Good Morning Alarm, Wake Up!
"Alarm, 06:30. All unit members, please wake up."
"Ugh, no way!"
Five full days. Five whole days of letting my sleep and wake-up times run completely wild whenever I felt like it. Sleeping when I wanted, getting up when I wanted. Laziness had crept into my life like a poison and wrecked my body. Honestly, even thinking in terms of "just five days" made my eyes sting.
I forced my mind awake and my body up.
One day since I'd sworn to work hard so that Jeong Seung-ah wouldn't have to worry. I couldn't let myself collapse now. Even if the barracks was a mess, I had to keep at it for at least three days!
"Jeong—"
I was trying to wake up the senior next to me after flipping the light switch in the living quarter, and my heart almost dropped into my stomach.
She was already up. No, she was up and perfectly fine. But why was she staring straight at me with her eyes wide open?
Was it because of the wink I gave her yesterday? Right... I hadn't managed to apologize yet. Honestly, the mood back home had been so relaxed that I never got around to it.
"Ah, Harang-ah. You're awake?"
"Y-yes. I'm sorry. I couldn't even give you an apology for yesterday."
"What apology?"
"The wink you gave me by accident yesterday."
"Ah— that? It's fine. I've already sorted out my thoughts."
"Sorted out your thoughts?"
"Mhm. It took a little longer than expected, though."
"May I ask what kind of thoughts?"
"Umm... the one about how Harang gave me a wink yesterday."
"Ah... I'm really sorry!"
"No, no. No need to apologize. Harang's personality is already like that anyway. It probably didn't mean much. Right?"
It did mean something. Not much, but I hadn't been thinking straight.
"That's right."
"Good. I was worried I'd been thinking too much all night."
"You were up all night?"
"Yeah, for a bit?"
The shadows under Jeong Seung-ah's eyes reflected the light from her phone screen. The dark circles were deep. They looked completely out of place with the casual "a bit" she'd just said. One careless movement from me had made this kind senior work hard for me.
You dummy! Idiot! I said I wanted to make sure you didn't have to worry, and you went and did that?
"I'm sorry."
"I said no need to apologize. Better to wake up the other seniors quickly."
"Understood."
Time kept slipping away while I talked. Was I annoying her? It felt like I was.
In the end, the other seniors didn't say much. Only Kim Heejin was a little... troublesome.
There had been all kinds of things during vacation, but right now we were in a strict senior-junior relationship. I had to be careful with every single gesture. If my heart had been as loose as on vacation, I'd have been dodging this one and that one in an instant.
By the way, time was already slipping. Thinking about such nonsense while every second counted.
I was going to get scolded. Damn. It was unfair.
Even if I woke her up late, I'd get scolded more. So I decided to just get it over with and brought my mouth close to Kim Heejin's ear.
"Kim Heejin Superhuman. It's time to wake up."
"Uhh..."
"Kim Heejin Superhuman."
"Ugh..."
Huh? The reaction was weird.
Thinking back to normal Kim Heejin reactions, this was the exact same pattern.
'Kim Heejin Superhuman. Wake-up time.'
'Yeah.'
'Kim Heejin Superhuman.'
'Yeah.'
'Kim Heejin Superhuman...'
'Oh, I'm awake. Why are you saying it three times like that?'
'Waaah...'
'What good thing did I do? If I cry, does the Awakener life end? Roll call's over. Follow me to the smoking lounge.'
...That was always how it went. Of course, she never actually cried.
"Kim Heejin Superhuman. It's time to wake up."
Was she still floating in vacation vibes? Even though she'd gone out way more often than me, she still wasn't used to it?
Yeah, that explosion had been terrifying. Even though I usually didn't watch movies in theaters, I had been completely mesmerized by one?
"Kim—"
"Yo."
A full-body shiver ran through me. Damn! I had only been trying to wake her up, and now I was getting scolded for talking too much!
...No, no. If I hadn't woken her, I'd still have gotten scolded for not waking her.
Life as an idiot is tough.
"Seo Harang Superhuman."
"Sit."
"Understood."
I sat.
"Harang-ah."
"Seo Harang Superhuman."
"Lay down next to unnie for a bit."
"Next to...?"
"Don't make me say it twice."
"Understood."
I lay down.
The direction our bodies crossed was tricky. Kim Heejin was on my thigh side, and I was on Kim Heejin's thigh side.
Kim Heejin's body was hidden under the blanket, but her face was turned toward my thigh.
Was she awake? I couldn't see her eyes clearly.
"Why are you wearing long pants? Not even dolphin shorts?"
"Dolphin shorts...?"
"Don't ask again."
"Ah, I don't wear anything like that."
"...Not even leggings. Don't just wear fluttering loungewear. Try wearing something else too."
Clothing control? Some new absurdity?
My beast heart, Seo Harang, couldn't accept it no matter how slender my female body had become.
After all, Kim Heejin herself only ever wore workout clothes. She had no reason to scold me.
"Well... I wasn't going to say anything. But come here first."
I unconsciously tried to ask "Orran...?" and shut my mouth.
It was already too late. One more thing to annoy her and I'd really get ignored.
I wiggled over. My position was half-sprawled on the mattress.
Kim Heejin's body under the blanket felt a little stiff.
I wondered what was wrong, but since I didn't ask, Kim Heejin gave my body a sneaky little push.
"Get out now."
Way too harsh!
My body slid sideways from the push that felt like it had been made with my neck.
"Whoa, Senior Harang didn't even give permission and jumped right into the bed?"
"Eek! I'm sorry!"
My butt felt like it was on fire as I shot up from the bed. The senior who saw my energetic morning appearance smiled.
