༺ Seoul Research Institute ༻
In one corner of the park, where the grass was nice and green, a dog dashed around with nimble steps…
Each time it let out a playful growl, laughter erupted from those nearby. Even the passersby couldn’t help but smile at the sight.
It looked like a scene that came straight out of a painting.
The gentle warmth of the sunlight above bathed the leaves with just the perfect intensity, while I relaxed in the shade below, listening to the chirping of the cicadas.
Feeling my throat dry up as I looked around the park, I reached for a thermos and poured cold water down my throat. Despite my seemingly comfortable appearance, my back was soaked with cold sweat.
At first glance, it might look like a typical, happy part of everyday life, but beneath the facade, my face strained from the effort of maintaining a forced smile.
In fact, everything about this rest area was a lie—a fake space created inside a building. Even the passersby walking around the fake park were nothing but employees acting their parts.
They committed themselves fully to the act. And it was only a matter of course.
After all, making a single mistake would cost them their lives.
The seemingly happy scene of the dog excitedly running around the park, the owner eagerly chasing after it, and passersby admiring the sight while calling the puppy cute quickly came to an end.
The dog, who had been playing happily, jumped into its owner’s arms as if it had enough.
Before long it closed its eyes with a satisfied smile plastered on its face.
“Oh my, are you tired already? Shall we go back and rest?”
With a disappointed look on her face, the middle-aged woman picked up the dog and made her way towards the exit in the corner of the park.
As soon as the middle-aged woman left and the door closed back up, everything inside the park froze, as if time stood still.
The happy daily life that had filled the space up until a moment ago disappeared, revealing the faces of all the passersby as mere laborers.
Beep-!
As the buzzer beeped, signaling the end of the situation, everyone fell back into their seats and let out a collective sigh of relief.
Most of the lights that had illuminated the fields like the sun turned off, leaving only the bare minimum amount of light and plunging the park into a familiar darkness.
“Ah, I’m really going to die.”
As I was rubbing my facial muscles, which had stiffened from laughing so much, someone sat down next to me and grumbled.
It was an employee whose name I didn’t know. Despite my deliberate effort to avoid remembering all my co-workers’ names, the fact I didn’t even know his face suggested he was a new employee.
Just seeing him carelessly opening his mouth on the premises of the research institute where he was supposed to keep quiet was a dead giveaway that he was a newbie.
“I was told the job would pay well, so I accepted it. However, after working here, I realized the money was too little compared to the workload. Why do I have to pay attention to so many things just to take care of that crazy grotesque son of a bitch?”
As soon as I heard those words, goosebumps spread all over my body.
Considering just how exceptional a dog’s hearing was, the puppy wasn’t far enough for it to not be able to hear his words. Is he crazy?! Shouldn’t they properly train new recruits before letting them work?!
Suddenly, intense light as bright as sunlight flooded the park, while the chirping of the cicadas resumed. With these two things returning, the gloomy park once again turned into a happy park around noon.
In response, I quickly stood up, distancing myself from the stupid newbie, and brought back the professional smile I had erased earlier.
I was not the only one who did that. All the employees also smiled brightly and widened their distance from the newbie. Because of that, the clueless newbie finally realized what was going on.
“D-don’t tell me……”
However, much to the newbie’s dismay, the dog appeared in front of him.
Unlike the puppy from before, which could be hugged with one hand, the one that appeared after destroying the wall stood as large as a house.
“Wow!”
All the employees smiled brightly and continuously gave encouraging words as they looked at Cute Puppy.
Meanwhile, I found myself having to watch the puppy slowly dismember and eat the newbie, all while smiling and offering it words of encouragement.
It wasn’t included in my contract, but it was extra work that I had to do because of the newbie’s mistake.
After tearing the newbie apart for some time, the Object returned to the size of a puppy again, probably because it had relieved its anger. It then trotted towards its luxurious dog house, leaving behind the cheers of the employees.
In the place where the newbie had once stood, only a puddle of human blood remained, with a sheet containing information about the Object submerged in it.
Even though the human was torn to pieces, the sturdy report that was made of Object was still intact.
#This report is the property of the Seoul Research Institute. Please do not remove it from the premises.
#The content of this report is likely to be distorted if read outside of the Research Institute.
Object Name – Cute Puppy.
Danger Level : 3
Management Availability – Management Difficulty (Low)
Management Method – It is possible to manage it just by treating it like a pet dog. That is; constantly praising and acknowledging its cuteness.
Additionally, providing dog food, taking it for walks, and an environment that utilizes the employees are necessary.
Expressing affection through physical contact, such as patting, is crucial.
Note – Reacting negatively to the subject’s cuteness will trigger aggressive behavior, potentially resulting in death.
When encountering Cute Puppy, please carefully consider the value of your life before speaking.
