Chapter 1: I Am at Your Service

I take a look at his face.

His long eyelashes extend gracefully from his tightly shut eyelids. His high nose bridge gives him a powerful appearance, and his lips are pink, as if they hold a sweet kiss.

I pull back the white cloth covering him and inspect his body.

A healthy male body. Six feet and one inch tall, 170 pounds. His age has been programmed to be in the late twenties. His smooth, white skin and firm muscles catch my eye, and I find his jet-black hair and matching body hair subtly arousing.

My name is Yuri Lee, and I am the person scrutinizing every inch of this man’s naked body so explicitly.

I am a tester. My job is to conduct a final inspection of clones in the beta stage before they are mass-produced.

Lying before me right now is my latest test subject. He is the ambitious, new model of the famous LPC-6, also affectionately known as the “Love Clone”. Apparently, he is closer to a human being than any clones before him have ever been.

Connected to an IV drip, he rests in a deep sleep, one that he has never awoken from before. The sensors connected to his head are still downloading basic information and false memories into his mind. Every time he breathes, his pale skin rises ever so slightly, as if he’s about to wake up, but he is unable to open his eyes until I give him an electric signal.

I press into his broad, sinewy chest with one finger, noting how dense his muscles are. My gaze travels from his chest down to his stomach, where his abs are on full display, even in sleep. And then…

Hmm. His body would put any man to shame.

Since he is not an official product, he does not yet have the “C” imprint all over his body that differentiates all clones from humans. If he walked down a street full of people, no one would be able to know that he was a clone.

If I did not know that he was a clone, I would have been drawn to his stunning looks and sexual charisma—but I do, and therefore feel no attraction to him. I am simply doing my job.

Despite knowing that there will be no response, I greet the sleeping clone.

“Hello.”

Unfortunately, that one word is all I can say to him. He has no name yet, only a code name for testing purposes: LPC6-M. The code name is an acronym for “Love Purpose Clone,” and the number 6 indicates that this is the sixth version of the clone. M stands for “Male”. Of course, there are also female versions of this clone called LPC-F (Female).

To put things in a grandiose way, the LPC is like an artificial sun that lights up the shadows of a capitalist society progressing indefinitely towards the sole goal of productivity. In an era where love has disappeared and loneliness has become the norm, the LPC is the greatest invention of the 21st century— one that satisfies romantic needs and quells loneliness.

I hear the sound of a buzzer, and a man’s face appears on the intercom.

“Yuri, can I come in?”

It’s Ricky, another member of the tester team.

“Sure.”

“Hehe, can’t you look a little happier to see me?”

But I’m not that happy to see you?

“Okay, it’s nice to see you, Ricky.”

Ricky shakes his long, light blond hair as he enters, exclaiming when he sees LPC-6.

“Wow, look at this guy! He’s twice as sexy as LPC5.”

“Right? The development team must have put in a lot of work.”

“I heard that they gave him all the best specs, but he’s really handsome.”

“How’s the female model?”

“Would you like to see?”

I cover LPC6’s body with the blanket and follow Ricky to his research lab. On the way there, Ricky begins chatting away.

“I heard there’s a great new Thai restaurant downtown. Have you tried it yet?”

“Is there? I haven’t been yet.”

“You like Thai food, right?”

“Not enough to crave it.”

“Really? You’ve been looking down these days. Is something wrong?”

I find Ricky’s cheerfulness irritating at times.

“You should go to the restaurant with your husband sometime. Maybe it’ll cheer you up.”

At the mention of my husband, I scowl reflexively. I figure that letting Ricky know about my relationship issues will only prolong our conversation, so I answer as drily as I can.

“I will. I bet he’d enjoy it.”

Sorry for lying, Ricky. There’s no chance that I’ll go there with that bastard.

In the bed of Ricky’s research lab lies the female model of the clone, LPC6-F. Her appearance is both frail and sophisticated. Will men feel attracted to her at a single glance? Maybe it’s because I’m a woman as well, or maybe it’s because I’ve been in such a horrible mood lately, but I feel nothing when I look at her.

“I think LPC5-F was more attractive, but maybe it’s just personal preference.”

“I don’t really know anything about the female model. I’m sure the development team will figure it out and follow the current trends.”

Ricky pulls back the blanket covering the clone. Even I can’t help but stare at her body, which has been designed to be as sensual as possible.

“I think the breasts are a little smaller this time. Or maybe the shape is different? The last model’s breasts were a little excessive, weren’t they?” Ricky asks as he inspects the sleeping clone’s chest.

