerin Oh

Though the ID card with a photo and affiliation looks simple, it’s essential for everything—from riding the shuttle bus to entering secure facilities.

I tapped my ID card on the scanner of the waiting shuttle bus and boarded.

Checking the news on my phone inside the bus, reports about last night’s strange phenomena caught my eye.

It was a sudden mass animal death incident near Seoul Forest, eerily reminiscent of one that happened exactly a year ago.

Especially alarming were articles outright targeting our institute with headlines like “Sehee Research Institute Negligence?”

We’re managing the Object known as The Gray Reaper flawlessly, so these defamatory articles are truly frustrating.

The previous mass death incident was provisionally attributed to the Object ‘Gray Reaper’ transferred to our institute, but Director Unnie Sehee strongly disagreed.

In my opinion too, the Gray Reaper is harmless. However, based purely on evidence, it seems undeniable that it caused the deaths.

After all, its ability to easily induce death matches perfectly with the mysterious mass fatalities.

Moreover, since the mass deaths stopped immediately after we captured the ‘Gray Reaper’ from Seoul Forest and brought it back to the lab, that solidified the suspicion.

The broadcast playing through my earphones kept discussing the ominous significance of the mass deaths, linking them to the event from a year ago and our institute managing the Gray Reaper.

Passing through the research facility security gate, the quiet isolation ward greeted me.

This early hour when no one has arrived yet.

Even the Gray Reaper, who follows a regular sleep schedule, should still be asleep.

Inside the isolation room, designed like a living space, lay a gray-skinned creature curled up on a large bed, eyes closed.

This was the infamous ‘Gray Reaper,’ rumored to be the most dangerous Object managed in Korea.

Most researchers know that despite its terrifying reputation, the Reaper is actually harmless, but those unfamiliar tend to fear it excessively.

The initial video revealing the Reaper didn’t help its image either.

In the footage, it simply walked through a pack of wolves, causing them to collide and destroy each other—a sight that made it seem like Death incarnate walking the earth.

While fast and strong creatures exist, ones that cause accidents en masse naturally evoke instinctive fear.

Yet in reality, it’s cute and harmless. At least during the past year, there haven’t been any incidents where the Reaper randomly attacked living beings.

I poke its cheek playfully while it sleeps.

This is the only time I can monopolize the adorable Reaper, so I must enjoy this moment to the fullest!

***

Awoken by the gentle pokes on my cheek.

Every morning at dawn, someone pokes me here, and since I show no signs of disliking it, this has become a daily ritual.

For such a smart researcher who often contradicts the director logically, her reasons for doing this remain unclear.

Some sort of response test perhaps?

Slowly opening my eyes, Yerin lifts me up excitedly.

She beams brightly as she gazes directly into my half-open eyes.

Through her eyes, I see myself—a groggy object with gray skin and glowing yellow eyes: the ‘Gray Reaper.’

“Good morning!”

Yerin always brims with energy.

Everyone at this institute radiates excessive vitality, a mystery I’ve yet to solve despite being here for a year.

Back at the Seoul Research Institute a year ago, the atmosphere felt more like recruits heading off to war.

Considering that one person died roughly every month, that grim vibe made sense.

Thinking I’d never die, I stubbornly held on at that perilously close-to-death research institute.

Ultimately, I perished during the Seoul Research Institute terror attack a year ago.

Waking up groggily in the morning, Yerin cradles me and sits on the sofa prepared in the isolation room.

On the sofa, Yerin begins narrating amusing stories from her commute today—the new registered Objects at the conference, the street food stalls she passed.

These tales are quite entertaining to me, having stayed within the facility for an entire year.

“Yesterday, another mass death phenomenon occurred near Seoul Forest. Everyone’s saying it’s the Gray Reaper’s fault~ But how ridiculous, you’ve been right here.”

Swinging my hand gently, Yerin vents her frustration.

“It’s unfair to blame the Gray Reaper just because a similar phenomenon happened in the same place a year ago. Our institute has had zero accidents managing Objects, making us a top-notch research facility.”

Mass death phenomena—meeting Director Lee Sehee herself stemmed from that very incident a year ago.

Back then, stumbling upon Sehee during one of her reckless investigations led to her rescue, starting our connection. And now, another mass death occurs after a year.

“Here’s the funny part—Sehee went running off to Seoul Forest again yesterday. When I arrived at the institute, there was just a message on the internal messenger saying ‘Departed to Seoul Forest.'”

Somehow, I have this ominous feeling that Sehee might get kidnapped again, but I push it aside.

No matter how clumsy Sehee may seem, she’s still a graduate from a prestigious university; surely, she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

Yerin also shares a subtle level of worry, thinking, “Sehee isn’t dumb; nothing bad will probably happen.”

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