Seoul Object Story
Chapter 51: Theme Park (2)

In the conference room within the Sehee Research Institute, a meeting was underway. Three individuals were seated around the table—Lee Sehee, Park Seoah, and Kim Jungrwi.

Meanwhile, a sentence was written on the whiteboard:

“Then let’s commence the meeting,” Kim Jungrwi announced in a solemn voice.

“The purpose of this meeting is to address the concerns raised by the Deputy Director and resolve the difference in opinion between the Director and the Deputy Director regarding the frequency of contact between the researchers and the Gray Reaper.”

As soon as the meeting was underway, Sehee wasted no time in speaking.

“If you look at the picture, the difference in the Gray Reaper is obvious. They cannot be dismissed as something trivial,” Sehee declared confidently.

On the table, she rapped her knuckles against several photos. Above the images were the words, ‘Yerin On’ and ‘Yerin Off’ written in small letters.

All the photos were of the containment room where the Gray Reaper stayed, but there were subtle differences between them.

The photos with ‘Yerin off’ appeared slightly dim. The Gray Reaper’s light seemed weaker, and its expression appeared a little gloomy.

On the other hand, the photos with ‘Yerin on’ appeared a little brighter. The Gray Reaper’s light seemed stronger, while its expression seemed a little happier.

After going through the photographs, Seoah lightly flicked her hand and voiced her concerns.

“I understand that this is the result of minimizing Researcher Yerin’s contact with the Gray Reaper as much as possible. However, I still have my reservations. Isn’t it too dangerous to allow people to maintain frequent contact with an Object with the danger level of “Special Grade”?” Seoah calmly expressed her opinion.

“Furthermore, it is highly likely that this change will only be temporary. After all, there is a possibility that the Reaper will regain its brightness when it takes an interest in something else.”

Upon hearing Seoah’s argument, Sehee swiftly offered her rebuttal.

“That ‘interest in something else’ might not bode well for the research institute.”

Sehee placed a set of photos on the table.

Each of the photos showed a different scene:

The first showed the Reaper standing amidst a containment room that had turned into a sea of fire.

The second depicted the Reaper watching an Object with shattered limbs.

And the third showed a Reaper-shaped hole in the containment room, resembling an Egyptian mural.

The images captured the various incidents caused by the Reaper.

“Without Yerin, the Reaper becomes ferocious. It seems to cause these major accidents unconsciously as if seeking attention. Surprisingly, when a lot of people pay attention to it, it becomes remarkably calm despite appearing bothered. Of course, if Yerin is around, she can handle it all on her own. A cheap yet effective solution!”

Sehee concluded her statement, laying out another set of photos.

The first was a photo of the Reaper interrupting the Blue Lizard which was playing the piano by grabbing it by one of its legs and lifting it up.

The second showed the Reaper frantically observing the Skeleton Spider with its cheek pressed against the glass of the containment room,

And lastly, a photo of the Reaper joyfully riding a tricycle.

“These pictures were taken not too long ago. The Reaper is already wandering into other containment rooms. Well, since the Reaper hasn’t yet attacked any humans, we can observe the situation a little longer.”

Knock-! Knock-!

“Apologies for the interruption.”

A sudden knock on the door brought the meeting, which had only deepened Seoah’s concerns, to a close.

“Director. you need to step outside. The Gray Reaper has gone missing due to the ‘Theme Park Invitation Doll’.”

***

Inside the containment room, while the researchers were recording the actions of the ‘Theme Park Invitation Doll’, the doll was about to hand me an invitation.

However, as soon as it saw my face, it quickly retracted the invitation, as if it were flowing water. It then turned around and approached the other researchers trying to hand them the invitation as if nothing had happened.

It acted as if it had never approached me in the first place.

When I ran and stood in front of the doll, it turned its body in another direction, acting as if it couldn’t see me.

Swirl-!

When I turned, the doll turned as well.

Swirl-!

And when I turned again, the doll followed suit.

Since it seemed unwilling to hand me the invitation over properly, I decided to take it by surprise and steal the invitation from it.

I slipped into my phantom form and quietly waited for an opportunity.

Just as the ‘Theme Park Invitation Doll’ handed the invitation to another researcher in the containment room, I materialized and snatched the invitation.

I got it!

Eung?

But the doll held on to the invitation with all its might, refusing to let go.

Thus began a struggle between the doll and me, each holding on tightly to the invitation.

I used all my strength, but the invitation wouldn’t budge.

On the other hand, the doll also tried to shake me off, but its small size made it difficult.

