Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 6

The apocalypse was fair to everyone (6)

***

I couldn’t sleep.

My mind was too cluttered with thoughts throughout the night to get any rest.

I couldn’t understand what these kids had done so wrong to be living like this, and the frustration was overwhelming.

‘Ah, I’m so tired.’

Despite everything, it was natural that fatigue continued to accumulate.

I rested my head against the pillar that bound me and exhaled deeply.

And then.

Thud-!

“Don’t move! If you move, I’ll shoot!”

The door swung open with a loud noise, and a young girl’s voice rang out.

I turned my gaze to the door and saw the kid who had entered.

‘A water gun?’

A girl aimed a water gun at me with a proud expression.

Her long hair reached her chest, and her droopy eyes contrasted with her round, upturned lips, making her an impressionable child.

After a moment of silence, another girl entered hesitantly.

“Unni…”

An identical kid.

They were probably twins.

‘How old are they…’

They seemed to be around ten years old.

They were probably the kids Jinwoo mentioned had escaped with them.

That was my guess.

‘It’s really only kids here.’

No wonder that irritable girl was acting as a guardian.

“Hello…?”

Maybe it was because I was tired, but my voice came out hoarse.

At my greeting, the girl with the water gun grinned and shot the water gun.

Splash-.

“Ouch, that’s cold.”

As the cold water hit my face, I flinched, and the girl giggled as she approached me.

“Dirty water!”

Yeah, I haven’t washed much.

Were you trying to clean my face?

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r om k i ng mt l . or g
‘…Thanks.’

I let out a hollow laugh, feeling both bewildered and amused.

“Am I that dirty?”

“Yes!”

Shouldn’t she say “no” out of politeness at times like this?

As I stared blankly at the girl with the water gun, the shy girl who had been standing behind came forward and held out a can of tuna.

“Please eat…”

Was she shy?

Since she couldn’t look me in the eye, I felt a playful urge rise and said,

“I can’t eat because I’m tied up.”

The girl squeezed her eyes shut.

“I’ll leave it here, so please eat it!”

Th i s w as c op i e d f r om k i ng mt l. o r g
The girl put the can of tuna at my feet and ran out as if escaping.

‘No, I said I can’t eat because I’m tied up.’

How was I supposed to eat in this state?

“Haha…”

I couldn’t help but laugh.

As I looked at the girl who remained, she shot the can of tuna with her water gun.

Splash-.

“Do you want to eat?”

…I might have encountered a bratty kid.

That’s the feeling I got.

“What’s your name?”

“You’re supposed to introduce yourself first when asking someone’s name.”

How precocious.

“…I’m Lee Seokho. Call me Mr. Seokho.”

“Okay! Mister.”

No, call me Mr. Seokho.

The girl smiled brightly and introduced herself.

“I’m Dabin! The one who just ran away is Dayoon!”

“Sisters?”

“Brothers!”

For a moment, I felt my mind freeze.

‘Boys?’

Were they both boys? No, they clearly looked like girls.

“Isn’t ‘brothers’ a term used for boys…?”

“We’re connected by a strong bond, so we’re brothers. Mister, you’re stupid.”

A strong bond…

I just nodded.

Well, brothers don’t have to be boys.

Maybe this friend wanted to break away from prejudice and discrimination.

“Yeah, I was wrong.”

“Ahem, I’ll let it slide this once.”

Dabin crossed her arms and puffed out her chest.

She seemed to be having a lot of fun, grinning and swaying as she placed the can of tuna in front of my mouth.

“Eat!”

“Thank you.”

I leaned forward slightly and slurped up the tuna.
T h is was c op i e d fro m king m tl . o r g

Maybe because it was mixed with water, it went down smoothly.

As I quietly ate the tuna, Dabin watched and then patted my head with her other hand.

“You’re eating well.”

Kid, I’m not a dog.

I glared at Dabin, and she smiled broadly.

“Mister, where did you come from?”

“From space.”

“Huh? Really?”

Dabin looked genuinely surprised.

Wait, she believes that?

“Really? Really from space?”

What should I say?

After a moment of thought, I looked slyly into the air.

“Well…”

Dabin’s cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkling.

“Then, are you a space cop?”

“Huh.”

“You’re a space cop who came to catch bad guys from space, right?”

I must have said something wrong.

With eyes full of anticipation, how could I tell her the truth?

“Um, yes…”

“Wow…”

My conscience was pricking me.

I wanted to kneel and apologize, but I couldn’t kneel in my current position.

“Hey, hey. So, do you use laser guns and stuff?”

“Um…”
T hi s w a s co p i e d f rom ki n g m t l . or g

“What about space motorcycles? Optical sunglasses?”

How does this kid know about these things?

“My sister said so! She said all space cops have those!”

The culprit was revealed.

I closed my eyes tightly.

‘Why did she teach the kids such nonsense!’

This is propaganda and fabrication!

T h is w a s c op i e d f ro m k i n g m tl . or g
This is altering common sense!

Teach them the right things!

My body trembled.

“I left them behind for now. They got dirty and need cleaning.”

“Wow…”

Clap clap clap.

Dabin clapped her hands.

Sorry, Dabin.

There’s no such thing as a space cop.

Even if there is, it’s not me.

“I have to tell my sister! I’ll untie you, but you have to show me when you get out!”

“Huh? Wait, wait!”

Thud-!

