Apocalypse's Teacher - Chapter 45

Chapter 45

How to Remember

***

The pure white petals fluttered.

Four or five petals spread wide atop the bud, waving a greeting.

There was something insignificant yet charming, and therefore even more beautiful, there.

“It’s pretty….”

Hyesung’s eyes were glazed with wonder.

Her trembling fingertips hovered around the petals, unable to touch them as if touching them would be a grievous sin.
T h i s wa s c opi e d fr om k in gm t l . or g

“It’s okay to touch it. Just gently.”

When I spoke with a smile, Hyesung swallowed hard and reached out with her tiny hand, gently tapping the petal with her index finger.

Hyesung flinched.

“It’s soft.”
T h i s w a s c op i e d f r o m k i n g m t l .o rg

“Right? Pretty is soft.”

“Yes, soft….”

Hyesung beamed.

Her flushed cheeks showed just how much she adored this petal.

The sight filled me with both overwhelming emotion and a small sense of sorrow.

‘It’ll wither soon.’

The petals, which bloomed after a long period of patience, were as fleeting as they were splendid.

I knew the same was true for this bean plant.

In a few days, at most, the petals would fall, and pods would form in their place.

How to explain this?

What words could explain parting to a child who had just fallen in love?

I pondered.

Unable to think of a way, my gaze remained on the petals.

Parting was like that.

No matter how many times you experienced it, it never became familiar, and it left an indelible mark in your heart.

The more precious it was, the more painful it was.

The deeper it took root, the bigger the wound it left.

‘To cherish….’

I savored the word in my mind.

For a moment, I had an epiphany.

‘…With this.’

Perhaps this might not be a bad parting after all.

***

Three days later, in the living room of the penthouse.

Hyesung felt her heart breaking as she looked at the petals.

They had been swaying so vibrantly just days ago, but now they hung limp.

She woke up to find the petals ailing.

Hyesung felt a deep sorrow.

Unsure of what to do, she instinctively sought help from Seokho.

“Uncle… Pretty is sick…!”

Hyesung’s eyes were already red, her vision blurred with tears.

She couldn’t see Seokho’s bittersweet smile.

Maybe it was a blessing she couldn’t see his pained expression.

“Shall we go see?”

“Hurry…!”

Hyesung clung to Seokho’s pants, tugging as she cried.

Matching her urgency, Seokho moved quickly.

The withering petals greeted them.

The sight pained Hyesung’s heart so much she felt she might burst into tears.

“Sniff….”

T hi s was c o pi e d fr o m k in g m t l . o rg
Her mind raced with thoughts.

T h i s w a s c o p i ed f r o m ki ng m tl .o rg
Maybe she had touched it too much.

Maybe Pretty was annoyed and trying to escape.

Hyesung started hiccupping, her shoulders shaking.

At that moment, Seokho wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

“Hyesung.”

“Yes….”

“Do you see between the petals?”

Hyesung looked up.

Her eyes, too pained to focus closely on the petals, followed Seokho’s pointing finger.

Her tear-blurred vision couldn’t make it out clearly.

She wiped her eyes with her arm and squinted at the petals again.

Something small and green came into view.

“What is that?”

“A pod. Baby Bean.”
Th i s w a s c o p ied f r om k i n g m t l. o r g

“Huh…?”

Hyesung turned to Seokho.
T h i s w a s cop i e d fr om k in g m t l . o r g

Seeing her hiccuping yet curious face, Seokho chuckled.

“Bean became a mom, so she made a baby.”

“Then what about Pretty?”

“Pretty is Bean’s way of thanking you. She showed you her beauty as a thank you gift.”

Hyesung looked at the withering petals.

Her face crumpled again.

“Pretty can’t stay?”

“No, if Bean keeps Pretty, she’ll be too tired to make Baby Beans. Bean wants to stop being Pretty and become a mom now.”

Hyesung listened to Seokho while staring straight at the bean plant.

“Mom Bean….”

She nodded slightly.

In her heart of hearts, Hyesung didn’t want Pretty to go.

She didn’t want to lose the small, soft, and white treasure she had grown to love the most.

But she also knew it couldn’t be.

If she truly loved Pretty, she knew it was right to support her.

She knew it was right to celebrate Baby Bean becoming an adult.

Hyesung’s tiny fists clenched.

“Bean grew up….”

Thi s w a s c op i e d f r o m k i n g m t l. o r g
“Yes, thanks to Hyesung’s great care, she grew up.”

