Under the blazing sunlight, the Shinchon Station plaza basked in golden rays.
A girl took her seat among rows of chairs arranged there.
Her short-cut hair accentuated her striking features.
The bustling crowd moving under the scorching sun seemed peaceful enough, but the girl’s heart was anything but calm.
She had come to Seodaemun District following the cryptic words of a suspicious man she met in her dreams.
The man’s mention of an impending “festival” kept replaying in her mind.
But no matter how hard she looked around, nothing out of the ordinary caught her eye.
There was no sign of the ‘Object’ she sought.
“Haaah…”
Frustration bubbled up as a sigh escaped her lips.
Suddenly, the rules the dream-man mentioned about the festival popped into her head.
“Eat or carry an Orb to participate in the festival.”
“Steal all others’ Orbs to win the festival.”
“Don’t tell anyone about the festival.”
Simple and easy-to-remember rules, but they didn’t quite make sense to her yet.
As she started to rise from her seat, her phone began to ring.
Checking it, she saw a familiar number—her contact with the detective handling the recent “cognitive loss case.”
“Hello? Detective?”
An agitated voice answered on the other end.
“Ah, good timing. I wanted to ask you something based on our latest findings. Do you have a moment?”
“Yes, I’m free.”
“Did your older sister visit Seongbuk District about three months ago? Any idea why?”
At that question, every sound around her seemed to fade away.
“Some victims also had records of visiting Seongbuk District at different times…”
“If anything comes to mind, please let me know.”
Even though she hadn’t said anything, the detective responded as if he’d heard her reply.
And when the call ended, an eerie landscape greeted her.
The sky was now crisscrossed with checkerboard patterns.
A dense fog swallowed all sunlight, making it impossible to see even a step ahead.
And just like light, the fog seemed to consume sounds too, leaving her ears heavy and muffled.
In that instant, the short-haired girl realized—it had begun.
The “Festival” had commenced.
Deep within the Mini Reaper Garden, at the Golden Reaper Conference Hall.
What was once predominantly filled with Golden Reapers now brimmed heavily with Black Reapers—an almost 5:5 ratio!
Though the total numbers still favored the Golden Reapers, since many were often out roaming, this balance had shifted significantly.
Yet, the ever-cheerful Golden Reapers appeared unconcerned by the growing presence of their black counterparts.
“New younger siblings!”
“So many siblings!”
Particularly noticeable was the large influx of new Black Reapers brought in by Mom.
“Mmm, this is yummy!”
“Who keeps biting me?”
With snacks being nibbled and playful banter exchanged, the Golden Reaper Conference kicked off amidst chaos.
The most hotly debated topic? <What snack should we eat during break time?>
This sparked a fierce voting battle between the Golden Reapers’ favorite “Gray Reaper Pudding” and the Black Reapers’ beloved “Sehee Research Institute Chocolate Cookies.”
Despite the Golden Reapers slightly outnumbering the Black ones, support from other colored Mini Reapers tipped the scales, granting victory to the Black Reapers by a mere few votes.
“Ahh!”
“The pudding lost!”
Though disappointed, the Golden Reapers didn’t seem overly bothered.
At one point, the Ghost Reaper popped up shouting “Black Pudding!” but most Mini Reapers had no clue what it meant, leaving the Ghost Reaper looking somewhat deflated as they muttered “Blood…” while slicing into a Black Pudding.
Nearby, the Green Reaper quietly munched on a Mint Chocolate Pudding.
Amidst the ongoing meeting, a sudden proposal arose: <Give voting rights to the White Hungry Ghosts!>
Though frequent troublemakers, such requests were so commonplace that the Mini Reapers barely reacted.
The wails of White Hungry Ghosts dragged away by Red Reapers went unnoticed.
As the commotion escalated, the conference leader paused proceedings for a brief recess.
Thus began the break time.
The Golden Reapers giggled (“Hehe”) in anticipation of snack time, only slightly disheartened by the choice of cookies over pudding.
After all, despite losing, the selected “Sehee Research Institute Chocolate Cookies” were still fairly popular treats.
Soon enough, tiny White Hungry Ghosts entered carrying trays of cookies stacked high.
“Cookies!”
Each Golden Reaper received a cookie nearly as big as their torso and grinned happily.
