Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 50

Let There Be Light (3)

***

Hyesung quickly became close to Chun-bae.

The main reason was that Chun-bae found Hyesung extremely adorable, and Hyesung also took a great liking to Chun-bae, following him around all day.

“Mommy Kongkong!”

Today was no different.

Hyesung, having become more than best friends with Chun-bae, was showing him one of her treasures: a pot of kidney beans.

Chun-bae looked at the pot.

A plant glowing with fresh green leaves and pods blossoming on it.
T h i s was cop i ed f ro m k ingm t l . o r g

The lush sight contrasted with the approaching winter, bringing a smile to Chun-bae’s face.

“Did you grow this?”

“Yes! Hyesung has been growing it since it was a baby bean!”

Hyesung, in her usual energetic manner, explained the entire life cycle of the kidney beans to Chun-bae.

From how delicious Kongkong was but couldn’t be eaten because it was family, to watering and praising the beans every day, placing them in sunlight during the day, and keeping them by her bedside at night, showering them with love.

She even mentioned making a bookmark with the flower that recently bloomed and how the family of kidney beans would grow when these pods matured.

Chun-bae’s smile deepened at the endless chatter.

He could vividly see the efforts the little girl had put in to make the beans grow in this cold weather.

Chun-bae stroked Hyesung’s head gently.

“Well done. You’ll be a great mom one day.”

“Huh? No! Hyesung is still a baby!”

“I mean in the future. In the future.”

When Hyesung tilted her head, Chun-bae laughed heartily.

Hyesung watched Chun-bae thoughtfully before asking.

“Grandpa, are you a dad?”

“What?”

“If you become a grandpa, you’re a dad, right? Are you a dad?”

Hyesung’s innocent question struck a chord with Chun-bae.

Father.

Chun-bae was not someone who could be called that.

“Grandpa is not a dad. I never got married.”

“If you don’t get married, you’re not a dad?”

“That’s right, not always, but usually.”

Hyesung’s eyebrows furrowed.

It was hard for her to understand, given her childlike thinking.

T hi s w a s co p i e d f r o m k ing mtl. o r g
So her next question was, though innocent, a painful one for Chun-bae.

“Why didn’t you get married, Grandpa?”

Chun-bae’s hand stopped.

It trembled for a moment, and Hyesung tilted her head.

After a pause, Chun-bae answered.

“…I thought I didn’t need to.”

“Huh?”

“I thought I’d be fine alone.”

Hyesung asked.

“Are you not okay?”

Chun-bae replied with a bitter smile.

“I’m not okay.”

Regret was evident in his words.

“Not okay at all. I thought I’d be different, but as I got older, I realized I wasn’t okay.”

When did it start?

Despite having many happy moments alone, looking back now, he felt only loneliness.

He began to feel it more intensely after the apocalypse.

For a moment, he pondered whether it was right to talk about this with a child, but then he continued.

“Everyone feels lonely at some point.”

“Lonely?”

“Yes, lonely. Even if you say you hate people, you end up lonely.”

Hyesung’s face wore a puzzled expression, not fully grasping the concept of loneliness.

Chun-bae stroked her head again and added an explanation.

“How do you feel when you’re alone?”

Hyesung thought for a moment.

She added strength to her efforts to recall what it felt like to be alone.

The reason she had to think this hard was that she always had someone taking care of her.

Chun-bae noticed this and smiled gently.

Hyesung’s answer came after a while.

“Bored!”
T his w a s c o p i e d fr om k i n g m t l . o r g

“Bored?”

“And I don’t feel good!”

Hyesung answered vigorously.

Fortunately or unfortunately, there had been a time when she felt the emotion called loneliness.

It wasn’t for any other reason.

It was the day Seokho left for Mapo Shelter.

T h i s w a s c op i e d fr o m k i ng mt l . o rg
A long day of waiting.

Hyesung thought the loneliness Chun-bae spoke of was the feeling she had that day.

“Made me cry, and it hurt, and it was hard….”

Hyesung’s voice gradually lost its energy.

Her eyes grew moist.

Just thinking about the day without Seokho made her feel sad.

Chun-bae, startled, quickly hugged her and patted her back.

“There, there, it’s okay. You’re not alone now, right?”

“Yes….”

Hyesung nodded.

Chun-bae sighed in relief and continued softly.

“Anyway, that’s how loneliness feels. At first, I was okay, but being alone for a long time made me miss people. I realized it too late.”

As he spoke, Chun-bae felt a sense of relief.

