Chapter 449

The late afternoon sunlight cast shadows across the narrow staircase.

James stepped out of the Yellow Detective’s office, pulling the business card he had just received from his pocket.

The faded paper only bore the simple lettering “Yellow Detective.”

He stared at the card for a moment before carefully tucking it into his wallet.

He paused and, with a slight sigh, looked back. The nameplate hanging on the exterior of the old building caught his eye.

It read “Yellow Detective’s Office,” and though it didn’t seem particularly old, it appeared rusted and weathered as if it had endured for decades.

James knew the reason.

The curse of the Lamp had caused countless changes in the owner of the name “Yellow Detective,” so the office had likely not been properly maintained.

This was information James had uncovered while investigating the Yellow Detective after the James Tower incident.

Such a suspicious object was lurking in society, and yet no one knew about it…

Once again, it seemed humanity’s systems were woefully inadequate in handling the threat of Objects.

Of course, Korea’s particular shortcomings might have had something to do with it.

“Boss, should we head back now?”

The secretary asked with a puzzled tone.

James sighed lightly as he descended the narrow staircase.

“It can’t be helped. He said he wouldn’t take on any major tasks for now.”

The plan to recruit a detective with precognition had failed.

Surprisingly, the Yellow Detective had rejected the offer without hesitation.

Yet, rather than disappointment, there was a strange sense of anticipation on James’ face.

“Still, since he has precognition, I’m sure he’ll contact us when the time comes.”

A fleeting look of doubt crossed the secretary’s face.

She seemed to think that his precognition wasn’t that strong.

“We’ll see in time.”

James muttered, noticing the look on the secretary’s face as he passed her.

According to the research institute’s analysis, the Yellow Detective’s abilities, excluding the Object equipment, were only at an average level. But James expected more than that.

Someone who had managed to escape the curse of the Lamp that had consumed so many others couldn’t possibly be ordinary.

Stepping outside the building, the bright sunlight hit James’ face.

Perhaps because of the warm sunlight, the Golden Grim Reaper, who had been sleeping on his head, woke up.

“Sunlight!”

The Golden Grim Reaper, revived as if a wilted flower had been watered, seemed full of energy, and James couldn’t help but smile at the sight.

As James slowly petted the now energized Golden Grim Reaper, the detective’s last words echoed in his mind.

“Hmm, ‘I’ve done all I need to do, now it’s time to rest’…?”

There was something oddly resonant about those words, as if they were not just a simple rejection.

When James turned to look back at the office building one last time, he saw, through the second-floor window, the detective and his subordinates causing a ruckus for some reason.

“Senpai, the Lamp Grim Reaper says it can grant wishes!”

“No way.”

Through the slightly open window, faint voices could be heard.

One of the juniors, excitedly holding the Lamp and running away, while the detective chased after him.

And the other two juniors, standing by the window, smiling as they watched the scene.

James watched the spectacle for a moment before getting into his car.

With the soft hum of the engine, the car slowly began to leave the building’s parking lot.

“Probably, their dangerous adventure is over now.”

As he looked at the office disappearing in the distance, James couldn’t shake the thought.

Late in the evening, a time when I would normally be watching TV in the isolation room.

I was holding Yerin’s hand as we headed to her apartment.

Yerin had told me she was going to throw a party to celebrate something good she had accomplished.

Something special?

It was probably a celebration for something trivial, but I had no other plans and was feeling bored, so I willingly agreed to go along.

It was probably just like the “100th Baby Golden Grim Reaper Photo Shoot” celebration from before—nothing important.

When we arrived at Yerin’s apartment, preparations for the party were in full swing.

The Golden Grim Reapers were hanging balloons from the ceiling, while the Black Grim Reapers were moving snacks onto the table.

As soon as we entered, Yerin started making a fuss, putting a graduation cap on the Saintess Doll and handing it a bouquet.

I wondered what she was going to do with such random items like a graduation cap and flowers, but…

Ah, it was for the Saintess Doll.

A graduation cap…

It was a hat I’d never worn before.

Now, I didn’t really have any interest in wearing one.

“Let’s give a round of applause for our Saintess Doll, who has learned all the knowledge needed for the Seoul Research Institute!”

Clap, clap, clap.

With Yerin’s cheerful voice, applause rang out.

Then, the Naph Doll, who often appeared in Yerin’s apartment, also started clapping along.

Though it wasn’t exactly clapping, more like gently pressing its hands together, the smile on its face showed it was genuinely celebrating.