But upon taking the first bite, their smiles vanished.
“This… this is hard…”
It turned out to be the crunchy version of the cookies—something not typically favored by Golden Reapers who preferred soft, sugary treats.
While humans might’ve fed them these cookies before, eating amongst themselves was a whole different story.
Clearly, this snack catered more to the Black Reapers’ taste for textured foods.
“Waaaah…”
“Is this because we lost the vote?”
Sad faces emerged across the conference hall as the Golden Reapers fully grasped the implications of the results.
Their era of always getting what they wanted through voting was officially over.
Huh-huh…
Deep within the Mini Reaper Garden.
I was nestled atop warm marshmallows soaking up the heat from flowing hot chocolate, dozing peacefully.
Until I noticed some commotion nearby.
Opening my eyes, I found Black Reapers gathered around me, munching voraciously on stacks of snacks piled high like mountains.
These newly arrived ones seemed to have insatiable appetites.
Were they possessed by gluttonous ghosts?
Around me, other strange behaviors unfolded.
Some melted into puddles then reformed into Black Hungry Ghosts wandering about like those from the “Tower at the End.”
Others carved white marshmallows into brick shapes and carefully stacked them around me.
They must all be newcomers…
Observing closely, giant Black Hungry Ghosts delivered marshmallow bricks which the Black Reapers neatly arranged around me.
What are they building?
Curiosity piqued, I opened my eyes.
“Ahh!”
“Mom woke up!”
Startled cries erupted as the Black Reapers scrambled.
Then, rushing towards me, they emitted strong determination.
“Mom shouldn’t wake up!”
“What?”
Apparently, they were constructing something for me—a shrine!
Hmm, guess I am kinda divine…
“Hehe…”
Upon closer inspection, it did resemble a religious structure.
But unfortunately, the entrance was sized for Mini Reapers, meaning I’d be trapped inside once completed.
Would I need to ghostify myself to escape?
“What if I can’t get out?”
When I voiced this concern, the Black Reaper tilted its head, exuding resolve.
“It’s a tomb?”
“WHAT?!”
Oh no, here we go again with the blasphemy.
Reacting instantly, I kicked over the bricks, dismantling the building, and bit into the nearest Black Reaper delivering supplies.
“Yaaaah!”
“Mom’s bullying us!”
“But Mom’s house has always been a tomb!”
*
A street shrouded in white fog.
Thud. Thud.
The short-haired girl treaded cautiously through the fog where sounds grew increasingly muffled.
“There’s not a single person around.”
Though it was the same street she’d seen moments ago, sans the grid-patterned sky and enveloping fog, it felt eerily empty of people.
Stranger still were the anomalies:
Water that refused to flow.
Birds frozen mid-flight.
Clock hands stuck motionless.
As if reality itself had been sliced and displayed like a preserved exhibit, everything in the fog-covered street stood still.
Boom.
Navigating this surreal landscape, a heavy vibration resonated through the ground.
Though wary, the girl clenched her teeth and moved toward the source of the noise.
“Sister, wait just a little longer. I’ll definitely bring you back.”
For her, there was a wish to fulfill.
Emerging from the fog, two grotesque monsters clashed violently.
One was a bloodied beast with arms replaced by twin saw blades.
The other, a bipedal reptilian creature covered in green scales wielding its tail like a spear.
Terrified, the girl immediately turned and fled back into the fog.
Once safely hidden between buildings, she hugged her knees tightly.
“That guy tricked me.”
“He never mentioned the orbs would turn people into monsters.”
She instinctively understood—they were “Orb-eaters.”
And the “festival” was about becoming monsters to steal each other’s orbs.
Slumping forward, she began to cry softly.
“Sister, what should I do? What can I do?”
Somehow, she felt that consuming the orb would lead to ruin.
Yet, she couldn’t throw it away—it was her last lifeline to save her sister.
“Should I eat it?”
“I don’t want to…”
Lost in thought, another realization struck her.
I don’t hear fighting anymore.
Silence.
Then, a scraping sound pierced through.
Skreeeeak. Skreeeeak.
Lifting her pale face slowly, she spotted the silhouette of the twin-bladed monster dragging its saws through the fog toward her.
