Chapter 6: A Silent Machine
Back in the small apartment, Do-hyun sat on the floor with his back against the wall. The glow of his monitor lit up the dark room. Empty snack wrappers lay scattered beside him. A half-eaten cup of noodles sat cold near his leg.
He scrolled through his clone's memories like a slideshow.
Heavy boxes. Fast footsteps. Sweat from others, but not from the clone. Then the office. Then the offer.
Two hundred thousand won an hour.
He repeated the number in his head like a chant.
His eyes were wide and unblinking.
"This is real," he whispered to himself.
He stood up and looked at the full-length mirror on his door. His cheeks were smaller. His jaw had sharpened. His belly was halfway gone. The scale this morning said he had dropped another four kilograms.
"Half the food, double the burn," he muttered with a grin.
Then he turned toward the clone, who had just walked in.
Its clothes were soaked in dust. Its arms were scratched. A bit of blood still lingered on one knuckle.
Do-hyun stepped forward.
"You did good today."
The clone only nodded.
"You are tutoring tomorrow. Be calm. Be polite. And just explain the work. She is smart already."
The clone blinked slowly.
"I understand."
Do-hyun reached out and patted the clone's shoulder.
"Thanks for working while I rested."
He went to the kitchen and opened a new ramen packet.
"You earned it."
The clone sat on the ground and waited.
For food.
For orders.
For the next job.
Do-hyun watched him in silence.
His mind spun with numbers and ideas.
If one clone could do all this, what would happen when his level increased?
What if he could make two?
Or three?
Or ten?
He smiled to himself as steam rose from the boiling pot.
"This is just the beginning."
---
Do-hyun sat cross-legged on his mattress with his laptop on his knees.
The ramen smell still hung in the air from dinner. His clone stood nearby, folding old clothes with slow, robotic movements.
The room was quiet except for the soft clicks of Do-hyun's mouse.
He clicked through the tutoring schedule. There it was. Oh Min-joo. Six in the evening. Math and science. Two hours. Two hundred thousand won.
His mouth felt dry.
"Should I send him?" he muttered.
The clone looked up.
Do-hyun turned toward him.
"You can walk there. You can explain stuff. You listen to my thoughts. You follow every word."
He paused.
"But… what if she asks something weird?"
The clone did not blink.
"What if she starts talking too much? Or asks why your voice sounds weird? Or why you keep repeating yourself?"
He closed the laptop slowly.
"I don't like people asking questions."
Do-hyun leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
"She is smart. Her dad said so. She will notice if something is off."
He rubbed his face with both hands.
"I can't risk this. Not yet."
He stood up.
"I will go myself."
The clone nodded once and returned to folding.
Do-hyun sighed and grabbed a clean shirt from the pile.
His eyes scanned the mirror. His clothes fit better now. His belly did not stick out so much. He looked like someone who jogged a little. Or maybe did push-ups sometimes.
Not bad for someone who had not moved in days.
Still, he hated the idea of going outside.
Of talking.
Of smiling.
Of pretending.
But the money was real.
And money made things easier.
He stuffed the address into his pocket.
Time to meet the daughter of the warehouse boss.
---
Do-hyun sat stiff in the chair. The math questions were easy. The tutoring job was easy. But something about this girl made him sweat a little.
Min-joo leaned forward again, her pencil moving fast as he explained the formula. Her handwriting was clean, better than his. She worked in silence, only asking when she really needed to.
It should have made him happy.
But her eyes kept bothering him.
They watched him more than the page.
Do-hyun felt them sliding over his arms, his face, even the way he breathed. Every time he looked up, she was already looking back down.
It was weird.
He hated being watched.
"So," she said after solving problem nine, "you said you go to Dae-yong National?"
Do-hyun nodded and looked at her notebook.
"That is not easy to get into."
He shrugged.
"I had a lucky test day."
She frowned.
"That is not how it works. Most people study for years."
He gave a small smile that did not reach his eyes.
"I guess I am not most people."
She tapped her pencil.
"Do you like teaching?"
He thought about the money. He thought about his clone lifting boxes in the warehouse. He thought about ramen and eggs and how expensive food was now that he ate for two.
"It pays well," he said.
"That is not an answer," she replied.
Her eyes were sharp now. Curious. But not mean.
Do-hyun took a sip of the warm water. He hated talking about himself. The clone was better. Quiet. Obedient. Emotionless.
He wished he could be like that.
Min-joo looked at the window for a second.
"You seem quiet. Do you not like talking?"
Do-hyun stared at the math book.
"Not really."
She looked back at him.
"You seem like someone who is always thinking about something else."
He stayed silent.
She waited for a reply.
He picked up her notebook and pointed at the next question.
"Let's solve this one."
Min-joo sighed but followed along. Her pencil scratched the page. The air was thick and slow.
They finished the lesson with ten minutes to spare.
Min-joo closed the book.
"You are very good at explaining things," she said. "But you are hard to understand."
Do-hyun stood up and slid the chair back into place.
"Some people are like that."
She walked him to the door.
The air outside was cooler now. The streetlamps flickered as the wind passed.
Min-joo leaned on the door frame and looked at him one last time.
"Thanks for the lesson," she said.
He nodded.
Before she could say anything else, he turned and walked down the steps.
Her voice floated behind him.
"You do not look tired… but something about you feels hollow."
He kept walking.
He did not look back.
His hand slid into his hoodie pocket.
The clone was probably still working.
He could feel it. Not the pain. But the presence. A soft buzzing in his mind that never went away.
Min-joo had noticed something was off.
He would have to be more careful.
This life was not just about powers or money anymore.
It was about secrets.
And keeping them safe.
---