Seoul Object Story - Chapter 484 Oku

The dense jungle loomed around the research institute, almost as if it was going to swallow it whole with its overwhelming presence.

The massive concrete building looked like a lonely island floating in a green sea.

The road that stretched from the building was abruptly cut off, as though sliced by a sharp blade, and from that jagged edge, the jungle seemed to rise unnaturally, almost grotesquely.

As the late afternoon sunlight filtered through the leaves, the heavy iron gate of the research institute opened.

And through that gate, two staff members appeared, dressed in large object protection suits.

Their faces, visible through the thick suits, appeared weary, but there was an odd sense of anticipation in their expressions.

“It feels like we’ve only been waiting for this time lately.”

The junior staff member smiled brightly through the transparent helmet.

The senior nodded and paused for a moment.

His gaze was directed at the research institute building.

Staring at the enormous concrete mass, which seemed to grow darker by the day, he let out a deep sigh.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen the director or any of the researchers.”

The junior spoke cautiously.

The researchers, who would normally be bustling around here and there with lively energy, had been absent for days now.

The senior glanced around briefly before lowering his voice to a whisper.

“I think they’ve locked themselves away underground, working on something. The few times I’ve run into them, their expressions have been serious. I wonder if something’s wrong…”

He trailed off, then added, “Well, it’s not really something we, the security team, need to worry about.”

After hearing the senior’s words, the junior nodded in understanding.

“Ah, that makes sense. It’s easier to work without the researchers around, but it also feels a bit unsettling. Glad to hear there’s nothing serious going on.”

The junior’s voice carried relief, but there was an unmistakable sense of unease lingering in it.

The senior gave a wry smile and shook his head.

“Well, in this age, it’s stranger if nothing goes wrong.”

Absentmindedly, the senior reached out and tapped a leaf hanging above him.

The leaf, now slightly redder than yesterday, felt oddly foreboding through the thick gloves of the protection suit.

As they chatted about inconsequential things, they walked down a narrow path that looked newly constructed. Eventually, they reached a strange clearing where the trees had been unnaturally cut down.

It was a large open space in the middle of the jungle, full of life, almost like a playground.

In the middle of the clearing, the Golden Reaper and Black Reapers were rolling around and playing.

Mini Reapers gathered around a small campfire, roasting something round and white on skewers.

Kyu-hing-hing.

“Hehe.”

Every time sparks flew from the body of a White Reaper, the Mini Reapers laughed joyfully, clearly enjoying themselves.

Each White Reaper had a bead hanging from their bodies that ordinary humans couldn’t read.

On the ground, Golden Reapers rolled around like bowling balls, colliding with one another.

“Thud-thud.”

“Roll-roll.”

Each time they collided, they laughed with joy, and the surrounding Mini Reapers would laugh along with them.

On one side of the clearing, a Black Reaper was lifting a cargo several times larger than its own body.

“Impressive!”

“Strong little one!”

The Golden Reapers, watching, clapped their small hands in admiration.

The Black Reaper didn’t seem to mind the attention, and a sense of pride was visible on its face.

Nearby, two Mini Reapers sat facing each other, playfully squishing each other’s chubby cheeks.

“Soft-soft!”

Of course, not all the Mini Reapers looked happy.

A few Mini Reapers sitting atop a high stack of cargo stared at the research institute building with forlorn expressions.

The little faces of the Mini Reapers were full of worry and concern.

“Can’t we go in yet?”

“They said good humans can’t come in.”

“Why?”

“Is it because someone’s on bad terms with the Golden Reaper? We’ll get hit!”

It was as though the Mini Reapers were conversing, turning their gazes or shaking their heads.

“Sigh.”

The Mini Reapers gazed wistfully at the research institute with dark expressions.

“There are many humans in there…”

It was like losing a precious friend, or having to part from someone they cared about.

Just then, the research staff entered the clearing and greeted the Mini Reapers.

“Hey, guys, how’s it going?”

With a gentle greeting, as they stepped into the clearing, a small commotion erupted.

The Mini Reapers, like meerkats in a field, stretched their necks and, unable to hide their excitement, rushed over.

“Ah!”

“Human!”

With the soft sound of footsteps, the staff members’ faces brightened with warm smiles as they were showered with attention.

Carefully, they opened their bags and pulled out the specially baked cookies from the research institute.

