NOVEL NEXT Under the gloomy gray sky, a soft drizzle was falling over the makeshift container houses clustered together at the refugee camp.
The rain gently embraced the people who had fled from the desert, as if comforting them.
The Gangseo District refugee camp was slowly becoming drenched by the rain that had been falling for days.
The rain fell so softly that it made no sound, but since it had continued for days, it was quietly engulfing everything in the camp.
The streetlights illuminating the dark interior of the camp made the rain-soaked streets look mysteriously shimmering.
A tall woman covered in tattoos and a little girl were entering this refugee camp.
The towering woman, wearing an oversized raincoat, was collecting the drizzling raindrops in her palm and observing them, as if entranced.
Endlessly.
"Sister?"
The woman, who had been staring blankly at the raindrops, startled at her younger sister's voice and flicked the collected raindrops onto the ground.
Then she took out a leaf and started chewing it noisily, stuffing another leaf into her sister's mouth.
"This is so bitter"
The younger sister scrunched her face in displeasure at the extremely bitter taste of the leaf.
"Keep chewing it if you don't want to be entranced. Don't swallow it."
"So did you figure something out?"
"Yes, it's as expected. There must be a reason these things keep happening only in Seoul, but I don't know what it is."
The tall woman looked up at the soft drizzle creating a beautiful scenery as it gently reflected the light.
The asphalt, shimmering like scattered jewels reflecting the streetlights, was clearly not ordinary.
The weather forecast she checked directly indicated a high chance of the rain stopping soon, but upon examination, this rain would never cease.
Probably until the entire Yangcheon District was submerged in water.
Children chasing raindrops.
The air smelling fresh from the rain.
Laughter echoing through the damp air.
People chatting under waterproof canopies.
The camp still had a peaceful atmosphere.
Such a drizzle couldn't disrupt the people's tranquility yet.
Splash splash.
Rolling her feet, she could feel the water pooling on the asphalt.
About 10mm deep.
The drizzle had already started accumulating water, even in this well-drained area where it shouldn't pool from just a drizzle.
"But sister, what will happen to Yangcheon District then?"
"Probably in about a week, the water will rise noticeably. That's when it will start."
"And after that?"
"The rain will keep falling. And the ground will start sinking."
"Then what will happen to the people living here? Can't we stop it?"
"There's no way for humans to stop it. It can't be prevented. Let's slowly head back now."
The girl nodded at her sister's words and tightly held her hand.
And the girl and tall woman left the camp, beautifully enveloped in the rain.
***
Yerin POV:
---
Nom nom nom~
Watching Reaper eat pudding cradled in my arms, I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion remembering the struggles to obtain that pudding.
Searching all over the country for pudding, even going to pudding factories and fighting off Objects!
It has been a whopping two weeks since the operation to reclaim the puddings.
Fortunately, most of the pudding that had scattered into the sky was recovered.
At first, I worried, What if it collided with airplanes? Or if the bubbles burst and rained down on people's heads?
But it all wrapped up without any major incidents, thankfully.
And our Research Institute has set up a special facility just for Reaper - a mini kitchen for producing pudding!
It was moved from the pudding factory and installed inside the isolation room.
Thanks to this, Reaper can sit in the isolation room and happily scoop up the bobbing pudding cups.
The Golden Reapers wearing tiny chef hats started waddling out of the mini kitchen.
They politely removed their hats and passed them to the next Golden Reaper.
It was the end of their kitchen shift.
The reward for their culinary labor? Pudding!
The Golden Reapers wanting to eat pudding were so numerous that they lined up, ensuring the kitchen fire never went out.
It seemed they had established an unspoken rule 'Those who do not work cannot eat pudding', among themselves without anyone instructing them
The only one receiving free pudding while lying around like a pig was the Gray Reaper.
The Golden Reapers are admirable!
I poked the chubby cheeks of Reaper, who had grown plump from eating pudding without working.
Come to think of it, it's not like it wasn't working at all.
The energy source that powered the kitchen was being supplied by the Gray Reaper.
Just like a factory owner.
While poking the slim sides of Reaper, who stays thin no matter how much it eats, we watched TV together.
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[It's still raining in Yangcheon District right now]
[Yangcheon District is flooded by a mere 0.1mm of rain per hour]
[People have already started to evacuate due to the ankle-deep water]
Yangcheon District was agonizing over the unceasing drizzle.
