Seoul Object Story

Crunch-! Crunch-!

Wrapped within Yerin’s clothes, I ate the snacks given to me, relishing them one by one.

The only sounds that could be heard inside the car were the wind’s mournful howl and the crunch of my snacks.

I couldn’t move my hands and feet because they were confined under Yerin’s clothes, but it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.

After all, whenever I spent time with Yerin, it was rare for me to pick up my snacks myself.

How many degrees below zero was it right now? It had been a long time since I stopped being a human, so I couldn’t really tell.

Looking at Yerin’s complexion, the inside of the car didn’t seem to be that cold, though I couldn’t say the same for the world outside.

I also had no idea about the temperature required to make a car—typically a reliable mode of transportation—halt.

For a car to stop working from the cold, the gasoline probably had to freeze, or it might’ve needed an ever lower temperature for it to stop functioning.

Or perhaps, this car had just stopped because Yerin hadn’t maintained it well enough.

The raging snowstorm outside prevented me from seeing even an inch ahead.

I guess this was what people referred to as a whiteout.

How much longer do I have to stay here?

The boredom, coupled with the cozy warmth of my surroundings, made my eyes grow heavier and heavier.

***

The Reaper had fallen asleep in her embrace, it must have gotten bored being stranded within a snowstorm.

A couple of hours later, the snowstorm finally stopped.

My vision of the outside returned, revealing a scenery that made me question if I was truly still in Seoul.

It was a world covered in snow.

A now-covered world was not an uncommon sight, but the creatures roaming around in the background were, well, unusual to say the least.

The creatures roaming the streets of Seoul, were none other than yetis, with thick, bushy fur.

They were a fairly famous Object, as they were often spotted by reconnaissance drones flying over Dobong-gu.

These Objects were prone to violence, and were thus classified as dangerous.

However, they remained an enigma, as no Yeti had ever been captured or experimented upon. As a result, no data was obtained, their danger level and characteristics remaining unknown.

All that was known was that they were aggressive beings, hurling ice or rocks at anything that moved, be it object or animal.

Fearful of being caught by these murderous yetis, I held my breath and crouched down, patiently waiting for them to pass by.

After what felt like an eternity, but in actuality was just ten very long minutes, all the fierce-looking yetis disappeared.

What appeared in their place seemed to be adorable snowmen, standing no taller than the Reaper.

The Snowmen roamed around, blowing soap bubbles that seemed to be made of ice. Some of them even played beautiful tunes on ice xylophones while others blew icy bubbles with trumpets made of ice.

Their innocent and childlike behavior naturally made it hard to be wary of these cute snowmen,

Wandering through the shining white snowy field, they seemed like creatures from a fairy tale, creating a dreamlike spectacle.

Seeing an unknown Object for the first time, people were bound to feel scared, as their behavior and nature remained unfamiliar. However, the snowmen before me didn’t evoke any sense of fear.

The snowmen don’t seem scary at all!

The warmth of the sleeping Reaper, wriggling around underneath my clothes, boosted my courage even further.

Besides, the snowmen moved very slowly, peacefully blowing bubbles. They didn’t seem to be a threatening Object.

If anything, they looked slightly cute.

As I looked out the car window, I saw a heavily armed man, clad in thick clothes, trying to sneak past the snowmen.

It was a stupid attempt, as he wouldn’t escape their detection just because he was stealthy.

As expected, the snowmen instantly discovered the man. Yet, surprisingly, the situation didn’t become dangerous.

Realizing that he had been discovered, the man ran, desperately trying to increase the distance between himself and the snowmen.

Seeing the fleeing man, instead of attacking him or giving chase, the adorable snowmen just continued to blow icy bubbles, watching him intently.

As expected, these guys were harmless.

However, this time, instead of bubbles, the snowmen spewed out something far more threatening—sharp needles.

“Heok!”

I couldn’t help but gasp in shock. Seeing someone explode into pieces right before your eyes tends to do that.

As soon as the needles pierced the man’s body, they turned into ice bubbles. Can you imagine what would happen if such a sudden change occurred within the human body?

Well, it would blow up with a pop.

Ugh, it’s another murderous monster.

Once again, I had no choice but to hold my breath, hunker down in the car, and patiently wait for the snowmen to go away.

The enchanting, fairy-tale-like ambiance had abruptly changed into a gruesome and bloody fairy tale, shattering the courage I had mustered up earlier thanks to the Reaper.