Seoul Object Story
Chapter 86: The Kkachisan Conference: Epilogue (1)

The pillar of light shining down on the giant flaming skull grew increasingly stronger, while the red moon drifted closer and closer to that same pillar of light.

The red moon slowly getting consumed by the pillar of light reminded me of a total lunar eclipse, only much creepier.

As the entire red moon edged into entered the pillar of light, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something big was about to happen, you know? Call it a researcher’s intuition or maybe just my overactive imagination.

Everyone gathered around the skull and looked up at the sky, probably thinking the same thing I was. We were all holding our breath.

And then it happened.

The moment the red moon was completely eclipsed by the deep red pillar of light, a hole tore open in the sky.

The transparent dome that had separated the desert and Seoul collapsed into countless sparkling fragments that rained down, creating a breathtaking sight.

For the first time, we saw a clear sky with neither the suñ nor the moon of Earth. Instead, a familiar moon hung in the sky.

A cool breeze rustled my collar.

Cold moonlight bathed the landscape.

The air was refreshing, the hot, dry, and stuffy atmosphere of the desert vanished as if it had never been.

The pillar of light disappeared, and the burning skull crumbled into powder. The ominous red moon was gone. It felt like everything that had happened in the desert was nothing but a strange, dusty dream.

“It’s over!”

“We’re alive!”

People, previously silenced by tension, started to breathe again and celebrate their newfound freedom.

Finally… It’s finally over…

The Golden Reaper, who had been dancing on my palm, leaped towards where the skull had stood. I chased after it, stumbling through clouds of dust, until I found a large number of Golden Reapers gathered and dancing happily.

In the center of those Golden Reapers lay the Gray Reaper, sprawled out on its back. Its eyes were open, but it looked even more exhausted than usual.

Even though its eyes were opened, it looked several times more tired than usual.

“Reaper!”

I shouted, running to hug it from behind. Instead of welcoming me, the Reaper just went limp, as if moving was too much of a bother.

But, that’s okay! Looking annoyed is part of the Reaper’s charm as well!

“Now, we can return to Sehee Research Institute!” I declared.

This business trip was finally over.

On my first business trip, I learned a lot. Mainly, I took away two important lessons!

1. Sehee Research Institute is the safest place on Earth.

2. Next time I go on a business trip, I’m definitely taking the Gray Reaper with me.

   When Agent Black opened his eyes, he saw a dark night sky and an ordinary moon. The red moon was nowhere to be seen, and familiar modern buildings loomed in the distance. Any hope of escaping the red desert was quickly dashed by the sight of red sand underfoot.

   “Are you awake, Ahjussi?”

   The blonde young lady, soaked in water, smiled brightly at him.

   “Young miss?”

   Agent Black found it difficult to understand the situation.

   “I clearly remember dying… What happened?”

   He was certain he had died after his stomach was pierced. The girl opened her eyes and looked directly at him.

   “I saved your life, Ahjussi. I don’t know how, but I suddenly realized I could do it. I don’t even know why I am alive or why I can even do this.”

   The blonde girl’s irises were now red, just like the red moon.

   “Young miss… what happened to your eyes?”

   “Ah, this?” The young lady moved her face to the top of the nearby lake and looked at her reflection.

   “After I died, I somehow found myself awake and saw that the color of my eye had changed. Well, my eye color changing is better than dying, right?”

   Turning her head, she glanced at Agent Black and spoke again. “Now, let’s move quickly. Now that the red moon is gone, I will turn to ash if the sun ever shines on me.”

   “Huh? What do you mean?”

   “Now, now! We gotta go. Chop Chop. Please find me a safe place for me before I turn to ash, okay?”

   The young lady urged Agent Black. He seemed taken aback at first but soon began to consider their options seriously.

   “Umm, how about going to the Association president’s house?”

   “No, we can’t. If Grandpa finds out that I have become an Object, he’ll imprison and confine me to the research institute.”

   “Well, yes the president does act like that, but would he act like that even towards his granddaughter?”

   “He will absolutely, 100% do that, it’s in his nature. He might even dissect me by his own hands!” The young lady walked along the sand field, giggling for reasons unknown.

   “Then there seems to be no other choice. Let’s go to the safe house I had prepared. You will be able to stay there for a while.” Agent Black made his decision and began to move.

   Meanwhile, the young lady muttered softly, her gaze fixed on him.

   “Ah Ahjussi, now we will always be together. Forever…”

   With a faint but bright smile, she followed after him.

   A joyful song rang inside the containment room, and I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded.

   The crazy duo, no trio was shaking me around like a marionette! The trio consisted of Sehee, Yerin, and the newest addition to the crazy girl roster, Seoah.

   They were all happily dancing together with the Golden Reaper for some reason.

