Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 21

Learning Never Ends (2)

***

“I won’t do it.”

“What?”

“I said I won’t do it.”

Mr. Park’s container.

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As soon as I stated my business, Mr. Park’s rejection left me stunned.

“You didn’t even listen properly…”

“I’d have to move around. It’s a hassle.”

My mouth clamped shut.

My eyes, filled with dissatisfaction, were fixed on Mr. Park.

He scoffed.

“Why should I join your teaching game?”

Mr. Park poured himself some whiskey and drank straight from the bottle.

‘…This is troublesome.’

His firm refusal left me at a loss for words.
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Wasn’t it true?

I came here to ‘ask’ him for a favor.

While I could probably drag him along, that would ruin our relationship for good.

And even if I did force him, there’s no guarantee he’d teach properly.

A sigh escaped my lips.

Mr. Park clicked his tongue when he saw me.

“Tsk, why are you dragging me along to teach kids? Weren’t you a former teacher? Don’t you know elementary science?”

“…It’s not just elementary science, that’s why I came to you.”

“What… She’s only nine. What, do you want me to teach her how to make bombs or something?”

I had no such intention.

I pondered for a while, thinking about how to handle this, and then recalled the notebook of questions I received from Dayoon.

“Ah, then can you at least look at this? It’s what Dayoon asked me, and I have no idea.”

“Let’s see.”

Mr. Park snatched the notebook from me with a scoff.

He glanced at it with a bored expression, almost immediately.

“…Hey.”

“…Weird, right?”

I responded with a weak smile as I watched Mr. Park’s face gradually stiffen.

“I never taught her science, but she started studying on her own with just a reference book and began to ponder such things. It’s driving me crazy.”

Even as I continued my explanation, Mr. Park’s eyes never left the notebook.

He had even put the whiskey bottle on the table and was flipping through the notebook with a serious expression.

Eventually, after reading through it, he let out a hollow laugh.

“In all my life, I’ve never seen a kid like this…”

“Smart, right?”

“Smart? That’s an understatement…!”

Mr. Park was about to raise his voice but then clamped his mouth shut.

He looked at me and said,

“…You didn’t fake this to rope me in, did you?”

“Am I crazy? You know your own temper.”

I’m the one who knows best why Mr. Park lives here without any interference despite being a top-notch technician.

He was stubborn enough to strap a grenade to himself if anyone tried to kidnap him.

Mr. Park glared at me for a while and then muttered to himself as he looked back at the notebook.

“Alright, I see…”

Mr. Park scratched his messy beard.

After pondering for a while, he nodded.

“Hey, hand me a pen.”

“Huh?”

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“It should be in the drawer in front of you.”

I absentmindedly followed Mr. Park’s instructions, opened the drawer, and handed him a pen that was lying around.

Mr. Park grabbed it and started scribbling in the notebook.

“What are you writing?”

“Shut up. You’re distracting me.”

I shut my mouth.

I could sense Mr. Park was getting curious about Dayoon, and a flicker of hope began to grow inside me.

After a while, Mr. Park finished scribbling on the last page of the notebook and tossed it back to me.

“Have the kid solve these. If she solves them, I’ll come once.”

He said this while picking up his whiskey again.

I thought about what he meant for a moment, then stood up with a bright smile.

“Really? You promised? No backing out, Mr. Park!”

“Sure, if she solves them! If she solves them, I’ll come, you brat!”

Though he said it gruffly, I was already sure Mr. Park would visit Dayoon.

I had no concrete reason, just a gut feeling.

***

Back at the penthouse.

I asked Dayoon, who was furrowing her brow deeply,

“Do you understand?”

A sound of frustration escaped from Dayoon.
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Her head was almost buried in the notebook.

After staring at Mr. Park’s notes for a long time, Dayoon sighed and shook her head.

“I don’t get it…”

Her voice was tired, but her expression was different.

She seemed both frustrated and fired up.

I swallowed nervously and asked,

“…You have no idea at all?”

Dayoon glanced at me.

Then she looked at the notebook again and shook her head side to side.

