The Unexpected Revisit
"Yo."
"Eh?"
"Huh? Are you crazy? The combat rest period is over, you know?"
"Ah, Superhuman Seo Harang."
"You skipped it because you took a day off? Our Harang?"
"I'm sorry."
What the hell even happened?
I had definitely been thinking, 'Real time doesn't fly! Better leave early,' when I was at the cafe yesterday, but when I snapped out of it, I was already back. The person I had thought was showing her human side and getting friendly had turned back into a demon.
Of course, yesterday I had let her ride in the car and bought her food to eat, but—
Yeah, it must have been a dream. A happy rainbow garden where I was playing...
"Harang-ah."
"Superhuman Seo Harang."
Jeong Seung-ah called, and I answered immediately. Just like her, the single drop of rain in my life of eternal drought.
The usual smiling eyes dampened my heart.
"Were you okay yesterday?"
"Ah... it wasn't a dream, right?"
"A dream? What are you talking about? You spent the combat rest period with Hero Jihye, didn't you?"
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry."
"No, what are you sorry for? More importantly, did you rest well?"
"I did rest well. Senior Jihye treated me better than I expected."
"Expected? Hey, when do I ever treat you badly? Seung-ah. What should we do? I keep thinking if our direct senior had managed us properly, none of this would have happened. What do you think, Seung-ah?"
"Superhuman Jeong Seung-ah, I'm sorry."
"No, no. What are you sorry for? I was just saying something."
Saying 'just saying something' is the most terrifying part. I can't tell if she means it or not.
"So, do you know what we're doing today?"
Kim Heejin, who had been managing her nails over there, asked. Looking closely, she seemed to be painting them with some transparent stuff. What is that?
No, now's not the time for these weird thoughts. I hurriedly sorted through my memory and compiled the today's schedule.
"...I don't know."
"If you don't know, it's over, huh?"
"No. I'll find out right away."
She spoke as if waiting, and Kim Heejin let out an 'Ooh,' surprised.
"What? Did you refresh and become smarter? Yeah, if we did that all the time, how nice it would be."
"Thank you. I'll report back immediately."
I opened the activity room door in a hurry. Then, someone chased after me from behind.
"Don't go alone. Let's go together and check."
Jeong Seung-ah.
She must have thought I might feel lonely and wanted to go with me. A good senior, the kind-hearted angel senior.
My heart raced! Tears welled up!
Of course, I didn't actually cry ugly tears. Men cry inside even if they cry on the outside.
I lowered my head slightly, and the image that filled my eyes was the fluffy pants hiding my smoothly shaved legs... at the end of which were my small feet.
This can't be happening! Seo Harang, who has the heart of a man, was actually not a man!
"You're not going? You better hurry and check, or you'll hear complaints."
"Ah! I'm sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment."
"Harang always thinks a lot."
It had been more than two months since I started living in this barracks.
What kind of words was that? It was time I understood what these words from a senior really meant.
"I'm sorry!"
"Huh? Yeah?"
"From now on, I'll try not to have weird thoughts and move quickly."
"Ah! So that's what it was? No! How could I ever scold you, Harang? I'd rather be the one getting scolded!"
"...Saying that makes me feel like I should work even harder."
"No! You don't have to think that deeply. You know? There's really not much difference between us from the start."
Honestly, Jeong Seung-ah was right. I was the youngest in the barracks, and she was my direct senior.
But when it came to adaptability, there was a huge gap. A month or two difference, but Seung-ah had completely melted into this barracks.
Of course, the seniors had reasons for targeting me more than Seung-ah, but that alone couldn't explain why I couldn't adapt easily here.
Still, I had been going between the work area and the logistics warehouse, so I thought my adaptability was fine, but it seemed like a completely different kind of problem.
"The barracks schedule is posted next to the situation room, right?"
"Yes."
The situation room was far from the barracks, so only the night-shift workers could easily come and go.
The youngest of the entire barracks, Lee Jeonghee, was handling the situation, so that was the exception. The youngest in each barracks. That's why it was incredibly quiet.
"It's really quiet here."
"Yes."
There was still a spot for signatures, but the seniors in charge didn't even look at it. Looking at the signatures below, every handwriting was identical.
"Ah, today's physical training."
"Right."
"Huh? You knew about it?"
"Yeah, I checked in advance."
"You're the ace. No messing around."
"There's nothing special. Just..."
Jeong Seung-ah looked at me. When I looked back, confused, she turned her gaze slightly.
Oh no! She couldn't possibly be thinking, 'This idiot doesn't even know today's schedule? She's truly worthless...'
If Seung-ah really changed toward me, I would really...
...I would endure it. There was money coming in. Still, the mental strain would be huge.
"I'll work hard from now on! Of course, I know you don't believe me anymore because I keep saying these things!"
"Huh? What?"
"...You looked at me like a worthless person, right?"
"No! No way! I know how hard you've been working, so how could I say that? I just wanted to be alone with you, so I followed you."
"Ah. Yeah. I guess it makes sense with the atmosphere in our barracks."
She probably wanted to enjoy the quiet atmosphere. I understood.
"Um... isn't it that everyone gathers in the same places? And when I see Harang, she seems to only go where there are a lot of people."
