Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 51

Let There Be Light (4)

***

Chun-bae quietly watched the dawn of the penthouse.

The dim surroundings.

The faint light of dawn seeping through the window.

And the sound of gentle breathing.

It was peaceful and warm.

Clink.

The water in the mug rippled.

He wished it were coffee, but now even that was hard to come by, so it was just water.

But Chun-bae didn’t mind.
T hi s wa s c o p i ed f r o m k i ngm t l . o r g

What he gained from losing coffee was something he had never longed for in his life.

The atmosphere of this house, alive with human breath and warmth, was something he relished as he sipped the cold water and smiled.

‘It’s good to see him living well.’

Chun-bae was relieved to see Seokho doing well.

He had always lived like a man who could die at any moment, and that had always worried him.

‘No more looking for gravesites, right?’

He glanced at the closed bedroom door, thinking these words inwardly.

It was the room where his dear friend, who had finally grabbed hold of life after wandering, and the adorable child were likely fast asleep.

Chun-bae enjoyed the dawn for a while longer before getting up.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d fro m k i n gm t l . o r g
He led his old body down the stairs to the lobby on the first floor.

There, he looked out at the dead city for a while.

Then, three heavily armed soldiers approached him.

“Let’s go, old man.”

One of the armed soldiers reached out his hand.

Chun-bae swatted it away and spoke.

“Don’t rush me. I’ll go on my own.”

The soldier flinched and then took a step back, standing behind him.

Chun-bae took one last look at the penthouse.

A rather refreshed smile spread across his face as he left.

***

The old man is gone.

I realized this within thirty minutes of waking up.

Thanks to Hyesung.

“Grandpa is gone….”

Her sulky expression made me realize the old man, who should have been in the kitchen at this hour, was nowhere to be found.

“He probably just stepped outside for a moment.”

I patted her back to reassure her, but I was also worried.

No matter how much I disliked him, there was still a connection.

A bond of sorts.

‘Where could that old man have gone?’

It’s a harsh world for an old body to navigate.

No matter how used to survival he was, it only took a moment of carelessness to lose his life.

That old man knew this all too well, so he wouldn’t have gone out just for a walk.

I could have just assumed he was fine, but I couldn’t.

It wasn’t for any other reason.

It was something about the way he had been acting ever since he arrived.

‘…Like someone who’s about to die.’

He seemed to be preparing for the end of his life, which made me uneasy.

Wasn’t it?

His sudden quiet stares at me, his unusually kind behavior towards the kids, his vacant gaze out the window.
Th i s w a s co p i e d f r o m k i ng mt l.org

All these seemed like the actions of someone preparing to end their life.

Hyesung pouted, and in the distance, Jinwoo and Helen were preparing breakfast.

Eight servings.

I contemplated for a moment, then sighed deeply and put Hyesung down.

“Hyesung.”

“Yes?”

“Uncle will be back soon.”

Hyesung tilted her head.

I patted her head and answered.

“I have to find Grandpa.”

“Bring Grandpa back?”

“Yes, I think he went out to exercise.”

Hyesung’s face brightened, and she laughed loudly, nodding her head.

“Yes! Today is egg day!”

“Yes, we have to eat eggs by dinner. I’ll be back by then.”

I chuckled, and Hyesung jumped up and down, waving her hands.

Leaving her behind, I headed downstairs to arm myself.

I thought to myself.

‘No matter how I think about it, something’s off….’

I had always been suspicious but never bothered to look into it.

How did the old man get from Dongdaemun to here?

It was clear now.

The old man was, after all, an old man.

He couldn’t move as swiftly as a young person.

Between Dongdaemun and Seodaemun was Jongno.

The place with the most zombies in Seoul.

‘He couldn’t have gone around it.’

Rumors collected by Mr. Park said the old man had come straight through Jongno to get here.

There was only one possible explanation.

‘…Someone helped him.’

T h i s w a s co p i ed fr o m k i ng m t l . o r g
My mind went cold.
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r om k i n g mt l.or g

As I checked my weapons, I glanced at the suitcase stashed away in a corner.

The bomb set I hadn’t touched since the Mapo Shelter incident.

“…”

I took it with me.

***

There were changes in how people behaved after the apocalypse.

Especially regarding cleanup.

People no longer felt guilty about littering the streets.

