The Professor's Secret
After receiving word that Kang Tae-san had flatly refused the offer, Kim Hoon-sik’s expression darkened.
“Why? What did he say?”
“Ah… he said he didn’t want to.”
“Hmm. Can’t be helped, I guess.”
Kim Hoon-sik felt a surge of irritation as he watched his friend respond so nonchalantly.
“Hey, Sung Tae-man. You didn’t even watch the video I sent, did you?”
“Ahem. You know how crazy things have been lately. I’ve already seen hundreds of clips from rookie actors. I know you’re not the type to exaggerate, but after watching it, they all just seemed the same to me.”
“Wow. Some drama debut director you are, with that kind of attitude.”
Sung Tae-man was an old comrade Kim Hoon-sik had met during their civil service exam study group and had rolled through the entertainment industry trenches with for over a decade.
He knew better than anyone how Sung Tae-man had endured every hardship as an assistant director at SBC’s drama department before finally landing his first miniseries project after eight grueling years.
That was why he wanted this drama to succeed more than anyone.
Kim Hoon-sik forced down his rising anger and chose his words carefully.
The crime thriller was an episodic series that desperately needed strong supporting actors who could portray villains convincingly.
And Kim Hoon-sik had recently discovered the perfect actor for the role.
“Come on, just watch it now. It’ll only take a minute.”
In the end, he had no choice but to shove his phone right in front of Sung Tae-man, who was calmly eating a hamburger.
“Seriously, this is getting ridiculous. I don’t want to talk about work while I’m eating… Huh? What’s this?”
Sung Tae-man’s eyes locked onto the man in the video.
The clean-cut face was striking enough, but the piercing, gleaming eyes seemed to reach straight out of the screen.
“You can’t live without me. Not without me.”
Even though the camera was fixed and there was no movement at all, the man’s face on the right side of the frame felt like it had been zoomed in for a close-up.
“What is this?”
Sung Tae-man snatched the phone from Kim Hoon-sik and replayed the video from the beginning.
“See? I wasn’t just making you watch it for no reason, was I?”
“Which agency is this actor with?”
“He’s not an actor. He’s just a regular person.”
“What are you talking about? How can someone with that kind of acting skill be an ordinary person?”
“Want to know what his actual job is?”
“?”
“He’s a cleaner. Someone who sweeps and scrubs for a living.”
***
Cleaner Kang Tae-san scrolled through the list of requests.
[Today’s Requests]
➤Client: Cha Young-do
-Seoul, Gangdong-gu
-Estimated time: 3 hours
-Hourly rate: 10,000 won
-Note: Domestic violence offender
➤Client: Seo Chae-hyuk
-Seoul, Gangnam-gu
-Estimated time: 3 hours
-Hourly rate: 50,000 won
-Note: Professor
➤Client: Kang Ki-tae
-Seoul, Gwangjin-gu
-Estimated time: 2 hours
-Hourly rate: 15,000 won
-Note: Voice phishing scammer
➤Client: Yang Sun-il
-Seoul, Gangnam-gu
-Estimated time: 6 hours
-Hourly rate: 80,000 won
-Note: School bullying victim
‘Four requests today.’
Tae-san skipped over the rest and focused first on the notes.
Domestic violence, voice phishing, school bullying victim… every single one was a life he never wanted to experience.
Naturally, his hand moved toward the client with the highest pay and the cleanest note: Seo Chae-hyuk.
[Would you like to begin cleaning?]
[Yes / No]
After a brief hesitation, Tae-san pressed “Yes.”
A message reading “Cleaning in progress” appeared along with a broom icon, and the center of the screen began sweeping back and forth in place of a loading bar.
‘Weirdly annoying.’
Before, he had only thought the UI was cute.
But now that he knew he would have to relive someone’s life after every cleaning, it felt deeply unsettling.
“Still, I need to try it at least once more to understand exactly how this works.”
Rather than guessing, experiencing it directly and sorting it out afterward suited Kang Tae-san’s personality better.
Above all, using the “Memorial Box” might finally let him organize Yoo Pil-joo’s memories that kept appearing in his dreams.
‘Easy money really doesn’t exist.’
Tae-san boarded a bus to visit client Seo Chae-hyuk’s home.
He had tried to be careful with his bulky cleaning equipment, but it still made sitting awkward.
There were useful cleaning tools listed in the item shop, so buying some of those would probably help a lot.
The thought struck him as oddly fitting for a diligent cleaner, making him pause for a moment.
‘Being diligent has never hurt me before.’
