Under the melancholy gray sky, the makeshift container houses of the relief camp were clustered together as a gentle drizzle fell over them.
The rain softly embraced the people who had fled the desert, comforting them like a lullaby.
The Gangseo District relief camp was gradually soaking in the rain that had been falling for days.
Though the rain fell so softly it barely made a sound, its persistence had begun to quietly swallow everything in the camp.
The streetlights, dimmed by clouds, illuminated the rain-soaked roads, giving them a mysterious and sparkling glow.
Into this relief camp walked a tattooed woman and a small girl.
The tall woman, wearing an ill-fitting children’s raincoat, was collecting raindrops in her palms and observing them as if entranced.
She continued doing this endlessly…
“Big sister?”
Startled by her younger sister’s voice, the woman dropped the collected rainwater from her palm.
Then she pulled out a leaf, chewed it noisily, and shoved another into her sister’s mouth.
“This is super bitter!”
The younger sister furrowed her brows with a pout, clearly not enjoying the taste.
“But if you don’t want to be enchanted, keep chewing. Don’t swallow.”
“So…did you figure anything out?”
“Yes, just as I expected. There’s a reason why these events keep happening only in Seoul, but I still don’t know what it is.”
The tall woman raised her head to look at the misty rain reflecting soft light, creating a stunning landscape.
The asphalt shimmered like gemstones sprinkled on its surface, reflecting the streetlights—a sight that was certainly not ordinary.
The weather forecast had predicted the rain would stop soon, but something told her this rain would never end—not until Yangcheon District was completely submerged.
Raindrops chased by children.
The fresh scent of rain-soaked air.
Laughter echoing through the damp atmosphere.
People chatting under waterproof roofs.
The camp still retained an atmosphere of calm.
Such a gentle drizzle couldn’t disturb their peace easily.
Plop plop.
With every step, puddles formed on the asphalt.
About 10mm deep.
Even such a light drizzle was causing water to pool here.
In a place with good drainage, this shouldn’t happen.
“Big sister, what will happen to Yangcheon District?”
“Probably in about a week, the water level will rise enough to become noticeable. That’s when it begins.”
“And then?”
“Afterward, the rain will continue. And the ground will sink.”
“What about the people living here? Can’t we stop it?”
“As humans, there’s nothing we can do. It can’t be stopped. Let’s head back slowly.”
The little girl nodded, gripping her sister’s hand tightly.
And so, the tall woman and the small girl left the camp, which was gradually being swallowed by the rain.
Hm.
While watching the reaper eat pudding, memories of our chaotic adventures to retrieve pudding resurfaced, bringing a wave of nostalgia.
Traversing the nation in search of pudding, even infiltrating the pudding factory to deal with those pesky objects!
It feels like ages since the Pudding Recovery Operation two weeks ago.
Fortunately, most of the floating puddings dispersed across the sky have been successfully recovered.
Initially, we worried: What if they collided with airplanes?
Or what if the droplets burst mid-air and rained down on unsuspecting heads?
But everything concluded without major incidents—thank goodness.
Our institute has now built a special facility exclusively for the reaper.
A mini kitchen for pudding production!
We installed it inside the isolation room after relocating equipment from the pudding factory.
Now, the reaper can comfortably sit in the isolation room, picking up floating puddings at leisure.
Little chefs in aprons began emerging from the mini kitchen.
They neatly removed their aprons and handed them over to other golden reapers—it was quitting time.
Reward for kitchen labor: pudding!
Golden reapers eager for pudding lined up in droves; the kitchen lights never went out.
It seemed they’d established their own unspoken rules.
<Those who don’t work don’t get pudding.>
Only the gray reaper, lounging around like a pig, received free pudding.
How commendable, golden reapers!
I poked the chubby cheeks of the reaper who ate pudding without working.
Upon reflection, he wasn’t entirely idle.
The energy source powering the kitchen came from the gray reaper.
He acts like the factory owner, doesn’t he?
While poking the slim waist of the reaper who could eat endlessly without gaining weight, we watched TV together.
[Currently, Yangcheon District continues to experience persistent rainfall.]
