Under the starlit sky by the pier, the Purple Reaper hid in the shadows of a large container, cloaked in darkness.

Its eyes glimmered as it observed a man nearby. The man was smoking a cigarette, speaking on the phone to someone.

“So cool.”

The Purple Reaper felt a sense of awe, though it lacked the vocabulary to fully express the feeling.

It wasn’t just because the man was holding his own in an unwinnable battle despite being merely human, aside from a prosthetic eye.

It wasn’t because he maintained calmness, methodically handling each situation as it arose.

Nor was it because he endured scratches from his opponent without uttering a single cry.

“I don’t get it.”

The Purple Reaper had tried to come up with conditions like the Golden Reaper’s, but it only made its thoughts more chaotic.

The reaper simply knew, upon seeing him, that this man was its attachment.

That was all there was to it.

"The item is secured. I'll leave it in the usual spot."

The man abruptly ended the call after delivering his message, scanning the surroundings with a quick glance as if he sensed he was being watched.

"!"

The Purple Reaper shrank back further into the shadows as the man turned his head.

Once he walked away, the reaper quietly followed.

The man stepped into a cold, dark home devoid of any signs of life, placing his coat on a hanger before dropping onto the sofa.

He opened a can of beer, the dreary room serving as his only companion.

The room was dim and sparsely furnished, with a lone sofa standing in as a bed.

"Hah..."

He exhaled deeply, sinking into the sofa and throwing his head back.

“When will I ever face you with pride?”

Living out of sheer stubbornness, the man felt as though he was traversing an endless tunnel of darkness.

Ever since the day his sister had died.

"..."

As he lay there, breathing heavily from the exertion and the faint wounds he’d incurred, he began to calm down, drifting into a shallow sleep. A small, purple figure approached, wiping away a tear from his eye.

“Yeah, purple always suited you…”

Perhaps it was the hue of purple lingering in his vision, but he soon found himself in an old dream.

A dream of the days when his sister was alive.

When they had believed that the curse of the stars was truly a blessing.

As I wandered through Sehee Lab, I found myself in an unexpected experience.

"Mom!"

"Mom!"

As I walked through the halls, a group of Golden Reapers swarmed around me, clinging to me as if I were their attachment human, pestering me to go play in the courtyard.

While it wasn’t unusual for them to invite me to play, they’d never been this insistent since the first time they’d met me.

“Something’s off.”

With my keen intuition, I quickly realized that their excitement wasn’t due to my “charismatic allure.”

I’d been heading toward the sleeping quarters when I felt an unfamiliar presence.

As I neared the sleeping quarters, ignoring the Golden Reapers, they started pulling on my hair frantically.

What could this be?

Could they have hidden a Mecha Tyrannosaurus there?

Intrigued by their intense reaction, I sped up, heading straight for the sleeping quarters.

“Mecha Tyrannosaurus!”

With excitement, I burst open the door, but the room looked perfectly ordinary.

People were sleeping soundly with the Sprout Reaper, a warm glow from the setting sun filtering through the windows, and anxious Golden Reapers everywhere.

And, nestled in the arms of a Mini Reaper, was a tiny Mini Mini Reaper.

“?”

Was there something strange there?

I rubbed my eyes reflexively, but the sight didn’t change.

I quickly walked over to the Sprout Reaper.

Seeing me approach, it flashed a mischievous smile and held out the Mini Mini Reaper for me to see.

Is that… a baby Sprout Reaper?

Having seen the Sprout Reapers multiply in the snowy fields, I guessed that this was how they reproduced.

Fascinated, I poked at the tiny, sleepy Mini Sprout Reaper. It fumbled to grab my finger, which was cute.

I turned to look at the Golden Reapers, wondering if they too had baby versions, but they were staring at me without blinking, tense as if ready to fight.

Are they worried I’ll hurt the little one?

The mothering role has gone too far lately!

Holding out my hand, the Sprout Reaper proudly passed the Mini Sprout Reaper to me.

I gently cradled the tiny reaper in my palm, observing the Golden Reapers’ uneasy expressions. It was a bit funny.

Crack.

In my amusement, I suddenly felt something snap beneath my fingers.

“!”

The Golden Reapers looked horrified.

Startled, I looked down to see that a leaf from the Mini Sprout Reaper had broken off and was lying in my hand.

The Mini Sprout Reaper hung limply, unmoving.

“Oh…what now? It’s not dead, is it?”

Frantically, I tried to reattach the leaf, but the Golden Reapers, furious, charged at me, punching me until I managed to reattach the leaf and return the Mini Sprout Reaper to the Sprout Reaper.

Aww.

I just wanted to play with them…

Yerin left Sehee Lab, mulling over something.

“The reapers were acting a little strange today.”

The Gray Reaper, playing with Golden Reapers and the Sprout Reaper in the sleeping quarters?

Cradling them, feeding them treats, and cuddling them?

That was something the Gray Reaper only did when they’d done something really wrong.

Did they mess up somehow?

Well, as long as the Golden Reapers and Sprout Reaper seemed happy, I guess it was fine.

Satisfied with her conclusion, Yerin exited the lab and began her walk toward the shuttle bus stop.

Along the way, she encountered an unusual sight.

A line of Golden Reapers marching in single file.

Though they’d been seen outside more often since spreading through the district, it was rare to see them lined up like this.

As she took out her phone to record the procession, the Golden Reapers turned, beaming at her, and rushed over.

The reapers clung to her, and one, grinning, perched itself on her hand, looking as if it wanted to go somewhere with her.

“You want me to come along?”

The Golden Reaper nodded with a bashful smile.

“Alright! Let’s go!”

Feeling as though she’d won the lottery, Yerin strode off with renewed vigor.

Come to think of it, the Golden Reapers were becoming increasingly adept at understanding human speech.

In fact, they seemed to understand her better than the Gray Reaper at times.

Of course, she knew the Gray Reaper understood perfectly well but chose to ignore it.

It seemed everyone had figured out the Gray Reaper understood human speech—how long would they keep pretending otherwise?

As soon as she got home, Yerin let the Golden Reapers loose in her house.

Listening to their tiny footsteps, she got ready and began pulling out something she’d prepared for the Mini Reapers.

A huge box containing a Gray Reaper deer pajama set, followed by mini-sized deer pajamas for the Mini Reapers.

“Alright, time for a pajama party!”

The Golden Reapers might not have understood her words, but they could feel her positive energy and cheered along with her, bouncing up and down.

She had made these homemade deer pajamas after the first time she’d brought the Golden Reapers home, preparing for this day.

“Glad I made these.”

Seeing the Golden Reapers laughing in their matching pajamas made her feel that her efforts had paid off.

There were enough mini deer pajamas for each of the Golden Reapers who had come over.

They shared snacks, rolled around on the bed, and even took leaps from the top of the bookshelf to the bed below.

One Golden Reaper, in particular, was busy rummaging through the seemingly endless supply of pajamas from the box.

“!”

It suddenly sprang out, looking surprised, with an old piece of clothing in its hands.

“Oh, that? I used to wear that when I was little. I don’t remember much about it, though.”

Yerin spoke casually.

The garment was old, tattered, and small. Its colors had faded, but it was a strange mix of black and white.