As soon as the crinkling of the cookie bags was heard, the Mini Reapers lined up as if they had an old promise to keep.

With a neatness that would be hard for humans to imitate, the staff couldn’t hide their admiration for the orderly line.

One by one, the Mini Reapers took their cookies, their round eyes filled with joy and gratitude.

“Why do they keep them from coming into the research institute? These kids even send all the oil and food the institute needs…”

The junior asked in a small voice.

The senior sighed deeply.

“I don’t know the reason. It was the director’s direct order, so there must be a reason for it, right?”

After hearing that, the junior muttered with a slightly downcast expression.

“Even though they bake cookies to show their gratitude, I still feel a little bad about it…”

At that moment, the Golden Reapers, who had been munching on the cookies, noticed the junior’s sad mood and looked up at him with concerned expressions.

“Human, sad?”

“Not fair…”

Some of the Golden Reapers even broke off pieces of their cookies and offered them.

Small pieces of cookies that were about the size of a Mini Reaper’s little fist.

Seeing the cookie pieces, the junior wiped away his sad expression and smiled weakly as if to say there was nothing he could do.

“Hehe.”

At that, the Mini Reapers’ faces lit up with smiles as bright as the sun.

In the corner of the clearing, where everything seemed so joyful, a few Black Reapers were watching something with worried expressions.

It was a tiny leaf, tinged with a faint red color.

In the peaceful afternoon, as the sunlight gradually shifted to a sunset glow, I was walking through the courtyard of the Sehee Research Institute on my way to the Mini Reaper Garden when I noticed the Golden Reapers sprawled about.

Each of them was holding a splendid and fancy golden hat as if it were their last treasure, clutching it tightly to their chests.

And on their small faces, there was an indescribable loneliness.

“Ah, they’re the out-of-work postmen.”

Due to the restoration of the communication network, the Golden Reapers had lost their jobs as postal workers.

Of course, postal demand had not disappeared entirely.

There were still people who wrote letters by hand, and many wanted to see the Golden Reapers riding on cloud meat.

But that alone couldn’t accommodate all the Golden Reapers.

“Well, I guess it was bound to happen…”

The restoration of the communication network had made these Golden Reaper postmen obsolete, but that wasn’t the only reason.

After the planetary fusion, when people were anxious and wanted to check on each other, the Golden Reapers had truly been at their peak.

Like after a massive earthquake, when communication volumes exploded.

But that was definitely a temporary phenomenon.

In the corner of the courtyard, one of the Golden Reapers was carefully adjusting the decorations on its hat.

That sight seemed almost nostalgic, as if looking through an old photo album of an elderly postman.

But I didn’t want to console them.

The Golden Reapers would soon find some other fun thing to do.

Their greatest talent had always been finding joy, no matter the situation.

Far above in the sky, a few cloud meats were still flying gracefully.

And in the distance, a Golden Reaper was delivering the last piece of mail.

The setting sun bathed its back in a red glow.

As I looked up at the sky, ready to head into the Mini Reaper Garden, a suspicious figure approached through the Golden Reapers.

“Hey, do you guys want to do more postal work?”

The sweet whisper of the devil drifted through the wind.

The voice belonged to none other than Sehee.

Sehee, as if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time, was giving a business pitch among the Golden Reapers.

Her explanation was clever.

It seemed as though she could see right through the Golden Reapers’ hearts, speaking only of how many humans they could deliver to.

Sehee seemed to know exactly what the Golden Reapers wanted.

At first, the Golden Reapers, who had been fiddling with their hats with gloomy expressions, began to change. Slowly, they rose from their spots, their eyes starting to sparkle with curiosity as they listened to Sehee’s words.

I stopped walking and listened carefully to Sehee’s voice.

What Sehee was planning was a delivery service using the Golden Reapers.

Although the communication network had been restored, logistics remained a problem.

The only ones who could travel between the dangerous jungle-covered cities were the Golden Reapers, flying on cloud meats.

“She’s going to try and make a business out of this?”

Besides, the Golden Reapers didn’t need salaries, which meant enormous profits from the service.

They had already made a fortune with Golden Reaper merchandise, and now they were going after more money…

But I wondered if the value of money could really be maintained in this era of upheaval.

I wasn’t sure…

Deep in the Mini Reaper Garden, at the Marshmallow Plains.

In a corner, the Mini Reapers were gathered, watching something intently.

It was a fierce fight between the Golden Reaper and…