Apocalypse's Teacher - Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Merry Christmas

***

The eventful outing finally ended.

I returned with gifts for the kids and materials to decorate for Christmas.

I hid the gifts and only brought the materials as I opened the door to the penthouse.

“I’m back!”

A loud shout.

Hyesung came running out.

“Welcome back!”

It seemed a bit early for Hyesung to use formal speech.

I held back the urge to say “I’m not a guest” and just smiled widely.

I patted Hyesung’s head.

“Did you take good care of the house, Hyesung?”

T h i s w a s c o p ie d fr o m k in g m t l. or g
“Yes!”

Hyesung nodded vigorously.

But her eyes kept glancing at the things I brought in.

It was obvious she thought I had brought gifts.

‘Well, this can be considered a gift too.’

I pinched Hyesung’s cheek lightly and said.

“Hyesung, shall we make a Christmas tree?”

“Christmas tree?”

Hyesung tilted her head.

I was very satisfied to see the curiosity burning in her eyes and opened the bundle.

Hyesung’s eyes sparkled.

***

What comes to mind first when you think of Christmas?

The LED lights decorating the streets, the carols playing everywhere, and the Christmas trees in all the stores.

Fortunately, we had all three.

LED lights don’t consume much electricity, so we could run them with a generator.

We could play carols on the radio.

And we could make the tree ourselves.

“A big star!”
T h i s wa s cop i e d f r o m k i ngm t l . o r g

Hyesung held a large star ornament above her head.

Not a real star from the sky, but the big star decoration for the top of the tree.

Holding the large ornament above her head, she looked like a priest participating in some kind of ritual.

Hyesung closed her eyes tightly and shivered.

“What are you doing?”

T h i s w as cop i e d fro m k i n g m t l . o r g
“Communicating! I’m calling the space police!”

I pondered for a moment to understand her meaning and then realized she was talking about a story from one of Dabin’s cartoons.

When calling the space police in the cartoon, they always took this pose.

So innocent, I thought.

I chuckled and started unpacking the decorations.

Then I looked up and called Helen.

It occurred to me that Helen was holding the tree.

“Oh, right. Helen!”

“Yes…!”

Helen jumped up and looked at me in a flustered manner.

‘What’s with her?’

Was the outing that shocking?

Helen had been acting like this since we came back.

“Can you bring the tree?”

“I-I’ll bring it…!”

Helen’s face turned bright red.

Her mouth opened and closed like a fish.

She couldn’t keep her eyes focused and kept darting them around.

Then she suddenly stood up and disappeared.

“Is Helen sick?”

“Her heart seems to be in pain.”

I shook my head and focused on sorting the decorations.

I thought to myself.

‘I shouldn’t take her on supply runs anymore.’

Helen didn’t seem to be cut out for scavenging.

T h i s w a s c o pied f r o m ki n g m t l . o r g
***

Kang Ki-hyun came out from the blankets for the first time in a while.

No, she came out to the living room wrapped in her blanket.

Despite feeling drowsy and lethargic, the noisy commotion had piqued her curiosity.

“What are you doing?”

In the middle of the messy living room, Seokho looked up and answered Ki-hyun’s question.

“We’re decorating the tree. Come help, Ki-hyun.”

A Christmas tree.
T h i s w a s cop i ed f r o m k ingm t l . or g

At that word, a short exclamation escaped Ki-hyun’s lips.

“Oh….”

She realized it was Christmas.

A belated realization crossed her mind.

Ki-hyun saw Hyesung holding a star ornament above her head, the twins laying out LED lights, and Jinwoo neatly piling up red stockings.

She walked over to them.

“What should I do?”

Seokho smiled and answered.

“Do whatever you want.”

Ki-hyun thought for a moment.

Do whatever she wanted.

That meant decorating however she liked.

Looking through the scattered decorations, she found some musical note ornaments and picked them up.

T h i s w a s co p ie d f r o m k i n g m t l.o r g
‘Hmm….’

Her eyes were still half-closed.

With a sleepy mind, she started attaching the musical note ornaments to the tree Helen had brought.

The musical notes arranged on the tree looked just like the sheet music of a piece Ki-hyun had been practicing recently.

“Beanie!”

Hyesung ran to Ki-hyun.

Ki-hyun tilted her head, then made an “Ah” sound.

‘She must have thought they looked like beansprouts.’

Seeing Hyesung’s excited face, Ki-hyun laughed.

“It’s not beans, it’s called a musical note.”

“Musical note?”

“Yes, it’s used for music.”

Hyesung clung to Ki-hyun.

Her eyes still fixed on the musical notes on the tree.

