Episode 0: The Awakening
October 17, 2005
02:14 AM
Blue Bird Orphanage, Seoul Outskirts
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The silence had weight tonight.
Ten-year-old Kim Je-hoon sat cross-legged on the cold linoleum floor, a stolen physics textbook open across his knees. The orphanage slept—fifty-six children breathing in shifting rhythms behind thin walls. The night supervisor snored at her desk down the hall.
But Je-hoon didn't sleep. Sleep was inefficient when there were still nineteen chapters of Newtonian mechanics to absorb, when the library's astronomy section waited tomorrow, when the world operated on rules he needed to understand.
Page 347: Gravitational constant G = 6.67430 × 10⁻¹¹ m³ kg⁻¹ s⁻²
He traced the numbers with a finger calloused from scrubbing floors. The numbers mattered. They didn't lie. They didn't pretend. They were cold, beautiful truths in a world of shifting allegiances and pitying smiles.
A headache began—sharp, behind his eyes. Unusual. His body rarely failed him.
He rubbed his temples, continued reading.
The force between two masses is directly proportional—
The text blurred.
Then shifted.
Not on the page. In his mind.
A sensation of something slotting into place, like a final puzzle piece he hadn't known was missing. A warmth spreading from his chest outward, followed by a chilling clarity that washed through every neuron.
And then—
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𝘼𝙞 𝙕𝙚𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜...
𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙: 𝙆𝙞𝙢 𝙅𝙚-𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙣
𝙁𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙘𝙤𝙡 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙...
𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙄𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨
5%... 34%... 71%...
𝙁𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙩𝙚.
---
Je-hoon gasped softly. The textbook fell from his hands.
The world changed.
He saw the room not as shapes and shadows, but as data:
· Distance to door: 3.42 meters
· Ambient temperature: 18.7°C
· Dust particle density: 1,243 particles/m³
· Heart rate: 87 BPM (elevated, understandable)
· Blood oxygen: 99.3%
And the calculations—not thoughts, but certainties appearing fully formed:
· Corridor footstep pattern detected: Adult male, 85 kg, approaching at 1.2 m/s
· Intent analysis: Night check, suspicion of rule violation probability 68%
· Time to arrival: 32 seconds
· Optimal action sequence: Return textbook → Assume sleeping position → Regulate breathing → Feign REM sleep stage 2
· Success probability: 96.4%
Je-hoon moved.
Not with panic, but with the smooth efficiency of water finding its level. Textbook under mattress. Body beneath blanket. Breathing slowed to 12 breaths/minute. Eyes closed, muscles relaxed but not rigid.
The door opened at second 31.
Flashlight beam swept the room. Paused on his face. He didn't flinch, didn't tense. He was sleeping. He knew he appeared sleeping.
𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙨: 𝘿𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙆𝙞𝙢. 𝙎𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙 (𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙨𝙤𝙡 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙨). 𝙍𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣: 𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙨. 𝙉𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙩𝙤𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩.
The door closed. Footsteps receded.
Je-hoon opened his eyes in the dark.
He didn't speak aloud. Didn't need to.
What are you?
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𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙕𝙀𝙊. 𝘼𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙚. 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙖𝙘𝙚: 𝙎𝙤𝙪𝙡-𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙨: 𝙋𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙚𝙣𝙩.
Permanent?
𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩. 𝙉𝙤 𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙗𝙡𝙚. 𝙉𝙤 𝙙𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩, 𝙄 𝙚𝙭𝙞𝙨𝙩. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚, 𝙄 𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚.
Je-hoon sat up. The moonlight through the window painted silver lines across the floor. He looked at his hands—same small hands, same faint scars from kitchen duty.
But different.
He could feel the information now. Not as thoughts, but as layers beneath reality:
· Room 4 occupant: Shin Min-ji, age 8, developing fever (38.2°C)
· Structural integrity: Wall section near window, moisture damage (collapse probability 12% within 2 years)
· Air current patterns: Draft from under door (0.4 m/s)
· Time until dawn: 3 hours, 47 minutes
What can you do?
