Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 18

Real Life is Practical (3)

***

“Beans!”

The young voice pierced my ears.

“Beans!”

It woke me up.

“Beans!”

I extended my arm and hugged Hyesung, who was shouting “Beans!” right next to my ear. I patted her back and said,

“Alright, alright, I’m awake…”

My voice was still hoarse from sleep, which made Hyesung giggle.

“Beans!”

I knew why she was so obsessed with beans from the morning.

‘That fairy tale…’

Ever since we read [Jack and the Beanstalk], Hyesung had been pestering me about wanting a giant beanstalk of her own.

This was the problem.

Why is a fairy tale a fairy tale?

It’s because it’s a ‘fantasy’ that cultivates children’s dreams.

In other words, I had no way of getting a beanstalk that reached the sky.
T hi s w a s c op ie d f ro m k in g m t l . o r g

As my mental stamina wore thin, I began to seriously consider telling Hyesung the truth.
T hi s w a s c o pi ed f ro m k i n g m t l . o r g

But it was impossible.

Her sparkling eyes and face full of expectation and happiness kept my mouth shut.

After patting Hyesung’s back and thinking for a while, I made a decision.

‘…Kidney beans grow the fastest, I think.’

I decided to find some kidney beans.

***

It had been a long time since I ventured out alone.

As I looked at the sprawling gray concrete jungle, I felt a strange sense of awkwardness.

‘Have I gotten used to having company?’

I had spent almost all of my post-apocalyptic life alone.

Even if I joined a group, I would eventually drift away.

Being alone should feel more familiar and comfortable.

Yet, in just a few weeks of living with the kids, I found being alone awkward.

A sigh escaped me.

I shook my head to clear my thoughts and looked at the map in my hand.

‘This is really inconvenient.’

When I had a smartphone, I could just search for directions.

Now, I had to find places manually.

‘Maybe I should check a stationery store for beans.’

I remembered that elementary schools often had plant-growing assignments and gave out bean seeds.

I distinctly remembered buying kidney beans from a stationery store for that reason.

‘The closest elementary school is…’

Just five alleys away, there was Haeja Elementary School.

‘What kind of name is Haeja?’

I chuckled.

If Ki-hyun were here, she would probably scold me for sounding like an old man, but she was busy sorting supplies.
Th i s w a s c op i e d f ro m k i n g m t l . o r g

I enjoyed my rare moment of freedom and moved on.

***

T h is w a s c op i e d f r om k i n g mt l . o r g
As I walked towards the elementary school, I noticed something odd.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
‘…It’s too quiet.’

It was unusually quiet for a city center.

I understood there were fewer zombies because of regular clean-ups and the proximity of the Mapo Shelter, but it was still too quiet.

Tension crept in.

I realized it was a good decision not to bring the kids.

Lowering my posture, I carefully moved along the building wall.

“Hey! Did you find it?”

A human voice echoed.

I held my breath and hid behind a cover, peering out into the alley.

‘…A gun.’

Not just any gun, but an assault rifle.

A model used by the military’s K-series.

Only one group had such weapons openly in this world.

‘Shelter people.’

It was them.

My mind raced.

I thought of the nearest shelter they could’ve come from.

The answer was obvious.

‘Mapo.’

The Mapo Shelter, one of the largest in Gangseo, and the very shelter the kids had escaped from.

An obvious thought followed.

‘Are they looking for the kids?’

Were they here to capture the runaway kids?

‘…No, they wouldn’t be that stupid.’

It had been weeks since the kids escaped.

The Mapo people wouldn’t waste weeks searching for runaway kids who had already fled.

Yet, one reason kept me from dismissing the thought.

‘Shelter people are vengeful.’

They ruled through violence and fear, showing no mercy to anyone who defied them.

I remembered Ki-hyun saying she shot a high-ranking officer in the leg when they escaped.

T h i s w a s co pi ed f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
‘What should I do…’

Normally, I would’ve run without looking back.

