Sehee POV:

---

The Gray Reaper emergency meeting was abruptly interrupted by the sudden appearance of a staff member.

Following the staff's guidance, we arrived at the isolation room of the 'Theme Park Invitation Doll'.

Inside the isolation room, the doll was sadly crying while using its foot to stitch and treat its severed arm.

Outside the isolation room, researchers had swarmed from all directions, creating a bustling commotion.

I demanded an explanation from the staff who had brought us here.

"Well, could you explain what happened?"

"Yes, Director."

According to the explanation, it didn't seem like a major issue.

The doll that had its arms torn off after provoking the Gray Reaper had brought it upon itself.

Reapers show no mercy to Objects, so the Objects should have been more careful.

Rather, the puzzling part was the disappearance of the Reaper.

"So it really disappeared?"

"Yes, the Gray Reaper vanished after glancing at the stolen invitation."

We couldn't verify it through CCTV.

All footage was discarded due to the possibility of capturing the invitation's contents.

A glimpse of the invitation on CCTV could have been enough to make it disappear.

"Certainly terrifying, isn't it?"

I said this while looking at Seo-ah and grinning.

"Then what countermeasures should we take going forward, Director?"

Kim Jungroo asked in a solemn voice.

"First, send a warning to the researchers: 'There's a high risk of abduction even from merely looking at the invitation, not just reading it.' Also, instruct them to completely block access to the isolation room and stop all CCTV recordings."

Since it seemed to abduct Objects as well, more comprehensive measures were needed.

"As for the Gray Reaper, it shouldn't be a problem. It's more surprising that it got sucked in after seeing the invitation. Usually, it's the abducted Object that spits it back out, so let's wait a bit."

Until now, Reapers had been nearly immune to such abduction-type Objects.

It was more plausible that the bored Reaper had intentionally let itself be taken.

Unless the 'Theme Park Invitation Doll' was an Object on the level of Lophiomus...

But judging from the doll crying after having its arm torn off, it didn't seem that way at all.

"In fact, there's no real issue even if the Gray Reaper got sucked into that invitation. But just in case any variables arise, let's move up the experiment we had planned."

The staff began to scramble to move up the previously scheduled test of the Theme Park Invitation Doll.

***

Yerin POV:

---

The Reaper had gone missing!

Ever since hearing that news, I had been occasionally slipping away and wandering around in search of the Reaper.

"Yerin, are you going out again?"

"Yes, I'll be back soon after getting some fresh air~."

Even though I knew the Reaper couldn't really disappear, I felt uneasy for some reason.

However, no matter how thoroughly I searched every corner of the Research Institute, I couldn't find a trace of the Reaper.

The Reaper was nowhere to be found, even in the places it would likely go.

I crouched down in front of the Reaper's bed in its isolation room.

Perhaps due to wandering around during work hours, I felt drowsy.

I dozed off and on, thinking

Reaper, please come back soon.

***

I found myself in the midst of an extremely long, 30-year dream.

I watched it from afar, as if I were a ghost.

In the dream, I opened my eyes in a dazed state.

It was the worn but well-maintained isolation room of the Reaper, just as I had always seen it in my dreams.

In the dream, I got up with an uncomfortable body and began dusting and cleaning.

Just in case the Reaper returned, I wanted everything to be alright.

I wiped the TV, the old game console, the table, and the bed, removing the dust.

It was a habit I had maintained for 30 years.

Thirty years had passed since the Reaper disappeared.

Sometimes, the dream version of me would look at the table and smile contentedly.

As if watching golden Reapers frolicking.

At those moments, it seemed like I could see that sight right before my eyes.

Clunk, clunk.

In the dream, I was gradually becoming unwell.

I had often prepared for picnics to play with Reaper, but not anymore.

I sensed that I was no longer in a physical condition to play with Reaper.

The me in the dream muttered in a small voice.

"Reaper, come back soon."

"Reaper is invincible."

"Someday, you will definitely return."

The me in the dream closed my eyes tightly while muttering like that.

The me who quietly fell asleep in the dream had a satisfied smile.

As if Reaper was right in front of me.

When I closed my eyes, it seemed like I could hear small footsteps.

tak, tak.

Reaper's small footsteps.

"You've finally come," said the me in the dream.

And so, the me in the dream met my end.

***

"Reaper!"

