Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 38

An Apology is Common Sense – 3

***

In the corner room of the penthouse, Kang Ki-hyun was curled up under the blanket, trying to focus on the music flowing through her earphones.

…No, she tried to focus.

She couldn’t.

There was one thought that had been plaguing her mind the entire time.

It was nothing else.

The thought that had tormented her the entire day when Seokho didn’t come back still hadn’t disappeared.

Realizing that her nearly compulsive conscience could drive someone to their doom made her heart feel constricted.

Seokho had come back, so everything was resolved.

She could just let it go.

She could rationalize it that way, but for Ki-hyun, that was impossible.

A significant part of her conscience in this world dictated that some things still needed to be upheld.

‘An apology…’

She needed to apologize for being so irrational, but the words wouldn’t come out.

It wasn’t about pride.

It felt like admitting that caring for others was wrong and abandoning a value she didn’t want to give up.

That was the problem.

Unable to sleep properly, the fatigue weighed down her entire body.

The suffocating feeling made even breathing difficult.

She sighed again and again.

T h i s wa s c o p i e d f r o m k in g m t l. o rg
Unable to grasp her emotions, Ki-hyun groaned for a while before suddenly getting up.

She grabbed and tugged at her hair, messing it up completely, and ground her teeth.
Th is w a s c o p ied f r o m k i ng m tl . o r g

‘Damn it.’

At the end of her contemplation, Ki-hyun finally made a decision.

Her conscience was important, but it wasn’t something to uphold while ignoring her mistakes.

Her legs slipped out from under the blanket, and soon her body stood upright.

Ki-hyun left the room, heading in the direction where Seokho was.

***

“Buuuurp—!”

The sound of a disgusting burp.

Then Hyesung’s cheers filled her ears.

Ki-hyun’s expression turned strange.

She couldn’t find words to describe what she was seeing based on her common sense.

Another emotion surged up.

Annoyance.

Ki-hyun felt annoyed that, while she was struggling alone, Seokho seemed completely unfazed.

Her fists clenched, and her expression turned sullen.

In the meantime.

“Huh? Ki-hyun is here.”

Seokho called out to her.

Ki-hyun’s shoulders flinched.

It was a habit she couldn’t help.

Feeling her pride wounded by her own reaction, Ki-hyun looked directly at Seokho.

His face was smiling brightly, showing no negative emotion.

It made Ki-hyun think he was a truly frivolous person.

Wasn’t he?

Whenever he opened his mouth, he was sarcastic, swore, and picked fights.

She knew he was trying to get closer to her, and she responded in kind, knowing he knew that.

Even so, he still acted like this, making it hard not to think he was frivolous.

And it made her feel guilty.

Ki-hyun swallowed dryly.

Thinking about Seokho again, she steadied her breath, resolving herself.

T h is w a s c opi e d f r o m ki n g m tl.org
Finally, she spoke.

“…Can we talk?”

She tried to speak softly, but the first words that came out were still sharp.

***

What’s going on?

Ki-hyun, who rarely approached me first, made me feel flustered.
T h i s w a s c o pi e d f r o m k i n gm t l . o rg

‘Did I do something wrong?’

The first thought that crossed my mind.

Given how Ki-hyun would quickly find fault with even my smallest mistake, it was something I had to consider.

‘Nothing comes to mind…’

And that was the conclusion.

I did nothing wrong.

At most, I came back a day late, and while Hyesung might care, Ki-hyun wasn’t the type to mind such things.

Not that she’s indifferent, but she understands that external schedules can have a margin of error of a day or two.

So why was she calling me?

As that thought filled my mind again, Ki-hyun spoke.

“Mi…”

She was about to say something.

Ki-hyun frowned.

She was leaning against the wall, fidgeting with her fingertips as if she were hesitating.

I waited.

It seemed like Ki-hyun wanted to say something difficult.

And it seemed related to me.

I didn’t know what she was about to say yet, but it must be something significant.

With such a serious face and hesitation, it must be something not easily spoken by someone as stubborn as her.

“Take your time. I won’t rush you.”

I smiled and plopped down on the floor.

Ki-hyun’s eyes widened slightly, then she lowered her head again.