   Wha? The TV too?! There, on the tv was a video of me dancing playing on repeat endlessly.

   I mean… Why tho? Why, no how was it even filmed?

   I thought no one could see the center of the desert because the dome created by that red moon was blocking it!

   Red Moon! You had one job! Useless.

   The video showed me dancing clumsily, my arms and legs flailing around like a floppy puppet. But even a video of that god-awful dance, for some reason, was always played at least once every day on the news.

   Watching it made my hands and feet curl up in embarrassment, so I, khm, respectfully refrained from watching the news. It was so cringy!! Aghghhh!!!

   On the bright side, thanks to the video being so popular, the Sehee Research Institute had started making and selling different merchandise related to me.

   Normally, the association would block the sale of any goods related to the Gray Reaper, but the video had gotten so popular that they couldn’t even think of banning it this time.

   I also thought things would calm down after a few days, but the popularity of the video and the public’s frenzy didn’t seem to cool off at all.

   Okay, flaskack over, now back to my sad present. So, the crazy trio who were playing with me like a doll and making me move like in the video were none other than the ‘Director’, ‘Deputy Director’, and a ‘Researcher’ of this institute.

   The future of this institute looked dark…

   Yes, the flame in my heart was growing rapidly, but! But! I don’t want to collect firewood like this!!! Whaaa!!!

   In the midst of the never-ending dance time, I came to a decision.

   I must run away! To the Garden of the Golden Reaper!

   The Garden of Golden Reaper, with its sweet and relaxing atmosphere, was a sight for my sore eyes after such a long time away.

   Hmm, it has changed quite a bit since my last visit.

   What caught my eye immediately was the red skull-shaped cushion in the garden. It was huge, just like the skull I fought in the red desert.

   For some reason, the little Golden Reapers were dancing excitedly on top of it, looking like they were having the time of their lives. It must have appeared after the Golden Reaper defeated the red skull.

   It did look a bit tacky, but if the Golden Reapers liked it then it was perfect.

   Also, it looked like the garden itself had become much larger. Seems like the garden expands whenever the Golden Reapers kill an Object.

   There were more snacks, more spaces to lounge around, and more places to rest. The field of beds now stretched out so far that I couldn’t even see where they ended, only occasional glimpses of the cocoa rivers—which had also grown larger—being visible.

   In that river, floating around, enticing me, were all my favorite snacks and the Golden Reapers’ too—pudding, marshmallows, pastries. All the yummy things were there.

   There were also many new, unknown structures scattered around. They seemed to be trophies from the Objects the Golden Reapers had killed, like the large skull cushion.

   One of my favorites was the Cannonball-like Object made of red rock cubes that had somehow turned into a rotating cannonball thingy made out of marshmallow cubes?

   Well, the Golden Reapers seemed to be having fun nibbling on it.

   They seemed to have taken down quite a few Objects I hadn’t even seen.

   Like the chocolate soldiers that some of them were munching on right now. Hehe, as expected of my clones!!

   I lay back on one of the comfy beds, munching on crunchy pastries and watching the Golden Reapers dance.

   Hmm, was it because they had been dancing for so long? Their dancing skills were now anything but normal.

   Isn’t it funny that I, the original, can’t dance, yet my copies are such good dancers? Hahahaha! No, I’m not jealous.

   A modern fortress stood resolutely, surrounded by high walls and protected by numerous guards.

   It was the residence of Oh Muryong, the president of the Association.

   And at the moment, the mansion was shrouded in silent grief.

   “I’m sorry, elder. I couldn’t find her.”

   “…”

   Oh Muryong just stared at the pond, his mouth tightly shut.

   “Given the destruction of the Substitution Doll provided by the Chinese and the discovery of blood traces, it was concluded that it would have been difficult if not impossible for the young lady to survive…”

   Oh Muryong turned around in silence as the man continued his explanation.

   “It was discovered that the traces left on the Altar in the red desert were the young lady’s blood. And, judging by the amount of blood and the way it spread, it appears that… It appears that her heart was pierced while she was still alive.”

   “Then…” Oh Muryong’s voice was hoarse. “Then, can’t you at the least find her body?”

   The middle-aged man, reporting while lying face down on the floor, opened his mouth again.

   “No, elder. Even after combing through the entirety of the desert, we still couldn’t find her.”

   “Hmm, is that so? I see. Then, it can’t be helped. Go back.”

   It was a surprisingly dry reaction, considering how much he adored his granddaughter normally. But the man, seemingly not at all bothered by his behavior, said, “I understand” in a calm voice before taking his leave.

   The garden became quiet soon, as all the people who came to report made their exits.

   In the now empty and silent garden, Oh Muryong stared at the pond for a while.

   “I did use it for a long time. If one uses it for a long time, it’s bound to break,” he muttered to himself as he slowly walked into the mansion.