Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 4

The apocalypse was fair to everyone (4)

***

“Oppaya!”

The little kid… her name must be Hyesung.

Anyway, she ran to Jinwoo and hugged him.

Jinwoo lifted her up and bowed his head as he spoke.

“Are… are you okay?”

I thought as I listened to his question, his gaze fixed on the floor.

‘So this is…’

It seemed like this was indeed their hideout.

A flood of thoughts rushed through my mind.

‘They brought me here… and they have no guardians. That means they didn’t bring me here for labor.’

If they weren’t part of a shelter, there was no reason to bring me here.

And there was no reason to treat my wound either.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d fro m k in g m t l . o r g

In fact, there was no reason to return to that convenience store at all.

After thinking it over, I came to a somewhat comforting conclusion.

T hi s w a s c op i ed fr o m ki n g mtl . or g
“Did you come back because you were worried about me?”

That these kids returned to the convenience store out of concern for me.

And that they brought me here and treated me while I was sleeping.

Jinwoo looked embarrassed at my question.

“Nuna told me to go…”

Nuna was probably that foul-mouthed girl.

Despite her harsh words, she seemed to have a soft heart.

I chuckled softly and said,

“Thank you.”

“Huh?”

“I said, thank you.”

I felt an odd mix of emotions.

I didn’t know how to express it, but… you know that feeling?

The overwhelming sense of gratitude when you receive unexpected kindness.

The gratitude for these kids who hadn’t abandoned their desire to help others, even in this harsh world.

I felt a tickling sensation inside but soon swallowed it down, hardening my expression as I spoke.

“But don’t do this again.”

Jinwoo flinched.

I made my face even more stern as I continued.

“It’s dangerous. What if the person you saved was really a bad guy? What would you do then?”

I almost let a curse slip but stopped myself when I saw the little girl with the goggles.

Yeah, you shouldn’t use bad words in front of kids.

Jinwoo blinked at my words, then chuckled and nodded.

“Yes, but it’s okay. Nuna decided, so I trust her judgment.”

It seemed that girl had strong leadership qualities.

Th i s w as c o pi ed f r o m k in gm t l. or g
“…I see.”

I didn’t say anything more and just smiled.

Saying more might create rifts in their relationship, so it was best to agree quietly.

“But why did you tie me up?”

“Nuna said just in case… She wanted to check herself…”

So they decided to help and treat me, but they didn’t trust me completely.

That made sense.

‘She’s more cautious than I thought.’

I was worried because she seemed clumsy, but she wasn’t as thoughtless as I had feared.

As I pondered this, Jinwoo spoke.

“Then, I’ll go get Nuna! Just a moment!”

T hi s w as cop i e d f r o m k i ngm tl . o r g
With that, he turned and left.

Through the open door, I could see a room-like space.

‘…A hotel?’

It seemed like a hotel.

Judging by the furniture and the view through the glass windows, that seemed right.

Considering the convenience store was in the city, this hotel was likely not far from there.

‘Why are they staying in such a dangerous place?’

I didn’t know how long they had been here, but a place with lots of rooms and a complicated structure meant they had to watch out for remaining zombies.

I couldn’t help but sigh.

‘There are a lot of things that bother me.’

I decided I should talk to that girl when she came.

***

It didn’t take long for the girl to arrive.

I greeted her as she entered, looking as ragged as yesterday.

“Nice to see you?”

The girl flinched.

Then her eyes narrowed sharply.

“…Don’t act like we’re friends.”

Wow, look at that temper.

She looked ready to kill someone.

I pretended to shiver in fear.

“Ooh, scary~.”

“You bastard…!”

“Hey, watch your language. There are kids outside.”

I said, trying to lighten the mood.

The girl’s face turned cold.
This w a s c o p ie d f r o m k i n g mtl . o rg

Her eyes gleamed dangerously.

“…Hey.”

Did I say something wrong?

“Stay away from the kid.”

It wasn’t a statement made in anger, but a cold, serious warning.

Her expression showed she was ready to kill if necessary.

“Uh, yes…”

I was so scared I accidentally used formal speech.

…I mean, I was tied up and couldn’t fight back.
T h i s w a s co p i ed f ro m k i n g m t l . o r g

I had to play along.

“Sigh…”

The girl sighed and glared at me.

“Seems like you’re feeling better, considering how much you’re talking. Can you move?”

“Uh…”

I tried to put pressure on my thigh.

A strong pain surged through.

“Ouch…!”

Oh, this wound might be worse than I thought.

Just a little movement caused this much pain; I’d need at least three days of rest.

“Well, as you can see, it’s not great.”

The girl scowled at my awkward reply.

She really seemed to dislike me.

I used to get called handsome a lot when I was a teacher.

“I’ll take care of you until you’re healed, then you can quietly leave.”

With that, she stood up to leave.

I was startled and called out.

“Wait!”

The girl stopped.

She turned to face me.

I quickly continued.

