Chapter 238

The area near Songpa-gu was in utter chaos due to the rampage of brain-eating zombies.

At the center of this disaster zone was the James Tower construction site.

Inside a temporary office, James was deep in thought as he wrote a report.

The recent discoveries he made while enhancing his mental contamination detector filled his mind.

Initially, James had only intended to make the detector more sensitive.

However, the improved detector yielded unexpected results.

Now, it could not only track mental contamination but also detect nearly every kind of object.

This improvement was inspired by the fact that electric shocks seemed effective against zombies with mental contamination, but the results had pushed James further into contemplation.

“Are most objects mentally contaminated?” he wondered, scratching his stubbled chin after days without shaving.

Through his enhancements and experiments, he found that mental contamination could be divided into two types.

The first type was identifiable, a contamination where the source could be clearly traced.

This type, primarily found in humans exposed to objects that caused hypnosis or altered perception, was the “normal mental contamination” known to the academic world.

The second type, however, was present in most objects.

This contamination could not be traced back to any source with the improved detector.

It seemed as if the contamination rained down from the universe, with no discernible direction.

Ordinarily, one might dismiss this as a mere “measurement error,” but James believed that this seemingly meaningless contamination held a crucial clue.

Thus, he had come up with a radical hypothesis:

“Most objects are mentally contaminated and are being controlled by someone.”

Proving this hypothesis seemed difficult, as he hadn’t found any object free from contamination.

Or rather, he had—only one.

Among the objects he had access to, only the “Golden Reaper” was free from mental contamination.

The Golden Reaper’s lack of contamination and its friendly disposition toward humans supported James’ hypothesis.

However, the sample size was too small to be persuasive.

Moreover, what could it mean that only the Golden Reaper was free from contamination?

With a deep sigh, James penned the final line of his report:

“Uncovering the Golden Reaper’s secrets might be the key to understanding the true nature of these object incidents.”

He put down his pen and gazed out the window.

In the distance, the ruins of Songpa-gu lay under an ashen sky, shrouded in gray clouds.

Resolving to further his research on the reapers, James decided to head to the Sehee Research Center.

Although the American Object Association had restricted access due to severe mental contamination risks, he believed now was the time to go.

Inside a containment room deep within the Sehee Research Center, a sense of tranquility lingered.

A warm atmosphere filled the air, and a soft blanket wrapped around Yerin.

The gentle sounds of the Mini Reapers munching on pudding, along with the low hum of the TV, created a peaceful ambiance.

Everything seemed as usual.

However, Yerin felt that something was different.

The Gray Reaper, who usually enjoyed watching TV, had ignored it entirely today, focusing solely on Yerin.

A tickling thought pricked at the back of Yerin’s mind—was it possible that the Gray Reaper had suddenly become preoccupied with her chest?

Even when the Gray Reaper’s gaze appeared to wander, she couldn’t shake the feeling.

To distract herself, she poked at its soft cheeks and hugged its plush belly, but the Gray Reaper’s attention remained fixed on her.

The most telling sign was the little antenna on the Gray Reaper’s head.

Normally swaying gently, it was now tilted toward Yerin, occasionally emitting a faint glow.

Clearly, it was engrossed in something related to her.

At that moment, a thought flashed through Yerin’s mind:

“Could this be the perfect chance to dress the Reaper in something it hates?”

Just then, a news report from Russia caught her ear.

[The object incident in Russia shows no sign of resolution, and the Siberian lockdown continues.]

[The Russian government has not disclosed details, leaving much to speculation.]

The screen filled with images of the Siberian snowfields—a vast, breathtakingly white landscape.

Yet Yerin felt no joy at the sight.

The snowy scenery was like a cold shower, dousing her plans to secretly dress the Gray Reaper.

The moment the Reaper saw the snow-covered landscape on TV, its eyes began to sparkle with curiosity.

Without a word, its gaze seemed to exclaim, “Wow, snow! I’d love to have such a winter wonderland!”

Yerin sighed.

Her carefully laid plans were melting away, much like snow under the sun.

The intense focus the Gray Reaper had shown just moments ago had dissolved, and its antenna returned to its usual sway.

Attempting to change its clothes now would certainly get her caught.

“Ugh… Trying to dress it up now would be a total giveaway.”

Disappointment flooded Yerin’s mind.

She could only berate herself for missing such a golden opportunity.

I lay quietly atop a giant marshmallow, preparing a prank.

Before heading to Siberia to claim a snowy paradise, I wanted to complete the prank I’d planned.

I’d had to give up on “finding the halo inside Yerin’s body” for now.

No matter how I looked, I couldn’t spot the halo within her.

I guess my abilities aren’t yet enough to find Yerin’s halo.

It took me ages to discover the one inside me, so it’s no surprise I can’t find hers yet.

Even if I couldn’t locate it, I was sure of one thing: Yerin definitely had something special about her.

An ordinary human couldn’t possibly sustain such fuel for so long.

I climbed a marshmallow hill, surveying my surroundings.

Making sure no Mini Reapers were around to catch me, I conjured two candies under the maze halo, filling them with fuel to make them irresistible to the Mini Reapers.

Hehe.

I grinned in anticipation of my prank.

The Golden Reaper standing in my palm eyed the candy I’d offered with suspicion.

No matter how much I emphasized how delicious it was, it looked at me as if asking, “What kind of trap is this?”

Alright, maybe I’d pranked it a bit too often, but still.

I wish it trusted me a little more.

“These are the best candies in the world. Only two exist!”

I emphasized once more.

If this Golden Reaper had a human partner, it might have shared the candy with them, but this one didn’t have a human attachment.

After a moment of suspicion, it closed its eyes tightly and popped the candy into its mouth.

It was like it was swallowing poison under its mother’s orders.

But after a few seconds, its eyes opened wide, and its antenna perked up.

“It’s delicious!”

Its eyes sparkled with astonishment before melting into a blissful smile.

It rubbed its cheeks, savoring the candy.

When it finished, it clung to me, happily cuddling.

“Thank you, Mom!”

I handed the other candy to it, and it hesitated, looking at me with a question mark for an antenna.

“But that one’s yours…”

“I don’t really like it. You can have it.”

After a moment’s hesitation, the Golden Reaper finally took the candy and enjoyed it with an expression of pure joy.

Once I saw it had eaten both, I let a sad expression cross my face and sent a thought.

“Did you enjoy it?”

My intention was filled with regret and sadness.

The Golden Reaper looked at me, shocked.

“But you said…”

“No way…”

Seemingly devastated, it teared up and clung to me, apologizing repeatedly for eating the candy it thought I wanted.

I looked down at the Golden Reaper, grinning mischievously.

Hehe.

The Siberian wilderness, now under strict lockdown, had been overtaken by a mysterious object.

Numerous drones and people dispatched for investigation had vanished the moment they entered the area.

The investigation seemed impossible.

No humans, vehicles, or landmarks remained.

Only an endless snowfield stretched as far as the eye could see.

There were no roads, no visible ground—just a smooth, unblemished surface, like polished metal.

In the middle of this modern-day mystery, two figures were leaving footprints in the snow.

A girl with blue hair, wrapped in a warm cloak.

And behind her, a white creature followed at a slow pace.

The two figures left small impressions on the boundless snowfield, walking forward without a destination in sight.

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TL notes:

Thank you for reading! If you’re enjoying Seoul Object Story, don’t forget to like and drop a comment. Your feedback keeps me motivated and helps me improve. And if you'd like to support the translations, you can also check out my donation link ❤️ ko-fi.com/satabog ❤️ every bit helps! ❤️