Nor did they care about erasing visual traces.

It was because of the zombies, of course.

The only thing to worry about now was avoiding zombie detection, so people were lax about other traces.

‘Tracks.’

I followed the tracks that stretched from in front of the hotel.

Footprints made by stepping on unkempt soil.

Trash from a meal.

And a recently dead zombie body.

I approached the zombie body and examined it closely.

‘An axe. One clean strike. From the looks of it, the size would be about the same as Fire Jack… probably done by an adult male.’

There were no vagrants in this area.

Maepo Shelter’s cleanup was on weekdays, so if there was a body today, a Saturday, it must be someone from outside.

Suspicion turned into certainty.

I exhaled deeply and stood up.

The end of this path led to the land of zombies, Jongno.

‘What has that old man been up to?’

A sense of urgency rose within me.

The world was still in the early morning.

The old man had been sleeping until last night.

No one would move around at night in this world, so it was right to assume he disappeared at dawn.

I hoped it wasn’t too late as I resumed following the tracks.

***

“Grooo….”

The groans of the dead filled the surroundings.

The stench of decay was overwhelming.

At the entrance of Jongno.

Chun-bae grimaced at the sensations and muttered.

“Why push through here instead of going around?”

Just like on the way here, these people were not to his liking.

As Chun-bae glared at the armed soldiers, one of them responded.

“…Better than encountering people.”

Chun-bae’s lips tightened.

The soldier looked at him for a moment before turning his gaze forward and saying.

“Old man, you seem to be mistaken. We’re not your subordinates. Think about why your life is still intact.”

It sounded like a threat.

But there was nothing wrong with it.

Chun-bae understood his situation.

The blacklist doctor.

A primary enemy that shelters despised, yet someone they dragged along due to his medical skills.

“…I can’t cure anyone. He’s dreaming in vain.”

“Don’t complain to us. Talk to the shelter leader.”

Chun-bae’s face contorted.

Thi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m ki n g mt l . or g
“Listen, Mr. Assault Leader. I’m a quack doctor. I’ve killed more people than I’ve saved. How can someone like me cure cancer, something I couldn’t do even when the world was normal?”

“A quack doctor is still a doctor. You know how to examine people.”

Chun-bae scoffed.

“…So, that’s your real goal? It’s not about the cancer patient. You just want to keep me in your shelter.”

“As I said, talk to the shelter leader….”

T h i s w as c o pi e d f ro m kin g m tl . o r g
The soldier stopped speaking abruptly.

His gaze grew tense, and he signaled something to the other two soldiers.

Chun-bae knew immediately something was wrong.

Just as he was about to ask, he heard a familiar voice.

“You guys again? You bastards.”

The curses mixed with heavy breathing were unmistakably familiar to Chun-bae.

His creaky head lifted.

“…Seokho?”

“Old man, how could you leave without saying anything? I’m hurt.”

Th i s w a s c op i e d fr o m ki n gmt l .o r g
Seokho grinned.

The soldiers raised their guns.

Seokho showed his hand.

Holding a switch.

The soldiers flinched.

“You know who I am, right? Then you know what this is?”

The soldiers glanced at Chun-bae.

“Is that how you want to play it?”

Chun-bae flinched.

“No, no. I left quietly…”

“Old man, are you friends with them?”

Seokho’s question made Chun-bae shut his mouth.

Seokho looked at Chun-bae, then turned to the soldiers and said.

“You picked the wrong person. If you take the old man, you’re all dead. Not by me, but by him.”

T his w as c o p ie d f r om k i ngm t l . or g
He waved the switch above his head and gestured forward with his other hand.

“I’m saving your lives. Leave now.”

The soldiers’ guns were still aimed at Seokho.

But none of them could shoot.

They were mercenaries of an interest group, not soldiers.
T h is w a s c o p ie d from k i ng m t l . o r g

And the man before them was a madman.

They couldn’t risk their lives shooting, not knowing where the bomb might explode.

This was one of Seokho’s favorite strategies.

“There are a lot of zombies here, right? It’d be a problem if there was a loud bang.”

A suicide attack.

The most feared strategy for survivors who prioritized their own lives.

“Let’s make this easy.”

The soldiers finally realized they were facing the infamous bomber they had heard about.

End of Chapter