“Great!”

“Smart!”

The mini Grim Reapers, who resided in Yerin’s apartment, jumped around, showing their celebratory intent.

Admiration and joy filled the air, but it seemed like the mini Grim Reapers didn’t really understand what was going on.

[Thank you…?]

The Saintess Doll said, looking confused as she thanked everyone for the celebration.

It made sense since today’s party could be called “Yerin’s Skip Work Celebration,” so it was understandable that the Saintess Doll reacted like this.

By the way, she was incredibly fast.

She had already memorized all those books.

Was the Saintess Doll exceptionally smart, or did Yerin, the original, have such transcendent intelligence?

According to the people at Seoul Research Institute, Yerin also seemed to be quite the genius, so it was probably because of Yerin’s intelligence.

But when I turned to see Yerin, who had suddenly snuck up behind me and hugged me with a bright smile, I didn’t feel particularly intelligent at all.

And when Yerin took out the camera, the photo session began.

The Saintess Doll, wearing a graduation cap and holding the bouquet, click.

Then one with me, Yerin, and even the mini Grim Reapers—click.

The shutter clicked repeatedly.

The mini Grim Reapers loved taking photos.

“Ah!”

“They look the same! Hehe.”

Well, when mini Grim Reapers appeared in TV ads, everyone would watch with excitement, so it wasn’t surprising.

The mini Grim Reapers posed in various ways and took photos with various objects.

They especially wanted to take pictures with me.

Though I was too lazy to move and just lay there, they swarmed onto my stomach, taking photos with happy expressions.

They looked like children out on a picnic.

After the commotion settled down, Yerin said with a smile on her face.

“From now on, we can always be together!”

Hmm…

I did like being with Yerin, but being with her all day could be a bit much.

But since Yerin looked happy, I didn’t refuse and just stayed quietly.

“Well, if I want to be alone, I can just teleport away.”

Thinking this, I lay in Yerin’s embrace, eating the cake she fed me.

Munch, munch.

As the atmosphere of the party grew warmer, a long line caught my eye.

A long line made up entirely of Golden Grim Reapers.

What was unusual was that every Golden Grim Reaper was holding a small White Agwi in their arms.

“The White Agwi are all painted gold.”

Since they were painted gold, the Golden Grim Reapers didn’t eat the color-painted Agwi.

In fact, they seemed to treat them like cherished dolls.

Wondering what this could be, I watched as Yerin, still holding me, walked toward the end of the Golden Grim Reaper line.

At the end, there was a special mini bath facility for the Golden Grim Reapers.

Plastic cups, likely used for washing, were lined up, and inside them, Golden Grim Reapers were enjoying bubble baths.

Compared to the luxurious facilities at Seoul Research Institute, it seemed modest, but the expressions on the Golden Grim Reapers were filled with happiness.

When my eyes met a small Golden Grim Reaper in a cup overflowing with soap bubbles, it smiled brightly.

“Mom!”

It was a Golden Grim Reaper holding a White Agwi in its arms, looking incredibly happy.

In the vast mansion managed by the multi-colored Agwi, the Golden Grim Reaper had now lived with its cherished human for a while.

At first, it had been a bit distant, but thanks to the Golden Grim Reaper’s natural ability to make friends, it had quickly gotten used to spending time together.

The peaceful days seemed like they would continue for the Golden Grim Reaper and its cherished human.

But strange things began happening inside the mansion.

Agwi, who had stopped moving like broken toys.

A garden that had become unkempt.

Suddenly wilting garden trees.

Various odd events unfolded, but the Violet-haired Girl seemed not to pay much attention.

Even when the Golden Grim Reaper pointed to the still White Agwi, saying it was strange, she just shrugged it off.

“Sometimes they stop. Isn’t that normal?”

She casually dismissed it.

Then one night.

Though it was late, the Golden Grim Reaper couldn’t sleep, and it began to hear a strange sound.

It sounded like a human grinding their teeth.

Turning to look at the only human in the mansion, the Violet-haired Girl, she was peacefully sleeping with a calm expression.

‘…’

Upon closer listening, the sound seemed to be coming from outside the room.

‘What should I do?’

But the Violet-haired Girl had given the Golden Grim Reaper one instruction.

“Never go outside the room at night.”

Despite the unsettling sound of teeth grinding, the Golden Grim Reaper couldn’t bring itself to break the human’s request.

It didn’t seem harmful enough to warrant disobedience yet.