Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 7

The apocalypse was fair to everyone (7)

***

It was easy.

Even though there were five zombies, it wasn’t a big problem in this situation.

No matter how much I attracted their attention, these zombies had prey on both sides.

Their movements were disorganized, and I was skilled enough to exploit the gaps.

Crack-.

The head of the last zombie shattered.

I threw the pipe I was holding to the ground and looked at the kids.

‘Is anyone hurt…’

Fortunately, no one was injured.

A sigh of relief escaped my lips.

As the tension eased, pain surged from my thigh.

“Ouch.”

The throbbing pain knocked me off balance.

Unable to stand any longer, I collapsed to the ground.

As I looked up, I saw the irritable girl approaching.

“…What the hell.”

She seemed genuinely surprised that I had come back, her face filled with confusion.
Thi s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k in g mt l . o rg

Feeling playful, I put on a ridiculous expression and said,

“You should say, ‘Thank you~.’ You have no manners.”

The girl’s expression grew even more hostile.

She looked angry.

Ah, the veins on her hand were bulging.

I swallowed dryly, wondering if I had pushed my luck too far.

As the girl suddenly raised her hand, I closed my eyes tightly, expecting a hit.

Rustle-.

Instead, I felt a hand touch my thigh.

“…Blood.”

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at where her hand was.

Sure enough, red blood was seeping through the white bandage.

I looked back at the girl, noting her troubled expression.

“Mister!”
T h i s w a s c op ied f r o m k i n g m t l. org

Hearing the voice calling me, I looked up to see Jinwoo running towards me after having sent the other kids inside.

“Hey, how have you been?”

I waved my hand, and Jinwoo, fumbling, pulled out a fresh bandage from his pocket.

Look at that, carrying a bandage in his pocket. I couldn’t help but applaud his meticulousness.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? Did any zombie blood splatter on you…?”

“I’m fine. And ask one question at a time; I’m old and can’t keep up.”

I laughed and replied, and Jinwoo finally breathed a sigh of relief.

“Geez, you really scared me.”

“You have no guts for a guy.”

“T-That’s not…”

Jinwoo’s face turned red.

Being around girls must have made him soft.

I’ll have to give him a proper pep talk someday.

“Anyway, let’s go inside first. We need to properly check your wound. Right, Nuna?”

Both Jinwoo and I turned to the girl.

She flinched at his words but then nodded and went inside without a word.

“Oh, she’s scary.”

I made a snarky comment and leaned on Jinwoo as we headed into the hotel.

***

The treatment was roughly finished.

We were in a hotel suite.

The difference this time was that I wasn’t tied up and could move freely.

‘What should I do now…’

I had barged in without much thought, but now I had to figure out how to convince them to let me stay.

The other kids might be easier to deal with, but convincing that girl wouldn’t be simple.

“Hmm…”

“Hmmm!”

I looked down.

“What do you think, Hyesung?”

Hyesung, who had been tapping my stomach with her palm, tilted her head and said,

“Tuna!”

“Oh, is Hyesung hungry?”

T h i s w a s cop i e d f r o m k i n g m tl.o rg
“Yes!”

Hyesung laughed brightly.

Well, asking her wasn’t going to solve anything.

I chuckled and patted Hyesung’s head.

“Alright, I’ll figure it out.”

“Tuna?”

“I have beans.”

I pulled out a can of beans that Jinwoo had given me earlier.

Hyesung frowned.

“I don’t like beans.”

“You shouldn’t be picky.”

“I’m not picky. Beans are not food.”

I wondered what beans meant to Hyesung.

I thought about it for a moment but then dismissed it.

‘There’s no way to understand what kids that age think.’

No wonder my friend who became an elementary school teacher always shook his head.

“By the way, I forgot to ask this.”

“Yes?”

“How old are you, Hyesung?”

Come to think of it, I hadn’t asked their ages yet.

I had guessed based on their looks, but if we were going to live together, I needed to know their exact ages.

Hyesung opened all ten fingers and then folded them one by one, leaving six fingers up and holding them out in front of me.

“Six years old!”

“Huh? Only?”

She looked older than that.

Maybe it was good genes or early growth, but she was definitely taller than her peers.

Seeing my surprised face, Hyesung nodded proudly.

“Yes! Hyesung is six!”

Let’s see, if that’s true, then when the zombies first appeared, Hyesung would’ve been…

‘…One year old.’

She’d been born into a world that had already collapsed.

It was sad.

The only world Hyesung knew was this bleak, dreary city.

“…Hyesung, you’re really tall.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, you’ll grow even taller, taller than your sisters.”

Hyesung’s mouth opened wide in surprise.

“Will I be as tall as you, Mister?”

“Hmm…”
Thi s w as c opi e d fro m k i n g mt l. o r g

T hi s wa s c o p ie d f r om k in g mtl . org
I’m 183 cm, so I wonder if she’ll catch up.

“If you eat well. Height is mostly genetics and nutrition.”

