Seoul Object Story
Chapter 101: The Cruise ship (2)

A cave located on the outskirts of Yangcheon-gu Lake was a must-visit spot for tourists.

The reporter entered the cave, blending in with the throngs of visitors. Dressed casually with a happy expression, he held his camera with a hand tense from anticipation.

Two of his seniors had already gone missing after covering this lake, and honestly, he didn’t want to be here either.

This wasn’t just any Object; it was a national disaster that needed serious investigation.

It was not just about the size of the lake, it was the phenomenon itself, so much so that the entire Republic of Korea was going crazy over it.

No matter how much the public clamored for the government to open the lake, it wasn’t normal for it to be opened to the public so quickly.

The whole country has gone nuts!

And so had his media company. Only he and his two seniors felt something fishy about the lake. His seniors had dived into the investigation with the determination of war reporters, only to never return.

No, rather they couldn’t return, they had mysteriously gone missing.

Now, he was here to finish what they had started.

As he was lost in his thoughts, he was suddenly snapped out of his reverie by a loud shout.

“Wow, look at that!”

Exclamations from tourists and the sound of camera shutters rang out.

Led by the voices, the reporter turned around, only to see cave walls filled with crystals and blue gems, pulsating with light from the sparkling water.

It was an amazing sight, but he quickly refocused and went deeper into the cave, where there were fewer tourists.

He had two goals:

First, find out what happened to his missing seniors.

Second, capture evidence about the < Suspicions of Human Sacrifice at the Yangcheon-gu Lake >, which his seniors were trying to cover.

As he moved deeper into the cave, the presence of people became fainter and fainter, and soon enough the scenery changed.

Amethyst, sapphire, and emerald decorated the walls and ceiling, and the rhythmic light, reflected off of them, creating a kaleidoscope-like effect.

The natural pillars that supported the ceiling and the delicate arches that decorated the landscape were like works of art, created by nature itself. This cave must’ve been built by an Object, so these structures must’ve been also crafted by the Object in order to captivate people.

An Object that captivates people…?

Lost in thought, he went deeper and deeper into the cave, only to come across a group of suspicious people up ahead.

Through a circular hole in the ceiling, the full moon was on full display.

A staircase made out of rocks could be seen, seemingly stretching all the way towards the moon.

But at the end of the staircase was nothing but a cliff, and beneath it, a puddle connected to Yangcheon-gu Lake.

A long line of people slowly moved through the stairs, throwing themselves from the pool once they reached the end.

“!”

At long last…

The people who dived into the lake did not come back to the surface.

They just sank deeper and deeper into the water.

He had found it…

This was the evidence his seniors were after!

As he frantically took pictures of the scene as evidence, he heard a familiar voice.

“Ah~! Our youngest is so cool, right? Reaching all the way here~!”

“Sunbae?”

But no matter where he looked, he couldn’t see any signs of his senior.

“Here, here.”

Only their voices echoed out.

“Hahaha~! Stupid junior, just where are you looking?”

Their voices echoed throughout the cave, creating a sense of chaos.

Finally, he caught a glimpse of one of his seniors.

There he was, standing by the blue moon, gesturing at him. His other missing senior was also waiting there with a smile.

“S-sunbae? What… happened?”

He climbed the stairs, tears leaking from his eyes for no reason.

Then, all of a sudden, a strange, evil-sounding woman’s voice pierced his mind.

“Huh?”

He snapped back to his senses. His seniors were gone, and he was at the end of the stairs, looking down at the puddle.

Following the voice, something sharp pierced his heart. Through his blurred vision, he could see a number of strange, ugly, and twisted monsters arguing with each other.

A cheerful chime rang out from the keyboard. James rolled his sore shoulders and stood from his seat, feeling the strain from all the paperwork.

Ugh, this is tiring…

The aftermath of the pudding factory incident was winding down, and now all he had left was to get back to America.

There was too much work waiting for him stateside to stay in Korea much longer.

James left the study, plopped onto the sofa, and turned on the TV.

An ad for a hotel on a ship near a trendy tourist spot flashed on the screen. Even James had to admit it looked pretty enticing.

“Hmm, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to stop there at least once before heading back to America,” he muttered, admiring the refreshing view of the lake.

Beep-beep-beep-

All of a sudden, his smartwatch buzzed annoyingly. It was an Object alert message from the American Object Association.

James felt like he’d been hit with a hammer. Had he seriously just considered visiting that bizarre lake?

