Yerin sat on the Sehee Research Institute shuttle bus, watching the scenery outside.

“It’s changing much faster than I thought.”

The landscape of Songpa-gu, which once looked like ruins, was gradually returning to its original state.

The disappearance of the monsters that hid in the sinkholes and the construction of the James Tower had started bringing about change.

New buildings were springing up, and newly opened restaurants lined the streets.

Waving air dancers enticing customers became a common sight.

As Yerin watched the passing scenery through the glass window, she noticed a faint reflection and smiled.

The Golden Sashin was trying to slowly unzip her bag, only to get its antennae stuck in the zipper.

The Golden Sashin, unaware that Yerin had noticed, was struggling hard to free itself, moving its head back and forth while pushing the zipper with both hands.

It could easily phase through with its ghost-like ability, but for some reason, Golden Sashins only seemed to use that skill in the most necessary situations.

As someone who considered herself an expert on Mini Sashins, Yerin had a theory about why they avoided using their ghostly abilities.

Rather than being a part of their own special belief system, it seemed that Golden Sashins valued the sensation of touch on their bodies.

They tended to cling to humans with their entire bodies, more so than other Mini Sashins, which was quite unusual behavior.

Like how the Gray Sashin, who perceived the world with its skin, didn’t wear clothes—maybe it was something similar?

Ah, our eyes met.

Finally freeing its antennae from the zipper, the Golden Sashin met Yerin's gaze.

Its eyes widened, and its mouth opened in shock, as if saying, “Oh no, I’ve been caught following you!”

"So, you followed me?" Yerin asked, her smile softening.

The Golden Sashin let out a sheepish laugh, its body sticking to her hand like an embarrassed child caught in the act.

Clip-clop.

After getting off the shuttle bus, they walked slowly until they reached Yerin’s one-room apartment.

She set the Golden Sashin on the table and turned on the TV.

[Moments ago, the Association Research Institute, which succeeded the now-defunct Central Research Institute—dismantled due to incidents like civilian abductions, false death statistics, and embezzlement—announced a shocking new development.]

[The Institute claims to have developed an Object Doll that resembles a human and can precisely follow commands.]

[This breakthrough is expected to raise Korea’s standing in the Object technology sector, which had previously been criticized as underdeveloped.]

[However, there are concerns. The American Object Association has expressed that using non-passive Objects carries significant risks and requires cautious handling.]

[In contrast, the Korean Object Association has emphasized that sufficient safety measures have been implemented in the development of these Object Dolls and assures there is no cause for concern.]

The TV droned on about the recent announcement regarding Object Dolls from the Object Association.

"Dolls? Was there a department that worked on things like that?"

Even Yerin, who knew people at the Association’s research facility, had never heard of this project before.

It might have been kept secret, but considering how corrupt and incompetent the research institute was, it seemed unlikely they could keep such a secret for long.

“Well, whatever happens, Sashin will take care of it.”

Though it felt like something big was brewing, Yerin dismissed it, trusting completely in the Gray Sashin.

Meanwhile, the Golden Sashin, having little interest in the TV, was tilting its head curiously, examining Yerin’s prized possession.

“Mom?”

It was a lead doll, dressed in a frilly, voluminous dress, with an ornate parasol.

It gave off an entirely different vibe, one that made it hard to believe it was connected to the Gray Sashin.

And yet, to the Golden Sashin, even though it appeared empty, the doll carried a faint but undeniable feeling of its "mother."

Watching the Golden Sashin’s curiosity, Yerin came up with a new game for the day.

A play session with the Golden Sashin, using the Gray Sashin Doll!

The game involved a supremely kind mother figure coming to life, showering the Golden Sashin with affection.

Together, the Golden Sashin and the doll would share snacks and complete puzzles, enjoying their time together.

But as with all good things, the fun had to come to an end.

Past 10 p.m., the Golden Sashin began to grow sleepy, and before long, it collapsed mid-play, its head thunking against the table.

Yerin chuckled softly at the sight, scooped up the Golden Sashin, and went to bed with it cradled in her arms.

I sat in the Marshmallow Plains of the Mini Sashin Garden, holding a halo in my hands, studying it.

The Nullification Halo, the Perfect Dodge Halo, the Illusion Creation Halo.

They all looked the same.

They glowed softly like angelic halos, white and round.

And when placed on the head, each one brought excruciating pain, causing my body to split and crumble.

Right now, I was pondering that pain.

The halo I had pulled from my heart hadn’t caused me any pain, so there had to be a solution.

The first possibility to consider was the number of halos.

Just like when I had used two halos simultaneously in the Maze of Illusions, the more halos I used, the greater the pain. It seemed a reasonable assumption.

With one halo already inside my heart, using another might be what caused the pain.

If that was true, then the solution was simple.

I just needed to remove the halo from my heart and hang it in the sky.

The problem was, I didn’t know how to remove it.

The second hypothesis had to do with the color of the halos.

