Tak-tak-tak

I walked down the hallway of the Research Institute, looking for a new experimental subject for the ability I had recently acquired.

There were quite a few Objects I had dealt with this time.

The golden tree, a Yeti, and a bunch of neutralized objects drilled by the Golden Reaper.

Unfortunately, I was unable to obtain any abilities from the Objects other than the golden tree. 

I'm not sure of the reason, but there were occasionally Objects from which I couldn't obtain abilities.

The criteria?

I worked hard to investigate that a year ago.

The more an Object primarily used physical abilities, the higher the probability of not being able to obtain anything.

Perhaps my body couldn't accept abilities like muscle hypertrophy, toughened skin, or growing sturdy fur?

Fortunately, I was able to obtain the sleep ability from the golden tree. 

It's the ability to put the target to sleep, but I'm not sure what level of effect it will have.

As I walked tak-tak down the hallway, I heard a loud noise.

Bang.

It sounded like someone strongly slapping a table with their palm.

The noise came from the Sehee Research Institute conference room. 

Sneaking in via ghostification, I saw an unfamiliar face.

Sehee Research Institute Vice Director Park Seo-ah.

T/N: I'm not sure about Park Seo-ah's gender at the moment. If it turns out to be male, please don't be confused.

She rarely came out of the vice director's office, so she was a face I seldom saw unless I went out of my way to find her.

Park Seo-ah was yelling while angrily slapping the desk, her expression furious. 

Park Seo-ah doesn't usually get angry, so I wondered what happened for her to get so mad.

"Researcher Oh-Yerin, care to explain?"

Under Park Seo-ah's slapping hand were two photographs. 

One showed Oh-Yerin secretly putting the golden Reaper into a bag and taking it outside.

The other was a picture of a bloodied Golden Reaper taken at the exhibition.

Yerin was cowering with a terrified expression. 

It seemed she was being scolded for taking out the golden Reaper without authorization.

"How could someone with the profession of a researcher even think of illegally taking an Object out?"

"I'm sorry."

Yerin shrank down, while Sehee sitting next to her looked unconcerned.

"Director Lee Sehee of the Sehee Research Institute!" 

Sehee looked startled when suddenly called.

"Just what kind of monitoring system do you have in place that an Object of such high risk requiring isolation could so easily, so simply escape outside due to the misconduct of an individual?"

"Well, Yerin tampered with the CCTV..."

"Consider if a high-risk Object that absolutely needs isolation had brainwashed Researcher Oh-Yerin to escape. Would you be able to brush it off with words like that? The Sehee Research Institute would be shut down and the director jailed!"

Sehee shrank down like Yerin. 

In fact, it was unbelievable that Yerin had succeeded in secretly smuggling out an Object.

It was something that should never happen at a normal research institute. 

The result of Seo-a's scolding was disastrous.

Yerin was demoted in pay and had her workplace changed. 

She ended up having to work in the vice director's office for a while.

Sehee had to handle paperwork in place of the vice director while she rebuilt the monitoring system.

The expressions on Yerin and Sehee's faces when they heard that looked like people who had lost their country.

Ah, come to think of it, I should test out the sleep ability...

***

Yerin POV:

---

With heavy footsteps, I headed to Reaper's isolation room. 

Ah, from today I have to work in the vice director's office.

It became 10 times harder to come visit Reaper.

When I entered the isolation room, Reaper, who had been lying on the bed, lifted up the blanket and patted the bed enthusiastically.

It looked like an invitation for me to come into the blanket.

Wow! An invitation from Reaper!

I immediately dashed over and dived into the bed.

Then closing my eyes, I savored the blanket Reaper had covered me with.

Huh, suddenly I'm getting really sleepy.

Zzz.

***

Reaper (MC) POV:

---

The sleep ability test I tried on Yerin was somewhat successful.

Can only be used on contact.

Cannot be used on Objects.

Can put one person to sleep at a time. 

The sleep ability I obtained this time was pretty decent.

Perfect for putting Yerin to sleep when she's being a nuisance!

Since it's not a bother now, I slapped Yerin's cheek to wake her up.

Pat pat.

Yerin woke up faster than I expected.

Hmm, the ability to stay asleep seems to be a bit lacking.

"Ah, did I doze off for a moment?"

Yerin, rubbing her eyes, turned towards me and started acting coy while hugging me tightly.

She said that since she would be working at the vice director's office from now on, there would be no easy way out.

To be honest, I felt a little sorry since I was partly responsible for her unauthorized removal of the Golden Reaper.

