The Golden Reaper sat on the ledge of a nearby building, peering down into the window of a certain house.

Is the human going to be okay...?

The Golden Reaper held back tears, thinking about how the human had thrown it out of the window not long ago. Despite that, it continued to watch over the human through the window, ensuring no harm came to him.

The Golden Reaper looked up at the yellow moon, which had begun to emit a harmful aura toward humans.

Humans are so weak. I have to protect them...

But the Golden Reaper had no way to attack the moon, which hung ominously in the sky.

Suddenly, the Golden Reaper felt a strong, malevolent presence surrounding the human. It immediately used its ghostly form and accelerated time to rush to the window. However, the evil presence had vanished as quickly as it had appeared.

It was clear that a harmful object had been near the human, but no trace of it remained. The Golden Reaper turned its head, scanning the area, but couldn’t find any clues.

Is the human really alright?

Worried, the Golden Reaper hid behind the window, cautiously peeking inside to observe the human.

The man moved around anxiously, as if searching for something, and he looked even worse than before. He wasn't physically hurt, but his heart seemed broken.

The Golden Reaper wanted to rush to him and comfort him, but the human seemed to dislike it now, for some strange reason.

We used to be so happy together...

After watching for a long time, the Golden Reaper left quietly before the human could notice.

One day, we’ll be able to smile and play together again, the Golden Reaper thought, trying to maintain a cheerful expression as it imagined a happier future.

In a hotel room in Mapo District.

A researcher, wearing a large helmet, stretched after finishing some work on his keyboard.

He glanced at the mental contamination detector nearby, which was showing a dangerous reading.

I can’t take this helmet off, not in this state...

The researcher believed that something big was likely to happen soon in Mapo District. After all, the Gray Reaper had a habit of showing up whenever a major incident occurred.

Moreover, the contamination levels were off the charts.

Even without the Golden Reapers nearby, the contamination meter would spike into the danger zone as soon as the yellow full moon rose. The moon was spreading danger-level mental contamination across the entire district.

The report the researcher was working on was related to that very phenomenon.

Of course, the Association would probably dismiss it as nothing serious, but the researcher had been diligently compiling two reports:

One titled Golden Reapers: Observing Mental Contamination, and the other Yellow Moon: Observing Mental Contamination.

The report on the Golden Reapers was relatively easy to write. With so many of them spread across Mapo District, it was straightforward to observe changes in human behavior and determine the nature of the mental contamination.

When the research had first begun, the researcher had assumed that, given the Golden Reapers’ cute appearance and benevolent actions, the mental contamination would likely be of a positive, encouraging nature.

But the results were surprisingly different.

The researcher began reviewing his organized notes:

The mental contamination caused by the Golden Reapers manifests in various ways.

The common trait is that it energizes people and encourages positive thoughts.

For those who are depressed, it induces happy thoughts, while it instills courage in people lacking confidence.

For those overly attached to prejudice or rules, it grants peace of mind.

There is a strong effect of inducing goodwill, but this seems to be a natural human reaction once all worries and fears have disappeared.

Even if there is an actual effect of inducing goodwill, it is likely mild compared to the other effects.

Sigh.

The researcher let out a deep sigh as he read over the report.

No matter how much he studied it, the mental contamination from the Golden Reapers didn’t seem harmful to people.

Still, that didn’t mean they could be trusted.

Objects were notorious for hiding traps within their kindness.

Even if the Golden Reapers' gifts were offered purely out of goodwill, they could still be dangerous.

Objects thought differently from humans, and there was no guarantee that their "goodwill" would always benefit people.

But it was hard to shake a nagging thought.

Can we really call this "contamination" when there are so many beneficial effects?

Unlike the complex mental contamination from the Golden Reapers, the effects of the yellow moon were much clearer.

The yellow moon makes the Golden Reapers appear suspicious and terrifying, inducing paranoia and delusions of persecution in humans.

The changes in people’s behavior after the fifth night were undeniable. The growing fear and distrust, even in the absence of any actual danger, were too obvious to ignore.

The researcher had been desperately contacting the Association, urging them to evacuate Mapo District immediately, but as always, they responded with, We’re still reviewing it.

The researcher was beginning to sense something was off.

The Association’s incompetence had gone beyond mere negligence—it felt purposeful, as if they had an agenda.

Is it really worth staying in this stressful job with the Association? Maybe I should apply to that happier place, Se-hee Research Institute...

Frustrated, the researcher sighed deeply.

As he did, a worried-looking Golden Reaper peeked in through the open window, watching him carefully.

A massive checkpoint had been set up on one of the many roads leading into Mapo District.

“Researcher Oh Ye-rin from Se-hee Institute. You don’t have permission to enter. To get into Mapo District, you need clearance from the Association,” the guard at the checkpoint said after I had waited in line for what felt like forever, only to be denied entry.

Even after explaining that I worked at the institute isolating the Gray Reaper, it didn’t help.

