The ruins of the city still smoldered, with occasional wisps of smoke rising from the scorched earth.

Once-bustling streets, now charred and crumbling, bore only faint traces of their former life.

Skyscrapers that once seemed to touch the sky now stood with their skeletal frames exposed, their broken windows and collapsed walls bowing under the weight of time.

The streets that had once been filled with people, the roads that had once been crowded with cars, and the buildings that had once provided shelter to countless souls now stood empty, consumed by silence.

The area had been designated as a danger zone, with the possibility of Ghost Objects emerging, and all residents had been evacuated.

Amidst this devastation, a group led by James, all researchers from various labs, cautiously advanced into the ruins, their bodies covered head to toe in protective suits.

Of course, there was a reason they ventured into such a hazardous area.

The first reason was a request for cooperation from a local research lab.

They were probably hoping the "James Lab," which had the most knowledge of the Gray Reaper, could help, considering the potential connection.

The second reason was a request from the government.

They had asked for help in searching for missing DEA agents.

"[Drone units 1 through 80 cleared. No Ghost Objects have been detected within the ruins so far.]"

The radio chatter from the soldiers controlling the drones echoed through the group.

"[Alright, everyone spread out and start your tasks!]" James ordered through his walkie-talkie, and the researchers began scattering, each holding detection devices.

The equipment they carried was essential for investigating Object drugs.

As the researchers spread out, the soldiers busily erected tents to establish a temporary base camp.

"[The mental contamination levels are reading high. There's definitely something in these ruins.]"

James frowned as he examined the mental contamination levels on his device.

That would mean the Object drugs were likely buried somewhere in the wreckage.

James speculated that the collapse of the spiritual barrier and the Object drug incidents were somehow linked.

To uncover the truth, they needed to find the missing DEA agents.

Ideally, it would be best to locate the DEA team leader.

The last report from one of the agents mentioned that the team leader had concealed a gunshot wound while suffering from mental contamination, but there had been no contact since.

As James sat in a makeshift tent, organizing data, a group of researchers approached him.

These were the ones he had assigned specific tasks.

"[James, we’ve taken the photos. The vortex has indeed disappeared.]"

The data they handed him showed pictures of an open space.

The ground had been gouged out in a circular pattern, filled with the footprints and destruction left behind by a giant pig.

These were photos of the location where the twisted vortex had once been, which had made satellite observation impossible due to spatial distortion.

"[I figured it would be gone once the spatial distortion disappeared, but to actually see it gone… What on earth happened here?]"

James muttered quietly to himself, then addressed the researchers who had taken the photos.

"[We don’t know what clues might be left, so make sure the site is preserved and sealed off.]"

The researchers gave a small nod and returned to their posts.

As James stepped into his private aircraft, the familiar ambiance greeted them.

Luxurious and cozy.

The Reaper walked nonchalantly, their footsteps echoing as they wandered into the plane.

Soft lighting illuminated the hallway, and unlike a regular airplane, the spacious interior exuded a comfortable atmosphere.

The well-decorated corridor was finished with polished wood, smooth and soft to the touch.

When we reached the area where we’d be staying, large, plush seats were arranged in a way that made it easy to have a conversation.

The Reaper, seeing the seats, awkwardly waddled over and sprawled onto a large sofa, pulling out a pudding to snack on.

The Reaper, dressed in that silly fish suit, was so cute!

While they ate, I opened the wardrobe beyond the seating area and smiled contentedly.

The wardrobe was filled with clothes I had requested.

All kinds of children’s outfits for the Reaper!

They were cooperating now, but who knew when they’d refuse again, so I needed to get them dressed as soon as possible.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that we shouldn’t reach Seoul just yet.

The fact that the Reaper hadn’t taken off their fish costume made me even more uneasy.

There had to be a reason this usually unpredictable Reaper was so docile when it came to clothes.

"Reaper!"

I called out cheerfully, and the Reaper looked up at me with a somewhat reluctant expression.

Ta-da!

I pulled out a child’s dress from the wardrobe, and the Reaper immediately shook their head vigorously, horrified.

No, no, no.

Their refusal was clear.

Darn it, the knockout effect was wearing off already.

If only they’d stayed unconscious a little longer. If not for that smiling Reaper waving at me to wake up in my dream, I wouldn’t have gotten up so quickly…

Could the Reaper have entered my dream and woken me up?

And so, the persuasion began.

With a bit of pleading, I played on the Reaper’s psychological debt.

Normally, this wouldn’t work, but given the Reaper had knocked me out with one of their tricks, it seemed like it might.

