Chapter 52

The emergency meeting of the Gray Reaper was abruptly halted by the sudden appearance of an employee.

Following the employee’s guidance, we arrived at the Isolation Room of the “Theme Park Invitation Doll.”

Inside the isolation room, the doll was pitifully crying and stitching its severed arm back together with its foot.

Outside the isolation room, it was bustling with researchers who had gathered from all directions.

I demanded an explanation from the employee who had brought us here.

“Well, could you explain what happened?”

“Yes, Director.”

Upon hearing the explanation, it wasn’t as serious an issue as one might think.

The doll that got into a spat with the Gray Reaper and had its arms torn off pretty much deserved it.

Reapers are merciless to objects; the objects should’ve been more careful.

Rather, the strange part is that the Reaper disappeared.

“Really vanished, huh?”

“Yes, after staring at the stolen invitation, the Gray Reaper disappeared.”

It couldn’t be confirmed via CCTV.

There was a possibility that the invitation contents were captured, so everything was discarded.

Even just glancing at the invitation through the CCTV could have led to disappearance.

“Sure is brutal, huh? Don’t you think?”

I said this while smirking and looking at Seoah.

“So, what’s our next move? Director.”

Kim Jungrwi asked in a heavy voice.

“First, circulate a warning to the researchers: ‘Just seeing an invitation can lead to abduction.’ And completely restrict access to the isolation room. Also, halt CCTV recording.”

Since the object also abducts people, we need broader measures.

“And the Gray Reaper will be fine. It’s actually surprising that they got sucked in by looking at the invitation. Usually, abducted objects are spit out eventually, so let’s just wait.”

Until now, Reapers were almost immune to such abductions.

It made more sense that the Reaper intentionally allowed it to happen out of boredom.

Or perhaps the “Theme Park Invitation Doll” is on the level of a Hungry Ghost-class object… but looking at it crying with its arm torn off, it didn’t seem like it.

“In reality, there won’t be any problems even if the Gray Reaper gets sucked into such an invitation. Still, considering unforeseen variables, let’s expedite the experiments we planned.”

Employees immediately began bustling around to bring forward the “Theme Park Invitation Doll” entry test.

***

A Reaper has gone missing!

Ever since I heard the news, I kept leaving my seat intermittently to search for the Reaper.

“Yerin, are you going out again?”

“Yes, I’ll just go out for a bit to get some fresh air and come right back~.”

Even though I knew the Reaper wouldn’t just vanish, I still felt uneasy.

But no matter how thoroughly I searched every corner of the research institute, there wasn’t even a trace of the Reaper.

I checked everywhere the Reaper might have gone, but they weren’t there.

I squatted in front of the Reaper’s bed in the isolation room, hugging my knees.

Because I had been wandering around all day, sleepiness hit me hard.

While dozing off, I thought:

Reaper, please come back soon.

***

I found myself smack in the middle of an incredibly long dream.

A full 30-year-long dream.

I watched it all from afar, as if I had become a ghost.

In the dream, I opened my eyes in a daze.

An old but well-maintained Reaper’s room.

It looked exactly like the familiar isolation room in the dream.

In the dream, I dragged my tired body out of bed and started dusting and cleaning.

Just in case the Reaper came back, I wanted everything to be perfect.

I wiped the TV, cleaned the dusty old game console, table, and bed.

For 30 whole years, this had been my routine.

It had been 30 years since the Reaper disappeared.

In the dream, I occasionally gazed at the table with a warm smile.

As if watching Golden Reapers playing and frolicking.

At those moments, it seemed like I could see that scene right before my eyes.

Cough cough.

In the dream, my health was deteriorating rapidly.

I used to prepare for picnics thinking I’d play with the Reaper, but now I no longer did that.

I instinctively realized I was no longer physically capable of playing with the Reaper.

In the dream, I muttered to myself in a small voice.

“Reaper, come back soon.”

“The Reaper is invincible.”

“They’ll definitely return someday.”

With these words, I closed my eyes tightly in the dream.

