NOVEL WEB T/N: Well, hello again! If you're a reader of the novel "Whether You Call Me a Guardian Dragon or Not, I'm Going to Sleep," hehe~~
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In a park evenly covered with green grass, a dog was running around, making small pitter-patter sounds.
The dog barked in a small voice, eliciting laughter from people, and passersby also smiled pleasantly at the sight.
It was a scene like a painted picture in the park.
Above, the warm sunlight was shining on the leaves with a comfortable intensity, and in the shade under the trees, I was listening to the refreshing sound of cicadas while lying comfortably.
When I looked at the park and felt thirsty, I gulped down the iced water from the thermos bottle, refreshingly down my throat. However, contrary to my seemingly comfortable appearance, my back was damp with cold sweat.
Although it looked like a happy slice of everyday life on the surface, my face was strained from forcing a smile.
In fact, this resting space was all a lie. A fake created inside the building. The pedestrians walking around the fake park were all fake employees acting.
Everyone was putting on a performance with all their might, which was only natural.
Because if they made a mistake, they would die.
The situation where the dog was happily running around the field, the owner was eagerly chasing after the dog, and the surrounding pedestrians were admiring and calling it cute, which seemed very happy on the surface, soon came to an end.
The dog, who had been playing excitedly, now seemed to have had enough and jumped into the owner's arms.
Then, with a satisfied smile, it closed its eyes.
"Oh, are you tired already? Shall we go in and rest?"
The middle-aged woman, with a really regretful expression, carried the dog and went out through the exit prepared at the corner of the park.
As the middle-aged woman left and the door closed, everything inside the park froze as if it had stopped.
The happy slice of everyday life that had been visible just a moment ago was gone, and the faces of the pedestrians changed to those of hardworking laborers.
Beep.
At the buzzer signaling the end of all situations, everyone collapsed on the spot and let out a sigh.
Most of the lights that had been shining on the field like the sun were turned off, and the familiar darkness filled the inside of the park, leaving only the minimum necessary light.
"Ah, I'm really going to die."
As I was vigorously massaging and loosening my facial muscles that had stiffened from forcing a smile too much, someone plopped down next to me and grumbled.
An anonymous employee whose name I didn't know. I was consciously trying not to remember the names of my coworkers, but judging by the unfamiliar face, he must be a new hire.
Just the fact that he was speaking freely in the research institute's compartment, where words should be spared, gave away his newbie status.
"I took this job because they said they'd pay a lot, but after seeing the work we have to do here, aren't they underpaying us compared to the work? Why are there so many rules to follow just to take care of that grotesque retarded bastard?" As soon as I heard those words, a chill ran through my entire body.
It was too close, considering the dog's hearing. Damn! He should have been properly trained before being sent here!
Before long, a light as intense as sunlight began to shine down on the park. The sound of cicadas also started again. The happy park at noon had returned.
I quickly got up from my spot and distanced myself from the stupid newbie, putting on the business smile I had erased from my face.
Not just me, but all the employees smiled brightly and distanced themselves, so the stupid newbie finally seemed to realize the situation.
"O-Oh No..."
But contrary to the newbie's wishes, the dog appeared in front of him.
Unlike the size that could be held in one hand, it appeared, as big as a house, smashing through the wall.
"Whoa!"
All the employees exclaimed in admiration, with smiles on their faces, as if watching an adorable dog.
And they had to watch, with smiles and exclamations of admiration mixed in, as the dog slowly dismantled and devoured the newbie.
It was an additional shift not included in the contract, caused by the newbie's mistake.
After tearing apart the newbie for a while, the Object, seemingly satisfied, returned to its dog size and headed back to its luxurious doghouse, amidst the cheers of the employees.
All that remained in the spot where the newbie had been was a pool of blood from when he was human and a single Object report soaked in that blood.
Although the human had been torn to shreds, the sturdy Object report remained intact.
# This report is an asset of the Seoul Research Institute. Do not take it out.
# The contents of this report may become distorte read outside the institute.
Object Name - Cute Puppy.
Object Danger Level: 3
Manageability - Difficult to Manage (Low)
Management Method - It can be managed simply by treating it like a pet, praising it, and constantly telling it how cute it is.
Other than that, foods suitable for pets, walks, and creating an environment utilizing employees are necessary.
Expressing affection through physical contact such as petting is important.
Caution - If you deny its cuteness, it will try to kill you.