Our barracks was cheerful today too.
Still, even in this situation, I felt like Han Jihye sleeping so soundly was truly amazing.
Despite the fluorescent lights, sunlight, and noise, she was sleeping with soft snoring sounds. If I stayed here long, I'd start sleeping a lot too?
"I'll wake you up."
"Ah! I'll do it!"
"No, Harang is folding the blanket. It takes time."
Jeong Seung-ah's casual words while looking at the half-draped blanket. Was she subtly reminding me? I'm sorry!
After apologizing, I quickly pressed down on the blanket.
"Uhh..."
Han Jihye woke up with a groan and turned on the TV without even looking. Then she tossed me the remote control without watching.
"Seo Harang Superhuman."
That was familiar now too. I quickly switched the VOD to the music video tab and played the trending chart. Since it was continuous play, it would keep going no matter where I went.
With the TV taken care of, the thing that caught my eye was her disheveled hair.
It was the hair I had been praised for the most during my time in this barracks. More precisely, the hairstyle.
By the way, the second was my body type.
And the eyes that had been scolded and praised in turns were these. Because my eyes were fierce, I heard a lot of "try softening your gaze" stuff.
"Hero Jihye."
"Ah, seriously."
"Unnie Jihye."
"Mhm, why?"
Calling Kim Heejin "unnie" had become natural, but calling Han Jihye that felt awkward. Honestly, it wasn't just awkward—it was weirdly embarrassing.
Anyway, the moment I called her unnie, Han Jihye smiled brightly. Her half-lidded eyes, half-closed in her sleepy daze, were incredibly striking.
"May I shower?"
"Yeah— go ahead."
After getting Han Jihye's permission, I entered the bathroom. Even though I was the junior, seniors and juniors were already lined up there.
"Harang!"
"Did you have a good night?"
"Harang, can I shower with you?"
"Ah, thank you."
"Not next to unnie?" Well, Harang is popular."
"No. I'll go that way."
"Ah..."
"I'll shower here!"
It was heartbreaking. I finally understood what it meant to be overwhelmed by interest. When stress crossed a certain line, I felt like I was becoming a gasping goldfish.
"Well, yeah... that's how it is. The world is like that."
"As expected from that side..."
"Hey, Seo Harang."
"Harang-ah."
The familiar voice made me look at the bathroom entrance.
Kim Heejin and Jeong Seung-ah.
The two slowly approached the bathroom and took their places.
When Kim Heejin took a seat, Jeong Seung-ah placed the foot bath next to her like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Harang-ah."
"Seo Harang Superhuman."
"Showering with a same-quarter senior is good, right?"
"Y-yes!"
Grateful hands. Descending ropes.
Before I could grab them, the senior who had called me earlier spoke in a dejected voice.
"Wow... I'm disappointed."
"I'm the one who's disappointed. Don't try to lure juniors from other quarters."
"Understood!"
Kim Heejin cut off the complaint like that. She was the most reliable person in situations involving other quarters.
"Hurry and shower. Roll call starts soon."
"Understood!"
I quickly squeezed between Kim Heejin and Jeong Seung-ah.
Even though she was smaller and shorter, there was a strangely comforting feeling about her.
"Haah..."
After lightly scrubbing my face with cleanser, Jeong Seung-ah called me.
"Seo Harang Superhuman?"
Gurgle, ptooey.
"We helped you, right? How does it feel?"
"How does it feel?"
I felt Kim Heejin's gaze.
Or rather, since the words I was about to say were guaranteed to piss off Kim Heejin, I just blurted them out.
"You're a real life savior. It's really wonderful."
"Wonderful—"
A drawn-out voice came from Kim Heejin.
Shit? I wasn't supposed to say such vulgar words casually!
...No, it probably wasn't that. Maybe she was just asking "was it good?"
"What did you say?"
"Don't act like shit."
Way too harsh!
My mood, which had been climbing, dropped back down.
It would be regrettable to say that to Kim Heejin, but now even those words couldn't scratch my heart. It wasn't just because my will had strengthened; I had also realized that Kim Heejin didn't actually mean it.
"...Don't act like shit."
Don't say it again!!
I washed my face while secretly giving myself a hard time inside.
If I was going to do it, I wanted to wash my hair too, but time was tight.
When it was short, I could wash and dry it quickly. Now that it was long, washing took forever and drying took forever.
Within the thirty-minute preparation time, I couldn't wash my hair perfectly.
The other seniors knew that too, so in the morning they just roughly sorted it out.
"Ah, Harang-ah. Want me to dry your hair? Last time I saw you looked like it was hard to manage."
After finishing my shower, Jeong Seung-ah said that as if she had been waiting.
Of course I was grateful. Grateful but...
"No. I'm sorry to keep borrowing unnie's hands. I'll practice how to tie my hair—"
"No need."
Jeong Seung-ah, who rarely interrupted me, suddenly spoke.
I shook my head firmly to show I refused, and she placed her hand on my head.
Then she ran her fingers through it like she was touching silk and said,
"It's not bothersome at all. I love touching Harang's hair. It's so soft."
"Ah..."
"So from now on, just leave it to me. Always."
I answered with a nod at Jeong Seung-ah's strangely flavored words.
My hairstyle was that good? Yeah, the seniors had praised it a lot.
"What are you guys doing? Stop it in front of me like that and get ready for roll call."
While listening to Han Jihye's words that wrinkled her brows as if she'd seen something she didn't want to see, I erased the thought I had just had.
Yeah, maybe I shouldn't cut my hair. Everyone seemed to like my hair.