And thus, the me in the dream passed away peacefully with a contented smile.

As if the Reaper was right there in front of me.

When I closed my eyes, I could hear faint footsteps.

Clap clap.

The Reaper’s small footsteps.

“You’ve finally come.”

That’s what the me in the dream said.

And so, the me in the dream passed away.

***

“Reaper!”

When I opened my eyes, I was in the Reaper’s isolation room.

It hadn’t been more than 10 minutes.

My entire body was soaked in sweat.

Did I just doze off for a moment?

What a long and significant dream I had.

It felt like I had truly lived through 30 years without the Reaper.

Seoul without the Reaper was truly terrible.

In the dream, Senior Kim Jungrwi was the first to die.

It was because of the objects that emerged from sinkholes.

And Sister Park Seoah also passed away.

It was during the period when the government declared Seoul abandoned due to uncontrollable objects appearing.

On the day Sister Park Seoah died, something changed with Sister Lee Sehee too.

She became someone entirely different, obsessed with something, and moved the institute to the safer New Seoul area.

Although Seoul was officially dismantled, I stayed in the building that used to house Sehee Research Institute.

Because I believed the Reaper would return.

No place in Korea was safe anymore.

In a world without the Reaper, I lived only waiting for their return.

How could the world end just because the Reaper was gone?

Or did the world end because the Reaper disappeared?

Thankfully, it was just a dream.

***

I woke up in a lavishly decorated guest room.

The plush bed softly cradled my back, and the gentle lighting created a cozy atmosphere.

As I got out of bed, a mannequin dressed like a hotel staff member greeted me.

“Welcome! Welcome to Smile Theme Park!”

Its round face with sewn-up eyes and mouth.

Neatly tailored suit.

And a tall cylindrical hat completed the look.

“Alright, before enjoying the theme park, please take this first.”

The mannequin handed me a piece of paper.

A paper with nine circular faces stamped on it.

“At Smile Theme Park, we’re hosting a stamp event! After enjoying all 9 rides scattered throughout the park, collect stamps to complete the simple event!”

Nine?

Not ten?

The destruction condition I saw was: [Collect 10 Theme Park Stamps.] But anyway…

Maybe I’ll figure out why there’s a difference as I explore.

“Of course, there’s a reward for the event! With 9 stamps collected, you can ride the free shuttle bus home! So, please collect your stamps enthusiastically.”

The mannequin clapped dramatically.

“There’s no need to rush around to enjoy the rides. The Smile Theme Park operates 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, so take your time!”

Pointing around the guest room, the mannequin continued.

“You can also relax and enjoy yourself comfortably in your guest room. Refer to the provided manual for more details. If you need anything, just ring the bell!”

With exaggerated movements, the mannequin bowed deeply and backed out of the room.

So far, this object seems quite interesting.

If only there were humans around like in a regular theme park…

***

It’s been a day since the Gray Reaper went to the theme park.

An urgent request from Sehee Research Institute brought a bus into the facility.

Surrounded by iron bars, the bus was sealed so tightly it looked menacing.

This special bus transported death row inmates sentenced for heinous crimes.

The death row prisoners destined for the “Theme Park Invitation Doll” experiment had arrived.

While many death row inmates were simply used as sacrifices, these were slightly different.

Death row inmates trained to tackle trap-type objects.

They were used for experiments where solving puzzles or escaping traps was required.

By dangling the promise of release if they escaped the object, they were trained and motivated to escape.

However, despite the rigorous training, the success rate for these death row inmates to gain freedom was barely 1%.

Still, it was better than the 100% mortality rate of regular death row inmates consumed by cannibalistic objects.

The death row inmates disembarked at the Sehee Research Institute grounds.

Their arms were bound behind them with multiple pairs of handcuffs, and their ankles were also shackled, preventing them from running properly.

While most death row inmates wore dark expressions, the woman at the forefront exuded confidence.

A towering woman covered in tattoos, standing at nearly 190 cm, she looked down at the police officers and asked,

“So, where do we go now?”

She grinned ferociously as she spoke.

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