"Yes. Actually, only the smoking area and behind the barracks are lively, right? Ah, I heard too, that the grass growing there was grown because of the tears shed by the people who were there."
"Ufufu... really?"
Her laughter was genuinely elegant. The kind of laugh you mostly see in dramas or comics.
I wonder if I should recall the laughs of the other women?
Kim Heejin would laugh 'fufu fufu' no matter what was funny, and Han Jihye would 'hehehe.' I honestly never saw her laugh properly.
Yeon Byeori would 'kiki...' Honestly, I didn't have much contact, so I didn't know.
Lee Jeonghui, the king of the adjacent barracks, I remember was a loud 'haha hahaha!'
That's why Jeong Seung-ah's laugh felt even bigger. Combined with her unique atmosphere, it created an air that felt healing just to hear.
"Other places are quiet too. That's why it's even better. Ah! It's not that we should all be messing with each other. There are many places for meditation."
"Meditation?"
Jeong Seung-ah nodded. The word 'meditation' didn't suit the busy modern society, but I found it interesting.
"Was your usual calmness because of meditation?"
When I asked that, the corners of Jeong Seung-ah's mouth lifted slightly as she nodded.
"It doesn't have zero influence, right? Want to try? Harang too?"
"I'll try when I have time later. I feel a bit rushed lately."
"Yeah, then let's meditate together when we have time. There's a place where few people come. No, on the way back, I'll tell you."
With those words, Jeong Seung-ah started moving her feet. Her stride was a bit wider than usual. She seemed in a hurry to tell me and go back.
If I stepped out because of her good will, it would only make Seung-ah feel awkward. It would be better to just follow quickly and figure out where it was.
I quickly followed behind Seung-ah and checked the meditation spot. Behind the warehouse where supplies were stored, a single tree stood there.
Around it, scattered grass and tree shadows spread out, and it looked quiet enough for meditation.
"It's a place where you won't be heard no matter how much noise you make."
"...Wasn't this supposed to be a meditation spot?"
"Yes, but. If a caterpillar suddenly drops on you, you get startled, right? Something like that."
"Yeah. If that's the case, I could probably yell."
Whether man or woman, hearing a bug fall would scare you. And if it's a fuzzy caterpillar instead of just a bug, even more so.
Anyway, I memorized the location and rushed back to the barracks.
"Eh, you're back? What are you doing today?"
As soon as I entered, Kim Heejin asked that. She must have thought I was just goofing off and came back, but that kind of probe wouldn't work!
"Today's physical training."
"What about tomorrow?"
"Ah."
"Tomorrow is specialty training, and the day after is no specific schedule."
Jeong Seung-ah stepped forward and told her. Kim Heejin blinked, looking at her as she calmly stated the entire week's schedule without hesitation.
"Huh, got it."
It was over.
"...Thank you."
"No, ufufu... let's definitely meditate together later. Okay?"
"Yes."
I probably needed to go through the process of emptying my thoughts a little. Otherwise, my enthusiasm was overflowing and I was only building up the 'worthless' label.
"Physical training, huh?"
"Yes."
"What time is it now?"
"9 AM."
"It's almost time to call. What if I don't go?"
Jihye reached her hand behind the water cooler where the mats were.
"Ah shit! Hey!"
...She jumped out. Her hands full of dust and long hair.
"Clean the back hard here! If you sleep, you'll drink all the dust."
"Yes."
I answered immediately. After all, this task was coming back to me. I shouldn't probe carefully and only get scolded; I should raise my hand first.
This was the only lesson I had learned here. And luckily, it went smoothly.
"Tsk, anyway, you couldn't have come in even if you wanted to. I'm going to the bathroom, so tell them I won't be back if they look for me."
"Yes."
Jihye slipped away. Even with her slippers dragging, her footsteps left no sound, and I was always surprised by her grace.
The seniors watching her looked at Kim Heejin.
"Superhuman Kim Heejin, aren't you exempt?"
And asked the question. Exempt?
By the way, from what I knew, physical training was mandatory for everyone.
It wasn't that I couldn't understand why someone would naturally want to skip it. Honestly, there were people for whom it wasn't necessary.
They were the ones who awakened support or long-range abilities instead of combat. Of course, it was good to train for the situation, but still.
By the way, in our barracks, Ji Yuna was the type like that.
"What about me?"
"Ah..."
"Why? Scared? I was going to do it, but you stopped me?"
"Ah, no. More importantly, I like exercise."
I was always into physical training anyway, though."
"Yes. Just, I thought you might skip this time."
"Fufu... I won't skip. I'll do all the training under me. Why, if you're scared, you should have come early—"
"Haa... shit."
Jeonghee answered Kim Heejin's hard-to-refute words with a sigh and a curse.
Jihye was absent, but everyone else was here. That sigh stopped everyone's breath.
Everyone couldn't even close their eyes properly and looked at the owner of the voice.
Drip, drip.
The barracks speaker exploded, breaking the silence that had even stopped breathing sounds.
—This is a broadcast from the situation room. All available Awakeners, please gather in comfortable clothing.
The speaker repeated the same words and suddenly stopped with the word 'abnormal.'
We still didn't say a word.