When I opened my eyes, it was Reaper's isolation room.

Not even 10 minutes had passed.

My whole body was drenched in sweat.

Did I just doze off for a bit?

It was too long and profound to be just a dream.

It felt like I had really lived 30 years without Reaper.

Seoul without Reaper was truly dreadful in the dream.

In the dream, Kim Jungroo senior died first.

Because of the Objects that swarmed out from a sinkhole.

And Park Seo-ah unnie also died.

It was when the government declared abandoning Seoul as they could no longer control the Objects appearing in the city.

On the day Park Seo-ah unnie died, Lee Sehee unnie also changed somehow.

T/N: Unnie (언니) = older sister, Unnie is only used by girls and only when addressing older female siblings or females you are very close with. Additionally, Unnie is an informal, friendly way to address somebody. (source: en.amazingtalker.com)

Unnie, who was completely different and obsessed with something, moved the Research Institute to the safe New Seoul area.

Seoul had officially been dismantled, but I chose to remain in the building that was once the Sehee Research Institute.

Because I believed Reaper would return.

Nowhere on the Korean peninsula was safe to live.

In a world without Reaper, I lived waiting only for Reaper's return. 

The world fell apart without Reaper.

Or did the world fall apart because Reaper was gone?

I'm glad it was just a dream.

*** 

Reaper (MC) POV:

---

I woke up in a lavishly decorated room.

The plush bed softly embraced my back, and the dim lighting filled the surroundings with a warm glow, creating a cozy atmosphere.

As I got up from the bed, a mannequin dressed like a room attendant came to greet me.

"Welcome, guest. Welcome to Smile Theme Park!"

It was a mannequin with a round face, its eyes and mouth sewn shut.

Neatly dressed in a suit.

And even wearing a tall cylindrical hat.

"Now, before enjoying the theme park, please accept this first."

The mannequin handed me a piece of paper.

The paper had 9 round faces printed on it.

"Smile Theme Park is currently holding a stamp event. It's a simple event where you enjoy all 9 types of rides placed in the theme park, get stamps, and then it's completed!"

9 stamps?

Not 10?

The destruction condition I saw was [Collect 10 theme park stamps], you know.

Well, I'll probably figure out why there's this difference as I wander around.

"Of course, there has to be a reward for the event. If you collect all 9 stamps, you can ride the free shuttle bus back home for free! So please collect the stamps diligently."

The mannequin clapped exaggeratedly.

"But that doesn't mean you have to hurry around to ride the attractions. Smile Theme Park operates 24/7, 365 days a year, so you can enjoy it at your leisure."

Pointing around the room, the mannequin continued speaking.

"You can also rest comfortably and have fun in the room. Please refer to the manual in the room for details. Ring this bell if you need anything!"

The mannequin bowed exaggeratedly and backed out of the room.

So far, so good, it was a pretty interesting looking Object.

Except for the fact that there are no humans at all.

It would have been nice if there were lots of humans like a normal theme park...

***

A day had passed since the gray Reaper left for the theme park.

A bus summoned by Sehee Research Institute's emergency request was entering the institute.

It was a special bus completely sealed with iron bars all around, looking ominously enclosed.

It was a mode of transportation used to transport death row inmates who had committed heinous crimes and received the death penalty.

Death row inmates to be used in the 'Theme Park Invitation Doll' experiment had arrived.

While many death row inmates were simply consumed as sacrifices, these were somewhat special death row inmates.

Death row inmates trained to enter trap-type Objects.

Such death row inmates were used for experiments that required solving quizzes or overcoming traps.

They were death row inmates who had undergone training related to Objects, lured by the promise of a pardon if they escaped the Object, to motivate them to try to escape.

However, no matter how grueling the training, the pardon rate for these death row inmates was only around 1%.

Still, it was better than the 100% mortality rate of ordinary death row inmates consumed as food for cannibalistic Objects.

The death row inmates got off at the Sehee Research Institute premises. 

Their arms were handcuffed behind their backs with multiple layers of handcuffs, and they couldn't run properly with handcuffs on their ankles too.

Unlike most death row inmates with gloomy expressions, only the woman at the front had a confident look on her face.

The tall woman, around 190cm it seemed, with tattoos all over her body, looked down at the police officers and asked,

"So where do we go?"

The woman asked with a ferocious grin.