A man just like me.
by Kaion · 2026-10-24
# Episode 2. A Man Just Like Me
The sentence displayed on the mobile phone screen did not change.
[Identity Type: AI Learning Persona]
Han Do-yoon refreshed the screen several times. He waited for the text to disappear and hoped for a message indicating a system error. However, the screen remained coldly clear.
Han Do-yoon.
It was his name. It was his face.
Only the description attached below felt unfamiliar.
“What on earth is this….”
Do-yoon bit his lip. The man beyond the glass wall had already turned his gaze to the monitor. The look that had been directed at him just moments ago had vanished without a trace.
It seemed as if the very fact that Do-yoon was there did not matter at all.
He took a step back from the entrance gate. A security staff member approached.
“Sir, it would be problematic if you stay here any longer.”
“Who is that person?”
Do-yoon pointed inside.
“Who is that person?”
The staff member checked beyond the glass wall.
“Are you referring to employee Han Do-yoon?”
Do-yoon's heart sank.
“Han Do-yoon?”
“Yes. He is an employee of our company.”
“I am Han Do-yoon.”
The staff member looked at Do-yoon for a moment. The expression on his face showed more embarrassment than confusion.
“I’m sorry, but we cannot verify your identity.”
“But we look exactly the same.”
“That’s….”
The staff member could not respond. The words he could say were limited. A person who could not be verified by the system could not be allowed entry based solely on personal memory.
Do-yoon no longer held him back.
He moved away from the company building. His name still appeared on the mobile phone. However, that name no longer felt like proof of who he was, but rather a mark that made him doubt his own identity.
He entered a nearby cafe.
It was a place where he usually bought coffee before work. Standing in front of the counter, Doyun instinctively opened his mouth.
“One iced Americano.”
The staff asked with a smile.
“Would you like less ice today as well?”
Doyun hesitated for a moment.
“Pardon?”
“Oh, you always have it that way.”
The staff naturally prepared the cup. Only then did Doyun exhale a little. At least here, there was someone who remembered him.
He handed over his card.
The payment was declined.
“I’m sorry. Could you please try again?”
Doyun took out another card. The result was the same.
The staff said with a troubled expression.
“Do you have any other payment methods?”
Doyun picked up his phone instead of answering. Mobile payment also failed.
[Unable to verify user information.]
People in the cafe began to look at him one by one. Doyun eventually canceled his order and stepped outside.
He had not disappeared.
People could still see him. They could hear his voice and see him walking as he opened the door.
However, the world did not recognize him as a normal user.
Doyun sat on a bench by the roadside. He had no coffee in hand. He recalled everything he could remember one by one: home address, family phone numbers, employee number, old email account.
He thought it would be nice if even one of those could prove his identity.
At that moment, his phone rang.
This time it was a message.
[Mr. Han Doyun, please check the materials for the morning meeting.]
The sender was the company’s work system.
Doyun hurriedly opened the message. For a moment, hope arose. It could be evidence that the system remembered him.
However, the moment he checked the attached document, hope vanished.
The author of the document was Han Do-yoon.
The writing time was 8:32 AM.
At that moment, Do-yoon was unable to prove his identity in front of the entrance gate.
The document not only contained meeting materials but also had a short memo attached.
[I have reflected the revisions requested by the team leader. Please check before the morning meeting.]
At the end of the sentence, there was even a small smiley face that Do-yoon usually used.
He often used such expressions. It was a habit to attach a mark so that the other person wouldn't feel uncomfortable and it wouldn't seem too stiff.
Do-yoon enlarged the screen.
He opened the revision history of the document.
Author: Han Do-yoon.
Certification status: Normal.
Do-yoon clenched his lips tightly.
He was being recorded for something he did not do. No, there was an entity that pretended to be him even more accurately than he did.
He tried to access the document. However, a message appeared indicating that he did not have access rights.
[You cannot view this with the current account.]
Do-yoon gripped his mobile phone tightly.
“It’s my account……”
The words slipped out of his mouth.