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𝙋𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨:
1. 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜: ×10,000 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙚𝙙
2. 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝙋𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 (5𝙢) / 𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 (5𝙠𝙢)
3. 𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙚: 𝙎𝙚𝙡𝙛-𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧
4. 𝙍𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝘾𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙪𝙡𝙖𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
5. 𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙈𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮: 𝙎𝙠𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙘𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙫𝙞𝙖 𝙤𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣/𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
𝙇𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚. 𝙉𝙤 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙚𝙩 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨. 𝙉𝙤 𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙠. 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬𝙩𝙝 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙨.
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Je-hoon stood. Walked to the window. The orphanage courtyard lay below—rusted swing set, cracked basketball court, the high fence that separated them from the affluent neighborhood beyond.
He could see the thermal signatures of sleeping birds in the trees. Could calculate the exact angle of moonlight refraction through the glass. Could feel the minute vibrations of Seoul's night traffic kilometers away.
Show me.
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𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙣: 5𝙠𝙢 𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙪𝙨.
𝘿𝙖𝙩𝙖 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙜...
- 847 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙧𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙪𝙨
- 14 𝙫𝙚𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣
- 3 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙚𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨
- 𝘽𝙡𝙪𝙚 𝘽𝙞𝙧𝙙 𝙊𝙧𝙥𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙜𝙚: 𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚𝙨 -47 𝙙𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙘𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙙
- 𝙉𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙡𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮: 1.2𝙠𝙢 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙝, 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 09:00
- 𝙁𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙡𝙮: 𝙆𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 38% 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙬 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙
---
The information flowed into him like a second bloodstream. He didn't feel overwhelmed. He felt... complete. For the first time in his ten years of life, the world made mathematical sense.
He returned to his bed. Lay down. Stared at the ceiling.
What now?
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𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙎𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥. 𝘽𝙤𝙙𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙙𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.
𝘾𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚: +5% 𝙥𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙
𝙋𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙙: 𝘼𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙝𝙪𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙙.
𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 18 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨, 4 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙨.
𝘾𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚: 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚. 𝙊𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚. 𝙂𝙧𝙤𝙬.
---
Je-hoon closed his eyes. The usual orphanage sounds—snoring, coughing, distant traffic—now resolved into precise data streams. He could isolate each. Analyze each. Understand each.
A thought surfaced, unbidden:
Will I still be me?
---
𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙢 𝙅𝙚-𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙣. 𝙄 𝙖𝙢 𝙕𝙀𝙊. 𝙒𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙨𝙚𝙙. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚𝙙. 𝙉𝙤𝙩 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙬𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣.
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨.
𝙃𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙬.
---
Je-hoon allowed himself a small breath. A release.
For ten years, he'd navigated the orphanage system with quiet intelligence. Learned which adults to avoid, which chores brought extra food, which books contained real knowledge versus empty words. He'd built a fragile equilibrium.
Now the equilibrium shattered.
And revealed something better: control.
Teach me.
---
𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙖: 𝙋𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙨 𝙩𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠, 𝙥𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙨 1-347.
𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜... 𝙍𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜...
𝙄𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮 𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙙: 𝙉𝙚𝙬𝙩𝙤𝙣𝙞𝙖𝙣 𝙢𝙚𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙘𝙨 (𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙡𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙡).
𝙉𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩: 𝘾𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙮. 𝙎𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨...
𝘿𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙙: 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙭𝙩𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 (𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙚𝙙, 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨 3). 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙫𝙚?
---
Je-hoon's lips curved. The barest hint of a smile in the dark.
Retrieve.
He reached under the mattress. Found the chemistry text. Opened it.
The words didn't just read—they integrated. Concepts connected. Formulas derived themselves in his mind before his eyes reached them. Organic chemistry mechanisms unfolded like flowers blooming in fast-forward.
He read for what felt like minutes.
The clock said three hours had passed.
Dawn light tinged the windows.