The Death Vision Halo looked a bit different and was a familiar golden color—the same color as the firewood that burned in my heart.

Maybe if I could dye the other halos in the color of my firewood, I could use them more easily.

So, I set about conducting all sorts of experiments with the halo.

I tried putting it back in my heart, even tried hanging it over a fire like roasting meat on a stick, but no matter what I did, the color wouldn’t change.

“Ugh, whatever!”

I needed the halos for when I fought the villains of the Color Universe, but I figured things would work themselves out when the time came.

I sent the halos back into the sky and flopped onto the ground.

That’s when I noticed the wriggling jellyworms in the distance.

They were the three jelly-shaped worms I had brought back from the Free City Union.

I cleverly assembled the featureless jellyworms into a wacky inflatable air dancer.

One worm for the body, and one for each arm.

Hee-hee.

Once I lit them on fire, they really started writhing towards the sky, just like a real air dancer!

“Kyu-hee-hee.”

Watching the burning worms, a bunch of White Gremlins gathered around, laughing.

They must have thought I’d forgotten about the ‘Ice Palace Incident.’

Heh.

But I was only waiting for the perfect opportunity to round them all up.

Although, I did feel like there were fewer White Gremlins than expected.

This should have been the point where hordes of White Gremlins came running in, but there were too few.

Shifting my gaze, I saw the Four-legged Golden Sashins leisurely roaming the plains.

Has the Golden Sashin trend really lasted this long?

An uneasy feeling began to stir in my heart.

The Golden Sashin was desperately fleeing through a chaotic, topsy-turvy world.

“!!!”

Behind it, its mom, who had recently become plumper, was chasing with a terrifying expression.

“You’ve gained weight, little Golden Sashin, so now I’ll eat you up!”

Normally, it could have easily outpaced her, but its body felt heavy, and it couldn’t shake her off.

Nearby, other Golden Sashins, equally plump, were also running.

When the Golden Sashin looked down, its belly had indeed become a bit round.

“Gotcha!”

One of the Golden Sashins running alongside was caught by its mom’s hand and pulled away.

Shocked, the Golden Sashin turned to see its own mom right behind it.

“!”

A massive hand slowly reached for the Golden Sashin and grabbed it.

“Nooo!”

The Golden Sashin struggled to avoid being eaten, but it was eventually sucked into her enormous mouth.

“!!!!!!!!!”

As dawn broke, the Golden Sashin awoke with a start from the nightmare.

Crawling out from under Yerin’s arms, it let out a sigh of relief.

The Golden Sashin wasn’t entirely sure what dreams were, but it was immensely relieved that it wasn’t real.

Still, something felt off.

It began to carefully inspect its limbs and body.

Looking down at its belly, the Golden Sashin gasped.

“I’ve gained weight!”

Pressing its chubby belly, the Golden Sashin raised its hands to its cheeks in shock, like a figure from The Scream.

“Sashin, let’s play together.”

Yerin’s sleepy voice interrupted the Golden Sashin’s despair.

Turning its head, the Golden Sashin saw vast amounts of firewood emanating from Yerin, flowing into both the lead doll and itself.

A large cruise ship docked at the harbor.

Although she could have ridden a cloud-meat ship directly to Korea, Cheong had come to the harbor to experience a cruise for the first time.

Looking up at the massive ship, Cheong couldn’t help but feel excitement build within her.

Having lived only in China, the idea of going abroad was exhilarating.

And their destination was none other than Korea, the homeland of the Orange Sashin!

Of course, Korea was categorized as a somewhat dangerous country in the Object Era, but it couldn’t possibly be worse than the Free City Union.

The wheels of her suitcase clattered across the deck as she walked, the fresh sea breeze brushing her nose.

Taking a deep breath of the salty air, Cheong slowly made her way to the ship’s railing.

Gentle, relaxing music played in the background as the cruise prepared for departure.

Seagulls circled the ship as if bidding it farewell, and in the distance, the sun shimmered across the ocean’s horizon.

As the sparkling waves danced in the lazy afternoon light, the Orange Sashin began poking Cheong’s cheek.

From the direction the Orange Sashin pointed, she heard an unfamiliar foreign language.

“Oppa, did you say we’re going to Korea this time?”

“Mm.”

There stood a Western man in a stylish coat and a much younger woman who appeared to be his daughter, given their resemblance and the age gap.

But none of that mattered.

What caught Cheong’s attention was one thing.

A Purple Sashin sitting atop the woman’s head!

The eyepatch-wearing Purple Sashin and the crown-wearing Orange Sashin locked eyes.

The woman, noticing their interaction, smiled warmly and walked toward Cheong.

“Wow, is that an Orange Sashin?”

The woman, speaking in simple English, addressed Cheong politely.

Just then, with a deep blast of the ship’s horn, the voyage to Korea began.

The cruise ship glided across the sea, heading for Korea.

With white seagulls soaring above and the endless blue horizon stretching ahead, Cheong had a feeling that this meeting would lead to a longer relationship than expected.