"We finally meet, Ji-hoon."
His voice was gentle. Too gentle.
Ji-hoon studied the man. Cold. Familiar. Blood recognized blood.
"Are you my father?"
Dr. Kang didn't blink. "Biologically, yes. But that's not why I'm here."
Then why…?
"You've inherited more than blood. You've inherited... the error."
"What error?"
"The first time I tested consciousness transference."
His heart dropped.
"You experimented on me?"
"No," Kang replied. "On myself."
What...?
"I was dying. So I transferred part of me into you. To preserve memory. Identity."
That 'I'... wasn't born from trauma. It was inserted.
"You're saying... that voice inside me... is you?"
Kang nodded. "Or a version of me. Twisted by your own fears."
Ji-hoon staggered back. Not a disorder. A download.
"That's impossible!"
"Yet, here you are. With two minds. Two truths."
"Why me?"
"Because I thought I could guide you. I was wrong. You resisted. Fragmented us."
"So you're here to fix it?"
"No. I'm here to end it."
Kang pulled out a small vial. Thick silver fluid. It shimmered.
"This can erase the duplicate. You'll be whole again."
Erase him? Or erase yourself... completely?
Ji-hoon stared at the vial. And behind him—
That smile. He had followed him here.
'Careful, Ji-hoon. He lies beautifully.'
Who do I trust? The man who made me? Or the one I became?
→ [To be continued in Episode 19]
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