Under a Somber Gray Sky

Under a somber gray sky, delicate drizzle fell softly over the refugee camp, where temporary container houses were clustered together. The rain seemed to gently embrace the people who had fled the desert, as if offering them comfort.

The Gangseo-gu refugee camp was slowly soaking in the rain that had been falling for days. Although the rain was so light that it barely made a sound, its continuous presence was gradually engulfing everything in the camp.

Streetlights, dimly illuminating the darkened camp under the shroud of clouds, made the rain-soaked streets shimmer with a mysterious glow.

Into this scene walked a large, tattoo-covered woman and a small girl.

The tall woman, clad in an ill-fitting raincoat, held out her hand to catch the fine raindrops, observing them as if entranced.

She remained like that for a long time, as if under a spell.

"Unnie?"

Startled by her sister's voice, the woman quickly let the collected rainwater fall from her palm. She then pulled out a leaf, chewing it deliberately before offering another to her younger sister.

"This is really bitter," the younger sister complained, scrunching up her face at the leaf's intense bitterness.

"Still, keep chewing it if you don’t want to fall under its spell. Just don’t swallow it."

"So, did you find out anything?"

"Yes, it’s just as I expected. There must be a reason why things like this keep happening only in Seoul, but I haven’t figured it out yet."

The tall woman looked up at the drizzle, which reflected the streetlights to create a dazzling landscape. The asphalt, gleaming as if sprinkled with jewels, was far from ordinary.

The weather forecast had predicted the rain would soon stop, but after checking it herself, she realized this rain would never cease.

At least not until the whole of Yangcheon-gu was submerged.

Children chasing raindrops.

The air, freshened by the rain.

Laughter echoing in the damp air.

People chatting under waterproof tarps.

The camp still had a peaceful atmosphere.

This drizzle wouldn’t easily shatter that peace.

Splash, splash.

As they walked, the woman noticed that the rainwater had begun to pool on the asphalt.

About 10mm deep.

Such a small amount of drizzle had started to form puddles.

In a place with good drainage like this, it made no sense for drizzle to cause water to pool.

"So, Unnie, what’s going to happen to Yangcheon-gu?"

"Probably in about a week, the water will rise noticeably. That’s when it’ll start."

"And after that?"

"The rain will keep coming. Then the ground will start to sink."

"What about the people living here? Can’t it be stopped?"

"There’s no way for humans to stop it. It’s beyond our power. Let’s head back."

Nodding at her sister’s words, the younger girl grasped her hand tightly.

Together, they left the camp, which was slowly becoming enveloped by the rain.

***

Nom, nom.

Watching the Reaper eat pudding in my arms, I couldn’t help but reflect on all the chaotic efforts to get this pudding, and I was filled with a sense of satisfaction.

From searching all over the country for pudding to battling Objects at the pudding factory!

It had been two whole weeks since what now felt like a distant memory—the Pudding Retrieval Operation.

Fortunately, most of the puddings that dispersed into the sky were recovered.

At first, I was worried about what would happen if a plane collided with them.

Or what if the bubbles burst in the air and the pudding fell on someone’s head?

But thankfully, everything wrapped up without any major incidents.

I was so relieved.

And our research institute now had a special facility just for the Reaper—a mini kitchen for producing pudding!

It was transferred from the pudding factory and installed inside the isolation room.

Now, the Reaper could sit in the isolation room and eat as much floating pudding as he wanted.

Little Golden Reapers, wearing tiny chef hats, began to emerge from the mini kitchen.

They quietly removed their hats and passed them to the next Golden Reaper in line.

It was the end of their workday.

The reward for their kitchen labor? Pudding!

There were so many Golden Reapers eager to eat pudding that they lined up for their turn, ensuring that the kitchen’s lights never went out.

No one had told them to, but it seemed like they had established an unspoken rule among themselves.

"Those who don’t work, don’t get to eat pudding."

The only one who got to enjoy free pudding without lifting a finger was the Gray Reaper, who lay sprawled out like a pig, gorging on pudding.

How admirable of the Golden Reapers!

I poked the Gray Reaper’s cheeks, which had become chubby from eating so much pudding.

On second thought, the Reaper wasn’t exactly idle.

He was the one powering the kitchen’s operation, like the owner of a factory.

No matter how much he ate, the Reaper remained as slim as ever, so I poked his side while watching TV together.

"[It’s still raining in Yangcheon-gu.]"

"[The steady drizzle, with just 0.1mm of rainfall per hour, has caused severe flooding in Yangcheon-gu.]"