It hadn’t even struck him as odd that the lake had suddenly appeared. He prided himself on being somewhat of an Object expert, yet he’d nearly made a fatal mistake.

Ding dong-! Ding dong-! Ding dong-!

The urgent doorbell snapped him back to reality. Before he could even respond, the sound of pounding on the door and voices calling his name filled the room.

Thump-! Thump-! Thump-!

“Mr. James, I believe you received the emergency call. I’m here to pick you up.”

The familiar American accent was unmistakable. They had sent someone from the American Object Management Association to retrieve him.

With a mix of his own will and a good shove, James left Korea, taking only the bare minimum of his luggage.

The lake was alive with noise, and the joyful singing echoed across the vast waters.

Under a starry sky, the employees of Sehee Research Institute were having a blast, soaking in the beautiful lake scenery.

The deck of the ship was brightly lit with warm and sparkling lights, creating a cozy atmosphere, while the Golden Reapers, with their beaming faces, jumped around the cruise ship, adding extra liveliness to the party.

The scent of barbecue wafted through the air as the chefs’ spectacular fire show captured everyone’s attention.

With the sizzling sounds in the background, the atmosphere at the Sehee Research Institute got wilder and wilder.

I watched the party from a slightly dark but pleasant spot, a little away from the center of the hustle and bustle.

The Sehee Research Institute was still the same. They didn’t seem to have a care in the world, even though they were partying on a strange lake.

It seemed like the Object lurking in Yangcheon-gu Lake had some kind of ability to reduce feelings of discomfort and worry, keeping everyone carefree.

But the Sehee Research Institute was already a place where people were overly positive and had no sense of worry. So, it was hard to notice any difference.

The Golden Reapers, who didn’t let their guard down despite the bright smiles, seemed more like researchers than the actual staff.

Seoah, who usually was the most responsible among them, had been in bad shape lately, leaving Kim Jungrwi as the only normal person at the Sehee Research Institute.

I left the lookout duty to the Golden Reapers and enjoyed the party by eating delicious foods one by one while Yerin held me in her arms.

“Reaper, Reaper. This! Try this too!”

Om nom nom-!

“Hehe! This sashimi is also delicious! Here!”

Om nom nom-!

Yerin was feeding me all kinds of food, and surprisingly, everything she picked was delicious. So, I ended up just eating whatever she gave me, like a baby bird.

Hmm, what’s the matter? Yerin was calling and pointing at a place where some kind of loud, funky, party music was playing.

“Reaper. Reaper. Look over there! It’s so funny!”

Since Yerin was poking my cheek, I had no choice but to look over, and what I saw was completely unexpected.

Kim Jungrwi, the only normal person at the Sehee Research Institute, was dancing with flashy moves!

That very Kim Jungrwi, who never jokes around, was dancing along with the little Golden Reapers on the table copying him.

Swing-! Swing-! Hop-! Hop-!

Kim Jungrwi certainly looked disciplined when he danced, but when the Golden Reaper did the same dance, it turned into an adorable performance.

I was quite surprised to see that. And it was even more surprising that the Golden Reapers could imitate the dance after just seeing it once.

But it was clear to me now. Kim Jungrwi doing something like that? It was clear that an Object was influencing him.

Tiring-! Tiring-! Tiring-!

Suddenly, a bell sounded.

When I looked around, the lake had become completely quiet, shrouded in thick fog.

The Object of the lake had finally appeared, but it didn’t seem to have any intention of harming humans right now.

As the bell, with its eerie, corpse-like resonance, rang out on the deck, a thick fog slowly covered the ship.

The Sehee Research Institute employees continued laughing and chatting as usual, despite the unpleasant sound of the bell and the thick fog.

The Golden Reapers, on the other hand, became alert, looking around cautiously.

A thick and persistent slowly enveloped the deck, rising like writhing tendrils.

Tiring-!

With the final bell ring, the people exposed to the fog fell into a deep sleep.

While the Golden Reapers scrambled to catch the suddenly sleeping people to make sure they weren’t hurt, I calmly looked at the center of the fog.

An old woman’s laughter echoed through the fog.

Schreech-!

With the sound of claws scratching something, a figure crawled out of the fog and onto the deck.

The first thing I saw were claws stained with human blood. Then, arms as skinny as a corpse, hair like a broken broom, a face with sharp teeth sprouting out of empty eye sockets, and vertebrae twisted around and protruded through the skin.

The voice of an evil-sounding old woman echoed as a hideous monster emerged from the fog. And then my eyes locked with the grotesque thing that had climbed onto the deck.