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On the rooftop of a rather tall building in Mapo District.

I was lying on the rooftop railing, basking in the bright morning sun, watching the many people gathering below.

Even though I was lying in the sunniest spot, it was a bit chilly, so I summoned a warm Red Reaper and snuggled it in my arms.

The Red Reaper really is the warmest.

It wriggled a bit uncomfortably under my arm but ultimately gave up and lay down on my stomach, enjoying the sunshine with me.

It’s been three days since I set the Golden Reapers loose in Mapo District, and gradually, people from broadcasting stations started to notice the unusual happenings and send a lot of reporters our way.

Right now, it looked like a pretty sizable broadcasting company had sent a reporter and was preparing to air something right beneath this building.

There were a bunch of people, including a Researcher in a Large Helmet and a female reporter with camera equipment.

Somehow, it seemed interesting…

I lifted the Red Reaper up and brought it close to my face, poking its cheek to convey my intention.

‘Shall we go down and take a look? Sneaking a peek would be fun.’

The Red Reaper nodded vigorously, looking thrilled as if it found the idea very enjoyable.

After jumping off the rooftop, I hid behind some bushes in a park where the broadcasting staff could see us well and began watching.

‘Let’s play peekaboo with Mom!’

The Red Reaper seemed to enjoy simply hiding with me, climbing onto my shoulder and continuously conveying its excitement.

“How about we change the interview location now? Mapo District is really dangerous right now.”

The Researcher in the large helmet, with a name tag that read “Object Association,” said, glancing around anxiously as if he were in a forest full of hidden tigers.

The Helmet Researcher was nervously looking around, tense as if he had stepped into a mountain forest where a tiger lurked.

“That’s not possible.”

The reporter shook her head and rejected the Researcher’s proposition.

She laid out various reasons.

Other broadcasting stations were entering Mapo District to cover the situation, so we couldn’t just report from outside.

It was already a pre-arranged matter, so why was there persistent refusal?

If it were truly dangerous, the Object Association would not have permitted it.

How many times had this issue collided? Despite her grim expression, the reporter calmly rebutted the Researcher’s concerns.

“No, still…”

The Researcher opened his mouth as if frustrated but soon closed it, resigning himself to waiting quietly for the interview to commence.

Just as they were settling into a suitable position to prepare for the broadcast, a Golden Reaper popped out from the reporter’s shoulder, raising its arms in a cheer.

“Uh?”

Then, one by one, Golden Reapers started jumping around near the broadcasting staff, dashing over and sticking to them.

These were the Golden Reapers faithfully executing my command to attach themselves to every human in Mapo District one-on-one.

On cheeks, pant legs, and coat pockets.

At first, everyone looked shocked at the sight of the Golden Reapers clinging to them, but soon realized they were harmless, sweet creatures, and everyone started to welcome them warmly.

“Ah, so this must be the famous object that took over Mapo District, the ‘Golden Reaper.'”

The reporter looked at the Golden Reaper on her shoulder with a face full of curiosity, as if staring at something fascinating.

With no prejudgments, it was just a gaze that viewed a cute creature.

And as she slowly reached her finger closer to the Golden Reaper, it grabbed her finger with both hands and smiled brightly.

Startled by the Golden Reaper’s sudden action, the reporter pulled her finger back, as if she had been bitten by a wild animal.

But the Golden Reaper held on tightly, refusing to let go, resulting in her finger dangling from it.

The Golden Reaper had its eyes squeezed shut, as if claiming, ‘This finger is mine!’ The reporter let out a chuckle at the sight.

“So cute. Now I understand why the association shows lukewarm reactions. It’s because they are so harmless, right?”

As if seeing something adorable, the reporter brought the Golden Reaper close to her cheek and smiled joyfully, looking back at the Researcher. The Researcher took a step back and said:

“Quickly put the Golden Reaper down on the ground and step back. Thankfully, if you clearly express your intentions, they won’t come closer, so make sure to communicate your intentions!”

It was a voice that suggested she was dealing with a horrendous alien creature.

However, the Researcher’s frantic reaction had no real effect and turned into a meaningless shout.

The reporter, cameraman, and others didn’t understand the Researcher’s reaction and merely looked at him as if he were the strange one.

“You want me to throw this nice ‘Golden Reaper’ to the ground? Just think about how sad this sweet kid would be!”

Instead, the reporter busied herself scratching the Golden Reaper’s chin and playing with it.

Seeing the reporter totally infatuated with the Golden Reaper, I thought I didn’t have to worry about any slanderous articles coming out like during the old ‘Daily Object’ days.

What a relief.

*

A strong aroma of coffee and sizzling bacon filled a family house greeted by a busy morning.

