Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 28

Improvisation is a Talent (5)

***

Through the gap of the slightly open door, I saw a back.

Short hair revealing the nape of the neck.

Shoulders heaving as if in anger.

And the sound of a guitar.

Strum.
T h i s w a s co p i ed f r o m k i ng m t l . o r g

Once again, the playing stopped at the same part.

I cautiously approached Kang Ki-hyun.

Her gaze was fixed on the sheet music spread out on the floor.

She didn’t seem to notice my approach.

“Ahem…”

When I cleared my throat, Kang Ki-hyun’s body jolted.

Her head snapped around to look at me.

Her eyes widened in shock.

“W-What…”

Had I startled her too much?

Feeling awkward, I looked at the sheet music.

“Are you playing this?”

Th i s w a s co p i e d f r o m ki n g m t l .o r g
A song I knew was there.

A folk ballad from the 90s.

“Quite an unusual taste…”

Not what you’d expect from a modern kid.

Smiling slightly at the thought, Kang Ki-hyun frowned.

“…Why are you here?”

Her words were tinged with wariness and resentment.

I searched for something to say, then gave up and sat to her left.

I grabbed her hand.

“What…”

“…You shouldn’t practice until your fingers get like this.”

Her index finger was red and swollen, as if it might split open.

She must have endured the pain to keep practicing.

Her fingertips trembled.

I sighed, feeling that her injury was my fault.

I looked up at Kang Ki-hyun.

Her face showed shame and childish anger.

It was a feeling of humiliation.

This proud girl seemed ashamed to show such a state to me.

I met her wavering eyes for a moment, then spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

Clench.

Kang Ki-hyun’s hand formed a fist.

Her eyes, which had been piercing me, lowered.

“What are you talking about… it’s annoying…”

T h i s w a s co p i e d f ro m k i ng m t l . o r g
I knew what lay beneath her attitude.

We’ve all experienced it at some point.

The moment when you’re angry but don’t want to admit the reason is trivial.

And when someone uncovers that anger, you want to ignore it.

It was easy to see that her attitude came from that feeling.
Th i s w as co p ie d f rom kin gm t l . o r g

I chuckled.

A more mature response would be to acknowledge and respect that.

“Just.”

I offered a slightly different apology.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out an item.

A large metal clip that looked like a laundry clip.

A guitar chord clamp.

“Take it.”

“…What’s this?”

“A chord clamp. You can’t play the F chord yet.”

Kang Ki-hyun’s eyes focused on the chord clamp.

“Like this…”

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f ro m ki n g m tl . o r g
I clipped it onto the guitar neck where the F chord would be.

This pressed down the strings at that spot.

“…With this, you can play the F chord without pressing the strings.”

When I strummed the guitar, a clean F sound resonated through the room.

Strum.

Kang Ki-hyun’s face showed surprise.

I laughed and said,

“Calluses don’t form by practicing until your fingers bleed in one day.”

Tap.

I touched Kang Ki-hyun’s scarred index finger, and she frowned.

“It takes time for your body to get used to it. Your body needs time to accept the pain. The human body learns slowly.”

I had days like that too.

When I was furious because my body couldn’t keep up with the performance I wanted, staying up all night with my guitar.

From those days, I learned that impatience solves nothing.

You have to endure steadily until the results come like a thief.

“If you practice slowly and steadily, you’ll eventually get there. When it doesn’t hurt anymore, calluses will be there. So don’t push yourself too hard now, and practice other chords slowly.”

Kang Ki-hyun closed her mouth.

Her gaze moved between the chord clamp, her hand, and the guitar body.

Strum.
T h is w a s c o p ied f ro m ki ng m t l.o r g

A clean sound burst forth from her fingers.

She listened blankly, then slowly nodded.

She said,

“…I didn’t ask.”

Stubbornly holding onto her pride, that was so like Kang Ki-hyun.

***

I didn’t ask many questions.

Like why Kang Ki-hyun was interested in music, what music meant to her, what her past was like, or what her parents were like.

Those were too heavy questions to ask right away.

We still didn’t know each other well.

A teacher shouldn’t pry into personal details but should be someone a child can open up to and lean on.

So, it was more important to become closer first.

With that thought, I continued secret guitar lessons with Kang Ki-hyun from that day on.

Today was no different.

I sat beside Kang Ki-hyun, resting my chin on my hand, watching her struggle with the guitar.

“Try that part again. Use a little less force.”

“…I can do it myself.”

“Hmm, okay.”

Strum.

Despite saying she could do it herself, she followed my advice.

I chuckled, and Kang Ki-hyun shot me a sour look.

“Is it funny?”

“No, you’re just doing well.”

“…”

She turned her head away again.

What was it again?

That friend in high school who passionately explained ‘tsundere’ while watching anime on a PMP.
T h i s wa s c op ie d f r o m ki n g m t l . o r g

Back then, I had said, “What’s so good about a girl who’s just rude and prickly?” but seeing that in my student made me understand a bit.

‘I wonder if that friend is still alive.’

He was a weird friend who always mumbled things like ‘status window!’ or ‘status!’ to himself.

If he’s alive, I’d like to ask if he still does that.

‘He was a good guy.’

I remembered him buying snacks from the school store for me, who always ate two servings of school lunch due to a lack of money.

I suddenly missed that friend.

‘Was his name Hansu?’

As the chubby face from my memory became clearer,

Strum.

A clear sound swept through the room.

T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i ng mt l .o r g
A perfect resonance.

There was only one person playing the guitar here.

I quickly turned to Kang Ki-hyun.

She also looked at me with wide eyes, as if she had surprised herself with the performance.

“Ooh…!”

I clapped.

It sounded great to me, so I did it to praise her.

T h i s w a s c op i e d fr o m k i n gm tl . o r g
I expected a scoffing or prickly reaction.

But Kang Ki-hyun’s face showed an expression I hadn’t imagined.

‘…Whoa.’

T hi s w a s c o p i ed f ro m k i n g mtl . or g
A smile.

A very clear and warm smile.

Not a trace of her usual stern look, just a fresh and pure smile.

That’s how a girl’s smile was.

Even in the darkest and dingiest place, it could spread a freshness like flowers blooming.

Seeing her bright smile brought a sudden thought.

‘She smiles like this.’

Despite living together for weeks, it felt like the first time I saw her smile.

“You’re beautiful.”

I was lost in thought, and without realizing it, I said it aloud.

Flinch.

Kang Ki-hyun’s shoulders twitched, and she suppressed her smile.

Her expression quickly turned stern.

As I felt a pang of regret, she muttered, turning her head away.

“…What a crazy guy.”

Even so, calling me a crazy guy seemed a bit much.

Her face was red up to her earlobes as she stared at the sheet music.

I found it amusing and smiled, making her glare at me.

“Stop staring.”

“Oh, I’m so scared.”

At my shrugging response, she gritted her teeth.

Grinding her teeth will ruin her dental alignment, but she never listens.

***

As Kang Ki-hyun got more familiar with the guitar, Jinwoo’s MACIM magazine got more worn out by the day.

“Is Bean Sprout hurt?”

Hyesung asked with a sad face, holding something out to me.

I burst into laughter.

A bean sprout growing healthily.

The tiny finger pointed at a cotyledon dangling precariously from the stem.

She seemed distressed by the yellowing cotyledon.

Her eyes, glistening with tears, looked so pitiful and adorable.

I picked her up and patted her back, saying,

“No, it’s preparing to grow more. Bean Sprout is healthy.”

Thinking for a moment, I smiled and said,

“Shall we bury the cotyledon?”

Hyesung looked up at me.

Her head, staring at me, nodded slightly.

End of Chapter