Chapter 293

Everything had come to an end, and Seoul was now shrouded in an eerie silence.

When the sky obscured by the Color Universe revealed itself again, the Cloud Fish flying about gleamed brightly under the sunlight.

The light rising from the horizon began with the Cloud Fish and moved down past the high-rise buildings.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, its light started to fully permeate Seoul.

The warm sunlight illuminated the outer walls of buildings hidden in darkness, revealing the horrors that unfolded in Seoul last night.

It looked as if a powerful earthquake had swept through—collapsed buildings and damaged roads everywhere.

Bathed in sunlight, the streets showed no signs of people anywhere, giving off an atmosphere as though time had stopped.

In the quiet ruins, the remains of the massive Purple External Being were glowing white, lighting up the areas untouched by the sun.

The Gray Reaper, who had been standing before the External Being just moments ago, disappeared into thin air like melting into the air once it sensed the situation was over.

“Ah!”

“Mom, she’s gone!”

The Mini Reapers who wanted to celebrate their victory with their mom felt a bit disappointed as they made slightly sad expressions upon realizing she had vanished.

The Mini Reapers gathered near the corpse of the External Being then dispersed in all directions, beginning to breathe life back into Seoul.

Just like how the pumping of the heart carries blood to every corner of the body, the Mini Reapers spread throughout Seoul.

The silent streets echoed with the sound of “thud-thud.”

Thud-thud.

The Mini Reapers walked around thud-thud on the deserted streets where everyone was too scared to come out, informing them that the Harmful Object was gone.

“It’s safe now!”

The Mini Reapers entered rooms where people were hiding, beaming with joy and conveying reassurance.

Even though humans couldn’t hear their words, their actions and bright smiles were enough for people to understand the situation.

The Mini Reapers could sense human emotions and find those hiding.

Even isolated places like underground parking lots without any exits were no exception.

An underground parking lot whose entrance wasn’t just blocked by debris—it was completely collapsed.

“cold…”

Miraculously, someone survived in the gap created by the massive concrete wreckage.

In the pitch-black darkness without a single ray of light.

A building in the outskirts of Seoul where hardly anyone ever came.

And worse still, this person’s legs were crushed under the rubble, slowly inching toward death—a truly desperate situation.

Suddenly, the Head of the Golden Reaper popped up with a “poof” right before this person’s eyes.

The gentle light emitted by the Golden Reaper didn’t hurt the eyes of the person trapped in darkness.

The sun-like fragrance and cheerful smile of the Golden Reaper erased even despair.

The Golden Reaper clenched both fists as if saying, “Just hang on a little longer!”

No voice could be heard, but somehow the person felt consoled by the Golden Reaper.

Whether someone was hiding in a high-rise building or trapped in an underground parking lot, the Mini Reapers stuck their heads in and gave humans peace of mind.

***

In the middle of Seoul, there was a luxury housing area.

While Mini Reapers were busy rescuing humans in other regions, Oh Muryong’s mansion was cloaked in an unsettling silence.

Since the residents here had evacuated early, there were hardly any Mini Reapers visible, making the area unusually quiet.

Moreover, due to being utterly smashed by a giant rock, the place felt eerily desolate like a wasteland.

Amidst this lonely ruin, a Blonde Girl slowly advanced.

With almost no buildings left standing and no roads, the Blonde Girl confidently moved toward her destination without hesitation.

Between a sturdy wall and shattered rocks that formed a cave-like crevice…

This was the Blonde Girl’s destination.

Though a strong smell of petroleum and sticky blood wafted from the crevice, the girl stepped inside without hesitation.

As she walked further into the shallow fissure, muttering filled with toxins began to reach her ears.

“Aah, Aaaah. My granddaughter.”

“This can’t be happening. This simply cannot happen.”

There in the darkness was Oh Muryong, his hands on a sphere that had already melted away, having lost all power.

“This isn’t over! Never!”

Oh Muryong’s eyes glowed with crimson madness.

As the Blonde Girl approached slowly, Oh Muryong lifted his head.

After staring at her for a long while as if trying to recall forgotten memories, he finally spoke.

“Aah, my granddaughter has come. I’m quite injured, but could you help me up?”

Upon hearing this, the Blonde Girl, with a blank expression, took slow steps toward him, causing Oh Muryong to grin with exhilaration.

