Chapter 38: The Aftermath in Dobong-gu (1)

Near Seoul, in the Golden Horn quarantine zone.

An argument was unfolding in the area where people with Golden Horns and their families were gathered to live.

"Hey, don't be so stubborn. Now is the best time to sell it off. I know a dealer who offers a reasonable price and is very conscientious."

"I absolutely won't sell it! Who would be crazy enough to sell their horn?"

Ignoring the man's words, a girl with a Golden Horn strode ahead, followed by a man with a servile expression who opened his mouth again.

"Well, it disappears on its own after you turn 30 anyway, so if you cut it off and sell it, you can make money. Think of it as a good thing."

"No way! A sister I knew sold hers before and ended up getting depression and killing herself. Don't tell me you introduced her too?"

The man denied it with an exaggerated expression of surprise.

"Absolutely not. I assure you I take care of depression cases too. I have a horn myself, so how could I not know about that?"

"Ah! Now that you mention it, if it's that great, you sell your horn first!"

The Golden Horn girl turned around and shouted loudly.

It was understandable she was annoyed, as the servile man had been following her for a full 30 minutes.

"Ah, this? I can't sell it because it's a business tool for me. If I cut off my horn, I won't be able to enter here, so how would I make a living? You say you'll be leaving soon anyway? Then wouldn't it be better to have some extra cash? Besides, it's dangerous to go outside with a horn - there are so many people targeting us~"

"Anyway, I absolutely won't sell it!"

As the Golden Horn girl slammed the door shut upon arriving home, the man's loud voice finally disappeared.

The girl thought the man wasn't completely wrong.

It was true that horn-cutting crimes had been rapidly increasing lately.

Still, the girl had to go outside.

To find her only missing sister.

***

Yellow Detective POV:

---

Basking in the pleasant sunshine in a rocking chair at the detective agency office.

<The amount of damage from this Object incident appears to break the all-time record...>

The TV was loudly reporting that the damage from the 'Steel Tower Pulsation' incident had reached unprecedented levels.

It made sense, as the research institutions related to Seoul Forest near Seoul Forest had been reduced to dust in an instant.

Countless other buildings had also vanished.

Of course, the construction industry was booming with all the new work.

"Senior! Come to think of it, aren't we the first country?"

"First?"

The junior, who had been sprawled on the desk, suddenly lifted his head and spoke.

"The first country to reclaim land taken by Objects! The US has never reclaimed any, right?"

"Well, as far as I recall, there were a few cases in the US and China, but we may be the first to reclaim a widespread area occupied by an Object on the scale of the Ice Throne."

The junior's eyes sparkled.

"I wonder who the people were that retook Dobong District this time? Risking their lives to infiltrate Dobong and succeed in the operation! This will definitely be made into a movie, right? It has to be, right?"

"I heard talks were already going around, but not sure when it'll come out. These kinds of heroic tales are hard to find these days, so it'll probably get government support too?"

"I'm sure it will!"

The junior laughed foolishly, "Heheh."

"Oh, that's right, you failed the request?"

At the mention of the request, the previously energetic junior deflated like boiled cabbage on the desk.

"Well, not exactly a failure... Someone else just solved it faster than me. Seriously! Isn't it fraud for the ones who requested it to solve it themselves?"

The junior seemed indignant as she squirmed on the desk.

Well, no matter how indignant, those conditions were all stated in the contract, so nothing could be done.

"I should head out soon."

I got up from my seat, put on my coat, and tidied my appearance in front of the mirror.

"Where are you going all of a sudden? We don't have any requests, do we?"

"I just have a feeling an important request is calling me."

"Huh?"

After hearing that Reaper had returned, I seized the chance to sneak out, and was met with a shocking sight.

"Reaper, so many!!"

Mini golden Reapers were running rampant inside the isolation room.

Jumping up trying to reach the Reaper on top of the wardrobe.

The Reapers were smaller than the real one, making them twice as cute!

As if entranced, I opened the isolation room door and went inside.

The Reapers jumping up toward the wardrobe all turned to look at me at once.

Receiving that wave of gazes directly felt different.

Seeing it this way, there really were a ton of golden Reapers.

I picked up one of the golden Reapers that wasn't approaching, just watching.

Small enough to fit in one hand.

Wow, so soft and squishy.

So cute.

When I held it in my hand, the golden Reaper had tensed up, but seeming to realize I meant no harm, it climbed up my arm and snuggled against my cheek.

Following that, all the golden Reapers in the isolation room came rushing over to me.

Hehe, I'm so happy.

***

As soon as I left the isolation room, I immediately took time off from the Research Institute.

Obviously, it was to secretly bring the golden Reaper home.

Unauthorized removal of an Object? It's fine if I don't get caught!

I let the golden Reaper I had brought in my bag out in my home, and it bounced around scattering everywhere.

A few climbed up and clung to me.

Ahh, is this heaven?

The golden Reapers had similar tastes to the real Reaper.

They liked sweets like snacks.

However, it showed no interest at all in things like TV.

The original Reaper often had the news on, which was strange. I wonder what the difference is?

The Golden Reaper was 10 times more cat-like than the original, so household items didn't last long, but it was okay because it was cute.

It would knock things over and run away when I tried to catch it...

Playing with Reaper, the day passed in an instant.

It was late at night, and the Golden Reaper seemed sleepy too, closing its eyes and climbing onto me, starting to doze off.

Clinging when sleepy is similar to the original.

When I lay down on the bed, Reaper's body heat made it very warm.

***

For some reason, my vision was shaking and felt hazy.

I was hugging the Golden Reapers tightly in my arms.

'Yes! Yes, this is it!'

Ah, I'm happy. Days spent with the mini Reapers.

Ah, I'm happy.

Is this happiness?

But one by one, the Reapers slipped out of my arms and bid farewell.

"No. No! Wait!"

But despite my screams, Reaper just shook its head with a sad expression.

"Don't leave me. Please!"

But Reaper had all left, and tears streamed from my eyes.

Suddenly feeling the cold, I opened my eyes on the bed.

Just like in the dream, I had been crying.

And the Reapers were gone too, just like in the dream.