Apocalypse's Teacher - Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Let There Be Light (5)

***

“Are you out of your mind, old man?”

After driving off the shelter guys and moving to a nearby safe zone, I listened to the old man recount his recent events and clutched the back of my neck in frustration.

It was unbelievable.

The reason the old man hadn’t left the Dongdaemun Shelter in years was just too absurd.

“So, you got trapped because you went to see a patient? Not because of the shelter leader’s hemorrhoid or something?”

“Yes, boy. They begged for help, so what was I supposed to do? I had to help.”

The old man let out a sigh.

I chuckled in disbelief.

“Why go so far to play doctor?”

“Do you have to be a doctor to help someone? I went because someone was in pain.”

I started to say something but then gave up.

‘…Well, that’s just how he is.’

He’s not even practicing proper medicine, yet his heart is grand enough to run around causing trouble.

“Then how did you get out this time? It’s not like they’d approve a leave request.”

The old man’s shoulders flinched.

He avoided my gaze with a guilty look, which was highly suspicious.

I narrowed my eyes and pressed him for answers.

“What is it?”

“Well, you see….”

The old man let out a groan and then sighed deeply.

“…I made a deal. I promised to look after someone if they let me out.”

It was a vague statement.

“What? Why would they make such a deal?”

Why would they offer such a condition for looking after someone?

The old man started eyeing me nervously again.

I frowned.

“Why are you stalling? Just tell me.”

The old man squeezed his eyes shut.

“Those guys. Those guys!”

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“Those guys?”

“The religious fanatics! They have that guy’s nephew as a prisoner in Dongdaemun. They’re torturing him for information, but the kid’s gone crazy. I promised to treat him in exchange for being let out.”

I froze.

My eyes widened, and I could feel the veins bulging on my forehead.

“That guy? The Priest?”

The old man’s face showed an expression of defeat.

***

There were some of the most infamous names in Seoul after the apocalypse.

These were individuals who caused havoc to whatever order was barely maintained, through force, ideology, or influence.

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The Blacklist.

Lee Seokho and Chun-bae, along with a few others, were the primary enemies listed by the shelters.

There was a common misconception about the Blacklist.

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People often thought that because they shared the same enemies and opposed the system, Blacklist members would be on good terms with each other.

But unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.

In reality, the opposite was true.

Except for a few, everyone on the Blacklist viewed each other as enemies.

“They caught that guy’s nephew? Dongdaemun did?”

Chun-bae gulped, knowing well why Seokho harbored such intense anger.

“…Yes, his nephew is being held there. I don’t know how they caught him, but they torture him daily to extract information.”

“Did they find out anything?”

The abrupt question was about his whereabouts.

Chun-bae shook his head with a somber expression.

“No. You know him, he’d never reveal his location.”

Commonly known as the Priest.

One of the three most dangerous individuals on the Blacklist alongside Seokho, actively involved since the early days of the apocalypse.

And the person who turned Seokho into a bomber.

Chun-bae felt a pang in his heart.

‘I didn’t want to bring this up.’

Just when he started living like a human, the mere mention of that name flipped his mood.

He had just begun to feel at ease, but now he was worried again.

“Hey, let it go….”

“Wait, shut up for a sec.”

Seokho’s trembling hand moved to his mouth and gripped it tightly, then squeezed his eyes shut.

“Let me think. Just let me think.”
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Chun-bae couldn’t say anything more.

Seokho’s demeanor was too fierce and irritable.

Seokho breathed heavily, trying to calm himself, but it was futile.

The name Priest was one of immense resentment for him.

“…This is ridiculous.”

A hollow laugh escaped Seokho’s lips.

Chun-bae, with a sorrowful face, spoke to him.

“Revenge doesn’t leave you with anything.”

“I know.”

Seokho replied, rubbing his face as if to dissipate the heat in his head.

“I know, that’s why I’m not chasing after them right now.”

“You act like you’re about to, though.”

“….”

Chun-bae sighed deeply.

Seokho’s inability to calm himself was disheartening—he decided to change the subject to distract him.

“So, why did you come looking for me? What if the Dongdaemun guys retaliate?”

Although Seokho had driven away the soldiers using his reputation and weapon, it was only a temporary measure.

Shelters were relentless.

Once they locked onto something, they rarely let go and pursued those who coveted their assets to the end.

Worried about what had driven Seokho to find him, he asked, and Seokho answered.

“…I don’t know, we’ll figure it out. Besides, what can they do? They know messing with me will only cause them losses.”

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“If you were alone, sure.”

Seokho flinched.

With a deeply furrowed brow, he asked.

“Do they know I’m with the kids?”

“No, that’s why they backed off so easily. They wouldn’t have known until I got here.”

Chun-bae looked at Seokho.

“But they won’t be kept in the dark forever.”
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An exasperated sigh escaped Seokho’s lips.

He waved his hand dismissively.

“Then it’s fine. They’re not going to waste manpower investigating me.”

“You shouldn’t take it so lightly….”

“If they were the investigating type, they would’ve approached me to catch the religious nut together.”

The word ‘religious’ had a peculiar emphasis.

Chun-bae bit his lip at that.

Seokho, noticing this, smirked.

“I’m not going after them. Hearing that name just surprised me, but I’m not planning anything now. I have the kids.”

He paused for a moment.

Mumbling as if chewing over his words, Seokho added belatedly.

“…As long as they don’t mess with me again.”

Chun-bae studied Seokho’s face with a peculiar expression, then nodded.

“Alright, I won’t ask more.”

There were pasts that had to be buried.

Chun-bae thought that Seokho’s anger towards the Priest was one of those emotions.
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Believing it was wise not to dig further, he changed the subject again.

“So, did you miss me? How did you find me so quickly after I disappeared?”

Attempting to lighten the mood with a smile, Seokho frowned and replied.

“It’s not like that, so don’t say silly things. Hyesung was down because you were gone, so I came to get you.”

“The kid?”

“Yeah, she was really upset this morning because you weren’t there.”

Chun-bae’s face showed a hint of emotion.

He was touched that the child remembered him so fondly after such a short time.

“Really, the kid did that….”

Seokho chuckled at Chun-bae’s expression and then stood up.

“Let’s go.”

“Hmm? Oh, right. We should.”
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They ended up retracing their steps.

Feeling somewhat awkward, Chun-bae rubbed his bald head.

“It’s going to take some time to get back.”

“Hmm? Why?”

“Well, it’s a zombie field here. Just thinking about sneaking through tires me out.”

When Chun-bae answered Seokho’s obvious question, Seokho clicked his tongue.

Scratching his belly, he then reached into his pocket with a nonchalant expression.

A sense of unease washed over Chun-bae.

His face turned pale with the thought of ‘no way,’ and unfortunately, that ‘no way’ turned out to be true.

Seokho pulled out the detonation switch he had used to threaten the soldiers earlier.

“Hey, hey… you!”

“I set some bombs a bit further away. If things go crazy over there, it should be quiet here.”

As if about to do something outrageous, my head tingled.

Click.

Seokho pressed the switch.

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Boom-!

A distant explosion and vibrations.

The sharp cries of zombies began to fill the surroundings.

-Groooar…!

“Let’s go. I’m starving since I didn’t have breakfast.”

Seokho’s expression remained indifferent.

Chun-bae thought.

‘Crazy bastard….’

Priest or not, this guy might have been a bomber from birth.

End of Chapter
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