The escalating situation seemed likely to continue forever until an unexpected turn of events occurred.

Suddenly, the ugly stitches that covered the doll’s mouth came undone.

“Kuaaaaaaaaa!”

It let out a piercing scream I couldn’t bear.

The doll’s upper garments ripped apart, and its muscles swelled and bulged, almost like a balloon.

The doll transformed into a topless, muscular doll with a round little face.

What the?! This kind of Object shouldn’t exist!!!

As the muscular doll continued to pull on the invitation, I found it impossible to stand on my feet. I swayed like a reed in the direction the doll was pulling.

In the end, my grip on the invitation slipped, and I was flung away, rolling across the containment room.

!

In a fit of rage, I checked the doll’s killing conditions.

Nice! Fortunately, the conditions were annoying.

Since killing someone or something solely because they didn’t give you an invitation was a bit too much, I needed to find a way to resolve this grudge without killing the doll.

Given the confusing and annoying killing conditions, the doll wouldn’t die easily.

With confident steps, I walked up to the doll and cut both of its shoulders off.

“Giieeeeeeekkk!”

The doll writhed on the floor, now armless.

Hmph! That’s why you should have given it to me earlier.

I picked up the fallen envelope that read—

As I tore open the envelope and took out the contents, I found that it was just a simple postcard.

However, on the back of the postcard, there was a map with instructions on how to get to the theme park. Well, I wasn’t sure if it could even be called a map, it was more like a roughly drawn picture of an earthworm.

But somehow, the directions to the theme park were even more ridiculous than the map itself.

Meanwhile, on the front of the postcard was an introduction to the theme park.

As soon as I finished reading the entire introduction, I could sense a power emanating from the postcard. But, instead of resisting it, I just accepted it.

Gradually, the sounds around me grew distant, and the doll’s mournful cries faded away. Furthermore, the surroundings also started to get darker, until it was pitch black. And before I knew it, I found myself in an unfamiliar place.

***

In my detective’s office, I sat leisurely in a rocking chair, bathing in the sunlight and enjoying its warmth.

What I had thought to be a simple missing person case had now ballooned into a major case related to ‘The Maker’.

Since it had nothing to do with the request, I just walked out as soon as I completed it. Still the human trafficking and cruel experiments that had taken place at the Bucheon Research Institute seemed to be anything but ordinary.

With the recent unveiling of the connection between the institute and the terrorist incident at this year’s expo, a large contingent of police were scheduled to storm the research facility.

Agent Black should still be there, investigating. He was in for a lot of trouble.

Just thinking about all the work it would take to share the results of the investigation with the police and also reveal the circumstances surrounding the investigation of the institute was kind of terrifying.

Ah no, since the young miss was also there, it might turn out to be surprisingly simple.

While I was lost in thoughts about the Bucheon Research Institute, a sudden knock interrupted my thoughts.

Knock-! Knock-!

“Sunbae! I’m here.”

The door swung open, and Junior No. 1 entered the room.

Since it seemed likely that I would have a second junior, I decided to refer to her as ‘Junior No. 1.’

“How’s Hyejin?”

“Not great. But with the Golden Horns, she should recover soon, right?”

“Hmm. That’s not certain. Everyone’s mental fortitude varies greatly.”

After I completed her request, Hyejin said that she would sell her horn to pay for my services, since she did not have any money.

Of course, I stopped her from doing so.

It was illegal, after all.

Also since she was in a state of shock from her sister’s death, she would 100% die if her horns were cut off.

I made it clear that even if she brought me the money, I would never accept it if her horns were missing.

Besides, I had no intention of profiting off of a girl who was herself struggling. Having just left the quarantine zone, finding a job would be difficult for her.

Moreover, there were many people looking for the golden horns, making the world three times more dangerous for people with golden horns. So, I decided to lend a helping hand.

I told her to contact me once she regained her footing, and if she couldn’t find a job, I would accept her as my ‘Junior No. 2‘. If she was interested, she would contact me.

And just like that, Hyejin became a prospective junior of mine.

Every request I received based on my intuition always had very good rewards, so I believed it would be the same this time as well.

Since the request didn’t make me a lot of money, it probably meant that No. 2 would be of great help later.

“Hmm, huhummm~♪.”

Junior No. 1 hummed cheerfully while polishing two hammers to a shine.

“…What are you doing?”

“Oh, since she’s going to be Junior No. 2, she should use two hammers!”

“ah….”

I massaged my head as it started throbbing.

I really believe in my intuition, but man do situations like this make me doubt it…