Chapter 5: "Real World Exploit"
The air inside Crazy Monkey Logistics was thick with heat and sweat. Dust floated in the sunbeams cutting through the broken roof vents. Forklifts beeped. Crates slammed. Shouts echoed from every corner.
But none of that bothered the clone.
He walked in with steady steps, his eyes blank, his face unreadable.
He didn't talk to anyone.
He didn't sit down.
He didn't even drink water.
He just got to work.
---
> Lift.
Walk.
Stack.
Repeat.
A box here, a crate there. Again and again. He didn't slow down.
One guy leaned on a metal shelf, watching from behind a plastic-wrapped pallet.
"Yo… he's been going for two hours straight."
Another guy wiped sweat off his forehead. "I've been here five years and I ain't ever seen that."
They stared as the clone moved like he had no bones — just gears. No rest. No talking. No emotions.
"...What is he, a monster?"
"Or a robot?"
"I bet he's some awakened freak," someone whispered.
They all kept watching… but no one dared go near him.
---
Oh Deok-su leaned against the office door, holding a bottle of cold barley tea. His wide arms were crossed, and sweat glistened on his forehead. He was the kind of man who looked like he had worked here forever. His name was whispered by workers with half-respect and half-fear.
He watched the new kid from a distance.
The kid never slowed down. Never looked tired. Not once.
Crates. Pallets. Even the heavier loads that two men usually handled.
The kid lifted them alone.
Carried them across the floor.
Came back for more.
Again and again.
One of the older staff walked by Deok-su and noticed his stare.
"That kid's something else, boss."
Deok-su grunted but did not look away.
He narrowed his eyes.
That face.
He had seen it before.
Back when he was still living near the east apartments. A chubby middle schooler always buying snacks from the corner shop.
The one who used to sit at the PC café all day.
"Kim... Do-hyun...?" he muttered under his breath.
That was the name.
He could never forget that round face. Always full of chips and soda. Always sweating.
But this kid...
This was the same face but different.
Thinner. Sharper.
Taller.
It was like someone took that lazy middle schooler and shoved him into military training for a year.
Or maybe two.
Deok-su stepped off the platform and started walking.
His boots made loud thumps across the concrete floor. The workers moved aside without needing to be told. Some avoided eye contact.
He approached the kid.
"Hey."
The clone stopped.
He turned his head slowly.
"...Yes?"
The voice was flat. Not tired. Not cheerful. Just plain.
Deok-su blinked.
He stared harder.
There it was.
The eyes. The nose. The same awkward mouth.
But it was still strange.
"...You Kim Do-hyun?" Deok-su asked, his tone half-serious.
The clone gave a small nod.
Deok-su folded his arms.
"You've changed. A lot."
Silence.
"You used to be... bigger."
Still no reply.
"And you're working harder than anyone here. That's not the Do-hyun I remember."
"...I need money."
That was all the clone said.
Deok-su let out a quiet chuckle.
"You and every other guy here."
He stared a bit longer, then pointed his thumb back toward the office.
"Follow me. Bring your ID."
The clone nodded once, then placed the last box onto the shelf before walking behind him.
---
Inside the small office, it smelled like old paper and instant coffee. A creaky fan spun lazily on the ceiling. Stacks of shipping forms leaned against the walls like they might fall over any second. A chipped mug sat beside the computer keyboard, half full of something black and cold.
Deok-su sat in his chair and motioned for the clone to sit too.
The clone stood.
Deok-su shrugged.
"Suit yourself."
He leaned back, his chair squeaking under his weight.
"You really do look different, kid. Lost weight. Got muscle. Even your eyes are sharp now."
The clone said nothing.
Deok-su tapped his fingers on the desk.
"You always this quiet?"
"...Yes."
"Still at that college of yours? What was it again? Dae-yong Guk?"
The clone nodded.
Deok-su let out a soft laugh.
"That place is no joke. You passed the entrance exam? I remember you used to nap through middle school."
"...I got lucky."
"Lucky or not, you passed. And now you're working here, moving boxes like a beast. That tells me something."
He leaned forward and placed both elbows on the desk.
"You need money, right?"
The clone nodded again.
"I figured. Well, I've got another offer. A quiet job. Clean. No lifting. No sweat."
The clone stared, still expressionless.
Deok-su smiled a little.
"My daughter needs a tutor. She's in her last year of high school. Real smart girl. Smarter than me, that's for sure. But her teachers say she's not focusing."
He scratched his cheek with one thick finger.
"I thought maybe someone close to her age would be better. Someone calm. Someone who's already in a top college."
He looked at the clone.
"You fit that. What do you say?"
The clone blinked once.
"...How much?"
"Two hundred thousand won an hour."
The office went quiet.
The old fan kept spinning.
The clone stood still as a statue.
Even back in his apartment, Do-hyun froze in place.
His eyes widened at the number.
Two hundred thousand. That was ten times what the warehouse paid.
He could work five hours a week and still survive.
He swallowed.
This could change everything.
---
The clone stood in silence for a moment.
His eyes did not blink.
His breathing was steady.
Then he gave a single nod.
"Alright. I will do it."
Deok-su grinned.
"Good. I like someone who gets to the point."
He pulled open a drawer and took out a small envelope. Inside were a few printed sheets. One had an address. Another had a schedule.
"Here. You go there tomorrow after work. Six in the evening. Her name is Oh Min-joo. Tell her I sent you."
The clone reached out and took the envelope.
His fingers did not shake.
"Understood."
Deok-su leaned back and watched the clone for a bit longer. He picked up his mug and took a slow sip of cold coffee.
"You really have changed, Do-hyun. You walk straighter now. Talk less. Move with purpose. If I had not known you before, I would think you were born this way."
The clone said nothing.
Just gave a polite bow.
And then left.
Outside the office, the sun was starting to set.
Golden light filled the warehouse.
The clone returned to work as if nothing had happened.
Crates.
Boxes.
Steel carts.
No sweat. No breath. Just motion.
From far away, someone whispered again.
"That guy really is a machine."
---