The atmosphere of the dark, gloomy underground clearing, thick with the scent of blood, had completely shifted.

The suspicious camp residents who called the client by different names.
The client who couldn't even remember her own name.
People who had lost their sanity and attacked others.
The sudden appearance of ninjas.
And the strange researchers who had set up deep within the underground sewers.

All these perilous and bizarre events had unfolded in succession, but everything had changed since the appearance of the Gray Reaper.

The situation had become bright, cheerful, and oddly soft.

What had been a dangerous place was now a playful playground filled with cute, golden Reapers frolicking around.

Even the detective senior, smoking a pipe in the corner, had a small Golden Reaper perched on his shoulder.

The Golden Reaper poked at the detective’s cheek, craving attention, but the detective only looked annoyed.

On the other side, Hammer Senior was hugging the Gray Reaper, gently patting its back.

The atmosphere had turned soft, with a bunch of Golden Reapers and a cat all clustered together.

Hammer Senior looked like he was about to die of happiness as he stroked the Gray Reaper, while the Golden Reapers clung to it.

The client's younger brother, who was unconscious, was also surrounded by Golden Reapers, who cared for him with worried expressions. Yet strangely, none of them were near the client herself.

Could it be because the client was an Object?

The Reapers seemed to be friendly only to humans, ignoring everything else.

If that's the case, then their friendliness towards humans could actually be a dangerous sign.

It’s a well-known fact that the more an Object approaches humans in a friendly manner, the more dangerous it is.

This was definitely a huge red flag...

Something that should be absolutely avoided in modern times...

But with these cute little creatures, I found it impossible to feel the need to keep my distance or be cautious.

They seemed too innocent and kind-hearted!

I looked down at the Golden Reaper holding onto my finger.

This warm, soft, adorable Object wriggled in my hand.

It felt like a long-lost family member, evoking a deep sense of kinship from within.

Anyone who doesn't fall for the charm of these creatures must be broken in some way.

I pulled out a lollipop from my pocket and offered it to the Golden Reaper, who grabbed it with both hands and started licking it.

Lick, lick.

As I slowly pulled the lollipop back, the Golden Reaper extended its tongue, trying to lick it. It was so cute!

After playing with the lollipop for a while, the Golden Reaper started glaring at me.

Maybe I had played too much; the Golden Reaper seemed upset.

But when I apologized by gently stroking its head with my finger, it quickly smiled again.

Ah, I wish I could take one home with me.

I’d love to keep one as a pet.

I even tried putting the Golden Reaper into my pocket, but it didn't work.

As soon as I put it inside, it would wriggle out and cling to my skin again.

Eventually, I gave up on the idea of secretly sneaking it out in my pocket.

There must be a way, though. I'll have to think of something else.

I put away my pipe and approached the client, who was nervously pacing.

"Aren't you going to check on your brother?"

"I... I'm too scared to go near him."

The client’s expression showed a deep-seated aversion, almost instinctual.

I recalled hearing that Objects were afraid of the Gray Reaper. Could it be that the client was an Object, making the Golden Reapers uneasy around her?

Even without considering the possibility of the client being an Object, it was understandable that she would be afraid.

While the Golden Reapers were endlessly affectionate towards me and my juniors, they were cold and indifferent towards the client.

Suddenly, having a terrifying Object appear and slaughter everything around, yet being the only one it was indifferent to?

That must be quite terrifying.

I approached the chair where the client’s younger brother was sitting and picked up all the Golden Reapers clinging to him.

Thankfully, as soon as I lifted them, they willingly moved to my shoulder.

Though more of them started tugging at my hair and climbing on me, it was manageable.

Only then did the client cautiously approach her brother.

"Taehun, Taehun."

She clung to her brother, checking his condition.

"Taehun, do you recognize me?"

"Hehe, it’s nuna."

From the mouth of a man who looked well over thirty, childlike words tumbled out.

I stood back, observing their reunion from a distance, when Junior Number 2 approached me with a question.

"Senior, what’s going on with this case? Who exactly is the client, and why is her brother so big?"

I handed him the roster I had kept in my pocket.

"The brother’s identity is correct. He’s 35 years old. The real problem is the sister."

A woman who used to be around 165 cm had shrunk to 150 cm, and now she was barely 120 cm. It was clear she wasn’t just a normal sister.

As her height diminished, her clothes and shoes had also shrunk, making it obvious that something was very wrong.

"If you check the documents, you’ll see that this brother, Lee Taehun, doesn’t have a sister. So, the question is, who is this client?"

"If her height is shrinking and she can’t remember her name, does that make her an Object?"

"We’ll need to investigate further to be certain, but it seems like both the client and all the camp residents are of the same kind of Object."

I pulled out my phone to check it, but it was still out of service.

"We need to head out and call for help. We need to secure the area, and the client's brother isn’t in good shape."

Though he didn’t seem to have any major injuries, there was clearly something wrong with his mental state.

The medical records in the roster didn’t mention anything like this. It might have been caused by the torture, but only a hospital could confirm that.

After sending Junior Number 2 to call the police and an ambulance, I dragged Junior Number 1 away from playing with the Gray Reaper to start searching the underground facility.

"Senior, why are we searching the underground facility now?"

Junior Number 1 seemed a bit annoyed, probably because I pulled him away from the Gray Reaper.

He seemed a little too obsessed with the Gray Reaper. Could it have some kind of mind-affecting ability?

"Something doesn’t sit right with me, so I think it’s better to investigate before anyone from the camp arrives."

I wasn’t acting on complete certainty, but there were definitely things that didn’t add up.

"Especially since our client isn’t human but an Object. It’s better to investigate now."

"?"

A strange camp, a strange client.

There were hardly any clear answers in this case.

In the underground, an ominous pulsing sound echoed through the corridors.

Using the sound as a guide, we navigated the maze-like halls.

The corridors were more horrifying than I had anticipated.

Everywhere I looked, there were torture rooms.

And in each of these rooms were the corpses of camp residents I remembered seeing above ground.

The butcher who had been so welcoming, the landlord—every camp resident had been dragged down here by the Director.

As we passed through the torture rooms, we finally discovered a new facility.

A peculiar, large, and pristine room.

Hearts made of gold dangled from the ceiling of this room.

They pulsed as if alive, and tubes, like blood vessels, dripped with blood.

"This must be the heart of the 'disturbance' at this camp."

"Most of the hearts don’t look like they’re in good condition," Junior 1 observed.

As he pointed out, most of the hearts were damaged.

With each pulse, they spewed golden fragments, scattering pieces onto the floor.

Many of the hearts had already split open and stopped beating altogether.

Judging by the poor state of the remaining hearts, it looked like they would all cease functioning within a day.

"This is it."

Among them, only one heart remained intact.

I carefully started packing it up.

"Why are you taking that heart? Is it a souvenir?"

"It’s probably the client’s heart, so I’m securing it now."

"What?"

"Why are you so surprised? You know that the camp residents and the client are Objects, right? So, when you see all these hearts hanging here, what comes to mind?"

"Um… that it’s horrifying?"

I looked at Junior 1’s perplexed face and continued.

"No, you should be thinking, ‘These hearts must be the source of the camp residents!’"

"Oh, I see what you mean."

"Besides, you saw it too on the way here—the bodies of the camp residents who died after being tortured. One corpse underground and another above ground. Doesn’t that seem odd?"

"Ah, so these hearts are the link to the fake camp residents above?"

Junior 1 finally reached the same conclusion as I did.

"Exactly. So before the association arrives to investigate, we’re securing the client’s heart."

I sealed the heart in a glass container and stood up.

"Now, let’s go deliver this 'heart' to the client."