NoveLight ™
Yerin was preparing for work at Sehee Research Lab in the early dawn, under the soft blue light shining through the window. "What should I take with me today?" She smiled lightly, her excitement palpable, like a child getting ready for a day at the amusement park. She was picking out toys to play with alongside the Gray Sashin. The sounds of the city waking up filtered through the open window, meant for ventilation. The hurried footsteps of workers heading to their jobs echoed, along with the gentle hum of passing cars. Despite the bustling movements, there was a stillness in the early morning air, a cool and quiet atmosphere that lingered.
From the common hallway came a soft, low voice saying, "Have a safe trip." The words stood out clearly among the many sounds of the early morning. It didn’t sound like a human voice—more mechanical and somewhat unnatural. It was the voice of the caretaker Doll, assigned by the building owner to handle various tasks. Dressed in a sharp blue uniform, the Doll moved with precision, its nutcracker-like mouth making it clear it was something other than human. It was quite different from the usual household Dolls designed for emotional interaction with humans.
"There are more and more of these Association Dolls," Yerin muttered quietly, unable to suppress a sense of foreboding. Maybe the Mini Sashins disliked them, or perhaps it was something else. Yerin couldn't shake the ominous feeling she had about the Dolls, especially the high-end ones that resembled humans more closely. It wasn’t that they seemed like they would attack humans like other Objects. No, it was something more unsettling, like a lingering nausea that made her stomach churn just thinking about them.
Lost in thought, Yerin snapped back to attention when a golden face popped up near the entrance. Hehe. The Golden Sashin had come to see her off, grinning widely. Because of the Association Dolls, the Gray Sashin had provided all the researchers with a Golden Sashin escort service.
Thump, thump. Following the confident steps of the Golden Sashin, Yerin left her home, turning back briefly to say goodbye. "I’ll be back."
Waiting at her home were a White Agwi and a lead Doll. The White Agwi, there for nighttime security, sat calmly on the lap of the lead Doll, as though it had fallen asleep. The Golden Sashin, which usually dozed off around 10 PM, was replaced by the White Agwi for the late-night guard duty.
Yerin smiled at the sight and took her first step into the blue dawn.
In the Mini Sashin Garden, Marshmallow Plains, the White Agwis, who had been granted special amnesty due to the Doll situation, were frolicking freely. The White Agwis had been pardoned to take over the Golden Sashin’s role of protecting the researchers. Though not as formidable as the Golden Sashins, the White Agwis were plentiful, small, and quite competent as security guards. The Golden Sashins, like children from a new nation, tended to doze off by 10 PM, making them less suitable for nighttime security.
If the White Agwis lacked sufficient combat ability, the solution was simple: just call me, like the Mini Sashins do. I had even named the system: the White Agwi Emergency Security Bell!
Though it would be easier to unleash the Mini Sashins to destroy all the Association Dolls in Seoul, I had held off for several reasons. For one, the Dolls didn’t seem particularly harmful—not in the way things from the Color Universe smelled dangerous. Despite the Mini Sashins' deep hatred for them, the Dolls didn't give off the usual malevolent aura. Still, because the Mini Sashins despised them so much, I assigned the White Agwi guards to Sehee Research Lab. Besides, I was looking forward to an upcoming event, so I had postponed any Doll destruction.
I looked down at the flyer I had already read several times.
South Korea’s First! Official Object Association Doll Exhibition Confirmed!
Object Exhibition = Failure? NO!
Discover new possibilities at the Object Association’s groundbreaking Doll Exhibition!
Exhibition Categories:
Find more information on the Korea Object Association’s official website!
An Object Exhibition! Even though it was an exhibition focused solely on "Dolls," I was still excited. Could this be an event without any incidents? I was holding onto a small hope. I imagined a future where fun Object exhibitions were held regularly in Seoul.
Even if the Dolls turned out to be harmful and needed to be destroyed, I’d wait until after the event. Hehe. I folded the flyer neatly and placed it inside a nearby Agwi’s mouth. Glancing around, I noticed a large group of White Agwis lingering nearby.
Had they been granted amnesty, or was it because I hadn’t tormented them since the Treacherous White Agwi Hell incident? Observing them closely, I saw that the White Agwis were split into two groups: one busily searching for something and the other lingering near me.
Kyuhihi. Seeing the sly smiles on the White Agwis’ faces, I could guess the reason. They were waiting for the Orange Sashin, hoping to witness the downfall of their treacherous leader. They seemed to be searching for the Orange Sashin, anticipating its demise.
But unfortunately for them, the Orange Sashin had already been granted amnesty through a deal with me a long time ago. Hehe.
Turning to look at the inner courtyard, I saw a large golden statue. It was a sculpture made from the golden horn stolen by the Orange Sashins from the Free City Union—a triceratops statue, my second favorite after the T. rex. I found it amusing that they had chosen to make a triceratops, almost as if creating a T. rex was something I had to do myself. I smiled proudly as I gazed at the golden statue.
Near James Tower in Songpa District, Seoul, there was a constant influx of supplies: food, materials, and fuel. The area was bustling, but despite the activity, there was no sense of human presence. Instead, something eerie had taken their place—the Association Dolls.
James had initially resisted allowing the Dolls on-site, but now all the heavy lifting and difficult tasks were handled by them. There was no other choice. Still, James ensured that no Dolls entered the interior of the tower. This meant that James and the staff who had come from America were responsible for transporting the materials piled up in the parking lot into the tower themselves.
It was an unavoidable situation.
Hmm. James watched the CCTV footage, letting out a low hum. On the screen, a Doll was slowly approaching a locked door, grabbing the handle as if testing how to enter the tower.
A chill ran down James’ spine. This wasn’t just one or two Dolls; multiple Dolls were checking different doors, each only once. It felt as if something was coordinating and controlling all the Dolls simultaneously.
If this was the work of the Korea Object Association, then perhaps it could be dismissed as sloppy industrial espionage. But if this was happening without the Association’s involvement, Seoul could be facing an unimaginable threat.
James tore his gaze away from the monitor and looked out the window, where rows of Dolls were carrying supplies in perfect formation. Given the strange behavior he'd seen on the CCTV, those Dolls' lifeless eyes now seemed to carry an eerie glint, as if they were peering into his very soul.
What were they really for? Who was controlling them?
Click, click.
A blue-uniformed Doll walked slowly down the empty hallway of Yerin’s building. It moved back and forth as though patrolling, but it stopped in front of the entrance every time it passed by.
Screech.
The sound of poorly oiled machinery echoed as the blue Doll turned its head and stared at Yerin’s front door for a long while. Then, with a series of clinking sounds, it began walking again.
The White Agwi, sitting on the lap of the lead Doll, was paying close attention to the sound. Even the White Agwi found the Dolls' behavior suspicious.
Once the Doll’s footsteps faded into the distance, the White Agwi let out a sigh of relief. But in that moment, the darkness surrounding the room abruptly lifted as a warm, golden light washed over the Agwi’s entire body. The familiar warmth made the Agwi instinctively turn toward the light.
Gasp!
The Agwi flailed in shock, driven by curiosity to lift its head and look. What it saw was the narrowed gaze of the lead Doll, staring down at it. The lead Doll’s eyes were deep and warm, yet they appeared sleepy, as if they could never truly move.
The Agwi was filled with terror under the unblinking stare of the lifeless figure.