Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 98

He was a big guy, much larger than me.

A red headband and messy hair grown to his shoulders underneath it.

And a bandit-like beard and a sleeveless leather vest.

Seungdeok stopped his motorcycle, got off, and bowed 90 degrees in front of me.

"Boss! I'm giving you a full-on greeting!"

His voice echoed throughout the entire neighborhood.

Gihyun froze stiff.

I silently looked at Seungdeok and then spoke.

"Hey."

"Yes!"

"Drop those things and come back."

My hand gestured toward the zombies wobbling their way toward us.

Only then did Seungdeok straighten up his back with an "Oh, shoot!"

This bastard was about to dump crap in front of someone else's house.

*

The motorcycle roared away with a loud honk, and it took about an hour before Seungdeok returned.

"You're sure you shook them off, right?"

"Don't you trust me, boss?"

"Yeah."

"That's harsh!"

Still speaking in a voice that sounded like he had swallowed a train engine.

Despite being treated like this, his face was all smiles, split wide with glee.

'Yeah, he's always been like this.'

I hadn't seen him for about a year, so it took some time to get used to him again.

A guy who'd ramble about some romantic nonsense while doing reckless things that could get him killed any day.

Yet, he was still alive.

Which is why he ended up on the blacklist.

"For the last time, wear a helmet."

"Oh, come on, boss! What are you saying? If I wear a helmet, this glorious hair won't flow in the wind!"

"You're ridiculous."

I let out a chuckle and answered with a laugh.

Then I spread my arms and hugged Seungdeok.

"It's been a while."

"It's been a while, boss!"

Smack-!

Seungdeok's bear hug knocked the wind out of me.

This bastard bulked up again.

"How much is your three-lift total now?"

"Broke 700!"

"Where'd you get the meat?"

"Ran a few errands and got some as payment!"

Quite the talent he had.

I felt oddly happy at Seungdeok's unchanging demeanor as I let go of the hug.

Then I made introductions.

"This is Gihyun. Did you hear about him?"

"Of course! Rocket Girl, right?"

Gihyun flinched.

His eyes lit up with a sharp gleam.

But of course, that clueless Seungdeok wouldn't notice.

Seungdeok extended his pan-sized hand toward Gihyun and greeted him.

"Nice to meet you! I'm Choi Seungdeok!"

Gihyun's eyes fell on Seungdeok's hand.

Even though he knew it was a handshake, Gihyun didn't respond and just scoffed, walking into the hotel.

"He's going through puberty."

"Oh dear!"

Seungdeok burst out laughing.

I couldn't help but join in as I watched him remain unaffected and cheerful, despite the cold reception.

"Let's head in. Want a candy or something?"

"Yes! Thank you!"

Thud.

That was the sound it seemed to make when Seungdeok stepped forward.

*

"Tyranno...!"

Hyesung and Dabin's eyes sparkled.

They seemed astonished by Seungdeok's height and build, which required them to crane their necks to see his face.

Seungdeok laughed heartily as he looked down at the kids, who didn't even reach his waist, and flexed his muscles with both arms.

"Nice to meet you!"

This guy, whose brain was probably made of muscle too, didn't know the meaning of being shy.

Before the world fell apart, I remembered how kids used to be scared of him because of his monstrous physique.

The kids in the penthouse had unique sensibilities, which was one of the rare strokes of luck for Seungdeok.

"Tyranno!"

"No, no! He's Betrayal Tyranno Ninja Space Police!"

Hyesung and Dabin squealed, chattering about something incomprehensible.

Seungdeok seemed delighted by their admiring gazes, grinning and snorting with satisfaction.

"Boss! The kids are adorable!"

"Tyranno said it!"

"Betrayal Tyranno Ninja Space Police snorted!"

"Hahaha!"

I couldn't help but laugh at how absurd it all was.

Turning my head slightly, I saw Jinwoo and Juyeong clinging to each other, intimidated by Seungdeok's size.

Those two were stuck together again.

"Jinwoo, Juyeong, go say hi. He's an old junior from my school."

"Ah, hel..."

"Oh my!"

Seungdeok exclaimed in surprise.

His reaction was directed at Jinwoo.

Why, you ask?

Didn't I already mention it?

This guy's brain was made of muscle.

In other words, the premise of "Men are muscles" interfered with his normal thinking.

"Boss! What's with this scrawny thing?!"

"Eek!!!"

"Jinwoo!"

With resounding thuds, Seungdeok rushed over and grabbed Jinwoo's arm.

Jinwoo squealed in fear, trembling, while Juyeong called out his name like a princess being abducted by a monster.

Ugh, my head throbbed.

"Let him go, you idiot."