“She was probably designed to match current trends.”

“Have you seen the development team’s report?”

“I haven’t read it yet.”

“It was pretty interesting.”

Through our tests, the LPC6’s flaws will be corrected, and the model will become more complete. After that, it will be mass-produced with various appearances in countries all around the world, soothing the loneliness of countless people. Well, the people who are willing to pay more for a clone than they would for a luxury car, at least.

I wonder if there will ever come a day when people will be able to get pregnant by clones or get clones pregnant. I assume that is the final stage of scientific technology. When humans and god become one, do we call it the peak or the end of humanity?

Ricky’s chatter pulls me out of my rapidly spiraling thoughts.

“By the way, do you want a cup of coffee, Yuri? I have some fantastic coffee made with beans from Honduras that were flown in yesterday.”

“Oh…”

I don’t really feel like chatting, so I look for an excuse to return to my lab. Just then, the skin monitor embedded into my wrist rings, notifying me of the next event on my schedule.

“Ah, Ricky, I should probably go. Let’s grab coffee another time.”

“Are you clocking out for the day?”

“No, I have some work to do at another location.”

“Got it. When are you going to start your testing?”

“When I get back later.”

“Wow, you’re fast. I was going to start tomorrow or the day after.”

“The faster you start, the faster you can get it over with.”

“I guess you’re right. Good luck with whatever it is you have to do, Yuri!”

Ricky raises one hand, and I high-five him lightly before I leave his lab.

As I get my bag from my own lab, my gaze is drawn to the face of the sleeping clone. The clone who will become my lover soon. Suddenly, I think of a name to give him.

Victor.

It is the name of the titular scientist in the literary classic, Frankenstein. Victor Frankenstein. Some might think that Frankenstein is the name of the monster, but it is actually the last name of the scientist who created him. I will give his name to this clone.

“Victor,” I whisper into his ear, which cannot yet hear. “Your name is Victor.”

But you’ll never become a monster, because you were created only to love. Created to love me, your master.

I say goodbye to the clone, who continues to sleep, unaware that he now has a name.

“See you soon, Victor.”

***

Thirty minutes after I leave the lab, I arrive at a school.

I am here to speak at an elementary school, at their request. I refused at first, but I changed my mind after getting a phone call from Jennie, who works in our PR department.

“Dr. Lee! Becoming a tester is a dream for so many kids. I know you’re busy, but I’d really appreciate it if you could spare some time for the children.”

That bitch. I ended up agreeing because I wanted to see her brazen face for myself.

It’s been quite a while since I started suspecting that my husband is seeing another woman, and it’s been around a month since I’ve become more and more sure that the other woman is Jennie from PR.

I have evidence, of course. I am an engineer who graduated from Seoul National University’s Clone Engineering department and received a PhD in Bioprogramming from Georgia Tech. I don’t suspect things without evidence.

As I walk through the school hallways, I see Jennie waiting outside a classroom. I’ve seen her a few times at company parties, but now that I look at her, she seems much younger than I’d thought. I heard she was still in her late twenties. She’s younger than me, and cute, I’ll admit.

I wonder if my husband was drawn to her youth. I’m not that old, though. I pay attention to my appearance and people often tell me that I’m pretty.

How pathetic. I’m comparing myself to her. I feel rage bubbling up inside me. Have I led such a miserable life that I deserve to feel so pathetic? Or are my husband and this woman the pathetic ones?

“Dr. Lee! Nice to meet you. It’s an honor,” Jennie says enthusiastically.

She seems a little too enthusiastic. Is she doing this to hide her affair with my husband, or is she just laughing at me? I repress my desire to smash my fist into her face and shake her hand pleasantly.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jennie. I’m Yuri Lee.”

But in my mind, I say: “Jennie. Did you sleep with my husband?”

“I’ve heard a lot about you, but this is the first time I’ve met you in person.”

“You’ve heard about me? From who?” I ask rather sharply. I won’t let her just walk all over me.

Jennie seems flustered by my tone. She must not know that I know about her affair with my husband yet.

“Oh, um… Just from people at the company. You’re famous, after all.”

“I didn’t know I was such a celebrity.”

“You’re a genius engineer and the nation’s top tester.”

I don’t want to play all of my cards at once, so I flash a fake smile at her, berating myself all the while. Sure, I might be a genius engineer and the nation’s top tester, but I’m also a fool who can’t keep her own husband in check.

