Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 46

The Moment of Gazing into the Abyss

***

A few days after Hyesung’s flower withered, I took Ki-hyun and Jinwoo out into the streets.

We planned to resupply while teaching the kids proper combat techniques.

“Grrrr….”

A zombie wandered beyond the alleyway.

I stared at it briefly before turning back to the kids.

Unlike the indifferent Ki-hyun, Jinwoo was frozen stiff.

“Jinwoo, do you remember everything I explained?”

Jinwoo nodded at my whispered question.

T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r om k i n g m t l .o r g
“Walk as quietly as possible. Zombies can’t see, so you can approach from the front. Just make sure to keep quiet. Once close, aim for the back of the head with a quick, clean strike. It’s best to sever the spine if you can.”
Th i s w a s copie d f r om k i ngmt l. o r g

Jinwoo recited the instructions as if chanting a mantra.

However, the tension on his face didn’t dissipate, and his hands were trembling.

His anxiety was palpable.

‘I knew it’d be tough for him….’

He was more scared than I expected.

I began to worry he might get bitten if he went like this.

For a moment, I considered postponing Jinwoo’s training but dismissed the thought.

‘…No, I can’t keep putting it off. Jinwoo needs sufficient training, just in case.’

Most of the time, I’d be there to help, but you never know what might happen.

I might have to leave, like during the Mapo Shelter incident, or he might need to travel alone for some reason.

Leaving Ki-hyun as the only one to protect the penthouse would be a disaster.

Strengthening my resolve, I approached Jinwoo and put a hand on his shoulder.

“Jinwoo.”

“Y-Yes…!”

“Okay, follow me and take a deep breath. Inhale~ Exhale~.”

Jinwoo’s chest expanded.

His eyes squeezed shut, and after holding his breath for a moment, he exhaled.

“Ha….”

His breath still trembled.

His eyes were still filled with fear.

I looked straight into his eyes and said.

“Jinwoo.”

“Yes….”

“This is unavoidable, you know that, right?”

Jinwoo shivered.

His gaze shifted anxiously between me and the alley.

T h i s w a s c o p i ed f ro m k i ngm t l . org
Then, he swallowed hard and slowly nodded.

“Yes…! I’ll try…!”

Gripping the metal pipe tightly, Jinwoo’s expression hardened.

I gave him a bittersweet smile and added.

T h i s w as co p i ed f r om k i n g m t l . o r g
“Jinwoo, I believe in you. You’re the only man here. You’re Hyesung and the twins’ big brother. I believe you’ll find the courage for them.”

Though my words were warm, I knew I was pushing Jinwoo.

My words would add to Jinwoo’s burden.

They would become his shackles.

But it had to be done.

In a post-apocalyptic world, a kind heart and a meticulous nature alone wouldn’t be enough to survive.

“Let’s go. I’ll be right behind you.”

T h is was c op i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . or g
Jinwoo gritted his teeth.

He stood up slowly.

Ki-hyun watched Jinwoo briefly, then patted him on the back.

“It’s nothing. Just think of it as tenderizing meat.”

Her words of encouragement, given with a faint smile, seemed to lighten Jinwoo’s expression a bit.

“Okay….”

Jinwoo looked back at me.

“Then I’m off.”

“Go ahead.”

With my farewell, Jinwoo stepped forward.

Ki-hyun and I tensed, ready to rush in if needed, and watched his back.

After a moment, Ki-hyun spoke.

“What’s gotten into you, teaching Jinwoo too?”

“It was always the plan. I just didn’t have the time until now.”

“Even so, it’s sudden.”

I glanced at Ki-hyun’s expression.

I was trying to discern her intentions behind her words.

Her face remained indifferent as she watched Jinwoo, with no hidden meaning evident.

‘Was it just my imagination?’

Her voice had seemed shaky, but I must have been mistaken.

“He’s going.”

Ki-hyun’s voice grew sharp.

Naturally, my gaze returned to Jinwoo.

He was inching closer to the zombie’s range.

My legs tensed.

I gripped the monkey wrench tightly, holding my breath to keep my body oxygenated.

In the tense moment, Jinwoo’s metal pipe swung in a wide arc.

Crack-!

It connected with the back of the zombie’s head.

T hi s w a s cop i e d f r o m k in g mtl . o r g
The head burst like a firework.

I jumped to my feet.

“Well done!”

Unable to shout loudly, I mouthed the words.

Jinwoo, staring blankly at the zombie’s corpse, saw me and his face contorted with emotion.

