Seoul Object Story

In the middle of the ruined city lay a seemingly bottomless, dark hole, resembling the gate to the abyss.

In my opinion, this was the only way to stop all the Objects that escaped from the Central Research Institute.

These Objects, that broke free from the Central Research Institute, wreaked havoc in all directions and indiscriminately attacked all creatures in their vicinity. So it seemed necessary to deal with them quickly.

Hence, my chosen method was a simple one: collapse the ground and isolate them.

Though there might have been a better way to do it, this was the best I could think of in such a hurry.

As I refocused my senses back to me, I felt the flame in my chest had diminished considerably.

In order to guide the Hungry Ghost to the center of the collapse, I used my regeneration ability a little too much.

If it weren’t for the overwhelming emotions of fear and despair around me, I would have given up and ran away a long time ago.

In fact, it was a bit of a close call just before the sinkhole was completed.

Why was it a close call?

It was because all the people around me had died, so I had no other choice but to use my reserves in order to endure.

Looking down into the deep dark hole, I waited for the Objects to climb up again.

The idea behind this plan was to give the soldiers enough time to at least build a barrier around the area.

One hour…

Two hours…

Three hours…

I sat on the edge of the sinkhole, swinging my feet back and forth as I waited. However, not even one Object came back up.

Since it seemed like soldiers had started to move around while I waited, I decided to leave the area.

By the way, why didn’t they come up?

If it’s the Hungry Ghost, for sure the sinkhole would do nothing but buy me time…

There were also a lot of flying Objects before…

Could something enticing be hidden underground? Perhaps, candy?

***

The government was suffering from the Gray Collapse Incident.

A memorial procession?

That was something that could only be done thirty years ago when Objects were not known to the public.

Instead, what transpired was a procession of people fleeing from Seoul.

After all, death was too close for them to be sad.

Meanwhile, those who chose to remain in Seoul demanded many things from the government.

They clamored for the blockade of Songpa-gu and the punishment of those responsible, among other requests.

At that time, a new target of rage was thrown to the public.

It was a report released by a certain detective agency.

The report exposed the numerous deaths that the Central Research Institute covered up.

It also unveiled that human experimentation had been conducted using kidnapped people, in particular individuals with no family or friends.

Furthermore, it shed light on the manipulation of industrial accident statistics within the research institute, accomplished by transferring personnel who met their end during experiments, to other private institutes.

There was also the fact that they had hidden the Hungry Ghost that had killed tens of thousands of people in Seoul Plaza.

Also concealing the fact that the research center in the middle of Seoul was not a normal building but an Object instead.

Additionally, a host of undisclosed cases of corruption came to the fore.

There seemed to be no end to the backlash and anger directed towards the government and the National Object Management Association.

Opinions that ranged from demands for a complete audit of all national research facilities to suggestions that all Objects should be handled exclusively by private research institutes.

Even if the government stated that they were ignorant, their claims fell on disbelieving ears.

***

A certain man was sitting on a chair, puffing on his pipe, inhaling the acrid smoke, before releasing it back into the air.

He had suddenly become a star after exposing the report containing the crimes of the Central Research Institute, but his expression remained dark.

The table in front of him was littered with numerous empty alcohol bottles, while across from him, a woman lay sprawled out, drunk.

Just moments ago, he had been comforting her, as she blamed herself for everything. However, as she lost consciousness, his face grew stiff.

Inside the quiet room, the only sound was the radio playing at a low volume.

There was no mention of the deceased on the radio.

All it talked about was advising listeners to prioritize their own safety and criticism of the government.

They found it extremely amusing.

It’s a truly insane world.

Looking at his tired reflection in the mirror, the man caught a glimpse of a black butterfly that disappeared almost instantly.

With weary eyes, he slowly closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

As soon as he fell asleep, a faint giggle emanated from the gas lamp within the room.