---

Everything ended, and Seoul was engulfed in silence.

As the sky hidden by the Color Universe revealed itself again, Cloud Fish soaring through the air began to gleam white under the sunlight.

The light rising from the horizon passed through the Cloud Fish and began to descend gradually past the skyscrapers.

At that moment, when the sun finally peeked over the horizon, its rays started to seep completely into Seoul.

The warm sunlight illuminated the outer walls of the buildings shrouded in darkness, exposing the horrors that occurred in Seoul the night before.

Buildings lay in ruins and roads were destroyed as if swept away by a powerful earthquake.

On the streets lit by sunlight, no signs of life could be seen anywhere, creating a serene atmosphere as if time had stopped.

In that quiet ruin, the remains of a massive Purple External Being glowed white, illuminating areas where the sun couldn’t reach.

Just moments ago, the Gray Reaper standing before the External Being felt the situation had come to an end and melted away into the air, disappearing somewhere.

“Ah!”
“Mom, she ran away!”

The Mini Reapers, who wanted to celebrate victory alongside their mother, wore slightly disappointed expressions since she had vanished.

Gathering around the corpse of the External Being, the Mini Reapers began to spread out again, breathing life back into Seoul.

Like the pumping of a heart carrying blood throughout the body, the Mini Reapers scattered through every corner of Seoul.

The sound of pattering footsteps echoed down the quiet street.

Patter, patter.

The Mini Reapers walked briskly through the deserted streets, filled with fright, announcing that the harmful Objects were gone.

“It’s safe now!”

The Mini Reapers entered the rooms where humans were hiding, sending their cheerful intentions.

Though humans couldn’t hear their intentions, they could understand the situation just from the Mini Reapers’ actions and bright expressions.

The Mini Reapers felt the emotions of the humans and located those who were hidden.

It was the same even in places without paths, like isolated underground parking lots.

It wasn’t just blocked by debris; the underground parking lot had entirely collapsed.

“It’s cold….”

There was a person who miraculously survived in the gap created by the giant concrete rubble.

In endless darkness without a single beam of light.

A building on the outskirts of Seoul where hardly anyone came.

Moreover, trapped under fallen debris, that person was in a dire situation with death closing in.

In front of that person, the Head of the Golden Reaper popped up with a “poof.”

The gentle light emitted by the Golden Reaper was not blinding even to the person submerged in darkness.

The sun-like fragrance and the Golden Reaper’s bright smile made despair fade away.

The Golden Reaper clenched its fists as if encouraging just a little more effort.

“I’ll get you out soon!”

Though no sounds were heard, there was a feeling that the Golden Reaper was comforting them.

Whether hidden in high-rise buildings or underground parking lots, the Mini Reapers poked their heads out to gift reassurance to the humans.

*

An upscale housing area in the heart of Seoul.

While Mini Reapers busily moved to rescue people in other areas, a stillness hung over the vicinity of Oh Muryong’s mansion.

It seemed that the residents here had evacuated long ago since there were hardly any Mini Reapers, making it quite quiet.

Furthermore, a giant boulder had completely smashed down, giving it the feeling of a lonely ruin.

Amidst that desolate ruin, a Blonde Girl walked slowly.

There were hardly any buildings left, and no roads, but the Blonde Girl was heading towards her destination without getting lost.

A sturdy wall and shattered boulders formed a gap that looked like a cave.

That gap was the Blonde Girl’s destination.

From within that gap came a strong smell of oil and a sticky scent of blood, but the girl stepped forward without hesitation.

As she entered that shallow gap, murmurings filled with venom began to resonate.

“Ah, ahhh. Granddaughter.”

“This can’t be happening. It can’t be.”

In the darkness was Oh Muryong, already devoid of strength, touching a melted sphere.

“It will not end like this! Absolutely not!”

Oh Muryong’s eyes were filled with a red madness, glistening.

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

He stared at the Blonde Girl for a long time, as if recalling forgotten memories, before he finally spoke.

“Ah, my granddaughter has come. This old man is quite hurt, could you lend me a hand?”