The ever-positive Kang Tae-san recalled all his past part-time jobs. No matter the task, if he approached it with sincerity, people eventually recognized his efforts.
Whether it was being the first to arrive and last to leave at the café, clearing two or three extra tables at the banquet hall, or volunteering to clean the restroom at the meat restaurant despite the owner telling him not to—everyone had valued his diligence, either raising his hourly rate or prioritizing his schedule when he needed time off.
Even if it felt like a loss in the moment, it always came back as a greater gain in the long run. For Tae-san, diligence was his weapon.
Just as he stepped off the bus, his phone vibrated. It was his sister, So-yeon.
-There’s no cleaning app called “Smile”?
-Got it. Thanks.
He had searched the app store for “Smile Cleaning” just in case, wondering if the same app would show up for her.
With almost no friends because of his busy part-time schedule, Tae-san was curious about how the app’s system actually worked, but he didn’t want to bother his sister while she was preparing to become an idol.
If the chance arose, he planned to borrow a client’s phone and check the app’s status himself.
Ding-dong. Ding-dong.
Arriving at the apartment, Tae-san pressed the call button for unit 1801.
Soon after, the door unlocked with a click.
As the automatic door opened, he stepped into a luxurious lobby with marble floors and an information desk.
It was his first time inside such a high-end apartment, and Tae-san momentarily lost himself staring at the surroundings.
It felt like walking into the hotel where he used to work banquet shifts.
“How may I help you?”
A staff member in a suit at the desk asked, clearly regarding Tae-san as a visitor.
When he explained he was there to clean unit 1801, the staff checked his ID and had him sign the visitor log.
After leaving his ID, Tae-san took the elevator access card and headed up to the eighteenth floor.
“Ah, you’re here to clean?”
“Yes! Hello. I’m Kang Tae-san, the Smile cleaning manager.”
Seo Chae-hyuk, a man in his forties, greeted the brightly smiling Tae-san politely.
“You’re younger than I expected. The house is generally clean, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”
Tae-san followed Seo Chae-hyuk inside.
High ceilings. Marble floors like the lobby. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Han River.
Expensive-looking furniture and paintings whose subjects he couldn’t even identify.
In short, it was the most expensive home he had ever seen.
Moreover, nothing seemed out of place; every item looked exactly where it belonged.
Tae-san couldn’t help wondering what there was left to clean.
“My wife and kids are coming back from the States tomorrow. I’ve already tidied most of the place, but the kitchen and the kids’ rooms probably need a professional touch.”
Even the kitchen only had a few dishes to wash and some refrigerator organizing.
‘This is easier than I thought.’
Maybe the high hourly rate was because the dishes were expensive and needed careful handling.
After instructing Tae-san to tidy up the slightly messy children’s rooms and wash the bedding, Seo Chae-hyuk prepared to leave.
“I’ll make sure everything is spotless.”
“Oh, and just in case—please don’t touch the room at the very end of the hallway.”
“Ah, understood. I’ll be careful.”
“It’s my study. There are a lot of important things in there. I have a class, so I’ll be going now. Thank you.”
Tae-san had wanted to ask about the Smile app, but as an employee, he couldn’t think of a natural excuse to borrow the client’s phone.
Unlike the previous client who had felt guilty, this one made the request feel awkward.
‘I’ll just focus on the job for now. It’ll be over quickly anyway.’
Once the client left, the house grew even quieter.
Being alone in such a spacious, spotless home felt strangely peaceful.
When cleaning messy houses, his fighting spirit surged, but from a work perspective, this was far more comfortable.
‘Alright, let’s get started.’
Tae-san opened all the windows first to ventilate the house.
He took the bedding from the children’s rooms and loaded it into the washing machine. Having a dryer made the task much easier.
When he mentioned using the vacuum, he was told a robot vacuum was available and permitted to use it.
Leaving the dust to the robot cleaner, he headed straight to the kitchen.
The household didn’t seem to cook much; no cooking utensils were out.
He washed and dried a few cups, bowls, and side-dish containers, then opened the refrigerator.
After moving drinks and sauces to the island counter, he thoroughly wiped the inside with a cloth.
Expired seasonings and frozen items were separated into food waste and containers for disposal.
“Phew. That should be good enough.”
Checking the time, less than an hour had passed.
With time still left after putting the laundry in the dryer, he decided to clean the other areas as well.
Without much effort, he quickly finished the bathroom, master bedroom, living room, and veranda.
