The Senior Slayer's Morning

Was it the three-headed mountain... no, perhaps the four-headed one?

Before I could even think about what to put in my head, I had already jumped into the money-making scheme. I didn't know the precise meaning, but I had a rough idea of what it was supposed to mean.

Maintain peace in daily life. That was probably the gist of it.

And right now, nothing fit that description more perfectly than my own situation.

If I were to ask why, it would be because of the sudden trial that had crashed down upon me.

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The tired voice of the senior had just announced the awakening hour. I had already been awake for ten minutes, so there was no hesitation.

I rose from my bed. If I straightened the sheets, I would be late, so I had to wake the older seniors first.

Starting with Jeong Seung-ah.

"Good morning."

"Ah, good morning. Thank you as always."

"No. I'm the one who should be thanking you."

I didn't understand what she meant, but it didn't matter. Jeong Seung-ah didn't need to be woken. She had already risen first. In this hellish morning, she was like a warm blanket.

But I couldn't let it go at that. I quickly moved to the opposite side and whispered to the next senior.

"Superhuman Ji Yuna-nim, it is time to wake up."

"...Fuck."

What the hell had I done wrong!

The curse that came back was already tearing my stomach to shreds by morning.

No. It was just because waking up in the morning made me feel irritated.

Even as I thought that, the next words from Ji Yuna mercilessly sliced through my heart.

"...Hey, Seo Harang."

"Superhuman Seo Harang."

"You didn't even turn on the lights and went around waking the seniors first? What the hell is Jeong Seung-ah doing?"

"I am preparing to wake the other seniors right now."

"Ha, you're both crazy."

Ji Yuna scratched her head with a grumble and stood up from the bed. Her eyes were round and sparkling, yet the things she did were utterly abominable.

...But what could I do! Just like Kim Heejin had said last time, if it was annoying, there was nothing I could do about it. Except, of course, begging to be born earlier than that bastard.

"Hey."

"Superhuman Seo Harang."

"Hey. Seo Harang."

"Superhuman Seo Harang."

"What the hell is this without even turning on the lights?"

"I'm sorry."

The four-headed mountain. Maintain calm while recalling the quiet lake.

From the very beginning, I had seen this kind of situation many times since coming here. Just yesterday alone, I had been tormented by Han Jihye, Kim Heejin, or the other seniors.

It was the same situation. I could endure it.

"What the hell did you learn after transferring here? You just smile while being told you can't even act as a face and never change your behavior. You chase after the other seniors and suck up to them."

I had never chased after anyone, nor had I sucked up to anyone.

From the start, if we were talking about seniors, it was all women anyway.

Ah, maybe that was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠meaning. Perhaps she thought I was doing the kiss-ass routine to look good in front of the seniors.

But I wanted to deny that too. I had never done any kiss-ass routine like that! It was just because I had been overloaded with too much interest that it looked that way.

"It's genuinely infuriating."

"...Hey, Ji Yuna. Are you that pissed off? If someone heard you, they'd think you've been rolling around for years."

"Ah, no."

With a grumble, Ji Yuna quickly denied Han Jihye's words.

"If you want to release it, do it between the two of you. Don't ruin the morning atmosphere for no reason."

She looked unhappy, but as expected, Han Jihye was Han Jihye. She seemed to intend to simply ignore it without interfering.

From the beginning, I hadn't expected anything.

"After morning inspection, come behind the barracks."

I had been summoned by a woman. Even when I was in school, I had never been called like this.

What was the matter? Was it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a confession? I didn't think so.

"...Understood."

...I gave up on lame mental victories and answered with difficulty.

Still, I had never been summoned behind the barracks. My first button was now being stitched up like this.

I couldn't figure out what exactly had irritated Ji Yuna's mood.

No, actually, the mistake had been in the first place to seriously consider cause and effect here.

If you get angry, the rule here is to hit first with words. It's not a jungle or anything.

Anyway, I had to finish what I was doing. If I dawdled because of something annoying, I would get scolded by the other seniors as well.

I woke the seniors one by one in reverse order and then turned on the lights. Next, I straightened the bedding.

"Hey, Seo Harang."

"Superhuman Seo Harang."

"You actually think this is normal?"

"What would you mean by that?"

"Blanket, you bitch."

Tap.

Ji Yuna tapped my foot. It was a touch full of intent to upset me, but without any strength behind it.

"Take it out."

"Understood."

I wondered what she meant and pulled it out.

Ji Yuna pulled the blanket she had stored in the cover.

"You really think this is normal? You? You don't even stuff it tightly and just fluff it, so it looks ugly."

With those words, Ji Yuna whipped the blanket open. I had just folded it!

"Eh? Why are you staring with such wide eyes? In front of the senior?"

"I wasn't trying to do anything like that─"

"Wow, you're talking back? If that's the case, then yes, you talk too much."

"...I'm sorry."

"Do it again."

"Understood."

