Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 40

Patriotism is a Serious Matter – 2

***

Helen was a quick learner.

Well, it would be strange for someone with a doctorate to be slow-witted, but seeing it firsthand was still impressive, wasn’t it?

She wasn’t just any doctorate holder.

According to Mr. Park, she had completed her higher education by the age of 12 and entered university immediately, making her what we would call a prodigy.

It was a fortunate thing, but naturally, it came with its own set of problems.

“Joe doesn’t like beans. I like meat. Meat is good.”

Her stubbornness.

That was the problem.

Helen was smart.

And because of her abilities, she had always been treated well.

This wasn’t just limited to before the apocalypse but was true even afterward.

No matter which shelter she went to, she was treated as a VIP.

For her, meat was an unlimited resource that appeared with a snap of her fingers, and her words were akin to law.

I felt a sharp pain in my neck.

“No, what I’m saying is we don’t have any meat. If you want meat, you’ll have to go out and get some zombie meat.”

“Oops! Seokho, are you a Bavarian? Too barbaric.”

“Ba… what? Barbarian?”

Barbarian?

Is she calling me an exhibitionist?

Suddenly, anger surged within me.

My head began to heat up, and my expression turned fierce.

Helen recoiled in shock.

“He, hey! Be, be serious…! Violence is bad!”

Her frightened appearance looked quite pitiful, but I couldn’t hold back.

No, I didn’t hold back.

‘Fine, let’s start with manners.’

There’s a saying, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”

The laws here are different from what she knows, and as the protector of the children, it was my duty to make her understand that.

It was for the greater good.

Smack!
T h is wa s copi e d f r o m ki ng m t l .o rg

A crisp sound echoed from Helen’s head.

“Ouch!”

“In Korea, we speak Korean, you fool!”

Today, I planned to teach Helen in depth about Confucianism.

***

“P, please forgive my rudeness.”

“Helen, how old are you?”

“Twe….”

“Korean.”

“Twenty-seven.”

“And I?”

“Thirty-three.”

“So what do you say?”

“Please forgive my rudeness.”

I nodded in satisfaction.

Helen glanced at me and then pouted in dissatisfaction.

“What?”

“You’re so vio….”

“Korean.”

“Seokho, too violent. This is unfair.”

“Who told you to be stubborn?”

Helen’s face twisted into a tearful expression.

Seriously, this was driving me crazy.

I thought we had gained another person to look after the kids, but it felt more like we had gained another kid.

And not just any kid.

Her level of thinking and stubbornness were on par with Hyesung.

How should I explain this?

Yes, this is the right way to put it.

‘…Her brain is pure.’

Maybe it was because she had only focused on studying, but her social skills were extremely lacking.

That wasn’t all.

Helen didn’t even have the basic housekeeping skills that even Jinwoo possessed.

I sighed deeply at Helen, who was glaring at me with a pout.

“Is this the right thing to do….”

I wondered if I had made the right choice.

“I want to eat meat….”

Even as my thoughts continued, Helen was muttering while patting her stomach.

I felt another sharp pain in my neck but held it back.

‘…Still, we need English.’

As much as I wanted to chase her out, she was a native English speaker.

I had to put up with this much.

T h i s wa s c op i ed f r o m k i ng m tl. o r g
I sighed deeply and spoke to Helen.

“Helen, you know there’s a class today, right?”

Helen blinked and looked up.

I met her gaze and proposed a deal that came at a personal cost.

“If you finish today’s class well, I’ll give you a piece of jerky.”

Helen’s eyes sparkled.

…She wasn’t familiar with Korean, but she understood the word ‘jerky’ instantly, which was quite annoying.

***

On the floor below the penthouse, which we now used as a classroom.

In front of a whiteboard filled with wavy English letters, Helen shouted.

“Apple!”

“Ap-ple!”
T h i s wa s co pi e d f ro m k i n g m t l . or g

“Ap-ple!”

Hyesung and Dabin echoed.

What kind of scene was this?

It was none other than an English class.

Helen’s monumental first English lesson.

I looked around at the kids with a content smile.

Hyesung and Dabin were happily repeating Helen’s words, and Dayoon, having already memorized what was on the whiteboard, was flipping through another page of the English dictionary.

Jinwoo watched the kids with a smile, while Ki-hyun yawned and looked bored.

“Ki-hyun, aren’t you going to join?”

