Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 29

Improvisation is a Talent (6)
T hi s w as c op i e d f r om k i n g mt l . or g

***

The cotyledon fell.

I took the sulking Hyesung to the rooftop garden and buried the cotyledon there.

“Hyesung, are you crying?”

“Yeah…”
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Hyesung nodded with a tearful face.

She looked so pitiful, yet I found it oddly amusing.

I struggled to suppress my laughter, patting her as I held her close.

“There, there, Hyesung. The bean sprout isn’t hurt.”

Thi s w as c o p i e d f r o m k in g m t l . o rg
“Ugh…”

Hyesung finally burst into tears while still holding the flowerpot tightly.
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Feeling at a loss, I thought for a moment before speaking again.

“Hyesung.”

“Yeah…”

“Instead of crying, we should congratulate it.”

Hyesung looked up at me, her tear-filled eyes blurry.

I smiled gently and said,

“The bean sprout shed its cotyledon because it’s growing up, so we should congratulate it.”

“Growing up?”

“Yes, growing up. Only baby plants have cotyledons. The bean sprout got rid of it because it doesn’t want to be a baby anymore.”

Hyesung’s face showed confusion.

She probably didn’t understand my explanation very well.

Thinking for a moment, I came up with a better analogy.

“Hyesung, your front tooth is wobbly, right?”

Hyesung flinched and pressed her lips together.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the sight.

How could I not?

It was funny seeing Hyesung trying to hide her wobbly front tooth, afraid of it being pulled.

Hoping this explanation would give her the courage to pull it out, I continued.

“The cotyledon is like your front tooth.”

“My front tooth…”

“Yes, only kids have it, so to grow up, you have to let it go.”

“But it hurts.”

“If you endure the pain, you’ll grow up. Then you’ll get strong adult teeth like mine.”

Right after saying that, I opened my mouth wide to show my teeth.
Th i s w a s c o pie d fr o m ki n gm tl . o rg

‘Wait, did I brush my teeth today?’

The thought crossed my mind when Hyesung reached out.

She poked my front tooth with her finger.

“Adult teeth…”

She muttered blankly.

Grateful that Hyesung wasn’t sensitive to bad breath, I nodded.

T h i s w as c op i e d fr om ki n g m tl. o r g
“Yes, adult teeth. To get them, Hyesung needs to pull out the baby teeth. The cotyledon is the same. The bean sprout is growing up, so it got rid of the baby leaf.”

Not a bad explanation for a rushed one.

Watching Hyesung, I saw her lips moving as she thought.

Her gaze shifted from the soil where we buried the cotyledon to the flowerpot she was holding.

“Hyesung is still a baby, but the bean sprout is all grown up…”

“Hyesung can grow up too.”
T h i s wa s co p i e d f r om ki ng m tl. o rg

“Should I pull out my tooth?”

“If you leave it, you’ll stay a baby.”

Hyesung’s face showed hesitation.

Her delicate brows furrowed, and her cheeks puffed out.

After a long consideration, she slowly nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll pull it out…!”

“Wow.”

Hyesung looked at me with a determined expression.

“Because I’m the bean sprout’s mom, I’ll grow up too.”

For such a Hyesung-like reason, the child was ready to take a step toward growing up.

***

In the penthouse living room, all the kids gathered around.

Hyesung sat in the middle with her mouth wide open, frozen in place.

Ever since I mentioned we would tie her tooth to a string and pull it out, she hadn’t moved.

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My gaze fell on her front tooth, which was clearly ready to come out.

I stared at it for a moment, then asked Hyesung,

“Hyesung, are you ready now?”

“Ugh…”

She answered with her mouth open.

Watching her, Dabin gulped nervously.

“S-Surgery… Surgery…!”

She kept repeating ‘surgery,’ likely imagining something absurd.

Jinwoo laughed awkwardly, and I tied a long piece of string to Hyesung’s tooth.

Hyesung’s tongue flicked around, bothered by my fingers in her mouth.

Ignoring her interference, I finally tied the knot.