Now that I see her up close, I think Jennie must be mixed-race. Not half-white, but maybe a quarter. Just like my son, Noel, who left the world when he was still so young.

“The kids are so excited to meet you. Let’s go in,” Jennie said, ushering me into the classroom.

The children’s homeroom teacher, who had been waiting inside, bows to greet me before introducing me in a high-strung tone.

“Everyone, Dr. Yuri Lee from XYZ Corporation is here to talk to us today about being a tester! This is a great opportunity for you all to ask her anything you want to know about clones! Give her a big round of applause!”

I bite back the urge to tell Jennie to kindly fuck off from the classroom now and wave my hand at the children instead. They look up at me with twinkling eyes. Kids’ eyes always light up when they’re interested in something.

“It’s nice to meet you all. My name is Yuri Lee, and I work as a tester at XYZ Corporation.”

I’m met with a smattering of applause. Jennie, too, claps her hands vigorously.

Look, Jennie. What are you thinking about while you clap like that? Am I a joke to you? Are you remembering how you slept with my husband? Is that what it takes for you to feel good about yourself? Just wait. I haven’t even started to hatch my plan for revenge. I don’t even know what I’m going to do to you yet.

I begin my lecture.

“A man named Steve Jobs created the smartphone 40 years ago, and that began an era when the smartphone industry was the most profitable market in the world.”

I press a button on my skin monitor and connect to the classroom’s hologram system to show a hologram of Steve Jobs. The hologram begins speaking in English, but it doesn’t matter, since it will all be processed by the children’s in-ear translating devices.

“Hello everyone, my name is Steve Jobs. Although no one uses hand-held phones today, there was once a time when everyone in the world used smartphones. The smartphone and application industries were some of the biggest in the world until ten years ago, when the first clones were created.”

I press the button again, and Steve Jobs disappears so that I can continue my lecture.

“Clones were created through the collaboration of two industries. The first is the stem cell biology industry, which made it possible to clone human tissue, and the second is the bioprogramming industry, which creates artificial brains. All of you are used to seeing clones, but when this technology first came out ten years ago, it was a revolutionary invention.”

I gesture to the assistant teacher—a clone—at the back of the classroom, and the children’s gazes follow my motion. The clone smiles shyly, the blue “C” on her forehead aglow. I’m struck speechless at the truly happy expression on her face.

Suddenly, I feel envious of clones. I was jealous that they could just accept their lives as slaves, and that they were grateful for their place. On days like this, I sometimes wish that I was a clone.

Rage and betrayal wind themselves tightly around my body. Am I jealous? Do I still love that bastard?

No matter how much clone technology progresses, clones will never be able to understand the human emotion of jealousy. Clones never have and never will receive the opportunity to feel such an emotion. They were created purely out of human necessity. No one needs a jealous clone.

The homeroom teacher’s voice breaks me out of my daze.

“Dr. Lee?”

I come back to my senses and run a hand through my hair.

Now, where was I?

***

After finishing my lecture, I return to my lab. On my way back, I listened to rock music from the 90’s—my favorite—but my mood hasn’t gotten much better. I feel that I am most at ease when I’m working. At least I don’t have time to worry about anything else then.

As soon as I arrive, I check on the LPC6’s status, reading the numbers on the monitor connected to Victor, who is fast asleep.

Basic information, 100%. Memory transplant, 100%. Vitals, 100%. The numbers tell me that Victor is ready to wake up.

I check the time. 4 PM. I never wake a clone up at such a late hour, since the first meeting between a tester and clone is crucial. I typically wake them up in the morning so that we have plenty of time with each other. But still, it’s not like there are rules about when I can and can’t wake up a clone. A clone’s testing process depends entirely on the discretion of the tester from start to finish.

I am this sexy man’s master, creator, and lover. His mind has also been programmed to think the same. I am someone that he can never deny and must submit to unconditionally.

“Time to wake up,” I whisper into the clone’s ear.

Then, I speak into the sensor on my wrist, which is connected to the system in my lab.

“This is tester Yuri Lee. Commencing the testing process now.”

A response flashes on my skin monitor.

“Preparing.”

No more than five minutes later, members of the support team arrive at my lab.

“Shall we get started, Dr. Lee?”

“Yes, please get everything ready now.”

The support team begins transporting the LPC6 model to the test house: the home that we will be living in together for the next month.

I change out of my work clothes and step out of my lab. It’s time to begin the test.

***

The clone testing sites are decorated to look like a normal family home. The interior design changes depending on the clone’s purpose, so for love clones, the testing sites are designed to look like the home of newlyweds. Such is the case for this test. I open the door, only to be blinded by the bright lights and white walls and furniture.