Elimination Availability – Not Attempted.
It is believed to be possible to eliminate the subject.
However, attempts of elimination are prohibited due to the benefits of managing it far outweigh the cost of managing it.
Containment Availability – Impossible.
The longer it remains without receiving love, the larger it becomes.
It cannot be restrained by conventional means.
It is capable of penetrating even thick steel plates, and alternative methods of containment are likely to result in the subject’s death.
Banishment Availability – Not Attempted.
It is expected that banishment would yield similar results to containment.
Given the potential damage that can be caused by such a gigantic Object seeking a loving owner, the outcome would be difficult to predict.
***
There was a story on TV about Objects that humans could not get rid of.
A giant flying jellyfish that remained intact even when attacked by a nuclear weapon, an unbreakable steel tower, intangible ghostly objects, and many more.
“Looking at those things makes me wonder if humans are no longer the true owners of Earth.”
I grumbled as I took a bite of chicken in front of my friend who worked at the National Research Institute. The beer bar in front of my alma mater was still bustling with people, just like in the past. The lively noise served as background music as I took a sip of the beer.
“That’s right. If we can’t solve the Object problem, even if it’s not our generation, future generations will struggle to find safe land to live on.”
It was a world where Object Eschatology was on the rise.
Countless Objects posed a threat to humans. Amongst them, there were many that humans could not kill.
If human power could not destroy, deport, or contain it, there was no other choice but to treat it as a natural disaster.
As a result, the number of casualties caused by Objects was constantly rising every year.
“During the last shift rotation of the managing staff, we lost another new employee. New employees keep dying while the experienced ones grow tired and resign. This place is also a mess.”
“But didn’t you say that you were in charge of a relatively safe Object? If the management methods are clear, it should be a fairly safe job.”
“At the very least, the puppy I am in charge of has clear likes and dislikes. We just need to call it cute, laugh, and admire it. But probably because I know I could die, The stress is really getting to me.”
“Hahaha. It is that Cute Puppy or something, right? Even though you guys have clearly figured out how to deal with it, it seems like quite a lot of accidents still happen.”
To think that a dog that had its blood vessels and internal organs dangling without any skin or muscles was called ‘Cute Puppy.’ Even now, I could not help but swear whenever I stroked its epidermis.
“When I first saw that dog, all I could do was curse. But these days, I find myself feeling a little envious of it. It has a comfortable house and delicious food. It seems to be enjoying its leisure time far more than I do.”
The ‘Cute Puppy’, which generated significant profits for the Seoul Research Institute, was receiving support from an enormous budget.
Numerous staff members were hired just to take care of the dog, and whatever wish it had was promptly granted. However, the employees had to pay attention to every detail if they didn’t want to die.
“There’s been a lot of controversy about how you guys treat the ‘Cute Puppy.’ The opposition claims to feel relative deprivation, but their complaints seem to fall on deaf ears.”
“Ah, it’s just a media play by the competing research institute. They want a share of our profits, but the head of the Seoul Research Institute, being a greedy pig, wants it all for himself. That’s why he’s under heavy attack. But I still don’t know what they’re aiming for by playing a media game.”
“Well, anyway, the atmosphere is tense, so be careful.”
Our drinking session ended with those seemingly meaningless conversations. But thinking about it, it was actually an important discussion.
***
In the middle of a real park, which was not at all dwarfed by our sunny and beautiful artificial park, an acrid smell of gunpowder tainted the air, not matching the scenery at all.
“We are!”
“Not slaves!”
“Of the Object!”
Madmen were crowding around the park while their eyes glistened as they shouted their slogans.
Was it because today was a rare, fine dust-free sunny day?
Was the fact that the dog suddenly wanted to see a real sun today the problem?
Or was it because I was the one who carried the dog today?
Would it have been different if we had known in advance that the goal of the seemingly purposeless media play was actually a terrorist act?
Those who complained about the so-called relative deprivation and fueled the hatred within their own communities carried out an act of terrorism, driven by someone’s support and impulsiveness.
Even if our dog ate millions of won1Korean currency worth of food every day and lived in a golden doghouse, wasn’t their action still too much?
The funny thing was that the dog, the target of those madmen, was able to dodge the bomb. Meanwhile, lacking the same sense and agility, I was torn in half and on the verge of death.
“Oh my! Are you surprised, our cutie?”
Even in the face of a terrorist attack, with coworkers turned into bits and pieces before their eyes, the employees of our lab didn’t let their professionalism slip.
As I listened to the employees’ efforts to calm the frightened dog, I closed my eyes.
I hoped that in my next life, I would be reborn as an Object that could play and eat to its heart’s content.
***
Perhaps it was due to that wish, right after my death, I found myself waking up inside a forest, as an Object.
