A high school student who looked exhausted was walking briskly along the commuting route, facing the chilly air.
The student, who hadn’t slept well due to some strange nightmares, tightened their collar against the cold that seemed to pierce through their uniform and hurried toward school.
In the middle of rushing, they noticed a crowd gathered in the middle of the road, buzzing with chatter.
The place where people were gathered was near the entrance of an unnecessarily tall staircase that everyone had to pass on the way to school.
Since the staircase was steep and dangerous, it often caused accidents. The student thought someone might’ve fallen while hurrying down.
“This is another serial murder case,” someone said.
“Really?”
As the tired student approached the scene, whispers among other students overturned their assumptions.
There were plenty of police officers and people around.
Barrier tapes had been set up, completely blocking the street.
It looked more serious than expected.
Probably related to the ‘serial murders’ constantly appearing in the news and rumors these days.
In Mapo District, after 6 PM, anyone wandering alone became a target. With over ten victims already and a new one appearing every single day, fear gripped the entire district.
Even academies, schools, and convenience stores closed before 6 PM, so even the sleepy student, who usually didn’t care about such things, ended up hearing about it.
At school, everyone was scared, but the tired student thought it was just a passing incident.
With all this attention and investigative effort, catching the murderer was only a matter of time—or at least that’s what the student believed. It was odd that they hadn’t been caught yet.
“Haaam.”
Yawning, the student joined the line behind the crowd.
Though they didn’t want to wait in line, there was no choice since avoiding the blocked staircase meant taking a long detour.
The staircase was unavoidable for getting to school.
Because of the barrier tape, the sidewalk had become narrower, forcing students to form a line around the crime scene.
As they got closer to the stairs, fragments of a hazy nightmare started resurfacing.
The yellow full moon shining down on the steps.
Puddles of blood.
Blood flowing down the steps.
They remembered looking up at the moon and laughing.
When they absentmindedly glanced at the barricaded scene, it felt like an asphalt void was bubbling up with blood.
A decapitated man’s head floating eerily in the pool of blood.
The smell of blood became so intense the student had to close their eyes and shake their head.
“It’s because I didn’t sleep. I’m just tired.”
When they opened their eyes again, the blood puddle was gone. Instead, a large figure wearing a helmet stood in front of them and spoke.
“Student, are you feeling unwell anywhere?”
Looking down, they saw a nameplate.
<Researcher from Object Association>
What seemed like a strange person turned out to be a legitimate employee.
But why the helmet?
Anyway, the Object Association had finally arrived.
Given how elusive this criminal was, it made sense to suspect an object-related cause.
“No, I’m fine. Just dizzy from lack of sleep.”
“Is that so?”
Though sounding slightly skeptical, the researcher moved away lightly.
After passing the crime scene and climbing the rest of the stairs, the student felt refreshed.
The view opened up, and the scattered crowd brought a sense of liberation.
Suddenly, an unfamiliar scent wafted by—something delicious that they’d never smelled nearby before.
Turning their head to find the source, they saw something small and golden in the corner of the crime scene alley, staring intently at them.
Tubang tubang.
Following Yerin, they arrived at a basement far more luxurious than when it was under construction.
Unlike before, the entrance now featured a high-tech security system.
Flanking the entrance were elaborate Golden Reaper reliefs.
Carved to look welcoming, the reapers had their arms stretched wide with cheerful smiles.
Truly an impressive entrance!
Seeing the sculpture, the Golden Reaper enthusiastically ran up to it.
Then, turning its head, it mimicked the sculpture by spreading its arms wide and smiling brightly.
Its pose and expression were identical to the relief.
Approaching the security door with the Golden Reaper’s welcome, they noticed tiny handprints covering it.
From their size to the Mini Reapers’, various prints adorned the wall.
Confused, the student turned to Yerin, who gestured to press their palm against the print.
“Place your hand on the handprint groove.”
Doing as told, a pleasant mechanical sound unlocked the door.
It worked similarly to a fingerprint scanner.
“This is a resting facility made for the Reapers, so we designed the entrance for easy access anytime!”
Lately, Yerin had been frequently pressing their palms onto paper or clay; turns out there was a reason.
Normally, Yerin would often fondle their palms for an hour daily, but they never imagined it was for this door.
Of course, ghosting could bypass the entrance entirely, but entering with a handprint felt unique.
Past the security door lay a lounge-like room.
A rest facility stocked with all sorts of snacks and drinks.
Tiny chairs and mini snacks for the Mini Reapers were also abundant.
Thinking the Minis would love it, the student turned back to see them happily playing with the security door.
They gleefully laughed as they placed their tiny hands on the mini handprints to open the door.
A long line had formed as each Mini Reaper waited their turn to try the automatic door.
It would take forever for all of them to have a go.
Ignoring the overly interested Minis, the student led those who’d already played with the door further into the lounge.
Beyond the lounge was a beautifully decorated corridor.
Dim white light illuminated the hallway, lined with gold statues modeled after the student and the Mini Reapers.
The Minis were fascinated, pressing their faces against the glass encasing their respective statues, their eyes sparkling.
There was even a life-sized statue of the student, which reminded them of forgotten dolls.
Dolls found in the Blue Girl’s workshop, identical to the student.
There were so many that they’d thought, “I’ll give them to Sehee, Yerin, and Seoah!” but then forgot all about it.
Compared to the statues, the dolls were clearly superior.
Well, the dolls found in the Blue Girl’s workshop were indistinguishable even when lying next to them, so it couldn’t be helped.
Walking past the statues, the corridor ended at a spacious bathhouse.
A refreshing fountain and a swimming-pool sized tub greeted the Minis.
And a massive golden statue that immediately drew attention.
It was breathtaking every time.
While admiring the statue, soft footsteps echoed as the Golden Reapers rushed towards it, shouting “Giant Mommy Golden Statue!”
Looking around the mosaic-covered ceiling, the Minis were already playing in tubs tailored to their size.
Surprisingly, the Orange Reaper, assumed to dislike water due to its fluffy hair, was the first to dive in and enjoy the bath.
Its white hair spread endlessly underwater.
Mini Reapers swam joyfully through the locks.
And the White Hungry Ghost watched with a gentle smile.
Come to think of it, since they hadn’t let the Hungry Ghost Reaper eat the White Hungry Ghost lately, the latter seemed unusually cheerful.
Some jealousy stirred within.
Plenty of mischief opportunities in the bathhouse, huh?
Hehe.
After school hours, the murder scene became quieter with fewer passersby.
At the scene, police officers and researchers from the association were investigating.
“Man, this is enough to make a ghost weep.”
The policeman sighed at the evidence-free crime scene.
Despite numerous incidents, they’d failed to find any clues.
Using CCTV and circumstantial evidence, they’d detained several suspects, but the next day, another murder occurred without fail.
This was a truly unsolvable case.
Worse still, this victim was a police officer.
Even though they emphasized patrolling in pairs, the murder happened when the officer was alone.
Their partner insisted they’d stayed together the whole time, but CCTV and other checks disproved this claim.
Amidst this, the dispatched researcher from the association walked around with a Mental Pollution Measurement Device.
“Hey, did the association folks find anything?”
“Yes. We’re tentatively reporting this case as an ‘Object-related Murder Case’ to the association.”
As the researcher answered, their Mental Pollution Measurement Device indicated the ‘Danger’ level.
