Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 92

Juyeong felt a sense of awkwardness filling her inside.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah, yes...."

An awkward smile crept onto her face as she watched Gihyun quickly lie down after entering the room.

Her body stiffened, and her gaze turned to the floor.

"What are you doing? It's your room, are you just going to stand there?"

Flinch-.

Juyeong trembled and cautiously looked at Gihyun.

Gihyun extended only her hand out of the blanket and patted the empty spot on the bed.

"Sit comfortably."

She acted as if it were her own room.

Though slightly baffled, Juyeong followed her words.

For various reasons, but mostly because she still felt awkward around Gihyun and didn't feel like arguing.

'She's so pretty.'

If you set aside her constant dissatisfied or languid attitude, her face was truly pretty.

A face that made Juyeong feel unnecessarily intimidated.

Glancing at her, Juyeong scratched her cheek and sat where Gihyun had indicated.

"Do you want one?"

Gihyun squirmed, pulling out another hand from under the blanket and extending it.

On her palm was a round piece of candy wrapped in something resembling foil.

"Mr. Park gave it to me."

"Ah, thank you."

Juyeong took it and popped it into her mouth.

'...It's sweet.'

It was the sweetest thing she had tasted in six years.

Eating something sweet lifted her spirits for some reason.

Along with that mood, her tension gradually eased.

"How is it?"

"It's tasty. It tastes like cola."

"Yeah, next time I'll get you a real cola. He listens to my requests well."

Was she trying to say that she was someone in power?

As such thoughts crossed her mind, Juyeong, now relaxed, started seeing Gihyun slightly differently.

Curled up in the blanket with only her head sticking out while nibbling on the candy, she resembled a caterpillar.

'Cute....'

Had she been too prejudiced in her view of Gihyun?

Feeling a pang of guilt, she stared at her briefly.

"You."

Gihyun opened her mouth.

"Do you have any worries?"

It was a sudden question.

Juyeong flinched in surprise.

'Could it be'—such a thought crossed her mind.

She felt like she hadn't shown any signs, but for Gihyun to say that, it felt like she might know something about her background.

"W-What are you talking about...."

"You're stuttering."

Juyeong pursed her lips.

Gihyun stared at Juyeong quietly.

'...She does.'

Should she have expected this?

The suspicion she had when she first saw Juyeong was now turning into certainty.

Seokho, who couldn't bear to doubt any child, hadn't noticed.

But Gihyun, who had always been wary while caring for children, was able to pick up on it.

"You're a spy."

Gasp-.

Juyeong's body jolted violently.

Her breath was caught in her throat.

It was a reaction that anyone would interpret as an affirmation.

Cold sweat began to form on Juyeong's face.

Her heartbeat was so loud that it felt like it could be heard even though they weren't touching.

Gihyun observed Juyeong's reaction for a long time before speaking again.

"You don't want to go back, do you?"

Snap! Juyeong's head turned toward Gihyun.

Gihyun still had an indifferent expression.

"...What?"

"You don't want to go back. That's why you're worried, right?"

"What are you...."

"I've been to a shelter too, so I know. You think things like, 'What can I even do if I go back? Am I just going to end up like those ajummas, selling my body? Am I going to live my whole life like that?'"

Even though she had suspicions, Gihyun hadn't told anyone about Juyeong.

Because when she saw Juyeong, something overlapped.

Herself during her time at the shelter.

Moments when everything around her was an enemy, and she was always on edge.

Memories of being scared in those moments.

Because of that, Gihyun wanted to give Juyeong a chance.

Maybe Juyeong also hated those moments to the point of exhaustion.

If that were the case, wouldn't it be worse to kick her out immediately?

As Seokho had said, she was still young and might not yet know how to make choices for herself.

Such thoughts crossed her mind.

On Juyeong's face appeared a mix of panic and hesitation.

Gihyun was now sure that her assumptions were correct.

Same age as Jinwoo.

Just a year apart, but from that perspective, Juyeong was like a younger sibling Gihyun needed to protect.

"It's okay."

She simply said those words.

Though feeling languid and unwilling to move, she forced her heavy body to rise and hugged Juyeong, patting her back.

"You can do whatever you want. Me, Mr. Park, and the Old Man. Helen... well, she might not be much help. But everyone will help you."

Now Gihyun understood.

That asking for help wasn't a bad thing and that it was okay to rely on others.

Also, that helping others was the way to gain help in return.

As she patted Juyeong, wishing she wouldn't make a sad choice, Gihyun felt Juyeong's body trembling and closed her eyes.

"Ugh...."