His face openly expressed excitement as if shouting, “Just a little more, just a little more!”

Right before Oh Muryong’s hand could reach her, the Blonde Girl stopped and stared down at him.

“Grandfather!”

Her expression was rigid, yet her voice sounded adorable and affectionate, reminiscent of her younger self.

But her hardened expression was obscured by the backlight from the cave, unseen by Oh Muryong.

“Why? Why are you doing this?”

His distorted face and hurried speech betrayed his impatience.

Unlike the Blonde Girl, Oh Muryong couldn’t hide his anxious feelings.

“How many times have I been reincarnated?”

Her tone was icy cold, a stark contrast to the affectionate voice she used moments ago.

Hearing this, Oh Muryong clicked his tongue and twisted his face as he said,

“I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. Can you not forgive me?”

Upon hearing this, the Blonde Girl let out a laugh that seemed like crying.

Then, the Blonde Girl walked steadily toward Oh Muryong and grabbed his face.

“Do you even know which number I am?”

But Oh Muryong had no intention of answering the Blonde Girl’s question.

“I’ve caught you!”

Like a drug addict discovering drugs, Oh Muryong held onto the Blonde Girl with grotesquely twisted arms.

“Don’t you remember my name?”

“…”

“You’ve never called us by our names, not even once.”

As these sorrowful words flowed from her lips, fiery red flames erupted from the Blonde Girl’s entire body.

As Oh Muryong burned in the purifying flames, he screamed in agony.

“Stop! Stop!”

“Name. Name. Name?”

In the purifying flames, Oh Muryong gradually turned to ash, unable to recall his granddaughter’s name until the very end.

Just in the final moment,

when the red voice faded with death,

he realized only one thing:

All the clones were nothing less than perfectly kind granddaughters.

He himself had merely been unsatisfied.

[Grandfather!]

Recalling the cheerful smile of the first clone, Oh Muryong passed away amidst regret.

***

Always peaceful Isolation Room of Sehee Research Institute.

I was nestled in Yerin’s arms, munching on snacks while watching TV.

Om.

Even though the situation in Seoul had deteriorated so much that TV and radio broadcasts were disrupted, recovery operations progressed surprisingly quickly.

Despite a significant number of destroyed buildings and casualties, we thought it would take a year to restore everything.

However, channels with proper TV news were increasing steadily.

Public institutions like the Object Association seemed to regain functionality as well, with intriguing stories airing on TV.

[Following the ‘Association Doll Rampage Incident’ in Seoul, reconstruction efforts continue.]

[Due to this incident, the South Korean government decided to dissolve the ‘Korean Object Association’.]

[A new organization, the ‘Object Safety Management Council,’ has been established for object safety management.]

[Given that this incident was caused by ‘Dolls’ developed directly by the Association, the Object Safety Management Council will function entirely differently from the previous Association.]

[Instead of operating research facilities, the Council is expected to focus on object safety management and regulation.]

[Chairperson Hwang Geumcheol stated, “We won’t repeat the mistakes of the bloated old Association and will prioritize safety management.”]

[Meanwhile, discussions about relocating the capital following the Association’s dissolution have been put on hold due to practical issues.]

On TV, a middle-aged man holding a grand golden staff passionately delivered a speech.

Wow, the Object Association is finally gone.

Will the newly established Safety Management Council turn out to be a decent organization?

Well, no matter how bad it gets, it should be better than the Association.

At that moment, Yerin, who had been feeding me snacks one by one, shoved her phone screen in front of my face.

“Reaper, look at this.”

Attached to the internet article Yerin showed me was a picture of a chaotic building.

[Object Association Secret Research Facility Collapses, Large-Scale Damage Feared]

[A secret research facility of the Object Association was confirmed to have completely collapsed due to the Association Doll incident.]

[As a result of this accident, the whereabouts of numerous dangerous objects kept in quarantine within the facility remain unknown, raising concerns about secondary damage.]

[Furthermore, evidence suggests that the notorious criminal ‘Maker’ escaped during this incident.]

[In response, the Object Safety Management Council announced, “We are currently tracking Maker’s whereabouts in cooperation with the police and will do our utmost to ensure the safety of citizens.” ]

Maker, huh.

That name feels familiar, yet distant.