Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 15

T h i s w a s c o p ied f r om ki ngm t l .o r g
There are lunatics in every world (2)

***

As I watched the cart being loaded with bottled water, I smiled contentedly.

“This should last us a week.”

With nearly 100 liters, we could stretch it to two weeks if we rationed carefully.

Mr. Park, who didn’t yet understand the situation, tilted his head and asked,

“What? You two are going to drink all that in a week? Do you have water tanks in your stomachs or something?”

“There are more kids.”

Mr. Park frowned.

“More? How many?”

I chuckled and answered him.

“Six in total, including us. She’s the eldest, and the youngest is six.”

“What, did you open an orphanage?”

“No orphanage. We just happened to come together.”

“You’re a weird one.”

Mr. Park clicked his tongue.

I didn’t bother to add more.

T h i s w as c op i ed f r o m k i n gm t l . or g
That was the typical reaction.

“You always called me crazy, but now you think I’m really nuts?”

“It’s because it seems like you’ve finally lost it.”

It’s a world where it’s hard enough to take care of yourself.

In a world where people either find companions they can trust with their backs or just fleeting acquaintances, my actions were indeed irrational.

Not that it would stop me.

“Mind your own business. It’s not like you’ve ever been that concerned about me.”

“How could I not care about losing one of the guys who brings me cigarettes?”

“There are plenty of others.”

“Heartless bastard.”

Mr. Park laughed.

His laughter stopped a bit later when he noticed Ki-hyun examining a densely packed shelf on the wall.

“Hey, kid, don’t touch it if you’re not buying.”

Ki-hyun flinched.

“…I didn’t touch it.”

“Really? Sorry. My eyes must be getting bad with age.”

Mr. Park stood up.

He walked over to Ki-hyun, took a box from the bottom shelf, and handed her six bottles tied together with twine.

“Here, take this. It’s a gift to ensure we get along well in the future.”

I looked at the bottles.

“…What is this?”

Six bottles filled with a dark liquid.

It didn’t seem like oil, and it didn’t react like alcohol would.

Both Ki-hyun and I wore puzzled expressions.

Seeing us, Mr. Park clicked his tongue and answered.

“What, never seen cola before?”

His answer left my mouth agape.

Of course.

It was cola, after all.

Th i s w a s c o pi ed fro m k ingmt l . o rg
Something that couldn’t be produced anymore.

Moreover, despite my countless visits here, I’d never seen it before.

I asked,

“…How?”

How did he get it?

Could we even drink it?

Mr. Park’s next words answered my questions immediately.

“I made it.”

“Made it? Is that possible?”

“Why not? Just look at the ingredients on a discarded can. It took a few tries, but I had plenty of time.”

My mouth watered.

“Hey, Ki-hyun, quickly take it.”

“Oh, okay.”

Ki-hyun, still bewildered, took the bottles.

I watched her holding the cola, grinning from ear to ear, when a sudden thought struck me, and I asked Mr. Park.

“…Wait, when did you start making this?”

“About three years ago.”

“…”

I squinted at Mr. Park.

Both of us knew why I was glaring.

Mr. Park smirked and, with a condescending look, said,

“What makes you so special that you get this?”
T h is w a s co p i ed fr o m k in g m t l. or g

For a moment, I thought,

Th i s w a s c op i e d fr o m k in g mtl . org
‘Can I punch him a few times?’

His blatant provocation made me feel that not hitting him would be strange.

…Of course, I didn’t act on it.

Instead, I decided to bring Ki-hyun along next time and turned away.

***

It was none other than cola.

Something that, until five years ago, was an essential part of human life and the only government-sanctioned drug.

The reaction was explosive.

Ki-hyun and Jinwoo, who seemed to vaguely remember the old world, drank the cola with emotional faces.

Dabin shivered all over, and Dayoon, usually so timid, let out a big cheer.

Hyesung even welled up with tears, reminding me just how powerful this beverage could be.

