Bustling and chaotic, I wander around the interior of the Research Institute.

People shouting, others rushing somewhere carrying stacks of documents.

When it gets boring resting in the isolation room, I come out to watch the people, and today the atmosphere seemed even more chaotic.

The isolation room was a thoroughly sealed space, but it wasn't a place I was strictly confined to.

It was just a standard Object isolation facility as prescribed by law, not a place that could actually hold me captive.

As long as I wanted, I could become a ghostly entity and roam around freely, as there was nothing modern science could do about it.

Just a few minutes ago, I was cuddled up with Yerin watching a movie, but then I was taken away by Yerin's superior, Kim Jungroo.

T/N: According to the Revised Romanization of Korean (RR), the name 김중뢰 would be 'Kim Jung-roe' or possibly 'Kim Joong-roo.' However, for the purposes of convenience, I will use 'Kim Jungroo.' HAHAHA! Please feel free to correct me if I'm mistaken.

Watching movies alone is no fun, so I decided to sneak out of the isolation room and explore the interior of the Research Institute instead.

The place I chose was the meeting room in the middle of a heated discussion.

Lying sprawled on the central table during the meeting feels strangely pleasant.

I like that no one can see me, and the cool sensation is one of my favorite resting spots.

"It's too early to confirm that Director Lee Sehee is missing. The lack of contact is likely due to the fact that electronic devices don't work in Seoul Forest, which is a common occurrence."

Ah, the reasonable Kim Jungroo made a valid point.

Even if the director is a bit of a klutz, it's too much to say she's gone missing in just a few hours.

Yerin also agreed without much objection.

Even though Yerin often skips work, during meetings she diligently types something on her laptop.

I wondered if she was playing around, but when I looked closer, she was properly taking meeting minutes and voicing opinions, which was a bit of a shock - where did the Yerin who always goes out with me disappear to!

Well, if an employee who seems to be slacking off is actually capable, they probably wouldn't have been fired long ago, so I understood.

The conclusion was to wait a bit longer before determining whether the director's disappearance was true, but the vice director voiced a dissenting opinion.

"There are many locals who maintain contact Seoul Forest, where Object incidents are frequent. According to them, the director has not yet returned to her residence in Seoul Forest. She must be involved in some kind of trouble."

"Then should we conduct a large-scale search? With the recent mass death incident, there will likely be investigation teams from the government and other Research Institutes, so we need to consider potential conflicts."

The meeting ultimately decided to send an investigation team composed of the recovery unit and the security team, both to find the director and investigate the cause of the mass deaths.

A rather ordinary conclusion.

But I can't help but think that if I suddenly go out to search for the director, something interesting might happen.

Even if the chances of the director being in trouble are low, with the mass death incident and all, there might be an interesting event or two, right?

Of course, the main reason was something else:

"Do you know where the Gray Reaper is?"

"No, I don't. Seems like it's not in the isolation room."

"You need to keep an eye on it until this situation is resolved. With the attention on the mass deaths, any problem would bring trouble to the Seoul Research Institute - hearings, being summoned, all hell breaking loose."

Everyone is saying the mass deaths were my doing, so I wonder what kind of reaction I would get if I showed up.

"Ah!"

Yerin, who often spends time with me, seemed to sense something and suddenly started calling me.

"Reaper, come out and let's watch a movie! This time I'll even pop some popcorn and really get into it!"

Hehehe, it's been a while since I've seen Yerin so flustered, maybe almost a year? Ignoring Yerin's desperate calls, I flew out of the Research Institute, heading towards Seoul Forest.

***

"What's with the movie talk during work hours?"

A displeased voice of Kim Jungroo was heard.

"Ugh, it's all because of the senior's fault I should have kept watching the movie. The Gray Reaper often visits the meeting room when it's not in the isolation room."

"Well, we know the Reaper can't really be confined and just roams around the Research Institute grounds at will. Is that a problem?"

"It is a problem. The Reaper is a stubborn one, and if it doesn't want to be there, it'll just take off. I bet it was listening to this meeting and was 80% ready to just leave."

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Kim Jungroo responded with an expression that showed he didn't quite understand.

"Reaper has never left the Research Institute since being isolated. Aren't you overreacting a bit? It's true that the Reaper's intelligence is high, but it's risky to definitively conclude that it understands language."

