Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 22

Learning Never Ends (3)

***

A neatly trimmed beard.

Hair slicked back with water.

And a cleanly tailored suit.

Those were the only three changes.

Yet, just those made Mr. Park seem like a completely different person.

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“What?”
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Humans are indeed creatures ruled by their vision.

Mr. Park’s voice was the same as usual, but even that felt strange to me.

“Damn it…”

Alright, I’ll be honest.
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“…I’m so jealous.”

I felt sick to my stomach.

Just a moment ago, I thought we were in the same league, but it turns out he was a handsome middle-aged man straight out of a magazine.

I was deeply envious.

Mr. Park gave me a gruff look.

Then, with a sudden realization, he smirked and said,

“Kid, did you think we were the same?”

My fists clenched without realizing it.

My eyes widened in anger.

I was brimming with rage, but Mr. Park just tutted and made me feel even more miserable.

My teeth ground together.

“I, I could also…”

I might be handsome if I dressed up…

“…Damn it.”

I couldn’t say it.

I knew myself best, how I looked in my early 20s when I tried to dress up.

Shaking with self-loathing and betrayal, I turned away from Mr. Park.

“…Let’s just go.”

“Idiot.”

Mr. Park’s tone was full of contempt.

For some reason, it was hard to argue with him today.

***

A 20-minute walk.

That was the time allotted considering we might encounter zombies, making it effectively cut in half now.

It was worth mentioning.

Mr. Park and I were survival experts who had lived in this land without shelter support for five years.

Moreover, we were longtime business partners who knew each other’s specialties inside out.

-Thunk!

Moving together, a few zombies were no problem at all.

We arrived at the hotel in about 10 minutes.

Mr. Park gave me a bewildered look and said,

“You live here?”

His expression said it all.

No doubt he was thinking, ‘Is this guy crazy?’

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I understood.

I never thought I’d end up living in a hotel either.

“The top-floor penthouse. We’ve cleaned the whole building, and the entrance is sealed, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

“That’s a relief…”

Mr. Park scratched his chin.

Rubbing a clean-shaven chin felt awkward, so he chewed his lips instead.

“…You must’ve had a hard time. Why not move your base instead?”

“We couldn’t afford to. Moving the kids all at once to another place wasn’t an option.”

“Oh, right. You said the youngest is six?”

Mr. Park nodded, seemingly satisfied.

“Alright, let’s go in.”

Mr. Park trudged forward.

Now that he was all dressed up, he looked like a model walking down the street.

Watching that, a sudden sense of unease crept in.

‘…No, we’ve been close for a long time.’

The kids wouldn’t just abandon me for his looks… would they?

***

I thought they wouldn’t.

“Wow…”

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An exclamation from somewhere.

I turned to see Jinwoo’s eyes sparkling.

Next to him, Ki-hyun was rubbing his eyes, and the twins were blushing.

And Hyesung…

“Hehh…”

Stared at Mr. Park with her mouth agape.

Betrayal and self-loathing engulfed me.

“H-Hyesung…?”

“Uncle…”

Hyesung, holding a pot with sprouting leaves, answered absentmindedly.

Then she opened her mouth again.

“Hehh…”

I shouldn’t cry, but why were my eyes getting moist?

I glared at Mr. Park with angry eyes, and even then, he was watching Dayoon.

“Are you Dayoon? The one who solved the problems I gave?”

Dayoon flinched in surprise, then nodded.

“Y-yes…”

Even then, her face kept blushing.

“Huh, I thought you’d look smarter. It’s unexpected.”

A memory of my friend Cheol-jin, an elementary school teacher, flashed through my mind.

-What? Kids don’t judge by looks? That’s nonsense. Kids are worse. They can’t hide their feelings, so they judge people by their faces. That’s why… that’s why…!

I started to understand his drunken, tearful words.

‘Cheol-jin, you were right…’

Cheol-jin was right again today.

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My shoulders slumped.

Even after the world ended, the aesthetics of appearance hadn’t disappeared, and I felt nothing but resentment.

Meanwhile, Mr. Park said,

“Alright, from today, I’m your teacher.”

“Y-yes…!”

