Seoul Object Story

The delightful breakfast of raw Hungry Ghost steak was over.

I slowly crawled over and rested my head on Yerin’s lap. From my vantage point, I could see the tiny feet of the Mini Hungry Ghost dangling just above me.

My mouth watered as I leaned in, ready to sneak a bite, but Yerin was quicker. She whisked the white Hungry Ghost away, just out of reach.

“This is mine. I’m not sharing.”

You’re just going to play with it anyway, Yerin!

Pouting, I summoned a new mini Hungry Ghost and popped it into my mouth, turning my gaze toward the TV. The news anchor on the screen was frowning, speaking in a heavy tone about some recent disaster: a new drug that was spreading like wildfire.

Even though the drug was extremely addictive, it was completely undetectable and dirt cheap, causing all sorts of trouble.

Hmm, it must be a drug made from Objects.

Munching on my marshmallowy Hungry Ghost, I listened as the TV droned on about how, when tested in the lab, the drug was found to be mostly burned protein. It was so charred they couldn’t even tell what kind of meat it was.

Because of that, the Narcotic Control Bureau concluded that this drug had something to do with Objects and requested help from the Object Association.

Then, pictures of people who had taken the drug flashed on the screen.

Their skin looked like dry, cracked bark, and their bodies were as skinny as mummies. But their eyes… they glowed with a creepy, ominous light.

It reminded me of something…

Oh! Now that I think about it, it kind of looked like those monster men I saw in Seoul Forest back in the day.

As I mulled it over, the TV clicked off, and Yerin’s voice filled the room.

“Ugh, that’s so creepy. I’ll probably dream about it…”

She hugged me tight and added, “Reaper! Let’s go to the swimming pool in this hotel! Since there won’t be any other guests, we’ll have the whole place to ourselves. It’ll be fun!”

With that, Yerin scooped me up and carried me out of the hotel room, off to our next adventure.

*********In one of the relatively fine conference rooms inside James City, James, the deputy mayor, and the officials monitoring the mini-moon were gathered.

“You look tired. Why don’t you take a break, James.”

James, wearing his usual indifferent expression, barely glanced at the deputy mayor, who was still sporting an escape-prevention collar around his neck—briefly released from quarantine but still very much under watch.

“It’s better to suffer now. I can’t keep the guests from Korea waiting,” James replied, as if the idea of taking a break was beneath him.

Without waiting for a response, James turned his attention back to the footage projected on the screen.

“Now, let’s talk about the gray moon.”

At his cue, the ‘Mini-Moon Observation Plan’ staff switched the slide.

“These are photos of the moon we took yesterday.”

The slide displayed a large moon, proudly standing out among the mini-moons—a moon that was completely gray.

“As you know, the color of the moon is affected by both weather conditions and time. However, since yesterday, no matter when or where we observed it, the only thing we saw was that the moon always has the same color.”

Photos taken from various locations and time zones flashed on the screen in quick succession, but to everyone’s surprise, the moon looked exactly the same in each one.

“Right now, only a few people have noticed the anomaly because of the blue moon’s appearance, but soon, many more will catch on.”

“I hope it doesn’t turn into something big like the Red Moon.”

Everyone nodded slightly at the deputy mayor’s murmured concern.

When the Red Moon first appeared, it unleashed a wave of doomsday theories, chaos, and a surge in suicides. The aftermath was so severe that many envied Korea, where no major incidents occurred.

Once the discussion on the Gray Moon wrapped up, the slides began to show a document of a slightly different nature—a handwritten report.

The deputy mayor stood up and cleared his throat.

“It’s my turn now.”

The report contained an eyewitness account and an interpretation from a scholar who majored in Objects and physics.

There was ample room for skepticism, given that the deputy mayor, the prime eyewitness, might have suffered from mind corruption and hallucinations.

After flipping through the slides and delivering a detailed presentation, the deputy mayor added a brief remark before sitting down.

“In conclusion, I can say that it really happened, not a hallucination. Even though space-time inside the space was distorted, it was not an illusion. I saw both the blue moon and the Gray Reaper who was destroying it.”

“Finally! I can be 99% sure that the mini-moon was a phenomenon caused by the Gray Reaper,” James declared, satisfied.

He’d been convinced that the Gray Reaper was behind the mini-moon ever since the Red Moon incident, and this confirmation was a relief.

They then moved on to discuss the future observation schedule and whether or not to relocate the research institutes within James City.

“Let’s end the meeting here,” James announced, bringing the session to a close.

After James declared the end of the meeting, everyone left the conference room with tired faces.

The room emptied quickly, the officials leaving with tired faces.

“This thing is uncomfortable,” the deputy mayor grumbled, fiddling with the escape-prevention collar around his neck.

