Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 5

The apocalypse was fair to everyone (5)

***

A night passed.

I slept as if I had passed out for the first time in a long while.

You might wonder why I slept again after sleeping like that, but think about what I did.

A one-hour trek while staying on guard.

A physical scuffle with the gun-wielding kids…

And then, a life-threatening race with the zombies that still sends shivers down my spine.

If I weren’t exhausted after all that, would I even be human?

Moreover, I was injured.

“Ugh… my whole body aches.”

Sleeping tied up in a sitting position made my back ache.

As I twisted my body to change position,

“Oh, you’re awake?”

Jinwoo greeted me.

“Huh, when did you get here?”

“Just now. You should have breakfast.”

Jinwoo opened a can of tuna with a click!

“Breakfast is canned food. I’m sorry, we don’t have many military rations left.”

“It’s fine, I’m grateful you’re giving me food at all.”

I yawned widely and answered, stretching my neck and feeling something poke my waist.

“Hyesung?”

“Hello!”

It was the little girl with the goggles, Hyesung.

Seeing her so energetic in the morning made me chuckle.

“Did you sleep well?”

“Yes!”

Poke. Poke.

Even while speaking, she was poking my waist with her finger.

“Why are you poking me there, kiddo? It tickles.”

“Belly fat!”

Hyesung laughed brightly and grabbed my side.

‘Look at this rascal?’

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It’s not belly fat, it’s just age.

…Seriously, how many people in this world eat enough to gain belly fat?

I’m not fat.

I thought about protesting but held back.

It’s not like explaining to a kid that it’s not belly fat would change anything.

Besides, my stomach is a bit round.

“So, did you eat breakfast, Hyesung?”

“Yes, beans!”

Oh, she ate beans.

She kept glancing at the tuna can in Jinwoo’s hands, probably wanting some.

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Jinwoo hid the can behind his back and said,

“No, this is for the mister.”

“Let it be, I’ll share with Hyesung.”

“Huh?”

“I’m old, and breakfast doesn’t sit well. I’ll just have a little and share with Hyesung.”

“Tuna!”

Hyesung jumped up.

She ran to Jinwoo and reached for the can, but Jinwoo held it above his head and said,

“Still, let the mister eat first.”

“Ugh…”

These kids are really kind.

It’s not easy to share their food with a random stranger like me.

‘The future looks bright.’

Is it really bright?

That thought crossed my mind but quickly faded.

No matter what, as long as they live, they’ll experience something good, right?

Who knows, maybe surviving scientists are working on a vaccine for this virus.

“Here you go.”

T h i s w a s co p ie d fr o m k in g m tl .o r g
While I was lost in thought, Jinwoo scooped some tuna with a disposable spoon and brought it to my mouth.

I swallowed it in one gulp and said to Jinwoo,

“But can you untie me? My back hurts a lot.”

“Nuna said…”

“Not to?”

Jinwoo smiled awkwardly.

I chuckled along and then said,

“You shouldn’t always rely on your sister’s decisions. You need to have your own opinions too.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

At least he answers well.

“Hyesung too!”

“Yes, Hyesung should have her own opinions too.”

“Tuna!”

“Just wait a bit longer.”

I’ve only had one bite, kiddo.

***

After finishing the meal, Jinwoo left.

I asked Hyesung, who was still sitting against my stomach and hadn’t left,

“Aren’t you going with him?”

“No!”

“Huh.”

“I want to stay here and play!”

Maybe she took a liking to me.
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Hyesung laughed and tapped my stomach.

‘Or is it just because it feels like a cushion?’

That’s a bit sad…

…Let’s not think about it.

I pushed away the painful thought and stared blankly at Hyesung, then asked,

“Hyesung, what’s with the goggles on your head?”

Those goggles had been oddly bothering me since I first saw them.

Hyesung tilted her head at my question, then exclaimed “Ah!” and put the goggles on her eyes.

She said,

“I’m the protagonist!”

“Huh?”

“It’s the symbol of the protagonist!”

What did she mean?

After a moment of thought, I understood.

“Yeah, a protagonist always has goggles.”

It reminded me of the cartoons I watched as a kid.

The leader of the elementary school kids who saved the digital world always wore such goggles.

Wow, how does Hyesung know about that?

“My sister told me!”

Oh, that girl told her.

I could understand immediately.

Judging by her age, she probably watched those cartoons before the world ended.

“That’s really cool.”

“Hehe…”

Hyesung’s eyes turned into crescent moons as she smiled.

Such a bright and cute kid, how did she end up living like this?

I let out a thoughtful hum, then shook off the thought.

‘I’ll ask later.’

That girl probably won’t tell me, but maybe Jinwoo will.
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***

Hyesung left.

So, I was alone now.

‘Oh, I’m bored.’

Killing time while being tied up and unable to do anything was a form of torture in itself.

Wasn’t it?

Think back to the days when civilization was thriving. Even with the almighty smartphone, people used to get bored.

Now, without such devices, just staring into space would drive someone to despair.

Jinwoo said we’d have to skip lunch, so I had no idea what to do until dinner.
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‘What did I do when I was young…?’

