Seoul Object Story

Chapter 21: Black Butterfly (2)

In the director's office of the Sehee Research Institute, with a table in the middle, the yellow detective and Lee Sehee faced each other. Yerin stood behind Sehee with an indifferent expression.

As for me, I was lying down in the middle of the table.

While wandering around the Research Institute, I had tried to chase away the butterflies, but Yerin had grabbed my hand and dragged me here, saying it was related to me.

However, the introduction had become too long, so I couldn't endure the boredom and was staging a protest by lying down on the table to get it over with quickly.

"You said you need to bring the Gray Reaper?"

Hearing Sehee's words, the yellow detective handed a shiny, gold-decorated business card to Sehee in a poised manner.

Of course, I was curious about what kind of business card it was, so I intercepted it and read it, and it said that it was from a temporary Object Management Organization.

While I was reading, the detective reluctantly took out another business card and handed it to Sehee.

Seeing the detective's bewildered expression amused me. So who brought the butterflies here?

"I am currently working on a request from this temporarily formed organization called the Temporary Object Management Organization. Since the association has completely collapsed, this is a temporary organization replacing its place."

"So why does that organization need the gray Reaper? As you can see, it's not easy to control."

Startled by Sehee's shocking statement, I looked back, but Sehee was not looking at me.

"Although it has not been officially announced yet, the area around Songpa-gu is in a very dangerous situation. Butterflies that cover people are wandering around."

The detective first handed me several crime scene photos. They were photos of people torn to pieces.

There were plenty of photos similar to the scene where a person had been killed by the butterflies at the Central Research Institute.

"In the initial incidents, people attacked by the butterflies were killed in this way."

The man took out more photos. They showed people staggering and awkwardly walking around like zombies.

"After some time, instead of simply killing the host, the butterflies started to cover the human skin and move around. The biggest problem is that those zombie-like people have not been seen for several days."

The detective's meaningful expression showed a photo of a person locked up in a detention center.

"It seems the butterflies that have learned have no longer any awkwardness. There is no significant difference from humans. This person is even demanding to be released, claiming illegal detention."

Sehee placed the photos on the table.

"You haven't told me why the gray Reaper is needed."

***

"You haven't told me why the Gray Reaper is needed."

The director of the Sehee Research Institute asked, and I felt the need to answer.

The need for the Gray Reaper was just a hunch on my part.

The butterflies that have now appeared seem to be clearly from the initial incident at the Central Research Institute, but the number of victims there was much lower than expected.

It was expected that 'something' at the Central Research Institute had hindered the butterflies' activities, and I had thought that the Gray Reaper might be that 'something'.

I opened my mouth and then closed it again.

As a private detective, I could have made the request based on speculation, but it would be difficult for a government representative to do so.

"So there's no particular reason? And with the current Gray Collapse issue, taking the Gray Reaper out would likely be unpopular with public opinion. I'll have to deny your request."

As expected, the Research Institute director's answer was a refusal.

The official request recorded in the data would have to proceed as per protocol.

***

'Hmm'

It seemed the detective had an unmentionable reason.

But I couldn't just give permission on a whim either.

Moreover, even if the Research Institute allowed it, I couldn't just dispatch the Gray Reaper as I pleased.

Forcibly sending the Reaper to a place it doesn't want to go?

Absolutely impossible.

But refusing wouldn't stop the Gray Reaper from going either.

I smiled as I looked at the empty table.

***

The Gray Reaper is following me.

The reason... I don't know.

[It draws power from human sorrow.]

[It draws power from human grief.]

[It draws power from human suffering.]

[It knows the fastest way to kill its target.]

Every time I look back, those phrases slink and hide in the corners.

It seems to be in a ghostified state, but why is it hiding while in that state?

Anyway, I've now achieved the original goal of bringing the Gray Reaper to the site.

Its ability to interfere with the butterflies has already been confirmed, as seen by how it freed me from the butterflies.

The only concern is whether it's really okay to bring such an uncontrollable entity.

***

As soon as I got in the vehicle, the Gray Reaper appeared boldly in the passenger seat, no longer hiding.

It was opening various things in the vehicle, as if bored.

According to the latest Sehee Research Institute report, the Gray Reaper understands speech just like the 'cute puppy' but communication and control are impossible.

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I took out a coin I often use.

When I brought out the Object, the Gray Reaper looked at me intently, seeming interested.

The coin's name is the "Fortune-Measuring Coin" - when flipped, a number between 1 and 20 appears on the coin face.

Interestingly, both sides show the same number.

1 means an extremely unlucky day, and 20 means an extremely lucky day - a simple ability of this Object.

Right now, since no one had flipped it, it showed "0".

Ting!

When I flipped it, the number that appeared was 5.

Not an especially lucky number.

I placed the coin on the Gray Reaper's hand, and it happily flipped the coin itself.

The number that appeared for the Reaper was 20.

Looks like today is the Gray Reaper's lucky day.

Well, good luck is good.

Might it help with solving the case?

***

??? POV:

I had a nightmare.

This can't be real.

My house is gone.

A huge sinkhole appeared and swallowed it up.

While a huge number of people died in Songpa-gu, my family was on a trip at the time, so we avoided the disaster.

The 'Songpa-gu Sinkhole Disaster Refugee Camp' we moved into was decent at first.

They said I didn't have to go to school, after all.

But gradually, more and more things started bothering me.

The container houses, and the people living in them.

While enduring the dissatisfaction and getting by somehow, a terrible incident occurred - a horrific murder.

Although I didn't see it directly, they said the person was killed with their skin and internal organs all exposed.

And from then on, soldiers started appearing and began to completely seal off the entire camp.

This sealing was a legitimate sealing under the Special Law on Objects, and it was absolutely impossible to leave.

And even after that, the same murder incidents occurred several more times.

Around that time, the atmosphere of the camp became as sharp as a knife.

They raised their voices even at the slightest sound, and at night no one went outside.

People suspected each other as murderers and strongly resented the government for not letting them out.

The adults started protesting strongly against the government's sealing measures.

Media outlets that had been contacted came to film the scene.

But the sealing was not lifted.

My parents also participated in the protests and voiced their opinions earnestly.

But at some point, they stopped going to the protests.

The reason was easy for me to understand.

The protesters were talking nonsense.

Saying the government had spread the infectious disease, or that they were preparing a ritual to sacrifice us.

Incomprehensible opinions were increasing more and more.

My parents, grumbling that this way they would never gain support, started gathering people who did not agree with those conspiracy theories to form a separate protest group.

That night, something strange happened.

I woke up to a strange sound, and in front of my eyes, my parents were vomiting a lot of internal organs from their mouths.

I was so shocked that I couldn't say a word.

My parents, who had become so emaciated that it looked like only their skin was left, had changed as if all their internal organs had disappeared.

Maybe it was because the scene was so shocking.

I fainted right there.

"Hyeonseok, wake up!"

I opened my eyes at the sound of my parents calling me.

It was just a nightmare after all.

Such a thing could not be real.

"Today, we have to go to the protest together. It's clear the government is blasting people with electromagnetic waves and killing them!"

Mom said with a bright smile.

"Your neck hurts, right? The government has released toxic gas in the camp, so you should wet a mask and use it well!"

Dad also said with a bright smile.

I'm still dreaming.

There's no way this could be real.

For some reason, I felt like a black butterfly with a strong smell of blood was flying around inside the container.