"Oops, sorry."

Seungdeok released Jinwoo.

...It was a total mess.

The kids were sent to different places, finally creating an environment where we could start talking.

"Old Man! Long time no see!"

"What, did this bastard swallow a train engine or something?"

The Old Man clicked his tongue and frowned deeply.

Well, every time the Old Man and Seungdeok, who loved quietness, met, they always bickered like this.

"Get your business done and leave quickly."

"Why are you like this? It's been a while; we should at least have a drink!"

When Seungdeok laughed loudly, it felt like my eardrums were about to burst.

Suddenly, I came to realize that if this continued, I wouldn't be able to finish my business here.

Feeling a sense of urgency, which came belatedly, I quickly opened my mouth to get to the main point.

At that moment.

"Brother, so is that lady over there your wife?"

Seungdeok, snorting loudly, pointed at Helen, who was watching us from afar.

Helen tilted her head while munching on some snacks.

"Wife...?"

Fortunately, Helen didn't know what 'wife' meant.

My face burned with embarrassment.

Memories of past incidents came to mind, making me feel awkward for no reason.

"No, she's not."

"Oh, what's it called! Is it a fling? A fling?"

"Shut your mouth...!"

Seungdeok blinked.

Then he suddenly let out an "Ah!" and gave a sly smile while enthusiastically giving me a thumbs-up.

'Wow, how is it that just talking to him for a bit makes me this exhausted already?'

Yeah, now I remembered why I'd avoided Seungdeok for a year.

Even exchanging just a few words with this guy was utterly draining.

"Stop the nonsense. You've heard about the matter, right?"

"Hm? Oh, you mean the map?"

"Yeah, the thing they want to make a deal with. Do you have any thoughts on it?"

Seungdeok rubbed his chin, furrowing his eyebrows.

He seemed to be deeply contemplating.

Actually, from my standpoint, if Seungdeok accepted this proposal, it would make things easier, so I hoped for a positive response....

"Hmph! I don't think that's possible!"

As expected, this guy doesn't do things the easy way.

"Tsk, is there no way to make it work? This is something I really need too."

"I'd like to help if I could, really."

Scratching the back of his head, Seungdeok said that and then went on to explain further.

"It's just that, without me, the path is completely unusable."

"Huh?"

This was news to me.

"You know, the 'map.' People think it's a safe route, but it's actually not."

"What do you mean?"

With an embarrassed expression, Seungdeok made a sheepish face.

Then, with a nauseatingly bashful look, he confessed the truth.

"If you deliberately ride a motorcycle through areas with lots of zombies, they end up getting tangled up and tripping over each other, don't they? That's when you squeeze through the gaps and lift the bike's front wheel to jump over obstacles, avoiding them. Sure, it's safer than other routes, but it doesn't mean you won't encounter zombies at all."

"What...?"

"It's a route only someone as skilled at riding bikes as me can navigate. It took me almost half a year to perfect this technique. I almost died multiple times during that time too."

For a moment, I wondered if I had heard him correctly.

"...So what you're saying is."

The map wasn't really a safe road network but rather a death-defying stunt course created by Seungdeok.

'Is this guy seriously insane?'

Ah, that's right.

This bastard really was nuts.

A hollow expression spread across my face.

"...If that's the case, why don't you just tell people the truth? Then you wouldn't have ended up on the blacklist."

There was only one reason Seungdeok had ended up on the blacklist.

The 'map' he had was incredibly valuable strategically.

If he'd just admitted it was a hoax, he could've avoided making unnecessary enemies....

"But doesn't being on the blacklist sound awesome? The Death Rider feared by all groups! I, Choi Seungdeok, can't give up on that romantic notion!"

Seungdeok, beating his chest like a gorilla, said that with fervor.

His determined eyes showed he had no intention of giving it up.

...This is driving me crazy.

After nearly five years, I finally realized the true nature of the 'map' and was filled with emptiness.

'It's useless without that bastard.'

At this rate, the deal was off.

Without a path connecting Mapo and Dongdaemun, the chances of running into Mapo people while moving with the kids had increased.

This was troublesome.

When I let out a heavy sigh, Seungdeok glanced at me nervously.

I gave a faint smile and said to him,

"Well, it can't be helped. I'll explain it to them myself."

"...."

"Seungdeok?"

"Brother."

I looked directly at Seungdeok.

For some reason, his face was filled with a determination that didn't match the situation.

"Still, since it's a request from you, Brother, how could I outright reject it? How about this instead?"

Seungdeok leaned forward.

Then, he suggested a certain method to me.

After hearing him out, I asked,

"...Are you seriously insane?"

I couldn't help but wonder what kind of mental universe this bastard lived in.