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I hurriedly got up from my seat and rescued the Golden Reaper from the hot chocolate ocean, surprised by its unexpected reaction.

The Golden Reaper, with the orb cradled in its embrace, curled up on my palm with its eyes tightly shut.

It had fallen asleep long ago, and a tear rolled down its face, as if it were having a sad dream.

I simply wanted to see the Golden Reapers joyfully tossing the letter back and forth!

To think it would take this letter so literally…

I placed the Golden Reaper on my palm and pondered deeply.

How should I resolve this situation?

This is even more troublesome than fighting the Hungry Ghost.

Solution No. 1.

[Feigning to lift the curse while removing the orb.]

Pros: The Golden Reaper would be happy. A world where no one is hurt is achieved.

Cons: If found out, a bigger problem could arise. I can’t gauge how angry the Golden Reaper would be.

This was the solution proposed by the neutral Reaper inside me.

It was a route that would lead to a happy ending for everyone.

But no matter how I thought about it, Solution No. 1 seemed difficult.

If it was easy to deceive the emotionally sensitive Golden Reaper, I could have continuously thrown the black liquid as a “mistake.”

Solution No. 2.

[Apologizing properly and charging straight ahead.]

This was the solution proposed by the good Reaper in my heart.

The straightforward approach is always correct.

If wrong, one must apologize.

It seems better to apologize after all.

There was also Solution No. 3 proposed by the wicked Reaper inside me, but I discarded it.

It was a high-risk, low-reward plan that wouldn’t bring happiness to anyone and could spell disaster if caught.

Having made up my mind to take Solution No. 2, I tried to take the orb from the Golden Reaper’s embrace with my fingers.

However, as I pulled, it clutched the orb so tightly that it had no intention of letting go.

Eventually, the waking Golden Reaper saw me and trembled even more as it clung to the orb.

I gave up on taking the orb and gently patted the Golden Reaper’s head, conveying my intentions.

‘Actually, I made that. I’m sorry.’

As soon as those words were conveyed, the Golden Reaper’s eyes widened, and it looked up at me.

Then it got rid of the orb in its arms and created a new one, only to start shedding tears again.

I hugged the Golden Reaper tightly and slowly patted its head.

‘Yeah, it was just a joke. Attached Human isn’t going to die. Don’t cry.’

‘Sorry.’

‘I won’t do it again.’

I kept patting it slowly until the Golden Reaper stopped crying.

*

In the late afternoon, sunlight streamed through the office window, casting long shadows over the pile of documents on my desk.

Having worked in a rigid posture for too long, fatigue weighed heavily on my shoulders.

Senior Jungloe was busy, and Unnie Seoah was busy too, leaving all the simple paperwork to me.

“Ugh.”

Stretching my arms above my head to relieve my stiff shoulders, a pleasant stretching sensation coursed through my muscles.

There was so much to prepare for the sudden trip to the Sehee Research Institute in America that James had unexpectedly suggested.

Besides preparing documents to submit to the Korean Object Association for the export of the super object, there were also papers to be submitted to the American Object Association, and so on.

There were heaps of forms and applications needed for the trip to America.

However, the paperwork that had been tormenting me just a moment ago was finally all submitted.

“Finally done!”

Leaning back in my chair, I let out a satisfied sigh, liberated from the endless cycle of work.

The Korean Object Association was so demanding of documentation that it felt like more and more needed to be done no matter how much I completed.

Of course, once responses came in for the submitted paperwork, there would be a bunch of new tasks waiting for me again, but those could be tackled by tomorrow’s me, not today’s.

Finally, the moment of rest had arrived.

My mind, which had been spiraling due to constant work, began to race at the thought of going to see the Reaper.

I got up from my seat, turned off the lights in the empty office, and stepped outside.

As I thought about meeting the Reaper, a smile unconsciously spread across my face.

When I visit the isolation room to see the Reaper, I’ll hug it as tightly as I can and roll around on the bed!

As I arrived at the Reaper’s isolation room, a shocking scene unfolded before me.

The Reaper.

The Reaper was wearing clothes!

The Reaper, donned with a large witch hat made of water and a water-made scarf, was sitting on the bed, quietly watching TV.

And in its lap sat a Golden Reaper wearing the same hat and scarf, grinning and watching TV together.

Around them were other Golden Reapers in witch hats, laughing and frolicking about.