And since Yerin helped resolve the recent Golden Tree incident, I should give her some kind of gift.

What would she like?

*** 

Omnom nom~

The Golden Reaper was fidgeting on the desk.

"Wow!"

Reaper, who was listening to my complaints, suddenly summoned some Golden Reapers.

And when it took out a cake for the seemingly hungry Golden Reapers, this situation unfolded.

The Golden Reapers, who love sweets, rushed towards the cake and were enjoying it in their own ways.

So cute!

I took out my camera and started taking pictures.

Seo-ah unnie said I could die for carelessly taking pictures of Objects, but it should be fine with the kind Golden Reapers!

I wanted to take them home again, but I should endure it this time.

And I felt like I would have nightmares again if I took them.

It would be too sad if the warmth of the Golden Reapers disappeared while I was sleeping.

There were a total of 3 fidgeting Golden Reapers.

One was submerged in cocoa.

It was definitely drinking it judging by how it was gradually decreasing, but why was it doing that?

Well, it doesn't matter since it's cute!

The other two were focused on the cake.

One was hugging and munching on the sponge cake.

The other was eating the strawberry leaves.

Why is it eating that!

I wanted to make it eat the strawberries properly, but it would get angry if I tried to touch it, so I could only watch.

I kept taking pictures while letting out a natural laugh.

Until the angry Seo-ah unnie came to get me.

***

Yellow Detective POV:

---

The kidnapping case was reaching its final stage.

We found out where the kidnapped person was sold.

After getting information from the Golden Horn broker and tracking where they were sold, we could identify the destination.

This place, the Bucheon Research Institute.

There were clear signs that the client's sister was sold here alive to the Bucheon Research Institute.

Looking around, contrary to being in operation, it was completely in ruins.

It seems they had already closed up shop and fled far away?

We secretly infiltrated the Research Institute that had become completely ruined.

The building was so unkempt that it was full of garbage, and the exterior walls were damaged enough to expose the rebar.

"Wow, it's a complete mess."

"Senior! Be a little quieter. That famous 'maker' might be here. You know, stealth mode!"

Does this junior realize that her voice is three times as loud as mine?

The sound of vehicles started coming from far away.

The driving sounds of many vehicles on the quiet road.

It seems we're not the only ones with business at this Research Institute?

Makes sense since it's the hideout of that famous 'maker', right?

"Someone's coming."

I gave a warning and turned around to see the junior tightly gripping a large hammer, tensely.

Behind her was our client, Hyejin, who had followed us all the way here.

Numerous vehicles started lining up and entering the Research Institute entrance.

From the van that arrived first, many people got out led by two individuals.

The two shadows approaching in the lead.

One was a slender shadow and the other a stout shadow.

They turned out to be a man dressed in an impeccably tailored black suit and a blonde girl.

I was well acquainted with both of them.

"Friend~ Long time no see!"

"Yeah."

"And the young lady too, long time no see~"

The blonde girl just elegantly nodded her head slightly in response to my greeting, without a word.

The black guy used to belong to the Central Research Institute and the blonde is the granddaughter of Chairman Oh Mu-ryong.

Or is he not the chairman anymore? Anyway, the granddaughter of that high-ranking person.

Behind the granddaughter, people who looked like bodyguards were standing in a circle around her like a folding screen.

"We came here tracking the Golden Horn kidnapping victim, what about you guys?"

"We were tracking the Golden Horn case itself to resolve it... but it seems we're already too late." 

"Hm? Then let's hurry inside. Criminals love basements, you know."

I strode right into the Research Institute.

The black guy instructed the staff who had just arrived to seal off the perimeter, then followed me into the building.

The inside of the Research Institute was even more wrecked than the exterior.

This place was really operating until very recently?

An ominous energy wafted up from the stairs leading down to the basement.

And the deeper we went, the stronger the stench of blood became.

When we finally descended into the basement through the dark stairwell, the source of the intense bloody smell became clear.

Thick, caked blood in every isolation room.

Severed limbs and crushed body parts.

What on earth did they do here?

What kind of experiment could create such a scene in the isolation rooms?

Outside the isolation rooms were piles of bluish corpses dumped carelessly in the corners like garbage. 

"Sister!"

Hyejin screamed out in a frantic voice.

And she ran hurriedly towards the piles of corpses.

Seeing the uniformly severed horns on all the corpses, they seemed to be the kidnapped victims.

The client's sister we were asked to find was already dead.

"No! Sister, sister, sister!"

Accompanied by the client's sobbing cries, the request to find her sister no matter alive or dead was successful.

But it was a tragedy.