After taking the freshly dried bedding from the dryer and folding it, two and a half hours had gone by.
Thirty minutes remained, but when he tried to press the cleaning complete button on the app—
[Cleaning has not been completed yet.]
‘What?’
A red highlight pulsed around the notification.
Tae-san looked around, but every corner appeared spotless.
Just in case, he wiped under the sofa and behind the TV again with a duster, yet the task still wouldn’t complete.
Then he noticed the robot vacuum repeatedly bumping against the door at the very end of the hallway.
Thinking its battery might be low, he picked it up and placed it on the charger.
‘Come to think of it…’
The only room that hadn’t been cleaned was the study at the far end—the one the client had specifically asked him not to touch.
Still, entering without permission felt wrong.
On a hunch, Tae-san called the Smile customer service line.
-Hello, this is Smile, here to clean your life.
“Ah, yes. This is manager Kang Tae-san. I’ve finished cleaning, but the app says it’s not complete.”
-That means there is still an area that hasn’t been cleaned according to the guidelines.
“Does the app really detect every single spot like that?”
-I’m sorry, but company policy prevents me from explaining the app’s system in detail.
Just like any other company’s customer service, Smile was no different.
While he wasted precious time going back and forth with “difficult,” “not possible,” and “unfortunately,” Tae-san grew increasingly frustrated.
“Look, the only place left is the room the client specifically told me not to clean.”
-I apologize, Manager. The system determines the cleaning standards. If it’s not marked complete, we cannot issue points.
“That’s way too subjective.”
-The system determines the cleaning standards. Is there anything else I can help you with?
He wanted to ask exactly how this so-called “system” worked to be so arbitrary, but the agent simply repeated the same scripted lines.
“Fine. I understand.”
-Thank you for working with Smile. Please continue to clean thoroughly.
Every company was the same. The agent was just doing their job, repeating the manual for their paycheck.
Still, for someone actually on-site trying to solve the problem, it was maddening.
‘I’ll just do what I can.’
Tae-san tried calling the client for permission, but the line rang without answer.
Since he was a professor, he was probably in the middle of a lecture.
Instead, Tae-san sent a short text.
-Client, I’ve finished the areas you mentioned. However, the company requires that no spot be missed. I’ll clean carefully and leave.
Tae-san figured that as long as he didn’t actually go inside, nothing bad would happen.
It was a small loophole, but the only way to keep his promise to the client while still completing the job.
“Excuse me.”
When he opened the door, a tidy study appeared, just like the rest of the house.
One wall was lined with bookshelves, while the other displayed plaster sculptures.
Now that he thought about it, the client being a professor made sense—the artistic vibe was obvious.
“But that one…”
What stood out was the sculpture placed right in the center of the room.
It depicted the upper half of a human figure. Even to Tae-san, who knew nothing about art, something about it felt deeply unsettling.
‘Is she praying? No… it looks more like she’s begging for something.’
A woman with her hair tied back had her hands clasped together, desperately pleading with someone.
While Tae-san stood at the doorway staring at the sculpture in confusion, the robot vacuum rolled in and began cleaning.
Suddenly it started making a grinding noise, repeatedly bumping into the same spot.
“Whoa!”
Before he could react, it slammed into the thin metal stand holding the sculpture.
Crash!
The sculpture toppled and shattered into countless pieces on the floor.
“No!”
Tae-san cried out instinctively as he watched it happen in real time.
But it was already too late.
The delicately crafted figure lay in ruins, reduced to a pile of plaster fragments.
“Damn it.”
Tae-san rushed to grab a trash bag and broom.
As he swept up the broken pieces, all he could think was that he was in serious trouble.
“Huh? What’s this?”
Among the debris, he found something odd.
It was a chisel-like tool.
Though it was clearly meant for breaking cement or plaster, Tae-san didn’t recognize it and examined it from every angle.
At the tip, something dark and dried was stuck.
Instinctively, he brought it to his nose and recoiled at the metallic, bloody smell.
‘Why was something like this inside the sculpture?’
Setting the strange object aside, Tae-san finished cleaning the rest of the room.
Just then—
Cleaning complete.
The client’s hidden life has been discovered.
The “Note” section has been updated.
Client: Seo Chae-hyuk
Note: Professor → Serial Killer
You will now experience the life of “Serial Killer Seo Chae-hyuk.”
Tae-san stared helplessly as the client information changed on its own, then snapped back to his senses.
“W-wait. A serial killer?! He was just a professor! How can this be?!”
But his consciousness was already fading into darkness.