Lee Sehee POV (Not MC) :

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A very big problem has arisen.

An extremely big problem has arisen.

Lee Sehee, who is in charge of the director of the Sehee Research Institute, was facing a very serious problem.

Bed, bathroom, snacks on the floor.

At a glance, the scene looked perfectly normal, but with bars instead of walls and doors, it had instantly turned into a prison-like place.

The fact that she was imprisoned was not the biggest problem.

It was the terrible scream.

Beyond the steel door, the most terrible scream she had ever heard was ringing out without a break, and it continued without a moment's rest.

*grrrr*

She had already gone a whole day without eating.

She was hungry, and meals were served at every meal, but she didn't even dare to touch the water they provided in this suspicious place.

If she simply accepted what was given to her in this suspicious place, she couldn't even imagine what might happen.

The kidnapper was a prominent figure in the area, an old man already over 80 years old.

But the old man's appearance was not ordinary at all.

He was shriveled up like a dead tree, with not a single muscle, and he could be considered a mummy.

Yet his movements and strength were far beyond human, so it was certain that he was a human related to an Object.

The whereabouts of the old man's remaining family were unknown, and judging from the current situation, it seemed highly likely that the family members had also been killed.

The old man's exact purpose was unknown.

But it was easy to predict that the result would be terrible.

Why could such a prediction be made?

Because outside this prison-like room, there was a mountain of human bones.

Right next to the bars was a huge steel pig statue that captivated the gaze.

Flames flickered indifferently in the pig's empty eyes.

Around the red-hot pig statue, scattered fragments of human bones were strewn about.

Based on her experience in Object research, the old man's strange superhuman strength and the mountain of bones seemed to be the result of that pig statue.

To think that such an incident would occur just as she came to investigate the abnormal phenomenon in Seoul Forest...

A year ago, she had almost died while investigating an abnormal phenomenon in Seoul Forest, and now her life was in danger again in Seoul Forest. Had she underestimated the danger of Seoul Forest?

rumble

Along with the sound of a heavy stone being scratched, light footsteps echoed.

It was the sound of the old man's footsteps, who came down several times a day.

"Hey, still haven't eaten?"

The old man's hoarse voice was heard from outside the bars.

Tsk, he clicked his tongue and left the basement.

The old man's glittering gaze was strangely chilling, but the reason was still unknown.

There were many other things she was curious about.

What kind of food is he constantly trying to feed her?

What is that ominous pig statue?

What are the piles of bones?

Is the old man's physical ability really derived from the pig statue?

It seems he is kidnapping and killing people, but what is the reason?

She kept jotting down the questions that came to mind in her notebook, but the questions only continued to increase.

It would be good if the employees of the Sehee Research Institute noticed the director's disappearance and find her before it's too late...

But it didn't seem easy.

***

Still not MC POV:

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As the noisy alarm clock was left behind, the clear morning air moistened her lungs and drove away the drowsiness as the curtains and windows were opened.

It was another pleasant morning.

She put on her employee ID card and headed out.

- Affiliated with Sehee Research Institute

- Researcher Oh Yerin

This simple ID card with a photo and affiliation was absolutely necessary.

From the research complex shuttle bus to the internal convenience store and security facilities, there was nowhere she could go without it.

She swiped her employee ID card and boarded the waiting bus at the shuttle stop.

On the bus, she checked the news on her phone and found that the abnormal phenomenon that occurred overnight was a fire.

It was a sudden mass death incident.

Animals had died in large numbers near Seoul Forest, and since a similar incident had occurred a year ago, the gravity of the situation was particularly heavy.

There was even an article directly attacking her research institute, saying "Sehee Research Institute's poor management?"

The Gray Reaper is being well-managed without any loopholes at our Research Institute, so it was frustrating to see such a slanderous article.

A year ago, the mass death incident was tentatively concluded to have been caused by the 'Gray Reaper' Object that was transferred to our Sehee Research Institute, but the director had strongly argued that it was impossible.

In my opinion, the Gray Reaper is a harmless Object, but looking at the revealed facts, it was clear that the Reaper was responsible.

Its ability to easily induce death made it the most suitable Object to cause the mysterious mass death incidents.

