---

A hidden room deep in the basement of the laboratory.

In that sealed narrow space, a man was panting heavily.

Hah. Hah.

For reasons unknown, the extremely tense man was drenched in cold sweat.

In fact, the man’s condition looked a bit strange.

Inside the hidden room, there was only a desk with a notebook and a pen sitting unattended.

“If I just write my name in this notebook… you’ll let me go, right?”

The man asked with a trembling voice, but there was no response.

Slowly, he approached the desk and opened the notebook.

Inside, there was a photo of a famous object.

It was a picture of a ‘Cute Puppy.’

Beneath the photo was an empty line that read [Object Name: __________] on an ordinary notebook.

Huff huff.

Breathing heavily, the man gripped the pen and began to fill in the blank with his trembling hand.

He wrote [Object Name: Puppy__] and then tossed the pen aside, screaming.

“I can’t do it!”

Immediately, a loud beeping sound echoed from the hidden room, and a countdown began.

The man tore at his hair, plagued by indecision.

He picked up the pen, then put it down.

He sat down, then stood up.

His behavior resembled someone in extreme fear.

As the countdown ticked down, the man squeezed his eyes shut and finally filled in the blank.

[Object Name: Puppy47]

Hoo…

As time passed and nothing happened, the man opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh.

“Ha, hahaha. I’m alive. I made it!”

The man laughed heartily, genuinely overjoyed.

“I’m alive!”

He got up from his seat, stretching his arms towards the sky, looking truly happy, but that happiness didn’t last long.

“Ah! Wh-what is that?”

A bizarre monster was staring at him through the window.

Thud.

As the monster swung its arm, the metal wall crumpled and caved in.

The transparent window turned white, and the LED lights flickered mournfully from the shock.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The monster’s punches became faster, and its size grew larger.

The man hid under his desk, cradling his head.

And he muttered over and over like a mantra, “I will survive.”

When the sound of metal tearing echoed from the outer wall, the monster’s fists paused.

As the man, with his eyes closed, slowly opened them, the monster had vanished.

“Haah.”

With the thought of being alive, the man exhaled deeply.

But when he blinked, the monster was right in front of him.

So close they could hear each other’s breaths.

Startled, the man stepped back and screamed.

“Ahhh!”

The monster’s sharp claws first sliced through his loud vocal cords.

It severed his hands that had written the name.

It chopped off the legs he was sitting on.

And it crushed the head that had thought of the name with both hands.

As if taking out its anger, the monster mercilessly tore the man’s body apart.

With the LED lights broken, only blood spread throughout the dark hidden room.

Wet with blood, the notebook bore rough claw marks.

The part where the object name was supposed to be was shredded beyond recognition.

*

The director grimaced as he looked at the blood-soaked hidden room.

The specially designed metal and glass room had failed to contain the object.

“Another failure. Is it really this hard to gain the freedom to name an object?”

There was one object that must be on the first page of any proper object report issued by the government.

The world’s most influential object.

And an object most people have no memory of.

The director opened the report issued by the South Korean government.

[This report is an official publication of the Object Management Association.]

[Do not scribble or write in this report under any circumstances.]

[Do not change the name of the object in this report.]

[Do not erase or add any text in this report.]

[This report was written by 'qualified individuals.']

[Object Name: Nameless]

[Object Risk Level: Special Grade]

[Management Feasibility - Difficulty Level (High)]

[Management Method - This report must be shown to all humans who can read. Even those who cannot read must be made to learn this content.]

[Rule* - Do not assign a unique name to the object. Do not attach numbers to the object name. Only use 'verified expressions' when naming the object.]

<'Verified expressions' can be confirmed in a separately attached document.>

[Caution 1 - If you violate Rule*, you will be attacked by 'Nameless' no matter where you are on Earth. So far, there has been no way to survive that attack. Documents and videos are also targets of the attack.]

[Caution 2 - You cannot give any name to this object. It must always be referred to as 'Nameless' or something similar like 'noname.']