In the kitchen, as a woman hurriedly transferred food onto plates, the Golden Reapers swiftly lifted the plates from underneath and flew onto the dining table.

Having completed their mission of relocating the plates, the Golden Reapers dashed back to the kitchen, gazing up at the woman with bright, expectant eyes.

Seeing that, the woman gave a chuckle, looking at something cute, patted the Golden Reaper on the head, and offered a nicely toasted slice of bread.

The Golden Reaper’s face lit up with joy as it sat holding the slice of toast, then started nibbling at it little by little with its tiny mouth.

Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of the toast being gnawed echoed in the kitchen.

The Golden Reaper giggled as if it was having the tastiest meal.

After finishing the simple tidying up, the woman sat at the table, turned on the TV, and began her breakfast while watching the news.

The TV was broadcasting stories about the ongoing situation in Mapo District.

There seemed to be so many objects scattered everywhere that it was hard to get exact numbers, so the news kept reporting on the Golden Reapers.

The TV presenters repeated monotonously that everyone should ‘just take another look.’

‘It’s so cute…’

The woman thought as she poked the Golden Reaper’s plump cheeks like a hamster.

In reality, the situation in Mapo District was worth concern rather than neutrality, but the woman was too infatuated with the Golden Reaper to realize it.

The news featured the reporter and a Researcher from the Association, but the dynamics of the situation felt off.

It was a strange helmet-wearing Researcher claiming “Mapo District is dangerous, so you should evacuate quickly.”

The reporter was questioning why, now that there were no casualties and serial murders had stopped, it wasn’t alright.

It turned into a debate of sorts between the reporter and the Researcher.

Eventually, since the reporter didn’t get the ‘friendly statement toward the Golden Reapers’ she desired from the Researcher, she ended the coverage right then and there.

The commentary wrapped up with the assertion that while objects are dangerous, the Golden Reapers currently in Mapo District seemed safe.

From the reporter’s pocket, a golden antenna peeked out and waved around.

*

‘It’s peaceful.’

Mapo District was peaceful.

The fight with the object of the Yellow Moon only happened on the first day, and after that, nothing occurred even when the Yellow Moon rose.

The ominous light of the Full Moon had transformed to feel less foreboding.

Had the Golden Reapers driven them away?

Feeling bored, I perched on the rooftop, gazing at the TV that the Blue Reaper had fixed while passing the time.

The news was continuously broadcasting announcements from the European Object Association.

The gist of the content was this:

‘Currently, Seoul is in a very dangerous state.’

‘Friendly objects have always betrayed humans in the most lethal forms.’

‘Golden Reapers? Never trust them. The more you want to, the more you shouldn’t.’

Perhaps due to this announcement, a sense of tension started to flow into Mapo District, which had previously been filled with happiness and fluffiness.

The European Object Association, which only made careful statements, had considerable influence.

Domestic broadcasting stations, once all friendly, began to adopt a more cautious stance, and some even explicitly mentioned the dangers.

People in Mapo District began to ignore the Golden Reapers, and some Golden Reapers, feeling downcast since humans weren’t engaging with them, chose to hide.

Of course, the hidden Golden Reapers continued to protect humans in ghosting mode, watching over them stealthily.

Today marked the sixth day.

Tomorrow would be the last day.

If it ended like this, it seemed like it would be too boring for the ‘Moon.’

*

In a dimly lit room illuminated only by a brightly shining TV, a man lay wrapped in a blanket, staring blankly at it.

The chaotic one-room apartment was far from tidy.

Although Mapo District had established a one Reaper per person, the man believed the announcement from the ‘European Object Association’ and threw his Golden Reaper out the window.

The TV continued to spout the announcements from the ‘European Object Association.’

“Mapo District is dangerous. It’s truly a problem. Why doesn’t anyone know?”

The man murmured, as if trying to justify his own choice.

He anxiously sprayed disinfectant on the floor and his palms.

As if he had to erase all traces of the Golden Reaper.

Suddenly, the TV flickered off.

“What? A power outage?”

As the man reached for his phone in irritation and tried to get up, a suspicious yellow light was shining from the window.

A silhouette resembling a Golden Reaper pressed against the window, gazing inside.

The once brightly shining light of the Golden Reaper flickered ominously, and its skin seemed to be dripping like candle wax.

“W-what is that!”

When the startled man shone his phone light, the Golden Reaper’s figure vanished.

“Just as I thought, Golden Reapers are dangerous.”

The man turned on the light to illuminate the room, trying to shake off the fear.

Then he began searching for any traces of the Golden Reaper around the studio apartment.

At that moment, the yellow moonlight pouring in from the window began to flare up ominously.