“Nutrition?”

“Like beans.”

I shook the can of beans, and Hyesung frowned.

Then she groaned and took the can of beans from my hand.

“Hyesung will grow tall!”

“Good for you, Hyesung. Crush all the losers.”

I gave her a thumbs-up, and Hyesung handed the beans back to me.

“Open it!”

“Oh right, I forgot.”

Pop-.

I opened the can and handed it back to Hyesung, who started eating it happily.

She said she didn’t like it, but she’s eating well now.

***

I saw the girl again when it was nearing bedtime.

“What do you want?”

Still, her tone was aggressive.

But her demeanor had noticeably calmed down.

I sat on the bed and looked her straight in the eye.

“By the way, what’s your name?”

Come to think of it, I didn’t know her name yet.

I couldn’t keep calling her “hey” or “you,” so I asked.

She frowned.

“Answer my question first.”

She pointed the gun at me.

Oh, not this again.

T h i s wa s co p ied f r o m k i n g mt l . o r g
I felt a surge of frustration, but I understood why she was doing it, so I held it back.

“Well, I was thinking we could get along…”

“Get along?”

This wasn’t working.

I had planned to smooth things over and settle in, but this girl wasn’t going to let it slide.
Th i s w a s c o p i ed f ro m k i n g mt l. o r g

“Tsk…”

“Tell me your real intentions. I might really shoot you.”

She doesn’t intend to shoot me now.

How do I know?

The gun’s magazine isn’t loaded.

She probably thought I wouldn’t notice, but she was showing me the bottom of the gun, and I noticed.

I shook my head at her empty threat and continued.

“Didn’t you realize something from what just happened?”

“What.”

“You guys are living too dangerously.”

Her shoulders flinched.

Every time I see that, I wonder if there’s a Pinocchio’s nose in her shoulders.

Does it flinch every time she lies?

‘…No, focus.’

Focus.

I grabbed hold of my wandering thoughts and spoke.

“I told you, the hotel is dangerous. Do you think only five zombies were here? There could be ones without lower bodies that couldn’t come out, or ones with damaged sensory organs that didn’t react. And that’s not all.”

Once I started talking, the words flowed easily.

I continued, watching the girl’s face grow more flustered.

“Did you really plan to take care of the kids all by yourself? Did you teach them anything? Survival skills? You don’t seem to know much about survival either. What will happen to the kids if something happens to you?”

Her face turned red.

Her shoulders trembled.

She probably wanted to argue back but couldn’t find the words.

“I can’t stand seeing that, so I think we should stay together.”

She gritted her teeth.

“Who the hell are you?”

“Huh?”

“Who do you think you are to boss us around? Are you my mom? A government official? Who are you to interfere?”

Hmm, not your mom, but I am a government official.

I had a thought but held it back, as it wasn’t the right time to say it.
T h i s w a s c o pi e d f r o m ki ngm tl . o rg

Her expression grew even more hostile.

“Pervert.”

“Suddenly?”

“Is it normal for a grown man to insist on staying with kids? Wanting to live in a place with nothing to gain has only one reason, right?”

I had no rebuttal.

I thought she was dumb, but her wit was sharp.

Surprise showed on my face.

She took that as a silent confirmation and shuddered.

I quickly added,

T h is w a s c o p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o rg
“Look, I know there’s nothing to gain here, but please just let me stay. I’m really worried…”

“Why should I trust you?”

“…My conscience?”

“Bullshit.”

Th i s wa s c o p i ed fr o m ki n gm t l.o r g
“No, really.”

I wanted to swear an oath, but without a Bible, I couldn’t.

I briefly felt resentment towards the mother who abandoned me.

I placed my right hand on my chest and said,

“Really, can’t you trust me just once? I was going to leave, but my conscience wouldn’t let me. I…”

I used to teach, so I can’t stand seeing kids like this.

…That’s what I wanted to say when my words suddenly got stuck.

“I…”

Words are strange.

When they form in your mind, they feel light, but when you try to speak them, they become heavy.

This was one of those moments.

Could I bear the weight of calling myself a teacher?

That thought hit me, and my mouth closed.

Why was this happening?

The answer came quickly.

‘…I’m a bastard.’

I’ve lived too disgracefully to survive.

I’ve lived selfishly, not even looking back since the day the world ended.

I’ve barely had days when I acted with conscience.

So I think I no longer deserve to call myself a teacher.

“Your conscience is lying.”

Clink-.

She lowered the gun.

Why did her face show betrayal?

Unable to continue, I watched her silently turn away.

Thud-.

The door closed.

***

In the end, I couldn’t say it.

I couldn’t tell them I wanted to be their teacher because the weight of that word was too much for me.

To me, being a teacher was like a sacred title, and I felt unworthy to claim it.

My mind was in turmoil.

With a twisted feeling in my gut, I pulled the blanket over my head and fell asleep.

[Seokho.]

For the first time in a long while, I dreamed of my teacher.

End of Chapter