The house my husband and I lived in when we were newlyweds comes to mind. I had just gotten hired at XYZ after studying abroad, and we were able to get a home far beyond our budget thanks to some help from the company. The apartment felt shiny and bright, just like this one.

Well, I suppose everything felt shiny and bright back then. I was in love, after all.

I shake off all thoughts of my husband before I am engulfed in anger and sorrow, and I open the door to the bedroom.

The LPC6 is laid out on top of the large bed. He is the only one of his kind in the world, a rare and precious entity that has yet to be mass-produced. The fact that there is nothing else like him gives him something in common with humans. Of course, once the test is over, there will be thousands of identical clones being churned out at factories.

I take a seat on the bed and look down at the clone’s face. It’s not my first time seeing a handsome clone, but this is my first time finding a clone truly attractive. The development team really has accomplished an incredible feat.

I take his limp hand into my own. His body temperature feels the same as a human’s, and I can feel his steady heartbeat as well. I pull up his battery controller on my skin monitor, a device provided only to testers, and without a second thought, I press the button. With a jolt, the electric current travels down my wrist and onto his at a frequency specifically set to awaken bioclones.

One, two, three seconds later, he opens his eyes.

As I look at his eyes for the first time, I notice how clear they are. He has the face of an adult, but his eyes look like a boy’s. He seems confused at making eye contact with someone for the first time since being born, but after recognizing my face, his face relaxes again.

“Master?”

“Yes, I’m your master.”

“I am at your service.”

He bows his head and swears submission to me, just like the previous models before him. However, despite knowing that he is fully naked, he stands up proudly.

What an interesting reaction. The previous LPC models were sweet and meek. They swore unconditional submission to their masters and asked for affection without having to be trained to do so. However, this model is… different. He seems proud, as if he is a human on equal footing with me. I think this quality increases the value of the product. For now, at least.

I stroke his back calmly and cup his face with both hands. I can feel his body heat radiating onto my palms, just like a human’s would. His dark blue eyes sparkle like a rare gem.

“Your name is Victor,” I whisper to him softly.

“Victor…”

I recall the name of a book I read as a child in my father’s study, a novel written by the famous author Yeonsu Kim in his younger years.

If the Waves Belong to the Sea.

“You belong to me. Your duty is to love me, and be loved by me,” I whisper to Victor.

Of course, there’s something else that sets you apart from waves. Waves will continue to exist until the planet Earth disappears, but you… You will exist for a short month in the summer of 2046 before being disposed of in a city called Pyongyang. Sadly, that’s the fate of a test clone.

There is a human thirst that cannot be quenched with money, hobbies, or even religion. That thirst is called love; eros love, to be exact. Humans have a hole in their heart that can only be filled with the words, warmth, tears, laughter, and touch of another. Without filling that hole, it is impossible for them to be truly happy. If you think about it inversely, it is only because of that hole that we can become happy. This happiness is different from the animal satisfaction we feel from eating and drinking and sleeping. Love: the privilege and punishment afforded only to humans.

There was a time when I wasn’t as lonely as I am now, when I wasn’t choked up by jealousy and misery. I liked dating before I met my husband, and I’m sure I was happy in the time after I met my husband and leading up to my wedding. I’m not sure how things got to this point, but I have to admit it: I am unhappy. The hole in my heart that can only be filled with the words, warmth, tears, laughter, and touch of another is completely empty.

The people who buy the most expensive LPC models are people who are just as empty as I. Perhaps they spend so much money on clones in the hopes that they might be able to fill that hole in their hearts. However, I’ve tested countless clones in the forefront of the cloning industry. I do not have such hopes. Despite the development team’s bold claims, this I know for sure: It is impossible to connect with a clone. It is, therefore, also impossible for a human and a clone to love one another.

Humans can never love clones.

Victor’s face approaches my eyes, which are full of suspicion. He has an almost sad look in his eyes, as if he knows that he will be disposed of in a month. As if he knows how cold my heart is. But there’s no chance that he knows any of this. He is only a clone. He does not know his fate or my thoughts. So why does it feel like he does?

It’s impossible. I must be imagining things since I’ve been so on edge lately.

His face draws closer to mine as I look at him, reminding myself that he is just a clone. Without realizing it, my eyes flutter shut as his warm, sweet breath brushes against the tip of my nose.

“Master,” he says, his deep voice tickling my ears. “May I ask you a question?”