The most effective way to deal with this was to not think at all.

If I mulled it over, only irritation and resentment would well up. After all, everyone here was a comrade but also not a comrade. No one would help just because one person got scolded.

So I understood, I was sorry, and I kept one ear open. It was to let the incoming words out again.

"What?"

"Blanket?"

"What, do we care about such things?"

"Our Ji Yuna, then she'll start managing even the senior's blanket. It's scary."

It wasn't really something the seniors needed to worry about. Being scolded was part of the job anyway.

Yet the atmosphere strangely sank heavily.

Despite no one being particularly concerned, it felt as if something was weighing on them.

"...I think we have to manage even these small things. What if we end up ruining all the kids ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠below us? We have to start managing from now on."

"Who said what? Keep doing what you were doing."

I felt as if I had become a monkey in the zoo while folding the blanket. This time more carefully, packing the weight and pressing it tight.

"You're kidding, right? Hey. You really think this is normal? Do it again."

Again.

"You don't even know what's wrong? Do it again."

Again.

"Hey."

"Superhuman Seo Harang."

"Does this look shitty to you?"

"No."

"If you're pissed, you should have done it well. What can I do?"

"Yes."

After the click of her tongue, the word "shitty bitch" followed.

It ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was so soft I almost missed it, like a whisper.

Once again, I called Ji Yuna while pressing the blanket tight.

"I-I'm sorry, Superhuman Ji Yuna-nim?"

"Why? Hurry up and organize the blanket. It's time for inspection soon."

"May I ask why it doesn't please you?"

"What? Is that what you call talking? The other seniors all say something and you can't say anything back to me?"

"That's not it. Just."

I tied the final knot and put the blanket back in the cover, then stood up from the bed.

Looking up at Ji Yuna-nim, who was about a third of my head smaller, naturally.

"What?"

"Superhuman Ji Yuna-nim, you seem not to care about the parts I pointed out."

The area pointed at was the blanket Ji Yuna had arranged. A loosely folded blanket that looked like it could unravel at a touch.

Our living quarters didn't have such strong touches, so this was the way to organize.

"Why? You jealous? Then you should have come earlier."

I didn't answer that. Honestly, I couldn't. Because I had seen how Ji Yuna reacted after being told that same thing yesterday.

Creating an unnecessary problem wouldn't benefit me. The saying that if you stay quiet, half the battle is won wasn't wrong.

"Hmm."

After Han Jihye's words about thinking, the conversation entered a vague stalemate.

More accurately, it was Ji Yuna's time for revenge, not a vague stalemate.

"Morning inspection, gather the seniors who don't go to breakfast on their own. Did you slack off?"

Breakfast.

"Hey, move. How long have you been sitting there alone? Is the bathroom yours?"

Bathroom.

"I told you to organize the blanket properly."

Bedding organization.

"Hey, is it okay to hold your phone like that?"

Phone use.

"Physical training room? Ha, hey. Don't you have to report where you're going? Didn't you learn that? Or did you just forget because you're dumb?"

Personal maintenance exercise.

Breakfast was supposed to ask everyone. The bathroom hadn't been used for minutes, and I wasn't the type to take long.

Everyone had said nothing about the phone, and bedding was something the owner should handle.

I had mentioned it about the training room to others including myself.

Yet here we were. Now it just looked like stubbornness.

After three or four days like this, people inevitably grew weary.

"Hey, Ji Yuna. Let me talk to you for a second."

"...Superhuman Kim Heejin-nim? What would you like to say?"

"Come here first."

"Understood."

After Ji Yuna left the living quarters.

With the tension finally released, the accumulated resentment surged in like a wave.

My hands went limp and my phone dropped to the floor with a clatter.

"Ah, damn..."

I murmured softly and flinched, looking around. Fortunately, it seemed no one had heard─

"Harang-ah."

"Superhuman Seo Harang, I'm sorry. I'll be more careful."

"No, no. Harang-ah. That's not it..."

"Ah... Superhuman Jeong Seung-ah-nim."

"I just wanted to ask if you're okay."

Jeong Seung-ah's eyes were sincere. The smile lines that always played around them, and the relaxed corners of her mouth, were all filled with concern for me.

"I'm okay..."

I couldn't finish the sentence.

I didn't know how the other seniors had managed, but I couldn't cry after only four days like this.

"...I am."

"Hey."

"Superhuman Seo Harang."

"Unnie has been watching the situation the whole time."

Han Jihye said it with a lazy crossed leg.

"Isn't Ji Yuna too easy on you?"

She continued talking even though I hadn't said anything. Normally she would have urged me with "What did you say?"

"Want me to tell you a secret?"

The words of the top senior who wanted to be pitied.

Was it sincere or not? If I got it wrong here, I'd get scolded and die again.

The devil was the devil for a reason. Even without knowing the intention, she had made me reach out like this.

"...Could you tell me?"

Han Jihye's lips curved into a smile, pleased with my answer.