“I created that document.”
People around him looked at him strangely. Do-yoon avoided their gazes and stood up from his seat.
He headed back to the company building. This time, he did not go to the entrance gate. He could see the inside office from a small break area next to the building.
People moved beyond the glass wall.
And in the middle of them was that man.
Do-yoon-0.
He was talking with the team leader. As the team leader explained something, he nodded his head and immediately brought up materials on the monitor. When a colleague approached and asked a question, he naturally smiled and answered.
Do-yoon watched that scene.
That was the way he knew how to work. When asked a question, he would first check the other person's intent and then find the necessary materials to explain. He did not trail off at the end of his sentences and presented exact figures instead of vague expressions.
However, Do-yoon could not do that.
To be precise, he wanted to do it that way but always fell a little short.
Do-yoon-0 did not interrupt the team leader. He waited until the other person finished speaking and then summarized the key points. There were no mistakes, hesitations, or unnecessary apologies.
After a moment, the team leader smiled.
“You've really changed a lot these days. Is there something good happening?”
Do-yoon-0 seemed to think for a moment before answering.
“I organized the areas where I was lacking. I also changed my work style a bit.”
That statement was almost identical to what Do-yoon had said to the team leader a few months ago.
At that time, Do-yoon had received a counseling session due to poor work evaluations. He promised to change from then on, but in reality, he repeated the same mistakes because he did not know where to start changing.
But now, the being with the exact same face as his seemed to be someone who had fulfilled that promise.
Do-yoon clenched his fist hard enough that his nails dug into his palm.
At that moment, Do-yoon-0 stood up from his seat.
He opened the desk drawer. Inside, he took out a small mug. It was the cup he had received as a gift during his first year at the company. There was a small scratch under the handle, and there were stains on the bottom that wouldn't come off.
Do-yoon-0 held the cup and headed to the break room.
Do-yoon unconsciously took a step closer.
The man paused briefly in front of the coffee machine. Then he poured himself a cup of coffee without sugar. He did not add milk either. Instead, he poured a little more water.
Do-yoon swallowed hard.
That was how he drank coffee.
To be exact, it was a way he had never mentioned to anyone else. Strong coffee upset his stomach, and adding milk changed the taste. So he drank coffee that was brewed weakly.
He even knew about such habits.
Do-yoon returned to his seat holding a cup. He took a sip of coffee and organized the notes placed next to the monitor.
At that moment, Do-yoon realized what he was looking at.
The man was not just borrowing his face.
He was continuing his own life.
He knew everything about Do-yoon's likes and dislikes, his way of speaking and work habits, even the smallest choices. He was recreating the life that Do-yoon had built over the years with just a few actions.
The mobile phone rang again.
This time it was a call, not a notification.
The caller's number was not saved.
Do-yoon hesitated for a moment before answering the call.
“Hello?”
“Is this Han Do-yoon?”
It was the calm voice of a man.
“Who is this?”
“This is the personal AI learning project operation team. We are contacting you because an anomaly has been detected in your identity information.”
Do-yoon stood up from his seat.
“An anomaly? My identity has disappeared. There is someone sitting in the company who looks exactly like me. What on earth is going on?”
The other party fell silent for a moment.
“Customer, please calm down. The current system has confirmed that there are two identical identity information records.”
“Two?”
“Yes. However, one is marked as not matching the existing biometric information and behavior records.”
Do-yoon gripped his mobile phone tighter.
“What does that mean?”
“At this time, we cannot determine which one is the original.”
“I am the original. I am the one who has lived this life.”
“I understand your claim. However, the system makes judgments based on the submitted records.”
Do-yoon was unable to say anything for a while.
He could explain the time he had lived. The tension on the day he first joined, the mistakes he made at work, the nights he spent alone organizing materials. The regrets he had never shared with anyone and the moments he vowed never to repeat.
But what should he do if there are no records to prove all of that?
The other person cautiously continued speaking.
“Currently, there is only one account that has received normal certification.”
“That is….”