“First…”

Mr. Park looked around.

Then he saw the dining table in the kitchen and walked over.

“Alright, let’s go over there and solve a few problems. I’m just here to see how much you know today.”

Dayoon followed Mr. Park as if entranced.
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For a moment, Hyesung wobbled as if she was about to follow, and I pitifully stretched out my arm to stop her.

“H-Hyesung, how about we take the bean to get some sunlight…?”

“…Ah, the bean!”

Hyesung’s eyes brightened.

I forced a cheerful expression and felt grateful as Hyesung finally started to look at me.

I didn’t care if they called me childish.

Better to be childish and alive than to be pitiful and dead.

…Anyway, that was that.

***

In the container that Seokho called Mr. Park’s, technician Jung-min watched Dayoon with his arms crossed.

The elite of the elite.

Jung-min, who had received higher education unimaginable to most before the world ended, could see something.

‘…This kid is a real prodigy.’

This kid was indeed a genius.

If it weren’t for these circumstances, she could skip grades and take equivalency exams to jump straight to higher education.

‘She seems passionate too.’

Her diligent work on the equations showed exceptional concentration.

And just by looking closely at her work, it was clear that she was solving problems with intuitive application.

Jung-min made his judgment.

“Stop.”

Dayoon halted her hand.

She looked up at Jung-min.

Seeing her nervousness, Jung-min chuckled and gave his verdict.

“This is enough. You pass.”

“Ah…!”

Dayoon’s face brightened.

Her cheeks flushed, revealing her joy.

Jung-min finally realized that this girl was a nine-year-old kid.

‘Kids are still kids.’

He was baffled.

His initial thought was that no matter how smart she was, she was still a kid.

He thought she’d fall apart easily once things got serious.

Moreover, he initially planned to just pretend to help and leave, thinking teaching a kid in this world was meaningless.

‘…This is worth trying.’

But at this level, things were different.

It was almost a selfish desire.

He was curious about what this kid could achieve with proper education.

‘Teacher. A teacher…’

Jung-min’s gaze shifted to Seokho.

He was lying on the ground, chatting with the youngest kid over a bean sprout, looking like an idiot.

…And happy, in his own way.

‘…A teacher, my foot.’

Quiet laughter escaped him.

That wasn’t a teacher but a kid playing on the same level.

The laughter slowly faded.

His mind went blank.

As he watched Seokho and Hyesung lying on the floor, an image overlapped.

-Dad!

Thud.

Jung-min’s heartbeat faltered.

“…Uncle?”

Dayoon called out to Jung-min.

He flinched.

“A…yes.”

He quickly turned to Dayoon.

As if to erase the thought that had just crossed his mind, he wiped his face and composed himself.

“Now that I’ve assessed your level, I’ll bring more to teach next time.”

“Y-yes…”

Thud. Thud.

Jung-min grimaced at his rapidly beating heart and struggled to regulate his breathing.

It took a while to calm himself down.

***

“I’ll come sometime next week.”

Mr. Park’s words before leaving.

I widened my eyes and asked.

“Huh? That late?”

“Did you think I’d come here every day?”

“Well, not every day, but…”

“I want a drink. I’m closing shop today and drinking all day.”

That was his goal all along.

No wonder he had been fidgeting like a puppy needing to pee; he had been craving a drink.

“Uncle, you could go all at once.”

“That’s perfect.”

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“Perfect, my foot.”

The nonsensical banter continued.

Laughing quietly, I saw Mr. Park off and then asked about the next schedule.

“Oh, so should I pick you up next week?”

“No need. I memorized the way.”

“Really? Then I’ll clean up a bit, so come whenever.”

“Alright. I’m off.”
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Mr. Park waved his hand and left.

Watching his model-like walk away, I felt a sudden surge of frustration but shook my head to clear my thoughts.

‘Phew, at least he’s helping.’

I was worried Mr. Park wouldn’t help, but Dayoon seemed to have impressed him.

Seeing Dayoon peeking from a distance, I felt a sense of pride and smiled warmly.

“Eek…!”

She ran away.

‘…Damn appearance standards.’

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I felt so unfair.

Really.

End of Chapter