I stood near the checkpoint and called Se-hee Institute.

“Yeah, it doesn’t look like I can get into Mapo. Senior Jung-rye.”

“Only Mapo residents or those with permits from the Association are allowed in,” I explained.

After a quick conversation with Senior Jung-rye, who told me to return if I couldn’t enter, I stuffed my phone back into my pocket and looked toward the checkpoint, feeling disappointed.

Beyond the checkpoint, I could see several Golden Reapers patrolling Mapo District.

Just like back in the days when they carried water spears, the Golden Reapers wore determined expressions as they kept watch over the district.

I’m jealous.

Seeing the Reapers for the first time in a while made me reluctant to go back to the institute. After all, there were no Reapers left at the institute—Golden or otherwise—leaving the atmosphere dull and lacking in that particular energy.

I snuck closer to the checkpoint and called out to one of the patrolling Golden Reapers. Waving a pudding in front of me, I managed to catch its attention. In a flash, the Golden Reaper noticed and appeared just in front of me.

But it stopped about three meters away, as if an invisible line had been drawn that it couldn’t cross.

“Hurry up! Let’s eat this pudding together!” I said, offering a spoonful to tempt it, but the Golden Reaper shook its head sadly, clearly unable to come any closer.

“Wait, can it not cross the line?”

I quickly checked my phone, and sure enough, the Golden Reapers couldn’t leave Mapo District. They seemed to be under orders to stay within the boundary.

Left with no choice, I edged closer to the checkpoint and began feeding the pudding to the Reaper.

The Reaper hadn’t had pudding in a while and seemed incredibly happy as it gobbled up the treat. Its cheeks puffed out as it stuffed its mouth with pudding, munching away.

As I watched the Reaper happily eat, I began slowly pulling the pudding back, curious to see what would happen if it crossed the invisible boundary.

Nom. Nom.

The Golden Reaper kept following the pudding as it was moved back, crossing the boundary line bit by bit.

One bite for the Reaper, one bite for me.

Before I knew it, the whole pudding container was empty, leaving both of us content.

Looking at the Golden Reaper, still happily chewing the last bite of pudding, I realized something.

“Wait, aren’t you outside of Mapo District now?”

The Golden Reaper tilted its head, not understanding what I meant.

I pointed to the ground under its feet, and as soon as it realized it had crossed the line, its expression changed dramatically to one of panic.

With a thud, the Golden Reaper collapsed onto the ground, overwhelmed by the realization.

Feeling guilty for pushing it too far, I quickly picked up the limp Golden Reaper and gently placed it back inside the boundary of Mapo District.

Sorry!

I silently apologized to the poor Reaper as it lay limp on the ground.

Back on the quiet rooftop that had become my hideout in Mapo District.

Around me lay several Golden Reapers, depressed after being rejected by the humans they were assigned to protect. They huddled close to me, seeking comfort.

It’s okay, hang in there just a little longer, I reassured them, patting their heads one by one, offering whatever comfort I could.

The final night in Mapo District was approaching.

Lately, more and more Golden Reapers had been rejected by humans, likely due to the mental contamination the yellow moon was spreading, which caused people to push the Reapers away.

The moon hadn’t launched a proper attack since the first night, but it had clearly been preparing something like this all along.

But the Golden Reapers were strong. They wouldn’t be stopped just because they were being rejected.

As the full moon rose in the sky, I clapped my hands and sent my intentions to the Golden Reapers.

Alright, let’s go protect the humans!

Hearing my call, the Golden Reapers slowly rose and scattered in all directions, each heading out to protect their assigned human.

Despite their sadness, they were devoted, selfless creatures, running off to protect the weak humans they had been assigned to.

Once all the Golden Reapers had left, I summoned the Blue Reaper and the Red Reaper, getting comfortable where I sat.

The rooftop was a bit chilly compared to the quarantine room, so I placed the Red Reaper on my lap for warmth.

With no furniture around, I had the Blue Reaper create a large sofa for me, making myself comfortable.

I turned on the TV, which the Blue Reaper had fixed, and began watching the news—my temporary quarantine room was complete!

Ah, this is so nice.

The thought that the Golden Reapers were out working while I got to relax made this moment even more enjoyable.

Hehe.

As I was relaxing, the yellow moon ominously rose in the sky. At the same time, small footsteps echoed across the rooftop.

Thump. Thump.

A Golden Reaper, holding a glowing golden lightsaber, staggered toward me.

It was unusual for one of the patrol Reapers to come back to me so early, so I wondered if something was wrong.

Before I could even finish the thought, a strange sound echoed through my heart.

Zap.

The Golden Reaper’s lightsaber had grown in size and pierced through both my body and the sofa beneath me.

<Mom!>

What?!

The Blue Reaper and Red Reaper rushed toward me in panic, and the Golden Reaper who had stabbed me smirked, lifting one side of its mouth in a mocking smile.