Furthermore, after capturing the Gray Reaper in Seoul Forest and transferring it to the Research Institute, the consecutive mass death incidents completely stopped, solidifying that suspicion.

The endless broadcast was ranting about the significance of the mass death incident, the incident a year ago, and our Research Institute that is managing the Gray Reaper.

After passing the Research Institute security gate, the deafening silence of the isolation facility welcomed me.

It was an early time when no one had arrived for work yet.

The Gray Reaper, which maintains a regular sleep schedule, had not yet awakened.

The interior of the isolation room was furnished like a living space, and on the large bed lay a life form with gray skin, curled up and eyes closed.

This was the 'Gray Reaper', the most dangerous Object among those managed in Korea, known for its fearsome reputation.

Most of the Research Institute staff know that the Reaper is harmless, contrary to the ominous rumors, but those who don't know tend to fear the Gray Reaper excessively.

The problem was the video that first revealed the appearance of the Gray Reaper.

In the video, the Reaper looked like the very incarnation of the god of death, walking through a pack of wolves, causing them to collide and self-destruct.

There were plenty of fast and strong life forms, but the existence that could cause mass accidental deaths evoked an instinctive sense of rejection.

Regardless of its abilities, it was actually a cute and harmless life form.

At least for the past year, there had been no sightings of the Reaper attacking organisms without reason.

I poke the cheek of the soundly sleeping Reaper. Since no one has arrived for work yet, this is the only time I can exclusively enjoy the cute Reaper, so I have to savor this moment.

***

Reaper (MC) POV:

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The sensation of poking my cheek woke me up. Every morning, she pokes my cheek, and since I don't show any signs of disliking it, she's been doing it every day now.

I don't understand the reason behind this behavior, even though I'm a smart researcher who always argues against the director's opinions.

Is it some kind of response test?

As I gently open my eyes, Oh-Yerin excitedly lifts me up.

She looks directly into my half-opened, drowsy eyes and gives a bright smile.

What she sees reflected in those eyes is the lazy expression of 'me' - the Object known as the 'Gray Reaper' with gray skin and glowing yellow eyes.

"Good morning!"

Oh-Yerin is always brimming with energy. Not only her, but all the employees of this Research Institute seem to have an excessive amount of vitality, which has been one of the unsolved mysteries for me after being here for a year.

The Seoul Research Institute I was in a year ago had an atmosphere like conscripts being dragged into a war zone.

Well, with about one person dying per month, it's not surprising they had such an atmosphere.

I had stubbornly persisted in that Research Institute, close to death, thinking I could never die.

Ultimately, I too had died during the terrorist attack at the Seoul Research Institute a year ago.

In the early morning, as I dozing off, Yerin picked me up and sat down on the sofa in the isolation room.

Yerin tightly hugged me on the sofa and began to tell me one by one about the fun things that happened to her on her way to work today.

She talked about the new Object that was registered at the academic conference, and the story of the street food stall she saw.

These were quite interesting stories for me, who had not gone out of the Research Institute for as long as a year.

"They say there was another mass death incident near Seoul Forest yesterday. And everyone is saying the Gray Reaper did it. But the Reaper is here, those people are so ridiculous."

Yerin shook my hand back and forth as she expressed her anger.

"It's too much to just blame the Reaper for the same phenomenon that happened a year ago in the same place. Our Research Institute has never had any accidents in managing Objects, but they're just making groundless accusations."

The mass death incident was also the reason I met the director of the Research Institute, Lee Sehee, a year ago.

Back then, I had rescued Sehee, who had been kidnapped while investigating the incident, and that was the beginning of our connection. But now, another mass death incident has occurred.

"You know what's funny? This time, Sehee unnie also rushed out to Seoul Forest. When I arrived at the Research Institute, there was a message on the internal messenger saying 'Departed for Seoul Forest'."

I had a feeling that Sehee might have been kidnapped again, but I tried to ignore it.

No matter how clumsy Sehee is, she is a researcher who graduated from a prestigious university, so she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

Yerin also had a subtle level of concern, thinking, 'Sehee unnie is not an idiot, so nothing bad will happen again, right?'