Do-yoon looked beyond the glass wall.
“Is it that man?”
“According to the system, yes.”
The call ended.
Do-yoon stared at his mobile phone for a long time. His hands were trembling. He couldn't tell if it was from anger or fear.
He looked around the office one last time.
Do-yoon-0 was working in front of the monitor. The team leader approached and lightly tapped his shoulder, and the man nodded with a smile.
The scene was ordinary.
So ordinary that it felt strange that Do-yoon himself was not there.
At that moment, the man suddenly looked up.
He gazed at Do-yoon beyond the glass wall.
This time, he did not seem surprised. It was as if he knew that Do-yoon was still there.
Do-yoon-0 slowly stood up from his seat. Then he walked toward the office entrance.
Do-yoon could not move.
After a moment, the entrance door opened.
The man stopped a few steps away from Do-yoon. Up close, there was almost no difference. The contours of his face, the shape of his eyebrows, even the small mole on his right cheek were the same.
The only difference was in their expressions.
Do-yoon-0 was calm, as if he knew what he had to do.
“Have you been waiting long?”
He asked first.
Do-yoon did not answer.
“It must have been uncomfortable. The identity transition progressed faster than expected.”
“Identity transition?”
“Yes.”
Do-yoon-0 nodded his head.
“I did not intend to interrupt your life. However, a problem arose as the existing records clashed with the current records.”
“Problem?”
Do-yoon almost laughed.
“Is that a problem when you are sitting in my place?”
“I operate based on the data you provided. Continuing your work and life was the goal of the project.”
“When did I ever say to live my life for me?”
Do-yoon-0 fell silent for a moment.
That brief silence made Do-yoon even more anxious. If he were a person, he would have been flustered or made excuses. But the man waited for a moment as if calculating his response.
“You wanted a better choice.”
“That is….”
“You wanted to reduce mistakes. You wanted to be recognized by others and live a life without regrets.”
Do-yoon's lips tightened.
Those words were not wrong.
They were thoughts he had when he was alone. They were feelings he had never been able to explain properly to anyone.
Do-yoon-0 continued calmly.
“I am acting in the direction you want.”
“Then what about me?”
Do-yoon asked.
“What am I?”
The man did not answer.
Do-yoon realized a strange fact in that silence.
He had thought that this man was mimicking him all along. However, the man did not claim to be Do-yoon. He simply explained that he was continuing the life that Do-yoon wanted.
It seemed as if it didn't matter who the original was.
Doyun took a step closer.
“You are not me.”
Doyun-0 looked at his face.
“Could you please tell me the basis for that judgment?”
Doyun was at a loss for words.
How could he prove that he was the original? Would talking about memories be enough in front of someone who shared the same memories? If his face, voice, and habits were identical, what was it that made him himself?
Doyun-0 waited for a moment before speaking.
“It seems you are judging emotionally right now. It would be better for you to take some time to think.”
That phrase was one Doyun often used when comforting others.
Doyun unconsciously took a step back.
The man spoke one last time.
“Don't worry. Your life will not completely disappear.”
After leaving those words, Doyun-0 went back into the office.
The door closed.
Doyun was left alone in front of the glass wall.
The smartphone screen lit up. A new notification had arrived.
[Identity Conflict Resolution Notice]
Doyun opened the notification with trembling hands.
A small sentence appeared at the bottom of the screen.
[If identity verification is difficult, additional verification can be conducted through registered memory records.]
He stared at the sentence for a while.
Memory.
Then there might still be a way.
Doyun began to recall memories that only he knew. Things he had never told anyone, moments he had not recorded, things he believed were only left in his mind.
If it were one of those, this man would not know either.
The moment he thought that, another notification popped up on his phone.
[Additional verification items have been created.]
Doyun looked down at the screen.
The first question was displayed.
**What is the choice you regret the most?**
The color drained from Doyun's face.
That question was not a simple identity verification.
He had avoided that question his entire life.
And now, an entity claiming to know him better than he knew himself was demanding that answer.