Seoul Object Story

Chapter 59: Theme Park - Aftermath (1)

The cold cobalt hue of dawn faded away, and the grounds of the Bucheon Research Institute gradually gained vitality under the morning sunlight.

The silence of the early morning was broken by the sound of small footsteps.

"The Smile Theme Park Flyer Incident has been resolved!"

A blonde girl with flushed cheeks from running handed a newspaper to a black agent.

<The Smile Theme Park Flyer Incident Resolved!>

<The government officially announced at 2 AM this morning the complete destruction of the 'Smile Theme Park Doll', known to have been isolated at the Sehee Research Institute.>

The newspaper the smiling girl handed over contained an article about the conclusion of the flyer incident.

After receiving the newspaper, the black agent smiled slightly and said to the blonde girl,

"That's really fortunate, miss."

Turning the pages of the received newspaper revealed a photo of a fiercely looking woman.

A death row inmate who had been put into Object to avoid execution.

While it was an act for her own survival, Seoul was relieved of one burden because of that inmate.

"Uncle, can we be assured of safety just because someone escaped from an Object?"

"Usually, it's hard to be so definitive. The escape and destruction conditions are often different in most cases."

"Why do you think they were the same this time?"

"The two conditions overlapped. First, after the inmate escaped, the related Object lost power and was destroyed - this is the most important first condition."

The black agent opened the newspaper and explained while going over the related materials.

"Here, there's testimony from the escaped inmate. She had to clear nine types of devices to escape. Typically, the harder the escape, the more the escape and destruction conditions tend to be the same. Having to clear nine missions is quite difficult among escape-type Objects. The excessive difficulty is the second condition."

Hmm.

After listening to the black agent's explanation, the blonde girl nodded as if she understood something.

***

Reaper (MC) POV:

---

When I opened my eyes, it was the familiar ceiling.

The ceiling of the isolation room prepared for me.

Yesterday, as soon as I returned from the theme park, I was kidnapped to the isolation room by Sehee and Yerin...

Yum yum yum.

Looking to the left, Yerin was chewing on my hair.

Looking to the right, Sehee was hugging my arm like it was a treasure.

I couldn't move...

I thought about ghostifying to slip away, but decided to just stay still today.

The theme park was fun, but there was a lack of human essence since there were too few humans.

Plus, the bed was warm and comfortable, and the firewood inside me was rapidly growing, so it would be okay to stay a little longer.

This time at the theme park, I gained a nice ability.

An extremely powerful ability.

No, not powerful, but an ability I liked.

I got a Golden Reaper Storage.

When I close my eyes, I can see a space full of Golden Reapers.

If I had to name it, the Golden Reaper Garden.

It was like Valhalla where the golden Reapers go.

A place where pudding and cake banquets are always held, and a river of cocoa flows.

A vast land made of fluffy mattresses, where golden Reapers frolic.

A sky made of bed canopies, and a softly glowing light source.

A place always filled with a dreamy atmosphere.

A dream garden.

A non-physical space that can only be entered through dreams.

As I entered the Golden Reaper Garden, one Reaper bounced up and clung to me.

There were already many humans and golden Reapers were already merrily playing in the garden.

They were people who had been invited by the golden Reapers while asleep.

I also found a spot, sat down, and ate a pudding.

It really is a nice place.

Soft and lots of delicious food.

Sehee and Yerin, in their sleeping states, had already been summoned to the golden garden.

Each had a golden Reaper clinging to them, punching their cheeks as if saying, "Wake up and play!"

The two, having woken up in the golden garden, looked around in surprise before seeming to realize something.

They probably realized it was a dream.

Well, it is a dream, but still.

The two, thinking it was a dream, each placed a golden Reaper on their shoulders and began to enjoy the golden Reapers' garden.

They rolled around on the bed together, ran around, and when tired, they lay down to rest.

I too rolled and tumbled with the golden Reaper in the golden garden until I was fully satisfied.

***

The Mannequin POV:

---

When I looked in the mirror, an unfamiliar face was reflected.

A towering woman covered in tattoos.

To someone who can see the spiritual body, my face would probably look different.

A grotesque doll face with sewn eyes and mouth.

