Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 31

A Rod is Not a Choice, But a Necessity (2)

***

It is worth reiterating that I could no longer act recklessly on my own.

This was obvious.

I was here as the guardian of these children.

If I were to make enemies carelessly, the consequences could spill over onto the kids.

The retaliation from shelters is tenacious.

If I failed, they would dig into my past to find those connected to me.

They might discover the kids in the process.

Do I need to spell out what would happen next?

I cast my gaze out the window.

The early evening in a ruined world was like that.

T h i s wa s co p i e d f r o m k ing m tl . org
Ruins tinged with red and corpses wandering somewhere.

And an eerie silence where not a sound could be heard.

In this world, there were no walls to protect the children.

Despite the harshness of this world, there were only beasts trying to take something from the kids.

A long sigh escaped me.

My heart felt heavy as if a stone had lodged itself there.

As I stared blankly out the window,

“Hey.”

Kang Ki-hyun called out to me.

I turned my head to look at her.

She stood there, arms crossed, looking at me with a stern face.

I forced a smile and answered,

“Yeah? What?”

“Are you going?”

My body stiffened involuntarily.

My face showed signs of surprise.

Even so, Kang Ki-hyun continued,

“…I overheard the conversation. Oh, don’t worry about the others—they didn’t hear. They were all distracted by that woman.”

She awkwardly averted her gaze as she spoke.

“If you’re going, then I…”

“I’m not going.”

“…What?”

Kang Ki-hyun’s shoulders twitched.

Her eyes widened like a rabbit’s as she looked at me.

I smiled.

“I’m not going, idiot. Where would I go, leaving you guys behind?”

Even as I spoke, my heart was uneasy.

But no matter how I thought about it, this was the right choice for me.

Isn’t it?

The people of this dying world are already disappearing.

Moreover, they are strangers to me.

Even if I intervened and saved them, I couldn’t guarantee that it would be met with goodwill.

“Let’s go have dinner.”

T hi s was c op ie d fro m ki n gm t l. or g
I couldn’t put these kids in danger for such a matter.

I walked towards Kang Ki-hyun.

As I was about to pat her on the shoulder and pass by, she grabbed my arm.

“…Hey.”

She was speaking informally again.

I turned my head to see Kang Ki-hyun, who looked somewhat angry.
T hi s w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i n gmtl.org

She glared at me and said,

“Are you really not going? If we don’t stop them now, others will…”

Th i s w as c op i e d f r o m k i ng mt l . o r g
Her unfinished words pierced me.

The pure goodwill in her words, saying it’s natural to help others, made me shrink.

Yes, from Kang Ki-hyun’s perspective, she was right.

She was still a pure child.

A child who knew what was more important than life.

I realized why I hesitated.

“They will die.”

Kang Ki-hyun clenched her lips.

“Those people will die. But, if I go because of that…”

T h i s w a s c o p ie d f r om ki n g m tl .o r g
Her trembling pupils were fixed on me.

I met her gaze and spoke, almost as if making an excuse.

“…What about you guys?”

What stopped me was fear.

The fear that these kids might not grow up and perish.

The fear that I might become a hindrance to them.

And the fear that I might no longer be with them.

Kang Ki-hyun stared at me blankly.

Then she clenched her teeth again, grinding them, and spoke.

“…If.”

Her grip on my wrist tightened.

“If you run away using us as an excuse.”

Her eyes narrowed.

Her pure eyes stared straight at me.

“I will be disappointed in you.”

With those words, she walked past me towards the other kids.

I couldn’t bring myself to stop her and just watched her leave.

***

Late at night, I couldn’t sleep and found myself on the rooftop, looking at the dead city.

‘Disappointed…’

Disappointed.

The word suddenly pierced my heart deeply.

As a teacher, not just as a guardian, it made me shudder.

Thinking about why, the answer came easily.

As a teacher.

As someone who should teach those kids.

I realized I had spoken words I shouldn’t have.

I closed my eyes and thought.

I recalled a person I sought whenever I lost my way.

I remembered what that person said while drinking soju with pork skin the day I passed the teacher certification exam.