Juyeong bit her lip as emotions welled up inside her.

It wasn't because she felt good about being comforted or grateful that they accepted her despite knowing who she was.

The reason her eyes grew hot and her stomach churned.

The reason the sweetness of the candy started tasting salty.

It wasn't because of those things.

Tap-.

Tap-.

The warmth of being embraced and the gentle patting felt soft.

It felt like it had been such a long time since she had physical contact with someone.

And so, Juyeong sobbed.

In the late afternoon, after calming her emotions, Juyeong sat blankly on the living room sofa, staring at the extra candy Gihyun had handed her.

'Do as you wish....'

What is it that I wish to do?

The moment she asked herself that question, the answer came so absurdly easily.

'I want to stay here.'

Though it hadn't been a long time, her heart was firm nonetheless.

She liked this hotel and also liked the people here.

Of course, there were reasons like living more comfortably than before or being able to have more diverse meals.

But more than those things, she simply liked that this was a space where she could share warmth with someone.

Squeeze-.

As Juyeong tightly gripped the hard candy and repeated her resolution.

"Huh...."

A voice echoed.

Juyeong turned her head.

There, leaning their chin against the sofa armrest, were Hyesung staring intently at her hand, and Chunsik, in the same posture, gazing at her as well.

"W-what?"

"It looks delicious...."

Hyesung gulped down her saliva as she stared at Juyeong's hand.

Though her fist was currently closed, Hyesung had clearly confirmed it.

That inside that palm was a delicious hard candy.

Cola-flavored hard candy.

A treasure Seokho rationed out as one per day, fearing they'd rot their teeth.

Hyesung had already eaten her candy for the day, but seeing that hard candy made her crave more.

The drool streaming down and her dazed, unfocused eyes revealed a clear form of desire.

It was a characteristic of children.

Though they lacked common sense, they possessed an uncanny quick wit, instantly realizing what actions made adults favor them.

Hyesung sneakily moved, crawling onto the sofa.

Then, she hugged Juyeong's waist tightly and looked up at her.

"H-Hyesung loves candy...!"

It was an act of cuteness.

Knowing that such antics would make Seokho smile broadly, Hyesung was now using her charm to get candy from Juyeong.

However, her opponent wasn't ideal.

Juyeong merely blinked, meeting Hyesung's gaze.

And she thought.

'So what?'

Having always been caught between adults and endlessly reading their moods, Juyeong was not sentimental enough to be swayed by a child's cuteness.

Juyeong fidgeted with the hard candy in her hand.

"Do you want mine?"

"Yes!"

Hyesung's eyes sparkled.

As if she might have achieved her goal, a radiant smile began to bloom on her face.

"Nope."

Thud-!

If anyone saw Hyesung's expression, they might instinctively associate it with that sound, so vividly did her face show her shock.

Juyeong felt a sense of satisfaction as she looked at the trembling, teary Hyesung.

"You're trying to sneakily eat this, right? If I tell mister, you'll get scolded, won't you?"

"N-no...!"

Startled, Hyesung jumped away from Juyeong and used Chunsik as a shield.

Then she continued.

"I-I didn't eat anything today!"

"I saw you eating earlier."

"Ah...!"

Juyeong raised an eyebrow.

'She really did eat. That was a lie.'

Was it easy to deceive people in this hotel?

No, looking at Gihyun, it didn't seem to be the case.

Hyesung, sweating profusely, rolled her eyes nervously.

Meanwhile, Chunsik wagged his tail enthusiastically, seemingly oblivious but happy.

Truly, little ones like them fit well together.

With such thoughts, Juyeong gazed at Hyesung and Chunsik before eventually standing up.

"Here, take it, but be careful eating it so you don't get caught."

She handed the candy to Hyesung.

Hyesung looked at Juyeong with a surprised face, but Juyeong had already turned her gaze away from Hyesung.

A smile lingered on her lips.

'Do as you wish.'

She recalled the thoughts she'd just been having.

What do I want, and what am I afraid of?

In truth, all of it was already clear.

'I should tell him.'

Tell Seokho and ask for help.

If she trusted Gihyun and spoke honestly, he would surely help her.

Once she made that resolution, a refreshing sense of relief swept through her, and Juyeong's smile deepened.

As Juyeong was about to head to the room where Seokho was.

Grab-!

Hyesung stopped Juyeong.

"Huh?"

When Juyeong turned her head, she saw Hyesung looking up at her with sparkling eyes.

Hyesung held the hard candy tightly in her hand and held it out to Juyeong.

"Open it for me!"

Juyeong unwrapped the hard candy for her.