[Removal Feasibility - Unable to be removed.]

[All forms of physical attacks are ineffective. No object has been reported that can eliminate 'Nameless.']

[Containment Feasibility - Unable to be contained.]

[It can appear anywhere on Earth. There have been instances observed of multiple 'Nameless' appearing during simultaneous appearance experiments. It has been seen appearing in physically inaccessible places as well.]

[Banishment Feasibility - Unable to be banished.]

[Violation of Rule* has resulted in confirmed appearances from observable locations. It does not discriminate between air, ground, or underwater.]

[Additional Info 1 - If you close this report, you will forget about this object. This is its characteristic, so do not find it strange. However, fragments of the memory of reading this report will remain, making you hesitant to name the object.]

[Additional Info 2 - If you do not forget, please contact the management association. You are a 'qualified individual' who does not forget. Your ability is essential to this world.]

“It’s really unclear how to deal with this object.”

The director closed the report again.

“Still, it’s encouraging that the gold-horned steel plate is able to hold off ‘Nameless’ even for a moment. If we make it stronger, there might be a chance.”

The director started delegating tasks to the researchers to plan for the next experiment.

The director’s idea was simple. He thought that if a unique name were given in a place that ‘Nameless’ could not touch, ‘Nameless’ would be destroyed.

It was an objective that had never been achieved so far.

*

Amidst the bustling activity at the institute, Yerin was trailing closely behind me.

“What do you think, Unnie Sehee?”

In Yerin’s hands was a set of pajamas modeled after a deer.

I was already having a headache, and Yerin’s antics showed no signs of stopping.

“Okay, fine. Let’s put that in the props. I’ll let Kim Jungrwi know.”

“Wow! Thank you so much, Unnie!”

Yerin beamed and hurried back to her seat.

I couldn’t help but think how nice it would be to live as carefree as her.

Rubbing my throbbing temples, I let out a deep sigh.

Lately, the institute had been incredibly busy.

There was just one reason.

It was due to an order from the government.

<1st Object Expo to Be Held>

It was hard to believe it was an official document—an utterly hastily put together letter fluttered down from above.

Summarizing the content was simple.

[Recently, serious incidents related to objects have been frequently occurring in Korea.]

[Songpa District sinkhole, Daejeon human meat restaurant, Seoul Forest outbreaks, Central Research Institute disbanding, etc.]

[To reassure the frightened citizens, we decided to hold an event.]

[Bring dangerous objects that are currently contained in each research institute.]

[We will widely announce that they are being safely managed in the form of an expo.]

“Are they completely insane?”

It was a letter that made me want to curse.

It was clear that the government wanted to repeat the Central Research Institute incident again.

What would happen if they gathered dangerous objects in one place for a large-scale event?

The objects might escape one after another, creating a hellish scene.

Moreover, the politicians who planned this insane scheme issued even more unreasonable orders.

[The Sehee Research Institute must bring the special-grade dangerous object 'Gray Reaper.']

Ugh, this is madness.

They’ve lost their minds.

Displaying objects that are perfectly contained at an event alongside the Gray Reaper?

It was obvious that the Reaper, who couldn’t sit still in new places, would be wandering around causing trouble.

It would definitely stroll around the expo like a tourist.

If it were up to me, I would want to keep the Reaper in the institute and only take the ‘Cute Puppy’ or ‘Blue Lizard’ to the expo.

But that wouldn’t work.

It’s hard to ignore what the government says, and it’s clear the Reaper would sneakily follow along.

As I pondered countless thoughts, my steps led me deep into the Sehee Research Institute.

The deepest isolation room of the institute.

Unlike the bustling atmosphere of the laboratory, it always exuded a relaxed vibe.

Inside, the Gray Reaper was lying on the bed, munching on snacks while watching TV.

Given how it couldn’t sit still, I had a strange feeling about the future.

How on earth is this thing a Gray Reaper?

It’s just a gray cat.