The dawn cast its gentle light over the remains of the collapsed city, gradually illuminating the ruins with a serene glow.

Last night, it had felt like a strange festival of fairies, but now, the mini reapers who had handed out hot chocolate and snacks were nowhere to be seen, like remnants of a broken dream.

The campfire embers had gone cold, replaced by the fresh light of the rising sun.

Had it all been just a dream?

The only trace left of last night was the remains of the campfire.

But even if it was a dream, it didn’t really matter.

The survivors, whose faces had been marred by shock and grief, now seemed visibly brighter.

Despite the sadness of losing their homes and families as the city crumbled, the inexplicable warmth and hope left behind by the mini reapers seemed to breathe new life into their weary souls.

It had been like magic.

However, despite the magical hope, the skeletal remains of the city’s destroyed buildings still gave people a sense of despair.

At that moment, a man spoke in a soft voice to the people gathered near the remnants of the campfire.

"We can do it."

His words were out of context, but they carried hope.

"Our city has been reduced to ruins, but we can rebuild it. This city was originally built out of ruins, after all."

The man encouraged everyone to find intact buildings and set up temporary shelters, suggesting they create their own new village.

"It may take years to restore everything. There will be many hardships."

"But together, we can rebuild not just the buildings, but our lives as well. We will transform this desolate place into a sanctuary of hope."

Though his words weren’t enough on their own, they were enough to reignite the hope the mini reapers had left behind.

One by one, the people stood up and gathered around the man.

It was a rare sight in a world where so many cities had crumbled.

In this shattered city, where the shadow of loss loomed, bricks of hope were slowly being laid.

The man inscribed a new symbol of the city onto the large ruins.

A symbol commemorating the magical hope gifted by the previous night.

A marshmallow Maw with a sorrowful expression, burning in the flames.

In the soft morning sunlight, the back garden of Sehee’s lab was bathed in peaceful tranquility.

Dewdrops sparkled like tiny jewels on the freshly trimmed grass, and the leaves glistened in the morning sun.

The sky transitioned from navy to light blue, signaling the start of a new day.

Holding a warm cup of coffee from the lab in both hands to ward off the chilly morning air, I sat on a chair, watching the golden reapers playing on the flat marble floor in the corner of the garden.

The rich aroma of the coffee blended with the earthy scent of the morning air, creating the perfect awakening for the senses.

Each sip of coffee brought a comforting warmth, providing a pleasant contrast to the cool air.

The soft rustling of paper from the golden reapers folding origami created a gentle background noise.

It was a calm morning on the day the reaper had finally returned, and an unexpected trend of paper-folding had taken over Sehee’s lab garden.

For reasons unknown, a sudden wave of origami-making had swept through, so I had grabbed a bunch of colored paper along with my coffee to bring back.

The golden reapers, pressing down on paper larger than their own bodies with all their strength, were diligently folding the sheets.

One of the golden reapers, having finished its creation, ran over to me with an expectant look in its eyes.

It was as cute as a baby bird begging for food!

Smiling warmly, I patted the golden reaper on the head and placed a new piece of colored paper on top of its head.

The golden reaper beamed with joy, raising its arms in triumph before scurrying back to its spot to resume folding.

The reaper who had returned at dawn was still wrapped in a blanket, fast asleep.

In fact, it just looked like a rolled-up blanket at this point.

The only indication that the blanket was actually a reaper was the pair of antennae poking out and gently swaying from the top of the blanket roll.

Nearby, a golden reaper who showed no interest in origami was trying to catch the swaying antennae.

Heh, there’s something inexplicably charming about those antennae, isn’t there?

They’re incredibly soft to the touch, making the experience twice as satisfying.

The golden reaper eventually managed to grab hold of the antennae and began savoring the sensation in both hands.

Then, after looking around cautiously, the reaper brought the antennae to its mouth and took a small bite.

Just then, the sound of a mini Maw scampering across the lawn reached my ears.

A golden reaper was riding atop the Maw, grinning brightly.

Spinning pinwheels!

The golden reaper who had made a pinwheel seemed to be having the time of its life.

As I watched the Maw and golden reaper sprinting across the garden, I felt a tap on my thigh.

I turned to see that a group of golden reapers had gathered around me.

They had abandoned their origami and flocked over, seemingly eager to make their own pinwheels.

Smiling, I pulled out some colored paper from my bag and handed a sheet to each of the golden reapers.

After a short while, the back garden of the lab was filled with the sound of the Maw’s excited footsteps and the whirling of pinwheels spinning energetically.

