Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 17

Real Life is Practical (2)

***

The post-apocalyptic routine had a monotonous quality.

Once the supply of vital survival resources and the distribution of existing supplies were taken care of, the rest of the day was tediously repetitive.

Get up and eat.

Zone out.

Eat again.

Zone out again.

Then sleep.

This had been my routine for nearly five years… well, three years, since life stabilized.

But it was time to break that routine.

***

Bam!

I slammed my fist on the table with a resolute face.

“Kids!”

Five pairs of eyes turned to me.

Ki-hyun, who was listening to music, Jinwoo, who was folding laundry, the twins playing house, and Hyesung, who was dozing off.

Satisfied with their attention, I declared,

“We need to go find books.”

Ki-hyun’s face instantly clouded.
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***

I wasn’t planning anything grand.

I just believed that for the kids to grow properly, they needed knowledge beyond what I could teach them.

There’s a saying that no teacher is better than a book.

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And since we were in a city, finding books wouldn’t be difficult.

“Books are only useful as kindling these days, so there are surprisingly many intact bookstores.”

A shopping district ten minutes’ walk from the hotel.

I led Ki-hyun and Jinwoo there.

We had a minor encounter with a few zombies on the way, but Ki-hyun, who was now quite adept at zombie hunting, helped handle them easily.

“Let’s go in.”

I spoke softly, crouching as we carefully entered the bookstore.

The large bookstore was mostly open space, with few corners where zombies could hide.

After thoroughly searching the few winding aisles from the entrance, I signaled that it was safe, and the kids finally exhaled the breaths they’d been holding.

“Alright. Let’s split up and look for books. Bring any books you want to read.”

After confirming that the kids understood and seeing them scatter in different directions, I took a deep breath, savoring the bookstore’s smell.

‘Nice.’

It brought back memories.

The scent of paper that filled your lungs when you entered a bookstore.

The serene atmosphere that calmed your mind.

Even the darkness due to the power outage felt oddly nostalgic.

I stopped my reverie and opened my eyes.

‘First, let’s find some books.’

I couldn’t stay lost in thought forever; I had work to do.

I planned to get basic elementary school math and Korean books.

Ki-hyun, the only one among the kids who had attended school, had stopped at third grade, so it seemed best to start teaching from the first grade level.

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‘And science…’

Fairy tales or bestsellers would also be good.

I remembered an elementary school teacher once told me that books were great for emotional development in younger kids like Hyesung.

With the children’s book section right next to the textbook section, it wasn’t hard to find the books I needed.
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Suddenly, something caught my eye, and I tilted my head.

‘Is that…’
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I squinted.

The darkness made it hard to distinguish book covers.

I moved closer to see a cover with a frying pan, a spatula, and an egg.

“A cookbook.”

I thought of Dayoon, who enjoyed cooking.

Believing she would love this book, I picked it up and tucked it under my arm.

‘This section is done…’

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What else did we need?

Struggling to recall my plans, I vowed,

‘…I need to start jotting things down when I plan.’

It was a pain to remember everything on the spot.

***

Ki-hyun stared blankly at the bookshelf.

It was filled with instrument manuals and sheet music.

Her hand reached out almost instinctively.

To the beginner’s guitar manual.

Tap.

Her finger touched the manual, and Ki-hyun flinched.

She hesitated, her lips moving slightly.

Her outstretched hand turned into a fist.

After a long internal debate, she carefully pulled the manual and stuffed it deep into her bag.

At that moment, Seokho called out to her.

“Ki-hyun! Did you find anything?”

Ki-hyun jerked.

She looked at Seokho and shook her head.

“There’s nothing here.”

Fortunately, or unfortunately, Seokho hadn’t seen what Ki-hyun had just done.

He simply clicked his tongue and nodded.

“Really? Then come help me pick out books for the others. There’s a lot to gather.”

“Sure.”

With her heart still pounding, Ki-hyun walked over to Seokho.

She felt embarrassed about taking an instrument manual that seemed unnecessary for survival, deciding to keep it a secret.

***

Jinwoo wandered around the magazine corner, uttering “Oh” sounds.

Game magazines, fashion magazines, and monthly magazines with various people’s faces.

Jinwoo had little interest in books.

His main concern was taking care of the kids, so he joined this trip to help Seokho and Ki-hyun.

Ironically, he was the most curious once inside the bookstore.

‘This is amazing.’

His memories were of gray cities and walking corpses.

Though he had heard many old stories from adults in the shelter, Jinwoo had never fully grasped them.

This indirect experience of past life was truly intriguing.

Jinwoo grabbed a men’s fashion magazine.

Seeing a Western man dressed in a stylish suit and black coat made Jinwoo’s heart race.

‘Cool.’

A smile crept onto his face.

Flipping through the thick, glossy magazine, he reached the end and stuffed it into his bag.

Then he resumed browsing the shelves.

He soon stopped abruptly.

His face turned bright red, even in the dim light.

‘W-what…!’

He saw something scandalous.

A woman barely covered in thin fabric, staring provocatively from the cover.

Above her, in large letters, was [MACIM].

Not knowing English, Jinwoo had no idea what kind of magazine it was.

Following his instincts, he grabbed the magazine.

He swallowed hard.

Then, looking around cautiously, he stuffed it deep in his bag.

At fourteen, Jinwoo was a teenager just waking up to his sexuality.

***

The bookstore trip was successful.

We found most of the essential manuals, and the kids seemed satisfied with their picks.

I didn’t ask what books they chose.

They deserved their privacy.

‘…But I’m curious about Jinwoo’s book.’

I glanced at Jinwoo.

He had been acting suspiciously, constantly looking around.

What on earth had he chosen?
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“Hmm…”

My pondering made Jinwoo flinch.

“W-why?”

“Huh? Oh, nothing…”

It was suspicious.

Very suspicious.

While it was best not to pry, my curiosity was piqued.
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I decided to check what book Jinwoo had brought when he left it unattended.

After climbing the stairs for a while, we finally reached the penthouse that had become our home.

Hyesung, lying on the floor, perked up her head.

“Books!”

She shouted cheerfully.

She must have been eagerly waiting for the promised playthings.

Hyesung got up and ran over, hugging my leg and shouting again.

“Books!”

“Yes, yes, I brought books.”

Hyesung swallowed hard.

‘It’s not food, though.’

I chuckled.

She must have been thinking of food when I said I’d bring something fun.

Hoping she wouldn’t be too disappointed, I opened my bag and took out a book.

“Here, a book.”

“Huh?”

For a moment, Hyesung’s face showed disappointment, but it quickly vanished.

Her cheeks began to flush.

It was the reaction I expected.

After all, the fairy tale book was something Hyesung couldn’t dislike.

“Beans!”

The book I took out was [Jack and the Beanstalk].

A classic fairy tale, and it featured beans, which Hyesung loved.

“Shall we go read it?”
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“Beans!”

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Hyesung snorted in excitement.

She ran to the secret base on the second floor, and I followed, reading the book to her.

That day, Hyesung found her future dream.

What was it, you ask?

To plant a beanstalk that reached the sky.

End of Chapter