“Alright, Hyesung, hold tight!”

“Gulp!”

Hyesung clenched her mouth shut.

Her pupils trembled as if in an earthquake, and her fists shook.

I placed my hand on her forehead.

She squeezed her eyes shut.

“Hyesung.”

I stopped and called her name.

Her eyes opened slightly, and her body relaxed.

That was my chance.

Pop!

I pushed her forehead back.

A small, white tooth flew out of her mouth, still tied to the string, and landed on the floor.

Everyone froze in surprise.

Hyesung blinked and slowly looked down.

From my face to my hand, and then along the string to the far end.

She finally saw her extracted front tooth.

A strange silence hung in the air.

Hyesung’s face went blank.

As I swallowed nervously, she started to tear up, feeling the pain.

“Ugh…”

Her cheeks quivered, and her shoulders shook.

I acted quickly.

“Hyesung, you’re an adult now…!”

Clapping energetically to prevent her from crying.

Kang Ki-hyun, quick on the uptake, joined in clapping.

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“Hyesung, you did great!”

Her smiling face was a bit strained.

Jinwoo, Dabin, and Dayoon clapped a beat later.

“Wow! Hyesung is an adult now!”

“Surgery successful! Surgery successful!”

“Yay!”

Hyesung looked around in confusion.

Despite the pain, she seemed puzzled by the praise.

Sniffling and looking around, Hyesung’s tears dried up.

She stood up awkwardly.

Feeling excited, she wiggled her bottom.

She got swept up in the atmosphere.

Amidst the continuous applause, Hyesung blushed and nodded.

“Hyesung is an adult!”

She said with a lisp due to her missing front tooth.

She then burst into tears, smiling brightly, showing a cute gap in her teeth.

“Yay!!!”

I raised my hands and cheered.
T h is w a s co p i ed fro m k i n gm t l .o r g

Hyesung, full of pride, smiled even brighter.

“Hehehe…!”

It was a success.

***

At bedtime, I handed Hyesung the cleaned baby tooth.

Her eyes sparkled.

“Baby tooth!”

“Yes, baby tooth!”

Her bright smile made me smile too.

“Now, put it under your pillow, and the tooth fairy will take it.”

“Fairy!”

I gave the tooth to Hyesung.

She stuffed it deep under her pillow.

Her excited cheeks glowed even in the dim light.

“Now, a present?”

She seemed eager for a gift.

The story of the tooth fairy during dinner had left a strong impression on her.

‘What should I do?’

I hadn’t prepared a gift.

I only thought about it when Hyesung insisted on calling the tooth fairy.

Cold sweat ran down my back.

I forced a smile and nodded awkwardly.

“Well, how about we sleep now?”

“Okay!”

Thud.

Hyesung lay down straight in bed and closed her eyes tightly.

Her twitching lips showed how excited she was and hinted she might struggle to sleep.

Feeling relieved, I lay beside her and gently patted her belly.

‘…I should get her to sleep first.’

Seeing innocent Hyesung made me realize I was overthinking.

Once she was asleep, I could give her something she liked as a gift.

Tap.

Tap.

As I gently patted her, Hyesung’s breathing steadied.

Her expression relaxed.

Her shoulders drooped.

Energetic Hyesung quickly fell asleep when patted like this.

“Good night.”

I whispered softly.

After a busy day, she fell asleep without a reply.

***

The next morning.

“Cake!”

Hyesung shouted excitedly.

Her voice woke me, and I saw her holding a military pound cake above her head, giggling.

“It’s a cake?”

“Yes! The fairy gave it to me!”

Hyesung ran to me with the cake.

“Open it for me!”

I felt proud seeing her so happy.

‘Glad she liked it.’

The choice seemed right.

Knowing she loved sweets, the judgment to give her something sweet was spot on.

I patted her head and said,

“Okay, but let’s have breakfast first.”

“Okay!”

Her face was clear and bright.

The late autumn morning sun shone through the window.

And a pound cake exchanged for a baby tooth.

Not a bad morning.

End of Chapter