Silence filled the room.

The sound of Ki-hyun flicking her nails echoed in the space.

That continued for a while until Ki-hyun took a deep breath and spoke.

“…I’m sorry.”
Th i s w a s c op i e d fr o m ki n gm t l. o r g

“Huh?”

“I’m sorry.”

Ki-hyun’s head hung so low it couldn’t go any lower.

Thanks to her short hair, her ears were clearly visible, and they were bright red.
Th i s w as c o pi e d f ro m k i n gm t l . o rg

Her voice had a tinge of tears.

“I was stubborn and forced you to go there.”

Her words were disjointed.
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But fortunately, I understood what she meant.

‘Is that what she was worried about?’

I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

It was endearing to know she could worry about something so cute.

Did she really think I went to the shelter because she forced me to?

‘That’s not entirely wrong…’

But that wasn’t the only reason.

I bent down to look at Ki-hyun’s face, which was directed towards the floor.

She seemed both angry and embarrassed.

Her eyes were tightly shut, so she didn’t realize I was looking at her.

Ki-hyun spoke again.

“I shouldn’t have made you go. It’s dangerous, and avoiding danger is the right thing to do to survive…”

“No, that’s not it.”

I interrupted her rambling.

Ki-hyun’s head snapped up.
T h i s w a s c op i e d fro m k i n g mt l.or g

Her surprised face filled my vision.

I put on a stern expression and stood up.

“It’s the right thing to do. If people are in danger, we have to help them.”

“But still…”

“But still, what? Why are you embarrassed about saying the right thing?”

I crossed my arms and snorted as I continued.

“If you said the right thing, you should be confident. And what’s left after surviving like that?”

It seemed Ki-hyun had been deeply troubled.

And she was definitely on the wrong path.

“Ki-hyun.”

“Yeah…”

“Living like a human being is important.”

There are values you shouldn’t abandon just to survive.

I knew how desolate life becomes when you abandon those values.

So, I didn’t want Ki-hyun saying things like that.

T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
“People are supposed to help each other. When you show kindness, you earn the right to receive kindness from others later.”

Because of her kindness, I found the motivation to live again.

Not just to breathe, but to achieve something.

Ki-hyun knew what was more important than mere survival.

“Don’t try to forget that.”

It was selfish, but I wanted Ki-hyun to remember that feeling.

The world after the apocalypse is so desolate that without a helping hand, one’s spirit dries up before their life does.

It’s a world where someone who can drop even a single drop of water on a parched heart is desperately needed.

Ki-hyun’s expression twisted strangely.

Her lips opened and closed repeatedly.

Finally, she said.

“…Kindness can be repaid with malice.”

A rational statement.

But one that makes a person’s heart dry up.

“Then you just crack their skulls. It’s okay to do that to ungrateful bastards. If you can’t do it, I’ll do it for you.”

“…”
T h i s w as c o pi e d f ro m k i n g m tl . o r g

Ki-hyun froze.

I grinned widely.

“Right?”

I wanted an answer, but Ki-hyun just made a strange face.

Wondering why she was acting like that, I watched as Ki-hyun’s hand clenched into a fist.

Then she let out a dry laugh.

“…What kind of nonsense is that?”

It was the second time I’d seen Ki-hyun laugh like this since we started living together.

‘What’s with her?’

The mind of an adolescent girl is so unpredictable that I scratched my head, unable to understand why Ki-hyun suddenly laughed after struggling.

Then Ki-hyun blushed and walked past me.

‘I really don’t get it.’

Maybe this is what Cheol-jin meant by Generation MZ.

***

Two days had passed since the matter at the Mapo Shelter was resolved.

“Hey.”

I looked up at the sudden sound of that cursed language.

“Hey, you.”

At the repeated call, I turned my gaze to find Helen.

‘Oh, right.’

I had been so busy I forgot we were living together.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

Was she talking to me now? Was she trying to have a conversation with me in a language that didn’t fit this Korean land?

Hoping that wasn’t the case, I pointed at myself with my index finger.

Helen nodded with a satisfied look.

“Yeah~ you~.”

I’m going crazy.

For real.

End of Chapter