"Reaper, I’ll pull out three outfits. Please, wear at least one, okay?"

The Reaper furrowed their brow, thought for a moment, and reluctantly came closer.

Success!

I carefully selected three outfits—cute yet varied—to avoid the Reaper getting annoyed if they all looked too similar.

First, a pink dress with frills everywhere.

The Reaper didn’t even glance at it.

Aw.

Second, a black and white gothic-style dress.

The Reaper hesitated, then moved on.

Third, a kindergarten uniform that perfectly matched the Reaper’s height.

The Reaper looked at it, then slowly went back to examine the previous options.

None of the outfits seemed to please them, but eventually, they chose one.

It was an unexpected choice.

I resigned myself to helping the Reaper get dressed, adjusting the fit and handing them the fish they liked to hold.

The perfect cute Reaper was complete!

As I snapped photo after photo with my phone, I thought to myself.

I hadn’t expected them to pick the third outfit, thinking it had the lowest chance of being chosen.

It seemed like they had picked the one with the least fabric.

Did they really dislike clothes that much?

The researcher in me briefly wondered if it had something to do with their abilities or traits, but that thought quickly vanished as I marveled at the Reaper’s cuteness.

Two versions of the Reaper in different outfits!

The fish suit and the kindergarten uniform—what bliss.

As the plane flew back from the US, I enjoyed these happy moments.

Back in the ruins, a researcher from James's lab wandered the area with a measurement device, tracking mental contamination levels to create a distribution map.

The map was nearly complete.

It showed a pattern of decreasing mental contamination, radiating outwards from the site of an old church.

However, there was one area where the levels spiked, and the researcher, recording the data, cautiously approached the spot.

"[This is D-block 7. I’m getting unexpected readings.]"

What could it be?

Was there an Object hiding in these desolate, still ruins?

A chill ran down the researcher’s spine as their steps slowed.

Beep. Beep. Beep.

Following the irregular beeps of the measurement device, they found a large boulder awkwardly placed in the middle of a collapsed building.

Was this boulder the cause?

What could it possibly be?

"[I’ve found a suspicious boulder. Proceeding to investigate.]"

Following procedure, the researcher reported the anomaly and, trusting their protective suit, slowly pushed the boulder aside.

Suddenly, with a loud "ta-da!", something jumped out—a grinning Golden Reaper, flashing a mischievous smile.

So it was the Golden Reaper.

Relieved it wasn’t a dangerous Object, the researcher still felt uneasy.

Had the contamination levels been this high around the Golden Reaper?

Through the protective suit, a delicious smell wafted.

The scent of the sun-kissed Golden Reaper.

Well, the Golden Reaper was harmless, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

At that moment, a strong electric current surged through the suit, and the researcher collapsed, unconscious.

As darkness closed in, the last thing the researcher saw was the Golden Reaper approaching, looking concerned.

‘It’s okay, you just fainted from the mental contamination. No need to worry,’ the researcher tried to reassure the Reaper with a smile, but no sound escaped their electrically burned mouth before they lost consciousness.

The Black Reaper and the Golden Reaper held hands and laughed as they danced across the pitch-black ground.

Even just hopping and skipping around was fun.

They ran and slid across the slippery surface, rolling and tumbling in joy.

As the Golden Reaper lay on the ground, giggling, a thought occurred to them.

It would be even more fun if everyone else joined in!

It was time to introduce the new youngest to the rest of the group.

Gripping the Black Reaper's hand tightly, the Golden Reaper made their way toward the edge of the black sphere.

But at the boundary, the Black Reaper stopped.

No, no, no.

With a sorrowful expression, the Black Reaper shook their head.

The Golden Reaper, not understanding why the Black Reaper didn’t want to go, tilted their head in confusion.

If they didn’t want to go, there was no point insisting.

With a big wave, the Golden Reaper bid farewell.

I’ll be back soon!

And with a leap, the Golden Reaper bounded over the boundary.

Left alone in the dark space, the Black Reaper slowly erased the faint smile from their face and trudged off somewhere, head down.

It had been fun.

The Black Reaper thought.

It had been fun.

Then, leaning against the large body of their mother, they tried to convey their feelings.

‘It was fun.’

But the message was not received, instead scattering into the void.

‘So, please wake up, too.’

Since they had come back to life, surely their mother would, too.

Clutching the log that the Golden Reaper had placed within them, the Black Reaper repeated those words over and over, tears falling as their form began to collapse, unable to maintain its shape any longer.