Dabin ran to the door and slammed it shut as she left.

I felt a cold sweat trickling down my back.

‘I’m screwed.’

What do I do now?

***

T h i s w a s c o pie d f r o m ki ngm t l.or g
It’s cold.

A dagger pierces my heart.

“…Space cop.”

A voice full of ridicule stabs at my insides.
Th is wa s c op ie d f r o m k i n g m t l .o rg

I felt my pupils tremble violently as I tried to avoid looking at the fiery-tempered girl standing in front of me.

“I didn’t recognize the great space cop.”

“If you had known…”

Thud-.

The girl kicked the pillar next to my head.

Ah, my ears hurt.

“Stop fooling around.”

Her sharp voice echoed.

I cautiously moved my gaze to look at her.

‘Wow, that’s scary.’

She looked ready to kill someone.

“I told you not to get involved with the kids.”

But they talked to me first.

“Just get treated quietly and leave.”

That was my plan.

“Don’t make things difficult.”

Click-.

The girl pulled out a gun from her waistband and aimed it at my temple.

“Do you think I can’t shoot?”

The threat was blatant.

At that moment, instead of thinking, ‘Why is she so irritable?’ or ‘Why is she overreacting?’, my first thought was,

‘She’s pitiful.’

The story Jinwoo told me kept swirling in my mind, and I unconsciously understood why she was acting this way.

I just looked into her eyes.

They’re all just kids.

And this girl, who had escaped from those who would target children even with a gun, was naturally wary of me.

She probably thought she had to do something as the oldest one here, as the nearest thing to an adult.

Even though she was just a middle schooler acting like an adult because she had no one else to rely on.

It was so heartbreaking.

“Look away.”

Her fierce tone didn’t scare me this time.

It felt like a hedgehog raising its quills.

I continued to look at the girl.

Her hair, messily cut short like a servant, her eyes peeking out from under her bangs, and the wrinkles formed from frowning.

All of it showed she was intentionally trying to act like an adult.

“…I heard there was some commotion outside.”

“None of your business.”

“Be careful. Whether it’s zombies or people.”

The girl gritted her teeth.

That’s bad for you.

Clatter-.

The chains binding me were undone.

The girl stepped back a couple of steps, still pointing the gun at me.

“You can move now, right? Get out.”

She gestured towards the door with her chin.

I put my hands behind my head and slowly started walking.

The scenery was indeed that of a hotel.

The floor seemed to be on the lower side.

“Move forward.”

She commanded from behind, pointing the gun at me.

I obediently moved forward.

My legs… they were working well enough to walk, at least.

‘…Get a grip, Seokho.’

What can you do out of pity?

You can barely take care of yourself.

What can you do by meddling here?

If you interfere, you’ll all end up dead.

Logically, that’s true.

Everyone’s looking for their own way to survive.

In this world, turning back to help someone means you’re immediately zombie food.

Thud-.

The side door of the hotel closed.

I realized I had somehow reached an alley and looked around blankly.

‘…Bitter.’

My taste was bitter.

I turned around and looked at the hotel door.

Through the crack, I could see the girl still glaring at me.

“Get lost.”

I opened my mouth to say something but stopped and turned around.

I walked away.

The area was filled with zombie corpses.

I saw some I had beaten just a few days ago, meaning the hotel wasn’t far from the convenience store.

I moved slowly and tried to settle my thoughts.

‘This is the right choice…’

Logically, this is the right choice.

What’s the point of feeling sorry for them?

Will you bring them food?

Or find them a shelter?
Th i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n gm t l. o r g

‘The right choice…’

This is the right choice.

‘…Ah.’

It doesn’t seem right.

Bang-!

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.

I turned my head.

‘…Towards the hotel.’

Realizing it, I moved without thinking.

Despite the throbbing in my legs, I pushed through and ran.

I may not be the most rational person after all.

***

A homeless man I once met said something.

-The apocalypse is fair to everyone. Look, even those great politicians, doctors, and homeless people all turned into the same walking corpses. Where else can you find a fairer world?

The apocalypse is fair, he said.

I had laughed and agreed with him back then.
T h i s w as c o pi e d f r o m k in g m t l . o rg

-Right, you know what you’re talking about. But why do you have three packs of cigarettes and I only have seven bottles of water? That’s not fair. Give me two more bottles.
-Hah, you’re so rigid.
-Rigid? I’ve got a hammer to smash your head with.
-Here, take them!

I take it back.

It’s not fair at all.

This damn apocalypse is profoundly unfair.

‘Damn it.’

Sure, the weight of the apocalypse is the same for everyone.

Everyone who survived carries the same burden.

But that doesn’t mean everyone feels that weight equally.

Some feel it more heavily.

Some find it more unbearable.

And that’s right in front of me.

“Jinwoo, take the kids and run!”

Inside the hotel.

A girl was yelling her lungs out, barricading the door with a desk.

Behind her were zombies.

‘I knew this would happen!’

I told them it was dangerous, but they didn’t listen.

I looked around and found a pipe I could use as a weapon.

Holding it, I charged at the zombies.

“Hey, this is my house!”

The zombies turned to look at me.

The kids looked at me too.

‘Five.’

Five zombies.

Five kids.

‘…I can manage.’

T h i s wa s c op ie d f r o m kin gm t l .o rg
I could manage to clear them out, and I could take care of the kids.

End of Chapter