Seokho could only smile bitterly.

Seeing Hyesung, no other expression came to mind.

Her quivering as she held back tears.

Her awkwardly raised lips trying not to let her feelings show.

Her heartwarming yet pitiful effort to care for her bean.

Seokho smiled bitterly, feeling both love and sorrow.

But there was a fortunate thing.

“Hey, Hyesung.”

“Yes….”

“Pretty is Bean’s gift to you.”

“Yes….”

“Then Hyesung should cherish Pretty, right?”

Hyesung looked up.

Not fully understanding Seokho’s words, she tilted her head curiously.

Seokho hugged her and said.

“What do you do when you receive a gift?”

“Thank you….”

“And then?”

Thi s wa s c o p i ed f ro m kin gmt l . o r g
“…Eat it?”

Hyesung frowned, and Seokho looked flustered.

Understandably so.

What gifts had Hyesung ever received?

Pound cake, jerky, cola, and other snacks.

For Hyesung, who had come to equate gifts with food, Seokho’s question wasn’t quite appropriate.

Realizing this belatedly, Seokho let out an ‘Ah’ and laughed.

Then he said.

“Shouldn’t you cherish it? Bean’s gift.”

“Yes, Bean is precious. Bean’s gift is precious.”

“Right?”

Finally getting the answer he wanted, Seokho’s face brightened.

Though Hyesung still didn’t fully understand why Seokho was doing this, Seokho continued.

“Then Uncle will make sure Pretty doesn’t wither anymore.”

Hyesung’s eyes sparkled.

“Pretty will stay?”

Seokho chose his words carefully.

Thinking over the best answer to Hyesung’s question.

After a moment, Seokho replied.

“Always. As long as Hyesung cherishes it, Pretty will always be with you.”

Hyesung’s fists clenched tightly.

***

It was a method I could only describe as ‘something that came to mind out of the blue.’

That’s because, most of the time, you don’t even know such a thing exists, and in a world that had ended, I hadn’t read a book where it might be used.

Yes, there was no point in talking about it.

What I was going to make with the petals was a ‘flower petal bookmark.’

You know, the kind where you place dried petals between pieces of laminating sheets and seal them with heat.

Preparation took several days.

After obtaining Hyesung’s consent, I collected the petals and dried them in a sunny spot.

Then, I plugged an iron into the emergency battery, readying it.

Finally, the day came to make the bookmark.

With Hyesung on my knee, I spoke.

“Alright, we’ll put Pretty inside this laminating sheet and seal it. Then Pretty will be a bookmark and stay with Hyesung.”

“Yes!”

Hyesung’s feet swung back and forth.

Now that some of her sadness had lifted, her face wore the usual cheerful Hyesung smile.

“Pretty is a gift from Bean!”

“Yes, Bean is thanking you for raising her well, so she’s giving you a gift.”
T h i s w as co pi e d f r o m ki n g m t l. o r g

“One should cherish gifts!”
T h i s wa s c o p ie d f ro m k i n g m t l . o r g

“Hyesung is doing a great job.”

I ruffled her hair, and she giggled.

“Alright, shall we put Pretty in?”

At my words, Hyesung nodded vigorously.

One by one, she carefully placed the four petals between the laminating sheets.

As if she wanted to remember their original form forever, as if she would never forget the emotion she felt.

With a concentration I had never seen before, Hyesung arranged the petals.

“All done!”

As soon as she said that, I picked up the iron.

“Now it’s hot, so Uncle will do it.”

“Okay!”

Hyesung’s hands dropped under the table.

I carefully pressed the iron over the laminating sheets.

The heat fused the sheets together.

The once opaque sheets became completely transparent.

As I lifted the iron, the completed bookmark appeared before our eyes.

Hyesung’s eyes sparkled.

I let out a soft “Oh.”

“It turned out pretty, didn’t it?”

“Yes…!”

Hyesung leaned closer to the bookmark.

Her sparkling eyes took in the now-preserved petals.

Slowly, her hand reached out and picked up the bookmark.

“Treasure….”

She murmured.

“Pretty is Hyesung’s treasure!”

She turned to me excitedly.

I laughed and replied.

“Yes, Hyesung’s Treasure Number One.”

In a heartwarming gesture to congratulate the child who had just learned how to hold onto memories, I simply smiled brightly and responded.

End of Chapter