This child was bright and loved people, unlike him, and wouldn’t make the same mistake.

Hyesung asked again.

“Why…?”

The stories Chun-bae told were too complex for her to understand, so all she could do was ask, “Why?”

Chun-bae, troubled by the repeated question, answered.

“Grandpa lied to himself.”

“A lie?”

“Yes, I lied to myself. I told myself I liked being alone, but I kept circling around people. So I didn’t realize that when people were really gone, I’d become lonely. That’s why I’m looking for people now.”

When no one was left, when he couldn’t keep anyone close, loneliness weighed heavily on him.

So he started looking for people, even using medicine as an excuse.

The quack doctor known as ‘Doctor.’

Chun-bae knew people called him that.

And it was true.

His medical skills weren’t proper, and while he saved lives, those saved usually ended up with some part of them damaged.

His greed had caused that.

“Grandpa lived a life full of regrets.”

His voice grew quieter.

It faded away.

With a bitter face, Chun-bae patted Hyesung’s back and finished speaking.

Hyesung looked at Chun-bae intently.

“Are you still lonely?”

This question wasn’t difficult for Chun-bae to answer.

“I’m a little better now.”

His gaze turned to Hyesung.

Then to Seokho, who was worriedly watching from a distance.

“I’m much better than before.”

Admitting his feelings and facing them head-on made things better.

Chun-bae knew why he had circled around Seokho all this time and why he had come here now.

“Everyone needs someone who will remember them, preferably with good memories. Admitting that makes life a bit more bearable.”

It was a relief.
T h is wa s co p ie d f ro m ki n g m t l .o rg

Seokho, the most intact of those he had treated, was someone who didn’t push him away despite everything.

Meeting such a person.

Th i s w a s co p i e d fr om k i ngm t l . o r g
The fear of not being remembered by anyone at the end of life was gone.

Hyesung blinked, studying Chun-bae’s face.

A small smile with beautiful wrinkles appeared on it.

His large, gentle hand patting her back felt comforting.

But his head remained shiny.

For some reason, seeing Chun-bae’s face made Hyesung want to see Seokho.

“I want to go!”

“What?”

“I want to see Uncle.”

When Hyesung wriggled, Chun-bae let her go.

He somewhat understood why.

“You want to see your dad?”

“He’s not my dad, he’s Uncle!”

“That’s your dad.”

Hyesung tilted her head.

Th i s wa s co pied fro m kin g mtl . or g
It was a strange thing to say, but calling Seokho “dad” made her heart race.

“He’s my dad?”

“Yes, your dad. Family. That’s very important. No matter what, your family is on your side.”

Hyesung put her hand on her racing heart, then looked at Chun-bae and shouted energetically.

“Then Grandpa is family too!”

Chun-bae froze.

Hyesung continued with more vigor.

“Grandpa is on my side. Grandpa is family too!”

After saying that, she waved her hand energetically at Chun-bae and ran off.

Chun-bae watched her for a long time, seeing her hug Seokho.

Then, he waved at the now empty living room.
T h i s wa s c o p ie d f ro m k i n g m t l . org

***

T h i s w as c op i e d f r o m ki ng m t l . o r g
I was flustered.

“Family!”

Hyesung suddenly ran up to me, chanting about family, making me wonder what the old man had told her.

‘Hmm… it doesn’t seem bad?’

Hyesung’s face was very bright.

Her cheeks were red, and she seemed in high spirits, as if she had heard something fun.

“Family?”

“Yes! Uncle is Dad! Grandpa is Grandpa! Hyesung is Baby!”

Did they play house?

Even with that thought, hearing Hyesung call me ‘Dad’ made me feel good.

“So Hyesung is Uncle’s daughter?”

“Yes! And Mommy is Kongkong!”

I froze.

“…Wow.”

In Hyesung’s mind, I had become someone who married a plant.

Hyesung was half-human, half-bean.

Amused by the thought, I chuckled and said to Hyesung.

“Then Uncle should kiss Kongkong?”

“Huh?”

“When you get married, you kiss, right? If Uncle and Kongkong are to be Hyesung’s parents, they need to get married. So, Uncle will go kiss Kongkong.”

Hyesung’s face turned pale.
T h i s was c o p i e d fr o m k in g m t l . o r g

When I tilted my head, Hyesung finally explained the reason.

“N-No…! Hyesung will kiss Kongkong!”

What does a kiss mean to Hyesung?

Lost in thought, I burst into laughter.

End of Chapter