Since they were dressed alike, they looked extraordinarily joyful.

The Reaper is dressed up.

Is this a dream?

Is the paperwork actually still not finished, and am I just too exhausted to wake up?

Suddenly struck by this horrible thought, I pinched my cheek, but only a tingling pain remained.

It’s not a dream.

I pulled out my phone from my pocket and started snapping pictures of this rare scene.

Photos of the clothed Reaper cherishing the Golden Reaper dressed in the same outfit?

If someone ever sells this to me, I’d be willing to hand over my house documents; it’s that rare.

Tap, tap.

When the Golden Reaper clapped its palms, the Reaper gently patted the Golden Reaper with its fingers.

The Reaper’s touch, cautious and tender, made the Golden Reaper beam widely.

It seemed as if the Reaper had opened its heart to maternal feelings.

If I were to give a title to this photo, wouldn’t it be something like?

[A Heartwarming Family Photo of the Kind Reaper and the Golden Reaper.]

*

The day to depart for America had arrived.

As I stepped out of the research institute’s vehicle, the stillness of early morning and the cold dawn air welcomed me.

Before the sun fully woke up, an ephemeral calm filled the air.

A soft, blue light began to seep over the horizon, casting a blue glow on everything it touched.

As the blue sunlight warmed my skin, I felt inexplicably comforted.

It was even more so because I had been living under the pressure of the Golden Reaper wanting to dress up and play!

Even though I said I would grant any request, wanting to play in matching outfits was such a simple wish!

If it has a personality similar to mine, I would have demanded a Mk.2 curse letter for the sake of fairness…

As I followed Yerin, the airport gradually loomed into view with an unfamiliar atmosphere.

The usually bustling airport filled with travelers was eerily quiet, the tranquil ambiance feeling oddly misplaced.

Could it be that because I’m flying to America, they emptied the whole airport?

Splash, splash.

As I entered the airport with quiet little footsteps, I could confirm my expectations.

An empty airport and a heavy silence.

The sound of Yerin’s shoes echoing in the vacant hall and my bare feet.

But if they were going to go to the trouble of emptying the place, wouldn’t it have been better to use a military airport?

I’m no expert, so I figured there must be a good reason and let it slide.

Still, using a civilian airport like this felt like a secret operation and brought a sense of amusement.

Hehe.

Then in the middle of the airport hall, I spotted James and his party waiting for us.

Finally, it’s time to head to America!

*

Located in the eastern part of America was a large, newly developed city.

James City.

As the name suggests, it was a colossal city built and invested in by James.

Preparations were underway at the airport on the outskirts of the city to welcome the Sehee Research Institute crew arriving from Korea.

Still early in the morning, while overseeing the preparations at James Airport, I noticed something strange.

“What on earth is that?”

A cylindrical pillar riddled with countless holes had emerged beyond the towering buildings.

It was a structure that hadn’t been visible just the day before.

How could such a massive structure appear overnight?

“Boss, there’s nothing there.”

Moreover, my subordinates behaved as if they couldn’t see that pillar.

It felt like either I was going crazy, or my subordinates were.

It seemed clear that it must be my subordinates going mental, as it couldn’t have been me.

Shaking off the objections from my subordinates, I slowly walked toward the pillar.

“Identifying phenomenon likely caused by Object Mental Pollution. Requesting a response team!”

I could hear calls for the response team from afar.

Haha, they’re calling the response team without even realizing they’re contaminated.

By the way, how should one react in such a situation?

Right, I need to pull out my recorder.

“There’s a strange structure visible. White. It appears as a large pillar with numerous holes.”

“Since it seems no one else perceives it besides me, everyone appears to be mentally polluted by the Object.”

“I’m moving in to identify the nature of the pillar.”

Of course, approaching an Object recklessly is a dangerous act, but given the emergency, there’s no choice.

After passing through countless security facilities, I arrived at the location of the Object.

Just then, the massive pillar had completely vanished, replaced by a large barrier and a gate.

The reason for the existence of James City.

A massive wall surrounding an area that had been turned into an object and could no longer be undone.

A space where access is not permitted without administrator-level authority.

As I stood before the barrier, I received some sort of revelation.

‘Open the gate.’

At that moment, the things I had repetitively been trained on to obtain admin privileges came to mind.

‘If you’re in sound mind and feel the need to open the gate, please press the red button.’

I pressed the red button firmly and immediately lost consciousness.