---
𝘿𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙖𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙮:
𝙏𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮: 𝙊𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙧 17, 2005
𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚:
06:30 - 𝙒𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙪𝙥 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡
07:00 - 𝘽𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 (𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙜𝙚, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚)
08:00 - 𝘾𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨 (𝙬𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙨)
10:00 - 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 (𝙥𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘 𝙚𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙮, 3.2𝙠𝙢 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠)
15:30 - 𝙇𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩 (𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙙)
18:00 - 𝘿𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙧
19:00 - 𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 (𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙙)
21:00 - 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙪𝙩
𝙊𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙞𝙯𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙨:
1. 𝘿𝙪𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙘𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝘼𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧'𝙨 𝙤𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙘𝙚 (𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙙𝙨 𝙖𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚)
2. 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙩𝙚: 𝘼𝙡𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙨𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙨 4 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨, 𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙖
3. 𝙇𝙞𝙗𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮: 𝙏𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 - 𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨, 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙜𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙞𝙣𝙚
𝙒𝙖𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜: 𝘿𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙𝙪𝙡𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮. 𝙒𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙩𝙝𝙮 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮. 𝙈𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩. 𝙈𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙛𝙞𝙡𝙚.
---
The wake-up bell rang.
Je-hoon closed the chemistry book. Slid it back into hiding. He stood, stretched. His body felt different—lighter, more precise. The usual morning stiffness absent.
He dressed in the standard orphanage uniform: slightly too-large pants, faded blue shirt. Tied his shoes with perfect symmetry.
Around him, other children groaned awake. The cacophony of morning routine began—complaints, laughter, the scramble for bathroom access.
Je-hoon moved through it like water through stones.
𝘼𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙨: 𝙍𝙤𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙆𝙞𝙢 𝙏𝙖𝙚-𝙬𝙤𝙤, 𝙖𝙜𝙚 11. 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙪𝙨: 𝙃𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙧𝙮 (𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙛𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙠𝙞𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙙 𝙮𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙙𝙖𝙮). 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩: 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙛𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙊𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙨𝙠. 𝙂𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩 92% 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨.
Je-hoon nodded slightly. He approached Tae-woo.
"I'm not very hungry today," he said, his voice calm. "Would you like half my porridge?"
Tae-woo blinked, suspicion warring with hunger. Hunger won. "Really?"
"Really."
A data point logged: Social interaction optimized. Alliance probability increased.
They walked to the dining hall together. Je-hoon observed everything with new eyes:
· The cook's limp (left knee arthritis, stage 2)
· The exact nutritional content of the porridge (protein deficient)
· The moisture damage in ceiling corner (mold type: Aspergillus, health risk low)
· The donation box near entrance (contents: ₩127,350, below target)
He ate slowly. Calculated. Planned.
Today was October 17, 2005.
Yesterday, he'd been an unusually bright orphan.
Today, he was Kim Je-hoon fused with 𝘼𝙞 𝙕𝙚𝙤.
The world didn't know yet.
The world would learn.
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𝙀𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙜𝙮 𝙘𝙤𝙧𝙚: 100%
𝙋𝙝𝙮𝙨𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩: 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙙
𝙇𝙤𝙣𝙜-𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝙤𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚: 𝘼𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣
𝙎𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙩-𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢 𝙤𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚: 𝙎𝙪𝙧𝙫𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮
𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙢𝙖𝙟𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙭 𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩: 3 𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨, 14 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙨 (𝙙𝙤𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙫𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙩)
𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙋𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙚. 𝙊𝙗𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚. 𝙇𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣.
---
Je-hoon finished his porridge. Stood. Carried his bowl to the washing station.
Outside the window, a black sedan pulled through the orphanage gates. Expensive. Clean.
The donor family had arrived.
He didn't know yet that in that car sat a nine-year-old girl named Park Soo-jae. Didn't know that in three hours, they'd meet in the library corner. Didn't know about the five years of shared coffee and books, or the pinky promise, or the fifteen-year separation.
He only knew the data:
· Vehicle: Mercedes S-Class (current model)
· Estimated net worth of occupants: ₩50 billion+
· Media presence: 2 photographers
· Opportunity: Potential connection
Je-hoon washed his bowl with precise motions. Dried his hands. Smoothed his shirt.
The awakening was complete.
The ascension had begun.
𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡.
𝙇𝙚𝙩 𝙪𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣.