Reaper (MC) POV:

---

Omyonyon~

While eating the fruit that filled my mouth, I thought.

This black butterfly adventure was nothing special.

I wondered if I'd get a chance to smash the black mirror, but Watson destroyed it.

Since I never felt particularly lacking in abilities, I wasn't interested in collecting more abilities.

Even if I gained an ability, it would just be a degraded copy, so it would probably degrade to the ability to send out a bunch of mini Reapers, right?

I also wanted to sneak up on Watson, who is extremely harmful to humans, and beat the crap out of it, but it has a difficult destruction condition.

[Destruction of the main body.]

A simple yet difficult one.

I've been seeing those kinds of Objects lately, maybe I should go to Seoul Forest and try to find an ability to locate the main body?

There are supposed to be many extraordinary Objects deep in Seoul Forest.

But I don't really want to go deep into Seoul Forest. 

So I just went back to Sehee Research Institute, pretending I was just getting some fresh air...

But when I returned, the attitudes of the Research Institute people were strange.

Omyonyon~

The people were oddly friendly. No, they had openly become friendly. 

Other Research Institute employees started leaving snacks around like Yerin, or playing together.

I was happy to have more playmates, but not knowing the reason made me uneasy.

Even now, four female employees who seem like friends came and put snacks and fruits in my mouth and gave me massages.

Arms and legs were being kneaded.

Each person was in charge of massaging one limb, and although I didn't have a body that gets muscle aches, it felt relaxingly soothing, probably because of memories from my human days.

For some reason I feel sleepy.

zzz

***

While kneading the soft arms and legs, the Reaper with a relaxed expression closed its eyes and fell asleep just like that.

"The Reaper has fallen asleep."

Without particularly matching our words, we lowered our voices and slowly got up from our seats. we covered Reaper with a blanket and left the isolation room.

These days at Sehee Research Institute, the number of people caring for the gray Reaper has increased significantly.

The gray Reaper was already strangely popular from the beginning, but recently, the degree has become severe.

It wasn't because of any order from the Research Institute, but because of a report published in the midst of the circulation of horrific accident photos that broke out this time.

It was a report placed in the corridors of the Research Institute so that it could be read at any time.

The report was issued by the Temporary Object Management Organization, and its content was quite meaningful.

It was a report that Reaper has the ability to drive away butterflies just by touching them lightly.

From there, the researchers at Sehee Research Institute were struck by a sudden cute behavior of the Gray Reaper.

The act of patting in front of the main gate.

It turned out that it wasn't cheering at all, but getting rid of butterflies.

'The fact that no infected person came out of our Research Institute, which is closest to the Singhole in Songpa-gu, is all thanks to Reaper.'

It didn't take long for this conclusion to be drawn.

The Reaper, who was already popular for being cute, became even more beloved.

While horrific-looking infected people were emerging around us, only our Research Institute remained intact.

***

Reaper (MC) POV:

---

Late at night, the isolation room that was bustling with many employees started to become a little quieter.

When I turned on the TV while hugging a sleeping cat, it showed the scenery of the spirit barrier completed in the United States this time.

T/N: Maybe a spirit barrier could be something designed to prevent spirit, ghost or phantom creatures from entering.

It was unimaginable how much humanity would advance if they could fully utilize Objects, considering that even a barrier made of mere wood could be so solemn.

However, from the perspective of someone who has turned from a human into an Object, it felt like humans would never be able to understand Objects in their way.

It's not a logical judgment, and there's no reason, but it just feels like a discipline completely different from science would be needed.

For example, something closer to the occult, like alchemy or magic.

After completing that massive barrier, the United States lifted an embargo on a certain Object and began broadcasting it extensively.

It was a story about a ghost that sucks human bones.

In Korea, an Object that devours humans and impersonates them appeared, while in the United States, a monster appeared in a ghostly state, approaching and sucking human bones.

Korea solved it by destroying the source, while the United States solved it by erecting a massive barrier to block spirits.

Korea's solution was neater, but Korea still lacked the technology to build such barriers.

If the detective and I hadn't destroyed the black mirror, the outcome would have been unimaginable.

