Seoul Object Story

“The Gray Reaper Emergency Response Meeting” came to an abrupt halt with the sudden appearance of an employee.

Following closely behind the employee, we arrived at the containment room of the ‘Theme Park Invitation Doll.’ The doll was weeping bitterly, sewing its severed arms back on with its foot.

Meanwhile, outside the containment room, there was a flurry of activity as researchers gathered from all directions.

I turned to the employee who had brought us here and demanded an explanation.

“Tell me what happened.”

“Yes, director.”

Listening to his explanation, it became clear that it was not as big of a problem as it seemed. The doll had somehow provoked the Gray Reaper and had its arms ripped off as a result. Honestly, it deserved it. The Reaper was merciless towards all Objects, so it was only natural for all Objects to be careful around it.

The more puzzling matter was the disappearance of the Reaper.

“It really disappeared?”

“Yes, the Gray Reaper looked at the invitation it had snatched and then disappeared.”

We had no way to verify this through the CCTV footage, as it had all been discarded due to the risk of the contents of the invitations being recorded. Furthermore, there was also a chance that people could disappear by just looking at the captured footage of the invitation.

“It’s sooo ferocious, isn’t it?” I said that, as I gave Seoah a smirk.

“Director, what countermeasures should we take for the future?” Kim Jungrwi asked in a grave tone.

“First, warn all the researchers: ‘There is a high possibility of being kidnapped even by just looking at the invitation, let alone reading it.’ Also, block access to the containment room and disable the CCTV.”

Given that the invitation had managed to kidnap even an Object, a more extensive response was necessary.

“The Gray Reaper should be fine. Rather, it’s more surprising that it got sucked in just because it saw the invitation. There have been numerous cases where Objects that had kidnapped the Reaper spit it back out, so let’s wait and see.”

Until now, the Reaper had been nearly immune to such abduction-type Objects. So, it was more likely that the Reaper had let itself get kidnapped out of sheer boredom.

Unless… the ‘Theme Park Invitation Doll’was an Object as powerful as the Hungry Ghost.

However, seeing it cry as its arms were torn off, it appeared far from strong.

“To be honest, there is no way that the Gray Reaper will be in danger from getting sucked into an invitation like that. Still, there may be unknown variables, so let’s move the experiment we had planned for it up the schedule.”

The staff rushed to reschedule the admission test for the ‘Theme Park Invitation Doll’.

***

The Reaper went missing!

Ever since I heard the news, I found myself leaving my workplace whenever possible, aimlessly wandering in search of the Reaper.

“Yerin, are you leaving again?”

“Yeah, I need some fresh air. I’ll be back soon.”

Even though I knew that the Reaper wouldn’t just disappear, I still felt anxious.

Sadly, despite searching every nook and cranny of the institute, I couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the Reaper’s shadow. I went everywhere the Reaper might have gone, but I couldn’t find it anywhere.

I plopped down next to the bed in Reaper’s containment room and hugged my knees tight.

Probably because I was tired from moving around too much during work hours, I felt really sleepy.

As I dozed off, I pleaded.

Reaper, please come back quickly.

***

I was trapped in a long, lonely dream.

A dream that had stretched on endlessly for thirty whole years.

I looked on from afar, like a ghostly Object, as the “dream-me” opened her eyes in a daze.

Even though it looked old and worn, Reaper’s containment room was still well-maintained. It still looked the same after all these years.

The dream-me dragged her frail, aching body to her feet, dusting herself off before cleaning the room.

She did it out of habit, a need to keep everything in perfect shape, just in case Reaper ever returned.

She gently wiped the dust off the old TV, the game console, the table, and the bed—tasks she had performed day in and day out for the past three decades. It was the only thing that gave her life purpose now.

Yes, it had been thirty whole years since the Reaper disappeared, leaving her alone in this empty room.

Sometimes the dream-me would look at the table and smile wistfully, it was as if she could still see the naughty Golden Reapers running around on top of it.

In those moments, I felt like I could see it too, a bittersweet mirage of the happier times.

Cough-! Cough-!

But the dream-me’s health was getting worse.

She no longer had the strength to prepare the picnics they used to share. The days of her running around and playing with Reaper were now long past her, she wasn’t in a state to do any of that anymore.

She knew her end was near, yet she clung to the fickle hope that Reaper would return.

“Reaper… you’re invincible, aren’t you?”

“So please, can you come back quickly? I miss you.”

“I know,” she whispered to herself. “You’ll definitely come back to me someday.”

As she lay there quietly, a peaceful smile crossed her face as if Reaper was standing before her once more.

I closed my eyes as well, and for a moment, I thought I heard the pitter-patter of tiny footsteps.

Step-! Step-! Step-!

It was the sound of Reaper’s small footsteps.