༺ Black Butterfly: Epilogue (1) ༻
In the lonely halls of the Sehee Research Institute, devoid of the cute Reaper.
There I was, sweating buckets in the research institute site, which had suddenly undergone major construction.
Honestly, I wanted to join the investigation team to track down the Reaper, but senior Kim Jung-rwi stopped me from doing so.
If anyone were to see me in this state, wearing a safety hat while nailing something, they wouldn’t think I was a researcher.
No matter how small the research institute was, to think they would treat their researchers so harshly!
This construction was supposedly in preparation for a new Object that would be brought into our institute. However, I wasn’t sure if our research institute even had the capability to handle an Object that required such a large-scale construction.
I always thought of it as a research institute living off of the ‘Gray Reaper quarantine subsidy’, but it seemed like Sehee Unnie was considering expanding the institute.
“Woah! Is that all gold, sunbae?”
“Yes, all of it is made of gold.”
A massive golden nugget was brought into the institute.
Hmm, if it’s that big, then the price must be in the billions of won, right?
“By the way, sunbae. What even is that?”
“A kennel.”
“Sorry?”
“It’s a huge and extremely expensive kennel.”
What the… what did he say?
***
The Songpa-gu victim camp disaster in Seoul had ended faster than expected.
As I watched the memorial ceremony from a distance, I took a puff from my pipe, drawing the smoke into my lungs before exhaling.
I had fulfilled the government’s request.
Thus, the temporary position that was bestowed upon me for the ease of fulfilling the request was no longer relevant.
I had done everything I had to do, including removing the old man’s body from the scene and delivering it to the bereaved family.
Then why was I watching from a distance like this? Well, there was something that bothered me,
It was the fact that the camp was still under a lockdown even though it had been quite a while since the incident was over.
***
Numerous people dressed in white protective suits were walking around the victim camp where the horrific murders took place.
They were researchers from Trinity Research Institute, a joint venture between three research institutes.
They meticulously collected the blood-soaked butterfly corpses, placing them one by one in airtight containers.
Even though they only gathered the corpses in this manner, the amount was still substantial.
Beside the butterfly corpses, they also separated the human skins and belongings from the blood. The latter was classified as lost and found items, while the former was incinerated on the spot.
Next to them, an incense altar stood as a commemoration of the disaster.
The bodies of the victims, reduced to nothing but skin, were treated as if they were trash.
The fact that the researchers were collecting and burning the victims’ remnants next to the incense altar especially highlighted the precariousness of the current era.
The researchers were also investigating the destruction of the container houses present in the camp, fearlessly extracting data from the site, and digging up a lot of dirt.
Then, at one particular site, something unusual was discovered.
<C-2 reporting. We have discovered something unusual. >
<It appears to be a piece of glass with negligible thickness. Judging from its physical properties only manifesting in shadows, it previously may have been an Object. Over.>
<Copy that, C-2. A-1 here. Good job, spotting it. That seems to be the Object we were looking for. Preserve the site until a management team can be dispatched. Over and out.>
Intangible pieces of glass were found. They were quite easy to miss, as they disappeared as soon as they were exposed to the light.
The reason they were able to find the glass pieces was because the original Object had shattered.
One morning, when nobody was paying attention, a group of individuals clad in dark blue protective clothing, headed to the site where the pieces of glass were found.
***
With the dissolution of the Central Research Institute and the merger of the three research institutes, Trinity Research Institute became Korea’s largest research institute, both in name and reality.
In the smoking lounge inside the institute, two men were smoking cigarettes and chatting.
“What’s so funny about what you’re reading?”
“It’s the scrapped report on Gray Reaper’s communication ability. It’s quite funny.”
“What’s so funny about it?”
“Usually, reports like this are submitted by research institutes, but this report was submitted by a detective. You should take a look.”
< Status: Scrapped – Insufficient pattern. Insufficient evidence. >
< Disclaimer: Do not trust the contents of this report. >
< This report has been discarded for the reasons mentioned above. >
< The Gray Reaper seems to possess an alarming ability to comprehend human language, notably exhibiting fluency in Korean. >
< However, despite its linguistic capability, it adamantly refuses to engage in communication. >
< What other option do we have when the Gray Reaper simply refuses to communicate? >
< Whether one feels it is a waste, becomes angry, or even attempts to threaten it, these efforts hold no sway over the Reaper. >
< It is crucial to recognize that communication with the Gray Reaper will only occur at its own discretion. Any other attempts may result in unpredictable consequences. >
“It’s definitely an interesting story. It seems like the report was written without knowing that Objects usually communicate by reading thoughts. What does a mere Detective know anyway? An Object being fluent in Korean? It would be more believable to say it went to elementary school with the kids, you know?”