When uttering any words while looking at the cute puppy, let's carefully consider putting our lives on the scale.
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Possibility of Removal - Not attempted.
Removal is expected to be possible.
However, since the management benefits far outweigh the management costs, attempting removal is prohibited.
Possibility of Containment - Cannot be contained.
The longer it is not adored, the larger it becomes.
It cannot be restrained with existing materials.
It can even penetrate thick steel plates, and other means of containment are highly likely to cause its death.
Possibility of Banishment - Not attempted.
It seems it would yield similar results to the containment experiments.
If the enlarged subject roams to find an owner to adore it, the damage would be unpredictable.
***
On TV, stories were being told about Objects that cannot be eliminated by humans.
A giant flying jellyfish that doesn't fall even when hit by a nuclear weapon. An indestructible steel tower. Ghost-like objects that cannot be physically touched, and so on.
"Seeing things like this, it doesn't seem like humans are the masters of the Earth anymore."
While grumbling in front of a friend who works at a national research institute, I took a bite of chicken. There were still many people in front of our alma mater.
Taking a sip of beer against the backdrop of the bustling noise.
"That's true. If we don't solve the Object problem, our generation may be fine, but the next generation will really struggle as there won't be enough safe land to live on, right?"
It was a world where the Object apocalypse theory was emerging.
There were countless Objects that harmed humans, and among them, many that humans could not eliminate.
If humans could not destroy, banish, or contain an Object by their power, they had no choice but to treat it as a natural disaster.
The number of people dying from Objects every year was constantly increasing.
"Another new hire died during this management task rotation. The newbies die, the experienced ones leave exhausted, and this place is a mess too."
"But didn't you say you're in charge of a relatively safe Object? If the countermeasures are clear, it should be a pretty safe job."
"At least the mutt I'm in charge of has clear likes and dislikes. You just have to find it cute, smile, and exclaim in admiration, but is that why it can kill you? The stress is insane."
"Haha, was it a cute puppy or something? It seems there are quite a few accidents even though the countermeasures have been clearly identified."
A mutt with no skin or muscles, just dangling blood vessels and internal organs, being called a 'cute puppy'. A mutt that made you want to curse every time you stroked its pulsating exposed flesh.
"When I first saw that dog, all I could do was curse, but these days I'm a bit envious. A cozy home. Delicious food. It seems to enjoy leisure activities better than me."
The 'Cute Puppy' at the Seoul Research Institute, which generates enormous profits, was receiving tremendous financial support.
Numerous employees were hired to care for the dog, and whatever the dog wanted was provided. The hired employees had to take good care of it if they didn't want to die.
"There's been a lot of talk about your 'Cute Puppy' treatment. They say they feel relatively deprived, but that's just sour grapes."
"Ah, that's all just media play by the competing research institutes. They want a share of the profits, but since the pig director of the Seoul Research Institute is hogging it all, they're under concentrated attack. But I heard they're not sure what they're aiming for with the media play?"
"Well, anyway, be careful since the atmosphere doesn't seem good."
The drinking session ended with this kind of meaningless conversation going back and forth. Come to think of it, it was actually an important conversation.
***
In the middle of a real park as beautiful and sunny as an artificial park, an acrid smell of gunpowder that did not match the scenery at all wafted through.
"We are not"
"Slaves of Objects!"
The maniacs were rushing in with wild eyes, shouting slogans.
Was it because today was unusually clear sunny day without any dust?
Was it because the puppy suddenly wanted to see the real sun today?
Was it a problem that my role today was to carry this puppy?
If I had noticed earlier that the seemingly purposeless media play would lead to this terrorist act, would things have been different?
Those who had been fanning the flames of hatred in their own community, claiming relative deprivation, carried out the terror with someone's support and a little provocation.
No matter how much our puppy eats food worth hundreds of millions of won a day and lives in a golden doghouse, isn't this too much?
The funny thing is, the puppy they targeted avoided the bomb, but I, without the puppy's instincts and agility, was dying with my torso split in half.
"Oh my, our cutie wasn't scared, was he?"
Even when a terror attack occurred before our eyes and a colleague was half-killed, our research institute staff did not lose their professionalism.
I closed my eyes listening to an employee's desperate cooing to soothe the startled puppy.
Praying to be reborn as an Object that can leisurely eat and play in my next life.
***
Perhaps thanks to that wish, I opened my eyes as an Object in the forest right after dying.