"Anyway, while I can't prove it with data, I'm certain the Reaper has gone to Seoul Forest. I'll go to Seoul Forest too, so please approve my field work."

Although surprised by the sudden field work request, the senior approved it.

"Seoul Forest is dangerous, so be careful."

Kim Jungroo, the caring senior, approved the field work request despite his worries.

Of course, if he had known Oh-Yerin's real intentions, he would never have approved it.

***

Sitting on the concrete ceiling, I gazed at the expansive forest under the gloomy, cloudy sky. Swinging my legs slowly, I enjoyed the pleasant breeze.

Facing the CCTV installed on the rooftop, I savored the wind.

The square sentry post, built high with cold concrete, was a clear boundary between civilization and the wild.

The road leading into Seoul Forest was in disrepair after crossing the forest boundary, further emphasizing the wild nature of the area.

Seoul Forest was created due to the appearance of the indestructible 'Steel Tower' Object from Pyongyang. Even nuclear strikes couldn't destroy it, shattering the naive human belief that nuclear weapons could solve any Object-related problem.

Indestructible Objects that defy physical influence, like ghosts, turned out to be more common than expected.

The Steel Tower was also known for destroying civilization, as electronic devices inside its territory were almost certain to malfunction, and even tall buildings and roads were destroyed.

That's why the area beyond was called the 'outside of civilization'.

Inside the sentry post, there were two soldiers with shaved heads, looking bored. The senior-looking soldier was staring blankly at the TV inside, while the junior-looking one was gazing endlessly towards Seoul Forest.

The TV was constantly discussing the recent mass death incident - 'was it caused by a new object, or was it the Reaper's doing?'

[This mass death incident is due to the mismanagement of the Sehee Research Institute. As seen in the previous incident at the Seoul Research Institute, incompetent Research Institutes should not be entrusted with managing Objects. Especially the "Gray Reaper", which is an extremely dangerous Object, could lead to an irreversible situation if a problem arises!]

The panel criticized the Sehee Research Institute's lack of management, mentioning the previous incident at the Seoul Research Institute, where I, as a human, had faced death.

"This mass death incident also seems to be the Reaper's doing. It's too strange for such a phenomenon-creating Object to appear in multiple individuals near Seoul."

The sentry guarding Seoul Forest spoke without taking his eyes off the forest.

Oh, so the mass death incident is linked to me as well, huh?

"Well, without evidence that the 'Gray Reaper' did it, the conclusion will likely be that it was a new, undiscovered Object. With so many researchers having gone into the forest, it should be revealed soon."

The public opinion seems to have already decided the Reaper was responsible, but the investigation doesn't seem to be reaching that conclusion so easily.

After all, without any evidence, they can't definitively blame the Reaper, no matter how much the public condemns it.

The TV panel was passionately ranting about how dangerous this world is and how unstable the foundation of this society is. They seemed more emotional than the sentry guarding the frontline of the objects.

"It's strange. The time for return has passed, but she still hasn't come back."

The junior soldier was still unable to take his eyes off the forest. He had a worried expression, as if he was waiting for someone.

These days, there have been ominous rumors about deaths around Seoul Forest, so he must be worried about that.

"With this gloomy weather, she may not be able to return. You know that when it rains around here, it gets completely destroyed by thunderstorms."

"But it's still strange. Usually, she would have emerged from the forest in about a month, but she still hasn't. I would like to report this abnormal phenomenon and request a search team if possible."

"Hey, if a false report is discovered, you'll go straight to prison. You know there's zero tolerance for anything related to Objects, right? It's merciless. If you're that worried, you could hire a private detective instead of a search team. They'd be faster and more accurate, though it would cost some money."

So there are private detectives in this country too. When I was human, I never had the need to use one.

The junior soldier happily contacted the detective the senior had given him and asked him to find the missing person, no matter how much it cost.

"Huh?"

As the commotion about the detective request subsided, the senior seemed to have discovered something.

Has he finally seen me? I waved my hand in front of the CCTV, feeling happy.

"R... Reaper!"

The two sentries were so startled that they didn't even take the stairs down, but jumped straight down from the 3-story sentry post and fled in a truck.

Can't they at least greet me?