At the detective office, a TV was playing the latest episode of a popular show.

Junior Detective 2 was sitting in a corner, staring blankly at the screen, seemingly lost in thought.

The host of the show had an unmistakable presence, thanks to his striking appearance.

His slicked-back hair was dyed a deep shade of purple, meticulously styled.

He wore a bold, solid purple suit that matched the color of his hair, giving him a striking yet slightly off-putting appearance.

Junior Detective 1, noticing the host, chuckled and made a comment.

"Senior! You and that guy must be brothers, right? Your fashion sense is exactly the same."

Comparing my carefully chosen, neatly tailored yellow suit to that exaggerated purple outfit wasn’t even worth responding to.

Junior Detective 1, not expecting a reply, laughed to himself and turned his attention back to the TV.

[Today’s guest is the chairman of the New Seoul Policy Promotion Committee. Welcome, Mr. Chairman!]

The purple-suited host greeted the guest enthusiastically, and a somewhat awkward-looking man stepped into the frame.

The host’s accent was peculiar, and his exaggerated mannerisms gave the conversation a theatrical feel.

As the conversation progressed, they touched on various topics.

Soon, however, the focus shifted to a more serious issue—the recent destruction of a city called 'RS.'

[There’s been news recently that a city called ‘RS’ was completely destroyed. It’s truly a tragic event. It’s not the first time we’ve seen such destruction in a city outside of Seoul, though.]

The host looked at the chairman with a solemn expression as he continued.

[But still, is there really a need to relocate Seoul?]

The chairman began discussing the recent tragedy while referring to some prepared documents, but the purple-suited host skillfully steered the conversation back, repeatedly emphasizing Seoul’s safety.

The host kept interrupting and derailing the chairman’s points, which left the chairman visibly frustrated, but the host didn’t seem to care.

In fact, this was a typical pattern for the host’s show. His approach made his motives seem suspicious.

Why was he going out of his way to emphasize Seoul’s safety in such an unnatural manner?

And yet, shows like this always seemed to remain popular, which struck me as strange.

Something about it smelled like a ‘big incident.’

As the show ended, Junior Detective 2, who had been sitting quietly, approached me with a serious expression.

"Detective, I need to talk to you."

What could be so serious?

I had already told him not to worry about our last case failure…

To have a more private conversation, we moved to the rooftop of our building.

Standing on the rooftop, I lit a pipe and turned to face Junior Detective 2.

"So, what’s on your mind?"

After hesitating for a moment, Junior Detective 2 squeezed his eyes shut and pulled something from his chest, thrusting it toward me.

In his palm sat a mini golden reaper, smiling sheepishly as if asking for approval.

"Actually, I smuggled an Object out of Sehee’s lab!"

"Oh, that? Don’t worry about it. I already know."

"What?"

He looked stunned, clearly having thought he had hidden it well.

"Hmm, even Junior Detective 3 knows. Probably everyone but Junior Detective 1, since he’s only interested in his hammer."

As Junior Detective 2 stared at me in shock, I exhaled a puff of smoke into the sky.

When I woke up, I found ten golden reapers clinging to my antennae like fish hooked on a line.

Even though golden reapers are light, having ten of them hanging from my head was a bit much.

I shook my antennae vigorously, flinging the golden reapers off.

They tumbled through the air, looking like children who had lost their favorite toy.

Ugh, more antennae addicts.

The back garden of Sehee’s lab was now a mess of origami paper, and Yerin, who had been by my side when I fell asleep, had disappeared.

Plop, plop.

I wandered through the lab in search of Yerin, or at least something interesting to do.

"Are you serious? The U.S.?"

In the corridor near my containment room, I spotted Sehee, Yerin, and James deep in conversation.

I had planned to play a prank on James when I next saw him, but here he was, approaching me instead!

As I slowly crept closer, pondering what kind of prank to pull, James noticed me and greeted me with a cheerful expression, offering me something.

"This is the new 'Extra-Large Gray Reaper Pudding.' I brought it to give you a sneak preview before it’s released."

James presented me with a pudding larger than my body.

Wow, that’s huge.

The sweet smell of the pudding filled my nostrils, and I decided to forgive James in light of his generous offering.

I unwrapped the pudding and scooped up a large spoonful of its soft, creamy texture.

Omnomnom.

Ah, bliss.

Why is pudding so delicious?

As I enjoyed my massive pudding, a comment from their conversation caught my attention.

"Let me reiterate. Would you consider coming to the U.S., including bringing the Gray Reaper?"

The U.S.?