“Ah, that collar’s supposed to be uncomfortable. According to the regulations, you have to wear it for a month since it’s suspected that you have level two mind corruption,” James commented casually, adding that he’d also worn one for a week when suspected of level three mind corruption.

With a dismissive wave, James bid the deputy mayor farewell as he was led back to containment.

“Then let’s meet in a month.”

“Okay,” the deputy mayor replied, resigned to his fate, while James, with much more on his plate, went about his business.

*********Even though the atmosphere at the hotel pool was quiet, it was surprisingly charming!

Since there were no other guests, I got to enjoy splashing around in the water with the Reapers all by myself in this peaceful, quiet pool. It was like having my own little slice of paradise!

Of course, it would have been even better if the security guards from the James Research Institute weren’t lurking around, looking all nervous and tense, but hey, you can’t have everything, right?

The gentle sound of water hitting the edge of the pool and the splashing from the Golden Reapers jumping off the 10-meter diving board felt like the perfect background music for our little pool party.

Splash-! Splash-!

The Reaper I was holding under its little armpits was splashing around in the water with the most indifferent expression, its feet swinging slightly as if it was all just so… meh.

The rides at the hotel pool weren’t as intense as the ones at the James Research Institute, but the Golden Reapers seemed to be having a blast anyway!

Lately, though, I’ve noticed something a little strange about the Golden Reapers. They always look… happy. Like, all the time.

You’d think they’d show a bit more excitement when they’re having fun or eating something yummy, but nope, the Golden Reapers are just… content, I guess? It’s weird, but also kinda cute!

But that doesn’t mean they don’t have their own likes and dislikes. Maybe their reactions change depending on who gives them something? Hm, that’s something to think about later.

Just as I was pondering all this while playing in the water with the Reapers, James showed up at the hotel pool, looking super tired.

“I’m glad you’re resting well.”

“I think you need to rest, James. Your complexion is really bad.”

But James just brushed it off, saying he was fine (typical James), before asking us to head to the hotel’s central hall.

*********James showed up, looking like he could collapse at any moment, and called Yerin and me over.

Poor guy, he really needed a break! But I figured this had to be about Relic Number 0, so I put on my serious face (well, as serious as I can get).

After finishing our swim, we headed to this huge hall filled with all sorts of antiques. It was like walking into a museum!

There were ancient relics, old-fashioned trinkets, and even a fountain pen that looked like it had written its fair share of secrets.

Oh, and there were these strange murals that looked like they’d been ripped right off the wall of some mysterious temple.

But… none of them had the same energy as Relic Number 0. I could just feel it.

And just like I suspected, none of these items reacted to me. Not even a little tingle!

“Nothing is reacting, huh? Strange,” James said, sounding a bit surprised. Honestly, I was too, but then something else caught my eye.

It was this huge marble mosaic on the floor. It was so pretty! The mosaic showed a sky with seven moons, a massive spire, and animals as big as the spire.

I found myself just staring at it, trying to take it all in. Yerin seemed intrigued too, as she started looking at the mosaic from different angles.

Then James began explaining, “Oh, that’s a mosaic I brought from Korea. It was found in the house of the director of the Trinity Third Research Institute.”

He continued, though he sounded a bit unsure, “I brought it because the style and patterns in that mosaic were similar to what we found in Relic Number 0. But after examining it, we discovered it was made with modern technology, so it’s considered an imitation of Relic Number 0.”

For some reason, it reminded me of those bloody blobs that kept repeating…

< mortals="" struck="" down="" the="" divine="" one.="" yet,="" in="" their="" time="" of="" need,="" they="" yearned="" for="" its="" return.="">

< though="" divine="" one="" raged="" with="" fury,="" it="" shielded="" the="" wayward="" mortals.="">

*********There was no trace left of the majestic mountain range that had once been filled with towering trees. Now, the land was choked with a black liquid, thick and viscous like petroleum, stretching endlessly beyond the ruined peaks.

The ordinary plants and animals that had once brought life to this place had vanished without a trace. There was no chirping of birds, no rustling of leaves, no whispering winds—only a silence that pressed down on the land like a suffocating shroud.

In this desolate wasteland, a monster of mythic proportions roamed. It was a massive pig, its size rivaling that of the very mountains that had once stood here.

From its gaping maw, the beast breathed fire, scorching the black liquid that pooled across the ground. With every thunderous strike of its hooves, the earth quaked, sending echoes of dread through the still air.

This burning pig was the ruler of the abandoned mountain range, cursed to wander in a state of unending hunger.

Its blazing eyes lifted to the sky, calculating the time.

Above, three moons hung ominously—the orange, yellow, and green orbs glowing like sinister suns, casting their eerie light over this twisted world, deepening the shadows that lurked in every corner.