Hearing that, the Blonde Girl approached Oh Muryong with an expressionless face, prompting a joyful smile from him.

He couldn’t hide his expression, looking as if he were screaming, “Just a little more, just a little more!”

Right before she could be within reach of Oh Muryong, the Blonde Girl stopped and began to look down at him.

“Grandfather!”

Her expression was stiff, but her voice was as cute and endearing as a time when she was still a granddaughter.

However, that rigid expression was obscured by the cave’s backlight, making it difficult for Oh Muryong to see.

“Why, why, why so?”

With a distorted expression and an urgent tone.

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

“What number am I?”

It was hard to believe that she had just spoken with a charming voice; her tone was now icy cold.

Upon hearing that, Oh Muryong clicked his tongue and grimaced.

“I’m sorry. This old man has made all the wrongs. Can you forgive me?”

As those words reached the Blonde Girl, she let out a laugh that sounded like a cry.

Then, she walked up to Oh Muryong, grasped his face, and said,

“You don’t know what number you are, do you?”

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

“I’ve got you!”

He held onto the Blonde Girl with his distorted arms as if he’d discovered a drug addict’s stash.

“No, do you remember your granddaughter’s name?”

“….”

“You’ve never called us by our names even once.”

As that sorrowful voice flowed from the girl’s lips, red flames erupted from her entire being.

In the purifying flames, Oh Muryong began to scream in agony.

“Stop, stop!”

“Name. Name. Name?”

In the purifying flames, Oh Muryong, gradually turning to ash, couldn’t recall his granddaughter’s name until the very end.

At that last moment.

With death causing even the Red Voice to fade away, he realized just one thing.

Every clone was undeniably the kind granddaughter.

It was merely that Oh Muryong was not satisfied.

[Grandfather!]

As he recalled the smiling face of the first clone, Oh Muryong died filled with regret.

*

Always comfortable in the Isolation Room of Sehee Research Institute.

I was curled up in Yerin’s embrace, eating snacks while watching TV.

Om nom nom.

While Seoul had fallen apart so much that TV and radio broadcasts couldn’t function properly, recovery efforts were progressing faster than expected.

There were so many shattered buildings and deceased people that I thought it would take at least a year to recover.

Moreover, channels were slowly beginning to broadcast actual TV news.

Public organizations like the Object Association seemed to have regained some functionality, with intriguing discussions flowing on the television.

[After the ‘Association Doll Rampage Incident’ in Seoul, recovery operations are still underway.]

[As a result of this incident, the South Korean government has decided to disband the ‘Korean Object Association.’]

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

[Since this incident occurred due to the ‘Dolls’ developed directly by the Association, the Object Safety Management Council is said to be completely different from the previous organization.]

[Unlike the disbanded Object Association, it appears that the council will focus on object safety management and regulation instead of operating research facilities.]

[Mr. Golden Cheol, elected as chairperson of the council, expressed, “We aim to concentrate on safety management without following the footsteps of the bloated Association.”]

[Meanwhile, discussions about relocating the capital have also surfaced alongside the disbandment of the association, but it is currently on hold due to various practical issues.]

On the TV, a middle-aged man holding a large, golden-capped staff was passionately speaking.

Wow, the Object Association is finally gone.

I wonder if the newly formed Safety Management Council will be a decent organization?

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

Just then, Yerin, who was feeding me snacks one by one, thrust her cellphone screen in front of me.

“Reaper, you should look at this.”

The internet article Yerin showed included a picture of smashed buildings.

[Collapse of Object Association Secret Research Facility, Massive Damage Expected]

[It has been confirmed that one of the Object Association's secret research facilities has completely collapsed due to the Association Doll Incident.]

[As a result of this incident, the whereabouts of multiple hazardous Objects that were being contained within are now unknown, raising concerns about potential secondary damage.]

[Meanwhile, indications have surfaced that the infamous criminal 'Maker' has managed to escape due to this incident.]

[In response, the Object Safety Management Council stated, "We are tracking the whereabouts of Maker in cooperation with the police and will do our best to ensure the safety of citizens."]

Maker.

That name feels oddly familiar.