“Look, I noticed this place seems like a hotel. I know it sounds funny coming from someone tied up, but don’t you think this place is dangerous? How do you know where all the zombies are? What if one gets you while you’re sleeping? Have you checked everywhere?”

I had been thinking about this since she arrived.

Hotels were too dangerous.

I hoped they would find a safer hideout.

Even if we were going to part ways soon, I couldn’t ignore the discomfort of kids living in such a place.

The girl clicked her tongue and replied.

“Why do you care?”

“Why do I care?”

“…”

Was that not it?

Since I was spending more time alone, my sense of humor had grown dull.

Look at her face, it’s souring.

“…You’re disgusting.”

Disgusting, really?

Not even a chuckle?

I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart.

All my energy drained away.

Seeing my visibly sad expression, the girl shrugged and watched me.

She gritted her teeth and gripped the door handle.

She’s a fun one to tease.

“Think about what I said about going to a shelter. Or find a new hideout.”

She didn’t respond.

She just glared at me one more time, then turned and left the room.

***

True to her word, they took care of me until I could move.

By evening, Jinwoo entered the room with a pack in his hands.

How did I know it was evening?

I saw the dark sky outside the window when Jinwoo came in.

“I brought dinner.”

Jinwoo said with a shy smile.

I checked the pack he was holding and was shocked.

“Military rations?”

“Yes, we had a few left…”

I couldn’t hide my amazement.

‘How long has it been since I’ve seen military rations?’

These were probably some of the rations the soldiers had when the outbreak first started, now ownerless supplies.

Five years had passed, making these hard to find.

“…You didn’t eat something this valuable?”

“You helped us. It’s a token of our gratitude.”

Ah, my heart swelled again.

I looked between the smiling Jinwoo and the rations before speaking.

“You should eat it and just give me some canned food. You need to eat well, especially at your age.”

“Huh? No, Nuna said to give it to you.”

Jinwoo shook his head and opened the heater pack for the rations.

“We’re fine. And… the canned food was yours. We couldn’t return it, so this is our apology.”

What a righteous kid.

Jinwoo’s evaluation in my mind went from ‘coward’ to ‘kind coward.’

“You’re making me tear up.”

If that’s the case, I’ll gladly eat it.

I used to hate military rations in the army, but now they looked so delicious.

I could already feel my mouth watering.

‘Come to think of it, there’s kimchi in there too.’
T h i s w as c o p i e d f ro m k i n g m t l . o r g

Wow, can’t they just take care of me here?

I could be a good boy.

“Ah, it’s ready.”

Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed the ration had warmed up.

Steam rose from the hot meal.

It was a luxury I hadn’t experienced in years.

“Here you go.”

Jinwoo scooped up a mouthful of fried rice with a plastic spoon and held it out to me.

T h i s wa s co p i e d f r o m king m t l . o r g
I didn’t hesitate and put it in my mouth.

Tears welled up.

“Huh? Mister?”

“It’s so damn good.”

Damn, this is MSG.

This is living.

It felt like my tongue was being assaulted.

I might never be satisfied with normal food again.

‘When I go back, it’ll be dry rations again.’

Will I be able to be satisfied?

Jinwoo’s confused expression changed to a strange one as tears streamed down my face.

Why, what, what do you want?

“Quick, give me another bite.”
T h i s w as c o p i ed f r o m k i ngm t l. o r g

“Oh, okay!”

Jinwoo added some fried kimchi to the fried rice.

It was heavenly.

***

“Burp-.”

I let out a satisfied burp.

After a quality meal, my stomach was the first to thank me.

“Wow, I really enjoyed that.”

“You’re not eating this?”

“Huh?”

I looked at the pack in Jinwoo’s hand.

“Oh, pound cake.”

“Here.”

Jinwoo opened the pound cake and held it out to me.

I chuckled and shook my head.

“No, give it to that girl, Hyesung.”

She seemed like she would love sweet things.

Jinwoo was about to respond when,

Thud!

The door opened, and Hyesung entered.

“Hyesung is here!”

She ran over and snatched the pound cake from Jinwoo’s hand.

“Hyesung’s!”

“Hye, Hyesung!”

Wearing her goggles, Hyesung hugged the pound cake and ran to me.

She sat on my lap and started devouring the cake.

“…I guess she was listening.”

I pictured it in my mind.

I had noticed something moving behind Jinwoo when he came in, and it seemed Hyesung had followed him, waiting for her name to be mentioned.
Th i s w as c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g

Clever kid.

I watched her eat the cake, crumbs all around her mouth.

Hyesung lifted her head.

Suspicion flashed across her face.

“This is Hyesung’s, right?”

She thought I was going to take it from her.

I couldn’t even take it if I wanted to; I was tied up.

I tried to look as kind as possible and replied.

“Yes, it’s yours, Hyesung.”

“Hehe…”

Hyesung’s eyes crinkled with a smile.

She was such a bright child.

In a world like this, her brightness was probably due to the love she received from these kids.

I watched the anxious Jinwoo and the happy Hyesung, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

End of Chapter