‘No wonder wars are fought over this.’

Though a “Cola War” might sound ridiculous, who cares?

I chuckled at the thought, took a sip of cola, and shivered all over.

“Burp-.”

I let out a loud belch.

T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m ki n g m tl . o r g
Ki-hyun frowned.

Hyesung, saying “Oh,” tried to mimic me.

“Burp! Burp!”

It’s “burp,” not “burp.”

It seemed to be a challenging skill for young Hyesung.

I patted her head and said,

“When you grow up, you’ll be able to do it like me.”

“Burp?”

“Not burp, burp.”

Hyesung’s eyes burned with determination.

Her enthusiasm to learn even a simple belch was one of her endearing traits.

“Shall we have some beans?”

“Let’s do it.”

“Yeah!”
T hi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l . org

Hyesung, who now equated “growing tall” with “eating beans,” ran to the kitchen to fetch some beans.

“Peel it for me!”

I took the beans from her, smiling.

“At this rate, Hyesung will become a giant.”

“If I become a giant, I’ll carry you on my back!”

“Oh, thank you.”

Pop.

I opened a can and handed it to Hyesung, who stuffed her mouth with beans and began to chew.

Though she often complained, her face was bright with a smile.

‘She really likes beans.’

I wondered if she’d end up marrying beans at this rate.

T his w a s cop i e d f r o m k i n g m tl . o r g
***

It was one of those days when my back felt stiff.

Not because Hyesung rode on it… You know the feeling, when the whole body feels sticky and sluggish.

Why was I feeling like this?
T h i s was co p ie d f r o m k i n gm t l . o r g

After pondering for a moment, I immediately realized the reason for my condition.

“Rain!”

Hyesung’s energetic shout woke up the penthouse early in the morning.

“It’s raining!!”

As I opened my eyes, I saw Hyesung by the window, arms raised high.

She looked like she was worshipping something in the sky.

Chuckling at her lively display, I got up and picked her up.

“You’re right, it’s raining.”

Not a downpour, just a gentle drizzle.

It must have started during the night since everything outside was soaked.

As I yawned widely, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.

“Rain!”

“Huh?”

“Water!”

Carrying Hyesung, I went to the living room.

T h is w a s co p i ed f r om k ing m t l. or g
I called out to Jinwoo and Ki-hyun, who were already up.

“Guys! Grab some basins and follow me to the roof!”

“What?”

“Quickly!”

I grabbed my own basin and headed to the roof with Hyesung.

We started collecting the rainwater.

“Wow, I must have been living comfortably recently. I didn’t think of this right away.”

What does rain mean?

It means a chance to get ownerless water.

Isn’t it dirty?

Not at all.

The rainwater of this world, five years after the apocalypse, isn’t the same as what used to carry all the smog.

Of course, it’s better to run it through a purifier if you want to use it for drinking, but humans need water for more than just quenching thirst.

“Ah, I can finally have a shower!”

Mimicking Hyesung from indoors, I raised my arms to the sky and cheered, letting the rain soak me.

Hyesung asked,

“Shower?”

“Yes! Shower! You need to wash to avoid getting sick!”

Hyesung tilted her head at my answer and, after a moment of deep thought, gave up and raised her arms like me.

“Shower!”

It was a typical child’s behavior, imitating whatever adults did.

Hyesung laughed, and I laughed with her.

“We need to do laundry too. And let’s put the collected water through the purifier later.”

“Laundry! Purifier!”

She didn’t seem to understand a word I was saying.

Hyesung, simply excited about the rain, shouted along with me.

I told her,

“Yes! Today, you can shout all you want!”

The sound of raindrops masked our voices.

The humid air scattered the noise.

On days like this, even the zombies outside couldn’t find us, so we could shout freely.

Hyesung blinked.

Then, with a big grin, she shouted loudly.

“Shower!!!”

“Laundry!!!”

We kept shouting until Ki-hyun, who came up late, freaked out and scolded us.

End of Chapter