From now on, safety technologies like those barriers were needed.

But with the disappearance of the Central Research Institute, it's unclear whether such research would be possible.

***

After the introduction of the solemn barrier in the United States ended, the familiar face of the CEO of Daily Objects appeared on the news.

Startled, I turned off the TV right away.

These days, the news only talks about the same things, so it's not fun.

The butterfly incident, Daily Objects, and so on.

Especially regarding Daily Objects, I wish they would only report their business closure notices.

To relieve my boredom, I pushed aside the sleeping ghost cat and stepped out of the isolation room, where a distinctly different atmosphere could be felt.

There are too few people.

Come to think of it, Yerin, who used to come like going to work every day, has only been coming intermittently these days.

Although other employees came to fill her place, so it didn't stand out much.

It seemed like they had brought in an Object that required care from a large number of employees somewhere.

Strangely, the Research Institute seemed deserted, so as I wandered around, I was able to discover a very, very, very, very, very familiar facility.

A large, quiet, and well-groomed park was created inside the Research Institute.

It was a sight that could cause trauma, but instead, I naturally smiled.

Could it be that the reason the Research Institute looks empty these days is because of this!

With a bitter smile on my lips, I began wandering around all the isolation rooms. 

Where are you! You bastard!

In order to realize my dream future, I eagerly searched for a 'cute puppy'.

And finally, I found it.

A huge golden doghouse, exactly as I had seen before.

Inside the isolation room I discovered, there was a huge and majestic golden doghouse placed.

With a meaningful smile, I simply kidnapped the 'cute puppy'.

The isolation room door? Just smash it and it's done! 

The cute puppy didn't want me to go through the trouble of going there to take revenge.

But I didn't want to just let it come into my front yard.

Haha, are you ready to pay for my 5 years of resentment at the Seoul Research Institute?

When I arrived at the fake park set up in the courtyard of the Research Institute, I woke up the cute puppy.

Realizing it had been kidnapped somewhere, the sleeping puppy started rapidly increasing its size to threaten me.

Its signature angry expression came with it.

In fact, I had no intention of killing the 'cute puppy'. 

Not for the so-called capitalistic reason of 'it becomes money', but because the 'cute puppy' helps human survival.

Of course, that's on the condition that it doesn't attack me.

I checked the destruction condition for the 'cute puppy'.

[Physically destroy the heart.]

Easy. A very easy condition.

As soon as I confirmed the destruction condition, as if sensing something, the cute puppy backed away like a scared dog.

whimper-!

The pitiful cry of the cute puppy sounded like it was asking why I was tormenting it.

Realizing it was no match, the puppy shrank down, becoming much smaller than usual.

Shouldn't it be called a cute mouse at this size?

With a satisfied smile, I approached the puppy.

T/N: Yeah!! MC vs puppy, MC win!

***

In one corner of the park with evenly laid green grass, the puppy was struggling to run on two legs.

The puppy barked with a strained voice, drawing laughter from people, and passersby also smiled pleasantly at the sight.

It was a park scene that looked like a painting.

Above my head, the warm sunlight was shining on the leaves at a moderate intensity, and in the shade of the trees, I was listening to the refreshingly ringing sound of cicadas while lying comfortably.

If I got thirsty from looking at the park, I would gulp down the iced water in a glass cup, feeling refreshed.

I was resting with my arms and legs stretched out without any hesitation, in a relaxed state of mind.

The two legs of the puppy running around the park were wobbling so pitifully that it looked like it might collapse at any moment.

Although it appeared to be a happy slice of everyday life on the surface, the puppy was struggling to run around the park on two legs.

In fact, this resting space was all fake. A fake park created inside the building. The passersby walking around the fake park were all fake too, employees acting.

Everyone was acting with a light heart, which was only natural.

The one who couldn't afford to make a mistake was the 'cute puppy'.

The puppy struggled to run across the field, and the Research Institute employees watched the puppy with pleased eyes.

That seemingly happy situation did not end anytime soon.

Until I was satisfied, even if the puppy collapsed from exhaustion, the lights in this park would not go out.