-Lee Seokho, be a person.

A shiny-headed, potbellied man.

A grumpy, old bachelor who never married due to his bad temper.

-Efficiency is not the goal. Be someone who can chase the unseen.

Even so, he was my beloved teacher.

-That’s what a teacher is. Someone who can uphold their beliefs and convictions.

I remembered his words.

-A teacher doesn’t teach the impossible. A teacher shows that children can become anything.

As I recalled his words, I chuckled.

“He really was a grumpy old man.”

Th is w as c o pi e d f rom ki ng m t l . o rg
His words were always right on target.

Yet, I couldn’t deny them.

He proved those words by making me a teacher.

He proved them by turning a delinquent like me into a teacher.

I recalled Kang Ki-hyun’s words to me.

-I will be disappointed in you.

T h i s was c op i e d fr o m k in g mt l. o rg
Her words if I ignored the situation and disappointed her.

“She’s not even a platoon leader…”

Her words were sharp.

A smile crept onto my face.

My clenched fists relaxed.

The stone weighing on my heart rolled away.

So easily, I realized my mistake.

‘A teacher.’

I am to be a teacher.

I am someone who should set an example for the kids.

Even though the reality is grim, I must teach them values that shouldn’t be abandoned.

I am not someone who teaches how to kneel before the walls of reality.
T his w as c o p i ed f r om kin g m t l . o r g

I got up from where I was lying.

‘I am…’

A teacher teaches kids ideals.

***
T h is w a s c o p ied fr o m k i n g m t l . o r g

The next morning, I saw Mr. Park, who had left the previous day, return, and tilted my head in confusion.

“Why are you here today?”

Mr. Park replied indifferently.

“I brought some stuff.”

Thud thud.

He kicked a large box he had brought.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

“You’re going, aren’t you?”

The box clicked open to reveal an array of explosives packed inside.

I was stunned.

Mr. Park chuckled at my expression.

“It’s about time for your rabies to act up. You’ve held back for three years, haven’t you?”

My mind went blank, and for some reason, I felt a surge of emotions.

As I stared at Mr. Park for a long time, he spoke.

“I’ll pay you later. Just bring some cigars and whiskey.”

The madman of the container graveyard.

Mr. Park proposed a deal that was so him.

***

Raiding a shelter alone wasn’t something that could be achieved by charging in with bombs.

The most crucial part was gathering information to infiltrate and disrupt the shelter, and fortunately, we had people who could provide that information.

“Well.”

A large map was spread out on the floor.

Kang Ki-hyun, sitting next to it, spoke with a stern face.

Her earlobes were slightly red.

She seemed embarrassed by her own words the previous day when I asked for help.

T h is w a s c op ied f r om ki n g mtl. o r g
“Well, thanks for helping.”

Kang Ki-hyun’s cheeks turned bright red.

“…What are you saying, idiot.”

The white woman, Helen, laughed at Kang Ki-hyun’s irritable demeanor.

Her name was Helen, right?

When I communicated through Mr. Park, she readily agreed to help us.

Guessing the age of a Westerner was tricky, but she seemed to be in her mid to late twenties.

‘She’s laughing because she doesn’t understand, right?’

I wondered what expression she would make if she knew Kang Ki-hyun was cursing.

A fleeting curiosity rose and then faded because it wasn’t important now.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

Mr. Park clapped his hands to get our attention.

We all looked at him.

He spoke.

“First, the internal layout. Explain it as detailed as possible.”

He spoke to Kang Ki-hyun first and then repeated the same in English to Helen.

Helen started first.

She grabbed a pencil and began drawing on the map.

Concentrating hard with her tongue sticking out and her brows furrowed, she drew.

Our expressions hardened as we watched.

Mr. Park, staring blankly at her drawing, spoke to me.

“…Hey.”

“…Yeah.”

“Get some more paper.”

I didn’t reply and stood up.

I walked towards a corner of the room.

‘Being smart doesn’t mean you’re good at drawing.’

That realization crossed my mind anew.

End of Chapter