And then.

Hesitation-.

Hyesung shivered.

Shock spread across her face, and Ki-hyun tilted her head, puzzled. Hyesung then ran to Seokho.

“Uncle!”

“Yeah?”

“Look! Glowing beans!”

Hyesung waved her hand wildly, pointing at the musical notes.

Seokho raised an eyebrow.

His eyes met Ki-hyun’s beside the tree.

Ki-hyun shuddered and slowly stepped back out of embarrassment.

“Look! Glowing beans!”

“Oh, the musical notes?”

“Glowing beans!”

T hi s w as c o p i e d fr o m k i n gm t l . o r g
Whatever Hyesung was fixated on, her excitement grew, and Seokho’s attention was drawn to it, making Ki-hyun finally let out a sigh.

***

The tree was completed.

LED lights were strung all over the walls.

The penthouse was completely dark.

Seokho spoke in a tense voice.

“Alright, turning them on now?”

“Yes…!”

Hyesung tightly gripped Seokho’s collar.

Something big was about to happen, and she could feel it.

Matching her movement, Seokho flipped the light switch.

Click-.

With the sound, the world turned colorful.

“Wow…!”

An exclamation escaped Hyesung’s mouth.

“It’s Christmas.”

“Christmas….”

Hyesung echoed Seokho’s words as she stared at the scene before her.

This was a sight Hyesung had never seen before.

The red, blue, and yellow lights decorated the entire space in a vibrant display she had never experienced.

Hyesung walked forward, standing in the middle of the scenery.

Thump.

Thump.

She placed her hand over her racing heart.

She was so excited and wriggly, but she couldn’t think of a way to express it.

It was so beautiful she wanted to scream, but her throat tightened.

“Hyesung.”

Seokho called out to Hyesung.

As she turned to look at him, she suddenly felt tears welling up.

“Ugh….”

A child’s expression is like that.

When they want to express something but can’t find the words, they start to cry.

Seokho’s face filled with confusion.

T h i s w a s co pi ed fr o m k i n g m t l . o r g
He didn’t know why Hyesung suddenly started crying.

He hurriedly approached and hugged her, patting her back.

Hyesung clung to him, sobbing as she looked around.

The vibrant, fairy-tale-like world with her family.

The soft carol playing on the radio.

And Seokho’s warm embrace and soothing voice.

Hyesung was engraving these moments into her memory.

“H-Hyesung? You need to stop crying, okay?”

T h i s wa s c opi ed f r om k i ng m tl . o rg
Seokho exaggeratedly smiled at her, and Hyesung nodded, wiping her tears.

When Seokho held a tissue to her nose, she blew it loudly.

“Why are you crying, Hyesung? Are you hurt?”

Seokho asked gently.

T h i s w a s co p i e d f ro m k i n g m t l . o r g
Hyesung shook her head and said.

“It’s beautiful….”

“What?”

“It’s beautiful….”

Her heart was pounding, and her face flushed.

Seokho finally understood why Hyesung was crying and smiled warmly.

“You cried because it was so beautiful?”

“Yes…!”

“Oh my.”

Hyesung giggled along with Seokho’s laughter.

Seeing this, everyone else in the room started to smile too.

The penthouse was cold.

The chill of the ruined world still lingered, making them shiver.

But at this moment, none of them felt the cold.

Their hearts were warmed by the situation, making them forget the chill.

The penthouse filled with laughter and LED lights.

Hyesung’s face lit up with a broad smile.

Bang-!

“Merry Christmas-!”

Helen burst through the door.

She wore a red Santa dress with a large bundle slung over her shoulder.

Everyone’s eyes turned to her.

Seokho felt a sharp pull at the back of his neck.

‘So that’s what she meant by sexy Santa…!’

Now he understood the outfit!

A couple’s Santa outfit at the kids’ Christmas party!

He felt a mix of frustration and disbelief.

“Achoo!”

Helen sneezed.

No wonder, wearing such a thin dress in the cold.

No one else understood Helen’s intentions, but Seokho was the only one who moved towards her.

“Put this on.”

He said as he draped the coat hanging over the sofa around Helen’s shoulders.

He didn’t want this troublesome lady making a scene.

But every action’s meaning changes depending on the receiver.

“Hmph…!”

Helen’s body shivered.

Her eyes darted around, and her exposed white skin turned the same color as her dress.

Thump-!

Helen’s heart pounded loudly.

Of course, Seokho had no way of knowing this and clicked his tongue as he spoke to Hyesung.

“Hyesung, don’t learn from her, okay?”

“Yes!”

Hyesung answered energetically.

End of Chapter