If there was someone who could see the spiritual body, it would be a face hard to overlook.

In this world, there seemed to be hardly any people who could see the spiritual body.

Even at the place called the 'court' which seemed to play an important role, there was no one who recognized me.

Just by cutting off the woman's neck and putting my doll head on top, I was able to perform such a miraculous act...

Truly, the power of the 'Grimoire' knows no limits.

Or did they call it an 'Object' here?

After washing my face roughly with water, I stepped outside the courthouse and the moonlight welcomed me.

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Not seven, but only a single moon.

A completely different physical body from before.

Street lamps that light the way without using oil, gas or Objects.

Unfamiliar insects fluttered around the light of those lamps, casting shadows.

Unfamiliar music heard from the streets, unfamiliar architecture.

The lights moved, leaving trails, and the road seemed to flow like water.

Everything in this world made me feel that this was not the world I was born and raised in.

What I received upon leaving the court was a piece of paper proving my innocence.

And documents listing my 'belongings' and address, unfamiliar to me.

Was it because they think my memory was vague due to the Object's influence that they provided such detailed guidance?

Based on the information implanted to guide 'guests' at the theme park without discomfort, I followed the address written on the paper.

'Home', it said.

I can't even remember how many years it has been since I last had a home.

The address led me to a place with a completely different atmosphere from near the court.

Dark, gloomy, close to misfortune.

Rather, coming to a place like this felt like coming home.

Knock knock knock.

I knocked on the door listed in the address.

If the information on the note was correct, my younger sister should be living in this house.

"Coming."

The one who opened the door was a small woman with a somewhat dejected expression.

"...Sister."

"Yes."

Even though we're family, I don't seem to be very welcomed.

This must all be because there are too many humans in this world.

If humans were torn into 1/100 pieces by Objects, family would be all the more precious.

She seemed to be startled by my every word, so it was hard to talk to her.

I ate unfamiliar food with unfamiliar utensils with my unfamiliar family, then lay down in the small, unfamiliar room.

And so ended my first day in this other world.

***

When I opened my eyes, my newly acquired younger sister was stabbing me with a knife.

"Die! Die! Dieeeee!"

The blood gushing from my stomach was soaking the room.

What on earth did this body do to be resented so much?

"Hmm, that won't kill me though."

I grabbed the trembling girl's hand holding the knife and raised the blade to my neck.

"I won't die unless my neck is cut. Here, the neck is right here."

I may have escaped the theme park's captivity, but I'm still an Object.

My only goal was to escape the theme park.

But after escaping, what I gained was...

A completely unfamiliar world, society, physical body, family.

I tried to get rid of the Object, but failed.

My hometown is already gone.

Then I thought it wouldn't be so bad to let this girl kill me.

After all, the original owner of this body would never have done such a thing.

***

??? POV:

---

Kukkkukku.

"It's really unfortunate that our reunion after 30 years turned out like this, my son."

The eerie laughter of the director echoed through the ruined communal graveyard.

It was the sound of a man holding up a severed head that looked forcibly torn from the torso.

"My son, my son. Say it once again."

"That I'm a completely different person?"

"Is it so strange for me to take back the gift I gave you? I'm an extremely rational person, you know?"

Snap.

The head burst as if crushed by a press from both sides.

The man drenched in blood spoke with a face twisted like a demon's.

"I'm the director of the Central Research Institute. And my name... I can't remember! Well, it's trivial compared to research."

Kukkkukku.

The Research Institute director began digging up a grave with a shovel.

It was the grave of a woman who was once the director's wife.

When he lifted the stone coffin lid, what was revealed was a woman maintaining her appearance from life.

And the Research Institute director began bludgeoning the corpse with the shovel.

When the blood filled the stone coffin and the corpse was smashed into pieces, the director shouted.

"Here it is! The gift I gave!"

What emerged from inside the corpse was a small sphere.

"An Object that prevents decay and slowly heals wounds - this is what I needed. A useless thing for the dead."

The director, drenched in blood from gunshot wounds, staggered as he walked.

Picking up the fallen cane, the director vanished from that spot with two taps on the ground.

All that remained was the decapitated deputy director.

And the mutilated bodies of his guards.