"[With the water now reaching ankle depth, residents have begun to evacuate.]"

Yangcheon-gu was grappling with the relentless drizzle that wouldn’t stop.

Even with pumps draining the water, the level didn’t decrease—a bizarre phenomenon.

The rainfall was only 0.1mm per hour.

But the rainwater wasn’t flowing into the drainage system; it just kept rising.

For a week, this was dismissed as unusual weather, but after two weeks and visible rising water levels, people began to realize this was something serious.

"This is definitely the work of an Object!"

The people who had lost their homes to the desertification of Gangseo-gu were now being forced to relocate again.

I heard they were being called "cursed people."

What a pitiful situation.

I took another bite of pudding—so delicious.

How on earth did they make it taste like this?

It must be because it’s an Object, right?

But sadly, this pudding was so high in calories that I limited myself to just one a day.

I wish I could eat pudding all the time, like the Reaper.

Feeling a little envious, I poked the Reaper’s cheek again.

***

Under an endless sky without a single cloud, a full moon shone brightly, almost as dazzling as the sun.

The moon was so bright that it took my breath away.

Its silver light bathed everything it touched in a soft glow, casting a delicate shimmer across the surface of the lake.

The lake, reflecting the moonlight, sparkled like a mirror dusted with gemstones.

The moonlit lake was so clear and transparent that the moonlight seemed to penetrate all the way to the bottom.

The shimmering moonlight created a stunning curtain of light deep within the lake, resembling an aurora.

By the lake’s serene shore, a blonde girl turned to the black-clad agent and spoke.

"Isn’t it beautiful, Mister? I wish we could see this lake during the day."

There was a hint of longing in her voice, a yearning for something that could no longer be seen.

"Indeed. One day, I’m sure you’ll see it."

The agent responded in a calm, matter-of-fact tone.

The girl’s expression brightened at his words, the sadness melting away like clouds parting to reveal the sun.

"Really? I’m sure of it."

She giggled and turned back to gaze intently at the lake’s surface.

Guided by her heart.

That’s how they had found this lake.

Her red eyes, infused with the power of an Object, saw the silver moon reflected on the lake as blue.

It was a lake that had consumed Yangcheon-gu, where ordinary people were prohibited from entering.

Standing by the shore, the girl waited for her heart to guide her next move.

Waiting for the day when she could stand under the sun once more.

***

Cheerful music filled the backyard of Sehee Research Institute.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Even though it was late at night, the staff had gathered instead of heading home, creating a lively party atmosphere.

A large banner hung in the backyard, revealing the purpose of the celebration.

< Congratulations on Obtaining the Object Handling License! >

< License Acquisition Party Pre-celebration. >

The party was in honor of Sehee’s successful acquisition of her Object handling license.

Sehee, the guest of honor, had had so much to drink that she was now clinging to Seo-ah and Yerin, endlessly complaining about how difficult the exam had been.

The Golden Reapers, caught up in the festive mood, were putting on a dazzling display of dance moves on the large table laden with food, adding to the party’s excitement.

All this fuss over a simple license.

Well, Sehee had been so stressed lately that she almost seemed like a different person.

She had dark circles under her eyes, her skin had dulled, and her hair was a mess.

Even more surprising was the fact that this wild party was just a "pre-celebration."

The exam must have been so grueling that they decided to hold a week-long cruise party for the entire research institute staff.

"Reaper~ Save me."

Yerin, having escaped from Sehee, clung to me.

She then opened her phone and showed me a gallery full of lake photos, her excitement palpable.

"Reaper, aren’t you excited? We’re going to the famous Yangcheon-gu Lake!"

The location Sehee had chosen for the cruise party was the now-famous tourist destination, Yangcheon-gu Lake.

It had been depicted as such a fantastical place on TV that most of the staff had decided to attend the party.

"They say that when you look at the bottom of the lake, you can see the entire sunken Yangcheon-gu, perfectly preserved. Aren’t you curious?"

Yangcheon-gu Lake was a massive lake that had formed after Yangcheon-gu was submerged underwater, and yes, I was a little curious.

The lake was said to never become polluted, and the submerged city hadn’t rusted or decayed at all.

It had to be an Object.

Probably one that was harmful to humans, yet it was being treated as a popular tourist attraction.

Something about that seemed off.

No matter how lax Korea was in handling Objects, opening an Object-formed lake to the public in just three months seemed reckless.

"The Reaper will be coming with us to the temporary isolation room, so it’s going to be really fun!"

It really did seem like this would be an enjoyable experience.