I recalled a time when there were no smartphones or anything, just playing in the dirt was fun.

‘…Yeah, I played in the dirt.’

Come to think of it, even then, I didn’t just sit still like this.

‘I remember a kid who liked to do this.’

I thought back to a kid in the orphanage I grew up in, who used to kill time just staring into space.

What? I never mentioned I was an orphan?

…Well, now you know.

In a world where everyone essentially became an orphan, it’s not a big deal, right?

In terms of bloodline, documents, and ideology, we live in a time where having no parents, no documents, and no nation is the norm, so it’s not important.

Anyway, back to what I was saying, I thought I could pass the time faster by doing what that kid used to do.

‘Surely, he used to relax his eyes.’

I slightly opened my mouth and made a “heh” sound.

“…Heh.”

Oh, I also relaxed my shoulders and let my legs splay out.

‘Wow, I feel kind of dazed.’

It seemed to be working.

As I was sinking into that strange world only that kid knew,

Clang-.

“Food…”

The fiery-tempered girl entered.

And froze on the spot.

I jumped up in surprise like a flying fish.

“Whoa! You scared me!”

The girl’s expression twisted strangely.

“…What are you doing?”

“…”

I felt a wave of embarrassment.

***

The girl fed me in silence and then left.

I thought I would die of embarrassment.

“Today, we were planning to go out and find food. But the area was noisy, so we canceled.”

Jinwoo was explaining why there was an unexpected lunch.

It was now late evening.

I watched Jinwoo mix beans into the tuna can and mash it with a disposable spoon, and I thought.

‘How should I ask?’

Why are you staying alone in this hotel?

Do you have no guardians?

Or…

‘…Did they die?’

Did your guardians die?

After pondering the question for a while, I decided to ask directly.

“Jinwoo.”

“Yes?”

“How did you end up here?”

I asked in a serious tone.

I felt like he’d avoid answering if I asked casually.

Jinwoo looked troubled.

“I’m sorry…”

He seemed guarded.

‘A trust issue?’

No.

Jinwoo and Hyesung seemed to like me enough.

It wasn’t a trust issue keeping him quiet.

‘It’s something hard to talk about.’

I wondered what it could be.

Then, I decided to probe.

“…Did you run away?”

Jinwoo flinched.

‘Bingo.’

I thought further about why they might have run away and the clues.

“…You stole the gun while fleeing, didn’t you?”

Jinwoo looked dismayed.

I felt a sense of frustration.

What kind of place did they run away from to end up here?

“I’m not going to scold you. You must have had a reason to run away.”

These kids were so kind it was hard to believe they survived in this world.

They had returned to the zombie-infested convenience store to save a stranger like me.

I believed in them.

If something went wrong, it would be the fault of the shelter people, not these morally upright kids.

“Can you tell me?”

Even if it wasn’t the case, I had to trust them.

T h i s wa s c op i ed f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
I used to be a teacher, and while I no longer called myself that, I had to be on the kids’ side.

Jinwoo looked away from the instant food he had been stirring and met my eyes.

A look of hesitation.

And a hint of sadness.

He was poor at hiding his feelings.

After a long internal struggle, Jinwoo finally spoke.

“…We had to run away.”

“Had to?”

“Yes, because…”

He hesitated.

It was a deep hesitation, as if he was wondering if he should say this.

I waited patiently for Jinwoo to say something, and then he closed his eyes tightly and exhaled deeply as he continued.

“…The guy in charge was after Hyesung.”

His words made me raise my body involuntarily.

***

Jinwoo left.

In the faint silhouette of the dark world, I lay awake, replaying Jinwoo’s words in my mind.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d fr o m k i n gmt l. o r g
-We were in Mapo. We stayed at a shelter there, but the guy in charge started looking at Hyesung weirdly. Nuna always kept Hyesung close because of that. But then…

I felt a surge of anger.

‘Mapo. Mapo…’

I had a rough idea of where it was.

I felt my eyes redden as I recalled Jinwoo’s words.

-One day, Nuna went out for another task. I don’t know why, but they ordered her to receive survival training. She couldn’t refuse. So she went, and Hyesung stayed with me and some other kids.

My fists clenched tightly.

A strong emotion surged, making my neck tense.

-…The guy came, and we ran. But within the shelter, there weren’t many places to go. So we asked the head for help, but he ignored us. He said it was all part of the adults’ plans.

‘Bullshit.’
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-We ran again. This time to where Nuna was training. The guy kept following us. We got to Nuna just as he caught up to us.

I couldn’t get the image of Jinwoo’s face while he spoke out of my mind.

It looked so sad, filled with pity.

-Nuna instantly realized what was going on. She shot the guy’s leg with the gun she had. I don’t remember much after that. We just kept running and running until we got here. So…

I had been complacent.

I finally realized my mistake and what I had suggested to these kids.

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-…We can’t go back to a shelter.

Drunk on the trivial superiority of being an adult, I had told these kids to return to the place they had fled.

“Damn it.”

How did the world come to this?

How could people be like this?

Truly.

“…It’s fucked up.”

We live in a shitty world.

End of Chapter