“I think I’ll get it if I study a bit more…”

The notebook Dayoon showed me was filled with Mr. Park’s neat handwriting.

“…There are hints here.”

As Dayoon said, there were hints and annotations throughout the notebook.
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‘This guy…!’

He acted like he hated it, but he couldn’t completely suppress his curiosity.

I smiled brightly and said to Dayoon,

“The person who wrote these hints is really smart! He said if you solve all the problems, he’ll teach you more.”

A look of surprise spread across Dayoon’s face.

Her mouth hung open, and her eyes returned to the notes.

Soon, her expression hardened.

With rare determination, Dayoon nodded.

“…I’ll give it a try.”

She looked thoroughly motivated.

I couldn’t help but give her a thumbs up.

***

It took Dayoon a week to solve the problems.

Seeing how much Dayoon struggled, anyone watching would have been anxious.

When she finally solved all the problems, the sunny smile she showed made me tear up a bit.

Today, I brought the notebook containing Dayoon’s week-long effort to Mr. Park.

“Look! Isn’t our kid amazing!”

Bang! I slammed the notebook on the table, making Mr. Park jump.

“Whoa, damn it! You scared me!”

“Mr. Park! Get ready to go! It’s getting late!”

Mr. Park blinked.

He looked between me and the notebook, then cursed and replied.

“…Hey, you little brat. Shouldn’t I check the notebook first? Are you trying to pull one over on me?”

“Oh, right.”

I got so excited I forgot to consider that.

I cleared my throat and handed the notebook to Mr. Park.

“Well, she probably got them all right. Check for yourself.”

“Didn’t you check?”

“…”

My eyes fell to the floor.
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I had looked but didn’t understand, so I closed it right away.

For some reason, admitting that felt like a blow to my pride.

But even that was enough for Mr. Park to get the gist.

“Idiot.”

My fist clenched tightly.

“…Just check it.”

“Alright, you brat.”

Mr. Park scoffed and opened the notebook.

He crossed his legs and began his thorough inspection.

As his expression grew more serious, my tension increased.

“…How is it?”

What if she got it wrong?

What if Dayoon gave a nonsensical answer?

Just as I was starting to get really nervous,

“She got about half wrong.”

His response made my cheeks pale.

Our eyes met.

Mr. Park looked indifferent.

I was dazed.

After a short exchange, I couldn’t help but slam the table and shout.

“That’s a scam! You’re scamming me! Mr. Park, be honest! You made the problems too difficult on purpose because you don’t want to go!”

“What are you talking about? Who said I’m not going?”

“…Huh?”

“She got half wrong, but she got half right. Even getting four of these right is impressive.”

He waved the notebook and continued with a smirk.

“Alright, let’s see this gutsy little kid’s face. A nine-year-old thinking like this isn’t normal.”

I straightened up.

A businesslike smile spread across my face.

“Shall we go, Mr. Teacher?”

Mr. Park’s face twisted in disgust.

“Gross, you brat.”

“Hehe…”

I scratched the back of my head, feeling awkward.
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Mr. Park’s face contorted as if he were about to gag.

***

Inside Mr. Park’s container.

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I yawned widely, waiting for Mr. Park.

-I’m going to meet the kids, so I can’t go looking like this. Wait, I’ll clean up.

It was hilarious.

It’s not like he was going on a blind date, yet he was taking his time to clean up.

‘No matter how much he grooms, he’s still an old man.’

With his scruffy beard and sunken eyes.

And a dirty bottle of whiskey matched him best.

I shook my head.

‘These old men…’

Mr. Park was a peculiar man.

‘Will he come out with his hair slicked back?’

I chuckled.
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I was starting to get a bit excited.

What was taking him so long?

As I pondered, feeling a flutter of anticipation,

Creak—

The door to the inner container opened.

“Let’s go, you brat.”

A voice called out.

I turned and prepared to laugh at Mr. Park.

But the laugh never came.

My body froze.

My mind went blank.

I blurted out,

“…Who are you?”
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End of Chapter