I quickly ran to Jinwoo and ruffled his hair roughly.
Th is w a s c op i e d f r o m k i ng m t l.o r g

T his w a s co p i e d f r o m k i n g m t l . o r g
“Why are you crying, boy? You did great. You did really well!”

“Uh, uh…”

Jinwoo’s hands trembled.

The shock seemed significant; his eyes were spinning.

“You were amazing. Really! We’ll stop here for today. Ki-hyun and I will handle any zombies we encounter on the way back.”

I spoke, thinking this was enough for the first day to avoid overwhelming Jinwoo.

He seemed to agree, nodding with a brighter expression.

Then he slumped down.

“I, I can’t feel my legs…”

Seeing him collapse in front of the zombie corpse was somewhat amusing.

I chuckled, waiting until Jinwoo could stand on his own.

***

Th is wa s c o pi e d f r om k ingm t l . o r g
Seodaemun District’s downtown bookstore.

Jinwoo, holding onto his exhausted body, listened to Seokho.

“Alright, let’s grab a few books and head back. You all did well. If there’s anything you want to see, go ahead and grab it.”

As soon as Seokho finished speaking, Ki-hyun was the first to leave.

She headed towards the section with various guitar tutorials and sheet music.

Jinwoo watched her for a moment before turning and walking away after seeing Seokho turn his back.

The dim bookstore was lit only by the sunlight filtering through the windows.

Jinwoo wandered aimlessly, inhaling the scent of books.

‘It’s still comforting.’

He hadn’t been here many times, but the familiar smell of books always brought a sense of nostalgia.

The quiet atmosphere also helped him calm down.

‘I remember Seokho saying only this area is like this.’

Jinwoo recalled what Seokho had told him before as he skimmed through the neatly arranged books.

-Seodaemun is unique. Other areas’ bookstores and convenience stores are already a mess, so you can’t find much.

On the day of the apocalypse, Seoul fell at an unimaginable speed, leaving survivors in chaos.

People fought each other for immediate necessities while avoiding zombies outside.

Even after society stabilized, Seodaemun remained largely untouched for one reason.

-There are no shelters here. It wasn’t a good area for people to gather and organize. Naturally, people stopped coming here, leaving resources behind.

Seodaemun wasn’t a good environment for survivors.

It wasn’t a densely populated residential area.

Nor did it have well-established infrastructure.

It was just the center of Seoul.

A place with many zombies but little to gain, a useless place.

-After society stabilized, no one came here anymore. Shelters started their own production lines, so only wanderers like us come here.

Jinwoo had heard this story but found it confusing.

It was understandable.

He had lived in the Mapo Shelter since the apocalypse and later met Seokho by chance, allowing him to survive well in Seodaemun.

Seokho’s story didn’t resonate with him.

‘Hmm….’

The only thing Jinwoo understood was that Seodaemun still had resources left and that he could get books because of it.

‘Let’s see, the magazine section….’

Jinwoo erased all thoughts from his mind and searched for the magazine section.

He started stacking magazines he couldn’t carry last time due to their weight into his backpack.

However, his face didn’t show satisfaction.

‘…Is there nothing else?’

What to say?

Jinwoo’s main reason for coming to the magazine section was to find MACIM.

Jinwoo’s eyes darted around busily.

They resembled the eyes of a hawk hunting its prey.

After a prolonged search, Jinwoo found something unusual.

“…What?”

Opposite the magazine section, at the bottom of a bookshelf, was a book crumpled and tucked away.

Curious, Jinwoo approached and inspected the book.

Immediately.

“Gasp…!”

Jinwoo’s breath caught.

The continuous, inexplicable drawings before his eyes rendered him speechless.

‘What is this…?’

It was a comic drawn in a cute style.

But the content was odd.
T hi s was c o p i e d f r o m k in g m tl . o r g

A girl with large, expressive eyes was depicted.

The peculiar aspect was her rabbit ears and furry body, which couldn’t be human.

The rabbit girl approached a woodcutter.

She smiled.

The woodcutter blushed….

Slip-.

As if in a trance, Jinwoo turned the next page, feeling his world shatter.

‘…What, what is this?’

He couldn’t look away.

Just looking at it made him uncomfortable, as if his mind was being violated.

But his body craved the next page.

Jinwoo’s hands trembled.

His thoughts became hazy.

‘Something…!’

That day, Jinwoo gazed into the abyss.

End of Chapter