The sound of hearty laughter filled the smoking lounge.
***
Inside a small office located on a secluded road in the outskirts of Seoul.
“Senior! Why do you keep carrying that around? I thought you were going to throw it away!”
My bratty junior, asked without providing any context whatsoever, as she carefully wiped the hammer with a handkerchief.
“What are you even talking about?”
I turned to check and found Watson, who had been donated to a nearby research institute’s containment room, nonchalantly waiting for me,
I had anticipated this, but it still was surprising. Even after I confined it into the research institute’s containment room, it somehow managed to find its way back.
Seems like an ordinary containment room couldn’t confine it.
“I’ve tried throwing it away multiple times. But it keeps coming back.”
“So it’s that difficult to deal with, huh? I still get a little scared when I think about what happened at the camp. To think we can’t just get rid of it…”
As my junior sighed, I shared my thoughts on the matter.
“I had decided to just give up if it returned again this time, and it did. So, you’ll just have to get used to it.”
“Huh? Why? If It’s that thing, would it turn your neck into a korean twisted doughnut?”
“If we can’t get rid of it, we’ll have to make use of it. It might come in handy at at least three times>”
“Uh, please don’t use it when I’m around.”
Junior turned the tv on with the remote control, wearing a cold expression.
On the TV, they were showing a case that my junior and I had solved.
In fact, it was such a shocking incident that these days, wherever I went, I kept hearing about the butterfly incident.
The case was a shocking incident that could have been hidden by the government, but since it became such a hot topic, it seemed like there was no choice but to make it public.
The reason for that was the series of incidents that occurred in Seoul, which gained more popularity than even the camp case.
When the mirror shattered and the butterflies died, I was filled with a sense of satisfaction, thinking that we had finally resolved the case. However, if I had been even a little bit more focused, I could have foreseen what was to come.
While I was celebrating the resolution of the case, an incident occurred in Seoul where family members, friends, or lovers suddenly vomited blood and died.
That’s how butterfly-infected people in other regions met their ends.
But those who saw the bodies with blood gushing out of every orifice saw an even more horrifying sight.
It was the fact that the bodies had left only their skin behind.
And the sight of the loose skin filled with blood and dead butterflies as big as a human head.
Perhaps due to the sheer horror of these events, the story kept appearing on TV, almost 24 hours a day.
“There’s really nothing to watch these days.”
My junior, blitzing through many channels, expressed feelings that echoed my own.
“Oh, that’s right! Senior! What happened at the camp before I got there?”
The junior pointed at the TV as she asked.
“Why do you want to know?”
“Because of this! A trainee reporter from the Daily Object has gone missing. The CEO of the Daily Object keeps claiming that it’s the work of the Gray Reaper. Do you know something, Senior?”
With those words, she accompanied them with a swishing sound with her mouth and assumed a boxing stance.
“Just by looking at the photo, the trainee reporter seems to have a shady personality. If it’s you, Senior, you wouldn’t have left him alone. Did he run away because you beat him up?”
“I knew I was being followed, but I’ve never seen that reporter’s face.”
I took a deep breath and held up a piece of paper over my junior’s head, who was babbling out of boredom.
“If you’re that bored, why don’t you investigate this? The pay is pretty good.”
The paper I held contained the following information:
< We are seeking an investigation into the activities of a pseudo-artist who creates Objects. He is commonly known as the Maker. >
< There are rumours that this individual has a penchant for collecting numerous golden horns. >
< Exercise caution in this investigation, as we suspect the Maker may have connections to various criminal activities. >
***
It was just three days after the Hungry Ghost disappeared into the sinkhole, back when the butterflies hadn’t yet spread rampantly throughout Songpa-gu.
The scars of destruction were still vividly visible in the area, with the smouldering ruins echoing strange sounds.
Tak-! Tak-!
The sound of a cane hitting the ground reverberated all of a sudden, followed by another.
And then, a human figure materialised in the air.
“Finally, I’m back! Back to Seoul, back to Korea, and back to this Earth.”
The man, holding the old wooden cane in one hand, was the director of the Central Research Institute.
“As I expected, the Hungry Ghost has taken refuge underground. No matter how many times I peer into the future, I still can’t figure out why it chose to flee. Well, that only means there’s much yet to be uncovered.”
With a cheerful gait, the director stepped out, followed by a bunch of translucent researchers who resembled ghosts.
“At long last! We’re finally back. Now, let’s go. Let’s go to our new research institute!”
The Director’s face contorted into a delightful expression of ecstasy as he spread his arms wide and grinned exaggeratedly. Behind him, a group of gloomy, graduate student-looking researchers slipped into his shadow.
And so, with a buoyant gait, the director set off toward the north.