I really did not want to deal with shelter people.

But this time was different.

If they were targeting the kids and had expanded their search…

‘…It’s better to take them out.’
T h i s was c o p i e d f ro m k i n g m t l . o rg

My heart cooled.

Something repressed inside me grew larger.

I checked my weapons.

‘Monkey wrench, pistol, wearing a bulletproof vest.’
T h i s w a s co pi e d fr o m k i n g mt l . or g

Armed with my usual monkey wrench, the gun Ki-hyun gave me, and wearing protective gear.

In the distance, I saw just two of them.

‘Both are armed, but…’

One of them looked older.

If I used him as a human shield, the fight wouldn’t be too hard.

I had a plan.

I deliberately made noise and stepped out from behind the cover, raising my hands and trying to look as harmless as possible.

Two gun barrels pointed at me.

Surprised expressions appeared on their faces.

I tried to appear as pitiful as possible and said,

“…Hey, do you have any food?”

Click.

The bolt was pulled back.

T h is w a s co pied f r o m ki ng m t l . or g
As I tensed up, the older one raised a hand to stop the younger one.

“…Give it to him.”

“What? But why…”

“Just give it to him.”

The older man’s face grew tense.

I barely kept my expression from falling apart and forced a bright smile, bowing my head.

“Th-thank you! I haven’t eaten in days! Hehe… Are you guys from the shelter? If you’re looking for something, I can help! I know this area well!”

The younger one scowled.

He seemed hot-tempered but was probably outranked by the older man, which explained his restraint.

As I thought this, the older man spoke.

“…Is this your territory?”

“Huh? Oh! Yes, I know this area well!”

I quickly replied to the unexpected question, and the older man sighed.

‘What’s going on?’

What was this about?

“Sorry for the trouble. We’re from Mapo and don’t know this area well. Anyway, hope you see the morning light.”

As I stood there bewildered, the older man turned and led the younger man away.

“What the hell…”

Maybe I looked too dirty.

I had recently been teased by the kids for looking unkempt, and the thought naturally followed.

‘…Well, whatever it is, it’s good they’re leaving.’

I didn’t know their purpose, but it didn’t seem important if they left so easily.

If they were out for revenge, they would’ve forced me to guide them.

“Damn it, what a mood killer.”

I sighed in relief, relaxed my tense body, and resumed walking.

‘Two more alleys to the school.’

There should be a stationery store near the school.

That was on my mind.

***

Gi-chul, a new recruit in the Mapo Shelter’s assault team, looked at his tense senior and asked,

“Why did you back off from that guy, hyungnim?”

His senior, known for his temper, was also exceptionally skilled, respected even by the shelter leader.

It was baffling to see him act like that over a mere vagrant.

After a pause, his senior, Hak-jong, replied,

“That guy is on the blacklist.”

Gi-chul stiffened.

“…What?”

“The blacklist. Didn’t you learn about it?”

“Yes, but…”

He couldn’t continue.

Having only trained inside the shelter, Gi-chul had never seen anyone on the blacklist.

Seeing one on his first mission left him stunned.

Even amidst his thoughts, Hak-jong continued.

“Did you learn about the Sillim Shelter incident?”

“…Yes, it collapsed three years ago.”

“That guy is the one who brought it down.”

Sweat rolled down Hak-jong’s chin.

“I never thought that lunatic would still be alive…”

“But… We have guns. Couldn’t we have taken him…?”

“We’d have died. Absolutely. He single-handedly stormed that shelter and bombed it. How could the two of us capture him?”

Gi-chul gulped.

“Damn…”

A chill ran down his spine.

Gi-chul shivered and thought.

‘…Well, I won’t run out of stories for a while.’

Having seen a blacklist member and survived, he had quite the tale for the drinking sessions.

Th i s w a s co p i ed fr o m ki n g mt l . o rg
End of Chapter