“Why should I?”

“You should at least learn basic conversation.”

“Why? It’s not like I’ll need it.”

“It’s all useful, really.”

Ki-hyun’s expression soured.

See, she lacked any sense of respect for elders.

I put on a stern face and scolded her.

“English is important, you should learn it.”

“And do you know English?”

At that moment, I was at a loss for words.

I felt a surge of embarrassment.
This w a s c op ied f r o m k i n g m t l. org

“I-I don’t need to… I’m a PE teacher.”

“I don’t need it either, I’m in charge of supplies.”

My pupils began to tremble as if an earthquake had hit.

Unable to hide my reaction, Ki-hyun raised an eyebrow and put on a smug expression.

“Don’t know, do you?”

Her tilted smirk was quite provocative.

I couldn’t hold back.

Bang!

T h i s w as c o pie d f r o m k i n gm tl. o r g
I stood up with all my strength, drawing everyone’s attention.

But I didn’t care.

“Of course I know! I scored level 3 in the college entrance exam English!”

Sure, it was pure luck that I got that score, but a level 3 is a level 3, isn’t it?

I snorted.

Seeing this, Ki-hyun crossed her arms and said.

“Then why so defensive? Feeling guilty?”

I had too many things to feel guilty about, but I couldn’t admit that.

Sweat trickled down my back.

My fists trembled.

In my anger-clouded thoughts, I said something I shouldn’t have.

“Then let’s make a bet!”

“A bet?”

“Yes, a bet! Let’s have a vocabulary test showdown! And if I win, you join the class without any complaints!”

Tension filled the room.

Hyesung, Dabin, and Dayoon tilted their heads in confusion.

Jinwoo smiled awkwardly, and Helen’s eyes sparkled at the word ‘bet.’

Among them, Ki-hyun let out a snort and smiled.
T h i s was c o p ie d fr o m k i n g m tl. o r g

“A bet, huh…. What will you do if I win?”

“Anything you want!”

Ki-hyun’s eyes sparkled.

“Deal.”

And then, it hit me.

***

“Are you an idiot?”

After a week, Jung-min’s words hit hard.

Jung-min scoffed at the sight of Lee Seokho kneeling in front of him.

‘What the hell is this idiot doing?’

A 33-year-old betting on a vocabulary test with a 15-year-old.

It was a laughably absurd sight.

“…Help me out. Please? Mr. Park! Don’t be like this.”

“Why do you need help? You’ve already learned it. Why worry about losing?”

That was the most baffling thing.

For Seokho, it was just recalling what he had once learned, but he was worrying about losing and resorting to backdoor schemes.

A question arose.

When Jung-min asked it, Seokho responded.

“Well, what if Ki-hyun is really good at studying? I’ve never seen her study. I don’t know her skills….”

Th i s w a s cop ie d f r om k i n g mt l . o r g
“Then you don’t need to worry.”

“Huh?”

Seokho looked up.

Jung-min clicked his tongue and spoke.

“Do you think studying is just about talent? Studying favors those who have done it before. Knowing how to sit for long periods, how to focus, and how to memorize information. There’s a world of difference between those who’ve done it and those who haven’t.”

T h i s w a s c opi ed f r om kin g m tl . o r g
Seokho blinked.

Then, he let out an ‘Ah!’ and stood up.
T his w a s c op i ed f ro m k i n gm t l .o r g

“Right?! I won’t lose, right?”

“If you lose, you might as well die.”

“Ha, I was worried for nothing!”

Seokho laughed heartily and scratched the back of his head.

Jung-min, watching Seokho relax, continued to ponder.

‘That’s usually true….’

There was one thing Jung-min hadn’t told Seokho.

Simple memorization heavily favors young brains.

And there are much more efficient methods to memorize words than brute-force memorization.

‘Knowing roots and origins gives an edge.’

Should he tell him?
T h is w a s c o pi e d f ro m kin g mtl .o r g

After a moment of contemplation, Jung-min shook his head and dismissed the thought.

‘No, it’s more fun if he loses.’

After all, it was someone else’s business.

Besides, Jung-min wanted to see Seokho lose to a 15-year-old and fall into despair more than he wanted to see him win and boast.

‘Maybe I should side with the kid.’

A plan swiftly formed in his mind.

Only Seokho remained unaware that nobody was on his side.

End of Chapter