A strange phenomenon where pumping out the water didn't lower the level.
The rainfall was a mere 0.1mm per hour.
But instead of draining through sewers, the rainwater just kept rising.
For the first week, it was dismissed as abnormal weather, but after over 2 weeks with visibly rising water levels, they realized this was no ordinary occurrence.
[This must be caused by an Object!]
The people who lost their homes to desertification in Gangseo District now had to relocate again.
They were called 'the cursed people', quite pitiable.
I took a bite of the pudding, and as expected, it was deliciously tasty.
How does it achieve this flavor?
Is it because it's an Object?
But sadly, this pudding's calories are quite heavy, so I only ate one a day.
I wish I could eat pudding without worry like Reaper.
Feeling vexed for no reason, I kept poking Reaper's cheeks.
***
3rd Person POV:
---
Under the endless sky without a single cloud, an enormous full moon shone with a brilliant radiance rivaling the sun's.
The moon was so bright it inspired awe.
The moon's silvery glow gently illuminated everywhere its light touched, casting a subtle shimmering over the lake's surface.
The lake, imbued with the moon's radiance, sparkled beautifully like a mirror dusted with jewel powder.
The moonlit lake was so clear and transparent that the bottom could be seen just from the moonlight shining down.
The rippling moonlight draped a magnificent curtain of aurora-like lights deep into the lake.
By this magnificent, serene lakeshore, the blonde girl looked at the black operative and said,
"Isn't it really beautiful, uncle? I wish we could have seen this lake during the day too."
A hint of longing for what can no longer be seen lingered in her voice as a shadow briefly crossed her expression.
"Indeed. Someday, you will be able to see it."
The black agent replied matter-of-factly in an impassive tone.
Upon hearing the agent's words, the sadness vanished from the blonde girl's face like clouds parting to let sunlight stream through, replaced by a bright smile.
"You're right. Definitely."
Giggling, the girl turned her head back to gaze intently at the lake's surface.
The heart's guidance.
Following it led them to this lake.
Her red eyes, filled with the power of the Object, saw only the blue of the silver moon reflecting off the surface of the lake.
The lake that swallowed up Yangcheon District, an area prohibited for ordinary people to enter.
Standing by the lakeshore, the girl waited for the next guidance of her heart.
For the day when she could stand again under the sun.
***
Reaper (MC) POV:
---
A cheerful singing voice resounded through the backyard of the Sehee Research Institute.
"Cheers!"
"Cheers!"
Despite the late hour, the employees gathered without leaving, creating a festive atmosphere. A large banner hung in the backyard, revealing the purpose of this party.
<<Congratulations on Obtaining the Object License!>>
<Pre-Party Celebration for Obtaining the License.>
It was a celebration for Sehee obtaining an Object license.
Sehee, the star of this party, had apparently drunk quite a bit as she swayed while endlessly, incessantly complaining to Seo-ah and Yerin about how difficult the exam studies were.
The Golden Reapers, intoxicated by the joyful atmosphere, were livening up the party by performing dazzling dance moves on the large table where the food was placed.
To make such a fuss just for getting a license.
Well, Sehee had seemed exceptionally stressed out lately.
Her eyes were sunken, her skin dark, and her hair messy.
More surprising was that this frenzied party was merely the 'pre-party'.
How difficult must the exam studies have been for her to plan a week-long cruise party for all Research Institute employees?
"Reaper~ save me."
Yerin, who had escaped from Sehee, clung to me.
Then she opened her phone and showed me numerous saved lake photos, gushing with anticipation.
"Reaper, aren't you excited? We're going to the famous Yangcheon District lake!"
The location Sehee booked for the cruise party was the recently popular tourist spot, Yangcheon District Lake.
It was portrayed as such a fantastic place on TV that most employees decided to attend the party.
"They say you can see the submerged Yangcheon District from the lake bottom since the water is so clear and transparent. Aren't you curious?"
Yangcheon District Lake was a massive lake formed after Yangcheon District submerged underwater, so I was a bit curious.
Apparently Yangcheon District Lake never gets polluted, and the submerged city doesn't rust or get dirty either.
It must be 100% an Object.
And the kind that harms humans at that, yet it's treated as a popular tourist spot.
It was a bit strange.
For Korea to casually open an Object lake to the public just 3 months later was odd.
"You'll be coming too in a portable isolation room, so it'll be really fun!"
I felt like something really fun was going to happen.