[Despite merely 0.1mm per hour, Yangcheon District is facing a flood crisis.]
[Water levels have already risen to ankle height, forcing evacuations.]
Yangcheon District was grappling with relentless drizzles.
No matter how much water was pumped out, the water level refused to drop—an eerie phenomenon.
The rainfall was minimal, merely 0.1mm per hour.
Yet the water kept rising, refusing to drain.
For a week, it was dismissed as abnormal weather, but after two weeks, with visible flooding, it became clear this wasn’t normal.
[This is definitely caused by an object!]
Residents of Gangseo District, who lost their homes to desertification, now faced another relocation.
Some called them “cursed people.”
They were truly pitiable.
A spoonful of pudding tasted divine.
How does it taste so good?
Is it because it’s an object?
Sadly, its calorie content is substantial, so I limit myself to one per day.
I wish I could indulge in pudding like the reaper.
Out of spite, I poked the reaper’s cheek again.
Under an endless cloudless sky, a full moon shone with brilliance rivaling the sun.
It was dazzling enough to evoke awe.
The silver glow of the moon bathed everything it touched in soft light, casting subtle glimmers across the lake’s surface.
The lake gleamed like a mirror dusted with gemstones under the moonlight.
Its clarity was such that the bottom could be seen simply from the moonlight shining upon it.
The rippling moonlight revealed an aurora-like curtain deep within the lake.
At this picturesque and serene lakeside stood a blonde girl, turning to look at the black agent.
“Aren’t you amazed, Uncle? It would’ve been nice to see this during the day.”
Her voice carried a longing for things she could no longer witness.
“Surely. You’ll see it someday.”
The agent responded calmly, stating facts.
The sadness in the girl’s expression disappeared like sunlight breaking through parted clouds, replaced by a bright smile.
“Of course. Definitely.”
With a laugh of “Hehe,” she turned her gaze back to the lake.
Guided by the heart’s call.
This was the lake where she had arrived following that guidance.
The lake that swallowed Yangcheon District, off-limits to ordinary people.
Standing by the lakeshore, the girl awaited the next signal from her heart.
For the day she could stand once more under the sun.
*
Joyful singing echoed through the backyard of Sehee Research Institute.
“To your health!”
“To your health!”
Even though it was late at night, employees gathered instead of heading home, creating a festive atmosphere.
A large banner hung in the yard, revealing the purpose of this party.
<<Congrats>> Object Usage License Obtained! <<Celebrate>>
<License Acquisition Pre-Party.>
It was a celebration for Sehee obtaining her object usage license.
Sehee, clearly tipsy, incessantly complained to Seoah and Yerin about the hardships of studying for the exam.
The golden reapers, caught up in the celebratory mood, danced wildly on the large table laden with food, adding to the festivity.
What a commotion for just a license!
Well, lately Sehee had been so exhausted she seemed like a different person.
Dark circles under her eyes, tanned skin, and messy hair—it was quite a sight.
More surprisingly, this wild party was only the pre-party.
If studying was so tough, how else could they justify planning a week-long cruise party for all staff?
“Reaper, save me!”
Yerin, having escaped Sehee’s clutches, clung to me.
Then she opened her phone, showing a gallery of pictures of the famous Yangcheon Lake while exuding excitement.
“Reaper, aren’t you excited? We’re going to the trendy Yangcheon Lake!”
The location of Sehee’s reserved cruise party was none other than the popular tourist spot, Yangcheon Lake.
Since it was portrayed as a magical place on TV, most employees decided to attend.
“Looking at the lake bed, you can see the submerged Yangcheon District clearly—it’s crystal clear. Aren’t you curious?”
Yangcheon Lake was a massive lake created after submerging Yangcheon District, and it was indeed intriguing.
They say it never gets polluted, and the submerged city neither rusts nor decays.
Definitely some kind of object, right?
And yet, despite its harmful nature, it’s treated as a tourist attraction.
It does seem a bit strange.
Even Korea’s lax handling of objects wouldn’t lead to public access to an object-based lake in just three months.
“Reaper will come with a portable isolation room too. It’ll be really fun!”
It felt like something exciting was bound to happen.
